Negotiation

The room was filled with the aroma of tea.

Valona and Redra, having calmed down slightly from the incredible tea-making scene, picked up their teacups and took a sip. The mellow and rich taste and unique fragrance made their eyes light up.

This is not a drink that an ordinary hotel would offer.

"This tea tastes surprisingly good," Redra said first, quickly regaining her princess-like composure. "The aroma is pure, and the aftertaste is very pleasant."

Valona nodded in agreement: "It's truly wonderful. Your maid... not only has exceptional skills, but she's also so particular about selecting and brewing tea."

Lina bowed slightly, her posture impeccable: "You two ladies are too kind. It is my honor and my master's pleasure to have your esteemed guests' tastes."

After saying that, she quietly stepped outside the door, leaving the three people in the room to themselves.

Valona watched the maid's departing figure and sighed meaningfully, "Your Excellency is not only exceptionally capable, but even your maid is so competent. It's truly enviable to have such a loyal and capable assistant."

"Yes," Redra echoed with a smile, "A spellcaster with such exquisite control over magic and impeccable manners, yet willingly serving as a servant... Lord Yevian is truly enviable. Even the palace..."

She paused, giving Ye Wei'an a meaningful look. "...Even in our family, it's hard to find a maid like this... well, one who is both loyal and capable, and can even use magic to improve our quality of life. I'm curious, how did you find her?"

In Faerûn, professionals hold a very high status.

And spellcasters are the most valuable among professionals.

Magic can do so many things that mortals cannot. Even an apprentice who only knows magic tricks can easily live a decent life.

A spellcaster as powerful as Lina should be treated as an honored guest anywhere.

To outsiders, the fact that she would willingly become a personal maid suggests either that her master has unfathomable power and background, or that there are some unknown reasons behind it.

"Sister Lina? She's always been my maid, ever since we were little." Ye Wei'an smiled faintly. "Later, perhaps due to the favor of the magic network, she showed some talent for spellcasting, but even so, she was still willing to stay and help me. It's my luck."

"That's truly rare loyalty," Redra nodded in admiration.

"I think it's not entirely about loyalty... It must also be because Your Excellency is someone worth following." As she said this, she involuntarily glanced at Ye Wei'an's profile, then hurriedly looked away.

Ledera rolled her eyes at his words.

Having known Valuna quite well, she could already guess Valuna's thoughts—"If it were me, with such a handsome master, I would definitely stay too."

Ye Wei'an smiled, didn't respond to the question, and gently placed the teacup back on the table.

"The tea has been served, and the pleasantries have been exchanged," he said, his gaze sweeping over the two young women. "Miss Valona, ​​you came here today not just to compliment my maid and have tea, were you? As for your brother, Marans..."

When the matter was brought up, Valona immediately sat up straight, placed her hands on her knees, and adopted a sincere posture: "Yes, Your Excellency Ye Wei'an. The most important reason for my visit today is to represent the Golden Feather family, and also myself, to sincerely apologize to you for my brother Marans's recklessness and offense yesterday. He spoke and acted without thinking, offending you, but please believe me, this was absolutely not the Golden Feather family's intention. My father and I are both very sorry."

Ye Wei'an listened quietly, her face expressionless.

"Apologize... If apologizing really worked, I wouldn't have gone to learn magic in the first place."

This blunt rejection left Valona speechless for a moment, but Redra next to her almost burst out laughing.

"Hey, which side are you on?" Valona poked her, annoyed.

"Um, sorry," she quickly picked up her teacup to cover up her feelings, but the curve of her lips betrayed her true emotions.

She was used to formal, aristocratic language, and found this humorous and witty response particularly interesting.

Seeing Valona's awkwardness, Redra immediately took over the conversation:

"Your Excellency is absolutely right. Empty apologies are indeed meaningless; only concrete compensation can demonstrate sincerity. Valona's visit here represents the Golden Feather family's willingness to make amends; they are willing to do everything in their power to rectify Marans's mistake."

"If the terms offered by the Jin Yu family are still insufficient to compensate for the offense you have suffered..."

Ledera raised her eyes and met Ye Weian's gaze frankly. "Then, I am personally willing to do my best to provide some additional assistance, hoping to truly resolve this misunderstanding."

Upon hearing this, Ye Wei'an turned his gaze to Redra—or, as she called herself, Rhea.

With just that brief glance, Redra felt her heart skip a beat—this was too unfair, how could someone be so handsome?

Ledera suddenly remembered what Valona had said last night—"All women who think they won't be attracted to men are just because the men they meet aren't handsome enough."

"This promise sounds quite heavy." Ye Wei'an didn't notice the girl's lapse in composure, and simply asked, "But Miss Valona represents the Golden Feather family, and I believe she has the ability to fulfill her promise. As for Miss Leia, you..."

He looked at the other person seriously: "Excuse my intrusion, but whose family did you represent just now?"

He was very curious as to why a princess would disguise herself as an ordinary noblewoman to meet him, an illegitimate son who wasn't even a noble.

Valona quickly introduced her to him: "Miss Leia comes from the True Silver family. Please trust her abilities—of course, she came with me today only to show her personal support and concern for her good friend, and it has nothing to do with the True Silver family."

True Silver Family?

Ye Wei'an nodded, finding it somewhat amusing—what is a princess like you doing here, pretending to be a young lady from the Zhenyin family?

However, he showed no sign of his suspicion and simply followed up by asking, "I see. So, Miss Leia, do you have any good suggestions?"

"It's hardly a suggestion," Redra—or rather, Rhea—said earnestly.

"I'm just stating the facts. Although Young Master Marans' words and actions yesterday were inappropriate, the conditions he proposed were genuine, and he did intend to fulfill them at the time. With the Golden Feather family's connections and reputation in Susar, introducing you to the 'Dragon Knight' club wouldn't be difficult; besides, they can also connect you with reliable sellers with special sources of goods, which is exactly what you need right now, isn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Wei'an's eyes flickered slightly.

This princess is indeed extraordinary.

These few words, seemingly stating facts objectively, subtly cultivate goodwill towards Maranth—it's as if they're saying:

"He did harass you back then, but his admiration for you was genuine, and the conditions he offered you were also genuine. He just made a mistake that all men make."

but……

However, is it really appropriate for a princess of a kingdom to so openly discuss such an obviously shady deal in private?

Smuggling is a business that harms the interests of your Obieschir family.

As his thoughts raced, Ye Wei'an decided to probe further.

He looked slightly troubled: "Miss Leia is very well-informed. I do have purchasing needs, but... I don't have much cash on hand."

Leia immediately replied, "If you lack funds, we can also provide compensation!"

"No, no, no, I'm not that shameless. I don't expect you to pay for everything I buy." Ye Wei'an waved his hand.

"Besides, I'm not entirely without means of payment. In fact, I didn't come empty-handed; I have a batch of... rather valuable goods. I wonder if the sellers in the club would be willing to accept barter?"

Although it was called a barter, everyone present knew that it was smuggling.

But the princess showed no sign of embarrassment; instead, she nodded naturally.

"Of course, for many large transactions, especially those involving goods of unusual origin or nature, it is common for both parties to use barter to avoid attracting unnecessary attention by moving large amounts of gold coins. As long as the value is equivalent and the goods are what the other party needs, I believe they will not refuse this type of transaction."

He said it so frankly that even Valona, ​​who was standing next to him, was taken aback.

She suddenly looked at her friend—

You're a princess, how can you agree to something so outrageous?

This far exceeded the scope of compensation she had envisioned.

Valona nudged Rhea's arm and looked at her questioningly.

Leia returned an affirmative look.

Ye Wei'an took in all their subtle interactions.

He looked at Valona and asked, "Miss Valona, ​​can Miss Rhea's words represent you?"

Valona could only nod: "Yes. Leia is my best friend. She knows our Golden Feather family situation very well and fully understands our sincerity. Her words... represent my meaning."

Ye Wei'an smiled faintly: "Very good. Then, we can consider this a preliminary consensus. The Golden Feather family, through Miss Valuna, will provide me with club membership introductions and reliable seller channels. As long as the deal is completed, yesterday's matter will be considered closed, and I will not pursue your brother's responsibility for this matter any further."

"That's wonderful!" Valona smiled with relief and bowed again. "Thank you so much for accepting, Your Excellency Yevian. This is perfect."