After Rafael had eaten a little of the hot food, they began discussing the day''s negotiations.


    Carissa sat beside him, clearly taking advantage of her position. At least when she spoke out of turn or disagreed with Everett, she wouldn''t receive the cold shoulder since she was sitting right next to Rafael. "Has the king heard their terms? What did he say about it?" Jacob asked.


    "Davis reported to him. When he returned to the Diplomatic Affairs Department, he ryed the king''s stance. The borderline can''t bepromised, but everything else is open for negotiation. We''re not bound to the conditions they''ve proposed. We can offer alternativepensation. That''s the king''s directive."


    Everett thought for a moment before speaking, "Not yielding on the borderline means forcing Westhaven to acknowledge the treaty Aurora signed. If they deem the treaty invalid, the borderline should revert to the previous one. But the border dispute has been going on for years. Considering they took advantage of Starhaven''s chaos to invade, this situation isplicated."


    Rafael nodded. "The matter discussed tonight at the Diplomatic Affairs Department was exactly that the borderline. We know it''s impossible to get Westhaven to recognize Aurora''s treaty, and we''re not thrilled with it either. But if we push back the borderline, the people will likely rebel and turn Aurora into a hero. How can a person so stained with guilt be considered a hero?"


    "It''s indeed a tricky issue," Everett said.


    He didn''t have a perfect solution for it, either. But then again, how could there ever be a perfect solution for such matters?


    "We''ve alreadypiled the border maps from the time of our ancestors and the original agreements between the two kingdoms. We hope to convince Westhaven to ept those agreements in ce of the one Aurora signed. We never agreed with their invasion, so there was never a new border agreement," Rafael said.


    "That''s not going to be easy," Carissamented.


    "Of course it''s not easy," Everett replied tly. "If it were, would the king have sent him? He''d have given up the credit for nothing."


    Carissa fell silent, realizing herment was met with more of a lecture than she had expected. Anyway, she had no new insights to offer.


    Jacob furrowed his brow, clearly troubled. "We can''t fight, we can''t retreat, and we''re in the wrong. This situation is already hard enough to manage, but we still have to deal with it. How do we find a breakthrough?"


    Everett nced at Rafael, who looked a little weary. "Go get some rest. Tomorrow''s negotiations are crucial."


    Carissa immediately stood up. "Yes, go take a hot bath. You''ll sleep better."


    "Everyone should disperse and get settled for the night," Rafael said as he rose, bowing respectfully to Everett before taking Carissa''s hand and leaving.Property of N?)(velDr(a)ma.Org.


    The next day''s negotiations brought no breakthroughs. Both sides remained firmly focused on their core interests, unwilling topromise.


    Leroy hardly spoke at all today,


    clearly having been reprimanded by Lisandra when they returned the previous evening. On the other hand, Garrick was more vocal. However, he never mentioned Dominic, so Rafael just paid attention but didn''t jump to conclusions about him.


    On the third day of talks, Garrick''s demeanor didn''t change. He didn''t bring up Dominic, and both sides remained deadlocked, unwilling to yield an inch.


    But by the afternoon, Lisandra suddenly became ill. She clutched her head as waves of nausea swept over her. Her face turned pale and she was drenched in cold sweat.


    Although they had brought along a royal physician and supplies, Rafael still asked, "Would you like us to call for a physician from Starhaven?"


    Lisandra declined, exining, "This headache has been a chronic condition for years. The royal physician I brought with me understands my condition better and knows how to treat it." However, it seemed likely that the negotiations would need to be postponed by a day.


    Rafael nodded. "Then, we''ll dy by a day and resume once Her Highness has recovered."


    Michael, who was responsible for security outside Concord Lodge, had been leading the guards. For now, the Capital Guard was under


    Alistair''smand. After seve


    days of hard work, Michael was


    dausted. Carissa went to relieve


    him that evening so he could rest while she took up watch.


    Alistair could have handled it, but Carissa didn''t trust him-his loose tongue was a risk. With the Westhaven envoys here, Violet hadn''t been teaching, so she came to keep Carissapany.


    The exits of Concord Lodge were all guarded. While they wouldn''t stop the Westhaven people froming and going, the guards had to be alert in case of any assassination attempts.


    The Capital Guard didn''t enter unless there was a special reason. Westhaven had their own guards and had taken residence inside. For now, Concord Lodge effectively belonged to Westhaven.