Thump, thump, thump~
As Xia De's gaze turned to the door, knocking sounds indeed came from outside.
Leia frowned, quite displeased, looking towards the door. The guard outside informed the princess that the owner of the manor, Miss Hivi Aurora, had arrived.
"That woman, really... Xia De, find a place to hide first."
Leia said apologetically to Xia De, then saw that Xia De was already preparing to hide under the desk:
This was a guest room in the manor, used as a temporary lounge for the banquet.
The most convenient hiding spot was actually the bathroom in the room, but Xia De always felt it wasn't a safe place.
After realizing that under the desk wasn't safe either, his eyes immediately spotted the wardrobe standing in the corner, so he quickly opened it and Drill ed in.
Apart from a fishing rod leaning in the corner, it was full of ladies' clothing.
He didn't know if these were clothes Leia had brought or clothes the Great Witch had prepared for the princess. After Xia De entered, a pungent smell of spices and soapberry almost made him sneeze immediately.
Leia saw Xia De nimbly close the wardrobe door from the inside, but he immediately poked his head out again:
"Miss Maid, quick, stand in front of the cabinet!"
This was to prevent being heard by the sensitive Witch if he breathed heavily due to lack of oxygen after staying in a confined space for too long.
The young maid who had just led Xia De over looked at Leia hesitantly, and the princess asked with a smile:
"How are you so skilled at this?"
But she still nodded lightly, and the maid quickly came to the cabinet.
With a serene smile on her face, she clasped her hands together at her abdomen.
The cabinet door closed behind her. Xia De glanced out through the crack of the door, confirmed that he could only see the maid's back, and then breathed a sigh of relief.
Leia grabbed the rabbit fur blanket, covered herself, and sat back on the sofa:
"Please come in."
Only after the owner of the manor, a descendant of an ancient family dressed in a red gown, entered the room, did she stand up, looking sleepy.
The person who walked in was a woman with long, curly, wavy brown hair.
She wore a somewhat serious dark brown long dress with a jeweled corset at the waist.
Although she had a smile on her face, her slender beauty and defined features made her look exceptionally dignified.
However, Xia De temporarily had no time to appreciate the charm of the Witch. He had rushed into the cabinet too forcefully and was now entangled in a pile of clothes.
He held his breath, remained still, and didn't even dare to make large movements to untangle the sashes wrapped around him.
The Witch came here not because she sensed Xia De's presence, but because she wanted to discuss the Coldwater Port shipyard with Leia again.
She certainly wouldn't agree to as many shares as Leia requested, but wanted to use cash or a ten-year dividend from other Aurora Family properties as compensation.
Moreover, Miss Aurora even handed Leia a bottle of liquid that Xia De couldn't see from his angle:
"Your Highness, you should also know that there are some secrets in this world that we ordinary people don't know about.
Look at this, this is a potion called 'Mermaid Slime', not Merman, but Mermaid."
"What's the use of this?"
Leia's tone was monotonous, showing her lack of interest in it.
"Add one drop of this to your powder puff each time, for one year, and it can make your skin better."
"It is indeed a good thing, but I don't think I need it."
With the youthful immortality leaf Xia De lent her, Leia indeed didn't need a less effective magic potion.
"Madam, although I know you don't want to build warships, to convince my father and make him believe this, more is needed."
"Those shares are definitely not possible, too much, that's too much."
The Witch's tone was very gentle. Although he couldn't see their expressions, Xia De, entangled with ladies' clothes in the wardrobe, instinctively thought Miss Aurora was speaking with a smile:
"Your Highness, what exactly do you want? I think after all these days of discussion, you should state your true demands."
"I can take only one-tenth of the shares, but I want your new shipyard to help me build some ships."
Leia said.
"What kind of ships?"
"These kinds of ships."
Then came the sound of paper rustling, indicating that Leia had some documents with her.
After a moment of silence, Miss Aurora's tone was puzzled:
"If I understand correctly, Your Highness, the kind of ship you want to build is a military... perhaps I misunderstood?"
She certainly didn't misunderstand, and was sure she didn't misunderstand; this was a test.
As for Xia De in the wardrobe, he had already covered his mouth to prevent his breathing from becoming erratic due to hearing information he shouldn't.
If he wasn't mistaken, Leia wanted the Aurora Family's shipyard to help her secretly build some large steamships that could be used for military purposes, as compensation for her lobbying for Aurora in Tobesk.
"Yes, you misunderstood. You just need to build the ships; I won't install weapons on them."
Leia said, followed by a long silence.
"Once I agree to this request, it means I am binding my family to you.
Your Highness, I cannot make this decision lightly."
Miss Aurora said.
"It's alright, you can take your time to consider."
"Yes, take my time to consider. My family only does shipping business and has never wanted to get involved in Delarion politics."
The Witch's voice was unhurried. Although this conversation seemed to be led by Leia, Hivi Aurora was never at a disadvantage from beginning to end.
"The opening of the New World has given those of you in the shipping business different capital than before.
Miss Aurora, your family cannot escape the influence of changes in the kingdom's power.
Even if it's not me, it will be someone else."
Leia said, her tone monotonous and bland, with no real emotion discernible.
"That makes a lot of sense, but I still prefer to do legitimate business."
"Legitimate?"
Leia's tone showed a hint of mockery:
"Madam, what your fleet has done at sea, I think even the beggars of Coldwater Port have heard about it.
How many of the Seven Pirate Kings' fleets on the outer seas are unrelated to you?"
"Only two are related to me."
The Witch said calmly. Leia smiled slightly:
"Miss Aurora, this is an era of change; everything is changing.
Even an ancient family like Aurora, if it wants to maintain its leading position in the surging tide of the times, cannot avoid making changes."
Xia De only told Leia that Hivi Aurora was a Sorceress from an ancient Ring術士 family, but he didn't tell her that the other party was a Twelve-Ring.
Otherwise, Leia might not have been able to speak in such a tone.
But if he had told her, the princess's unusual behavior at this moment would have been noticed by the other party as something amiss, so not telling her was actually the correct choice.
"Yes, you make sense, but I think I still need to consider it.
After all, the family is not just mine, and we have other partners in our business."
The Witch gave her answer unhurriedly.
From Xia De's perspective in the wardrobe, Leia hadn't even made an offer.
The princess wanted to use this cooperation to build a bridge, and then gradually deepen Leia Cavendish's imprint on the Aurora Family.
But obviously, Hivi Aurora was no ordinary woman.
Even if she wanted to gamble her luck by following a member of the royal family in the changing tide of the times, she would certainly seek the hint and permission of Jialinna Cavendish, who was also part of the Witch Council.
Such ancient Ring術士 families must have their unique methods to survive to this day.
In Xia De's opinion, Leia's idea was unlikely to succeed, unless she could offer more attractive bargaining chips to the Witch.
The Outsider in the wardrobe breathed in the scent of the clothes that entangled him, listening quietly to the clash between the princess and the Witch in the darkness.
He gained a deeper understanding of the political tactics of this era and the current situation within Delarion.
Speaking of which, these things were very strange to Xia De.
Although he had already integrated into his current life, hearing about these political situations still gave him a sense of detachment.
Yodel Palace, where the Delarion royal family resided, was only one street away from Saint Delan Square, but he always felt that the events happening in that palace, the conspiracies and plans generated within that building, which could almost be considered the center of the entire kingdom, were actually very far from him.
But it wasn't until this moment, listening to the princess's conversation in such a somewhat comical posture, that he suddenly felt as if he was participating in the historical process.
"But Leia's methods are still not sophisticated enough.
If it were me, I would at least invite them to dinner at Sophia Manor, arrange a play during dinner to warn the other party of the consequences of refusing the proposal, and then, while the Witch was pondering, present my own chips and advantages.
But I wouldn't immediately demand an answer; instead, I'd let them go back and think, and the next day, mobilize the Coldwater Port navy for an exercise... inviting guests, beheading, taking them in..."
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but laugh at himself again.
These were all the Outsider's thoughts from an Outsider's perspective, and they were highly subjective.
Reality was more complex, and perhaps his thoughts were even more ridiculous.
"Outsider, are you good at this kind of thing?"
"She" whispered in his ear. Every time Xia De heard her voice in a dark environment, he would imagine she was right behind him.
"Of course not, I didn't learn this in my hometown; these are just things I've heard."
Xia De replied in his mind, and then suddenly heard Leia outside raise her voice; their conversation had already shifted to this unlucky banquet.
"Madam, you are truly rude!"
Xia De's eyes widened instantly; he still remembered Miss Jialinna's words about Hivi Aurora's hobby.
"Is casually touching a lady's hand a tradition of the Aurora Family?"
Leia's voice indicated she was somewhat angry, and Xia De in the cabinet breathed a sigh of relief.
