Chapter 473: Buying A Seat, Not Flipping The Table

Three kings sat in a room with whiskey and a negotiation that covered a matebond, a princess, a fleet, and a number with so many zeros that one of them choked on his drink. The evening had started with a fivesome that none of the kings remembered and was ending with fiscal policy. The Luminari Citadel did not do anything at a normal scale.

Nicholas Shadowfell was third in line if the first two buyers changed their minds about Guinevere. Damon had worked out a deal with Renwick for that. They both assumed Landon Solveil was the buyer in front of Nicholas. But Nicholas was not aware that Landon Solveil had also offered Maddox something for Guinevere.

Landon set his glass down and the sound of it was a door closing on one conversation and opening another. "The other terms of the deal remain intact. One hundred twenty billion gold delivered tonight. I’ll grant you a Luminari fleet for life. And a royal marriage alliance for my sister’s hand."

Nicholas chose the worst possible moment to be drinking because that number hit his ears mid-sip and the whiskey nearly came out his nose. The cough that followed was involuntary, undignified, and perfectly timed.

Maddox glanced at Nicholas. "You alright?"

"Fine." Nicholas set his glass down. Cleared his throat. "One hundred twenty billion."

"Yes."

"Billion."

"Yes."

"With a B."

"That is correct, Shadowfell," Landon answered. "One hundred twenty billion gold, a fleet, and my sister."

Nicholas took a very long drink processing that. Renwick must not have known Landon Solveil at the time of Guinevere’s auction or he certainly would have been there. And now Renwick was living with the fact he left that on the table. Damon was absolutely going to love that.

"That’s one hell of an offer," Nicholas managed after a long moment.

"It is," Maddox agreed. "I declined it when I could not feel a matebond with her and without my memories of her. Why would I say yes now when I have both?"

The question was rhetorical. Landon knew this but was going to negotiate anyway because Landon was a king and kings did not stop negotiating when the answer was no.

"I am willing to amend the terms. She has four matebonds. The situation with her is not standard. I have no interest in separating her from either of you or the Young Light Bearer because that would hurt her. Any mate who wishes to accompany her to Solveil is welcome here. I am buying a seat at the table, Drakencrest. I am not trying to flip the table."

Landon poured himself another measure. "And, to answer your question, Drakencrest, you would be willing to consider my offer for a number of reasons. Her light needs to be stabilized. There is a dark mechanism in her mind that I want solved. And her light bearing will take cultivation. But most importantly, Dark Fae cannot breach Luminari territory. They actively hunt her and she is allergic to their dark magic. Out of our three kingdoms, she is safest in Solveil."

Maddox took a drink. Set it down. The set-down was the warning.

"Oh? Then explain to me why armed men chased her, Solveil. She was running and afraid and they fired at her."

Landon did not hesitate in his response. "My men would not fire at an unarmed woman, Drakencrest."

Nicholas spoke next, and his voice carried the calm of a man who had been waiting for the right opening and just found it.

"I had the same thought, Solveil. Surely they wouldn’t draw weapons at an unarmed woman who was lost over trespassing. Then your men drew on her and I. One put a blade to my throat while I was carrying her. We were walking through a bar. It was so aggressive the civilians of the bar thought they were being robbed."

He leaned back in his chair and crossed one ankle over his knee.

"The first time they chased her, I believe they saw your infrastructure reacting to her presence, the fountains, the light, and assumed she was doing it deliberately. After that, they chased us because they believed she had attempted to kill you and fled from the authorities. But regardless, she was unarmed and not hostile. In fact, she warned them that her runes were contagious and they should wear gloves."

Nicholas’s eyes moved to Maddox and held there for half a second. The glance was nothing. The glance was also a check-in that required no words and produced no response because the response had already been agreed on before they sat down.

"They also stormed into her private chambers in Lunaris, from what I am told," he continued, "and I am fairly certain she actually believed she was being chased due to flowers and fountains. I’d imagine the police station was jarring for her to hear that she had apparently attempted to murder you."

"That commander is no longer on my staff," Landon replied. "The Kingsguard who pursued her were following his orders, but that is not an excuse. That has also been addressed with them. I knew blades were drawn. I was not aware one was put to your throat, Shadowfell."

He looked at Nicholas directly.

"There is no excuse for that. You were carrying an unarmed woman and my men drew on you. That is a failure of my house, and I own it. I am sorry."

No hedging or qualification. The apology landed clean because Landon let it land clean, and the room was quiet for a moment because an apology from a king that comes without conditions is rare enough to deserve the silence.

Nicholas gave a single nod, accepting it with grace. "Thank you for the apology. But my issue was that it frightened Guinevere. And she actually thinks she deserved to serve time for flowers."

Something behind Landon’s eyes shifted at the word ’flowers’ like he knew exactly what Nicholas was referring to but hadn’t been aware it was to that degree. It was written across his face.

"She mentioned that to Maddox, Kael, and myself on more than one occasion," Nicholas continued. "When they tried to arrest her with me, she was prepared to hand herself over because she thought she was a terrorist due to the Luminari worshipping flora."

The words landed on Landon’s face like a slap.