Chapter 184: Hurray for the Sultan (1)
This feels quite familiar.
The corners of Lloyd’s lips rose, but it was more of a smirk, not a smile. His gaze then traveled to the inner door of the room, which was opening up. Another man, who appeared to be a palace official, walked inside and paid mechanical respect to Lloyd and the others. Then, with a stoic, expressionless face, the man spoke.
“Thank you for traveling all the way here. Please have a seat over here,” said the man as he pointed at the table in the reception room.
The table was plain and bare, and the same went for the chairs around it. They were the sort of chairs commonly found in ordinary households. In other words, this room wasn’t set up to entertain diplomatic envoys sent by a foreign monarch. Count Ventura, the one leading the delegation, expressed his dismay.
“Ha… There seems to be a mistake here,” announced Count Ventura.
“By mistake, what do you mean?” the official asked.
“I think you brought us to the wrong room.”
“I still have no idea what you are talking about.” The official cocked his head to the side with a straight face. This caused Count Ventura to complain further. His voice reflected greater dismay.
“It seems there was a miscommunication on your end causing this mishap to happen. We are special envoys sent by no other than the great queen, Her Highness Queen Alicia Termina Magentano. In other words, we traveled far and wide to speak on her behalf to the sultan. Despite that, we are brought to this small and shoddy reception room. Moreover, to be met by a lowly official instead of the sultan? I don’t understand why,” said the count at length.
“Why don’t you understand?” the official nonchalantly asked.
“The treatment we received is unbecoming of our status. Do me a favor and go back to your supervisor and ask whether you brought us to the correct place.”
“I am sorry,” said the official, “but I escorted you to the correct place.”
“What is? This place?” the count said as he looked all around. “This small and shoddy reception room where you led us?”
“That is right.”
“How…?” The count’s face shook.
Still wearing a robotic and expressionless face, the official said, “I led you to the right location. Tell me, aren’t you all the envoys from Queen Magentano?”
“We are. I made that clear a while ago.”
“Yes. Then you are in the right place.”
The low-level official only repeated those words like a parrot, and Count Ventura’s eyebrows twitched.
“Is the sultan intent on insulting the queen?” huffed the count.
“That is not something I know. I am simply fulfilling the orders given to me,” the official defended.
“Then bring me your supervisor!” Count Ventura bawled at last.
But the palatial official didn’t even bat an eye. He nodded in a stiff manner, and that was it.
“Understood. Then please wait here for a moment.”
Once the official left, Count Ventura started to bite his underlip in anger.
“What in the world is happening…”
Is he trying to control his rage? Or could it be that he just can’t understand the current situation? Probably both.
Lloyd smiled bitterly as he read the room.
It took everyone a while to get a grasp of the situation. Well, it’s not surprising. These people here have probably never been treated like this before.
Lloyd’s eyes moved to look at Count Ventura and then studied the rest of the members. Everyone belonged to noble families that held considerable influence in the capital.
No wonder they never received this kind of treatment before. That’s why they’re having trouble grasping the situation. They aren’t used to this. It’s foreign to them.
A wry smile continued to escape Lloyd, and his mind flew back to his time in Korea, particularly when he lived in a room rental.
People looked down on me all the time.
He barely had anything. There was nothing for him to boast. After losing his parents, he struggled each day to put food on the table. So, he never dared to treat himself, and that nuked his confidence. He couldn’t hide his cowering attitude that naturally came from his expressions and movements. From that moment on, people started to look down on him quite subtly. The manager of the building joked every time he saw Lloyd, saying, “Make sure you have your rent this month, you hear?” And there was more.
And to all the envoys, have you ever got on a crowded bus only to realize that you didn’t have enough money for the fare? With that thought, have you ever started frantically rummaging through your pocket in panic and spilled a handful of coins to the ground? And after you picked the coins up while apologizing to the other passengers, have you ever realized that you were still a quarter short? Then were you ever forced to get out of the bus again with all the people glowering at you for causing a delay?
The experience still made his stomach churn even now. However, it was because of his disparaging life in South Korea that Lloyd was able to grasp the situation the moment he was led to this shabby reception room. He knew how the sultan planned on treating the envoys. What the sultan was doing wasn’t a mystery to him at all. He caught on immediately. He was accustomed to being looked down upon.
They’re probably going to be more shameless from now on.
Lloyd took a seat at the table in one corner, deciding to see whether his prediction was right. And while he remained in his seat, observing the situation from one step away, a man who seemed to be a high-ranking official entered the room.
“I heard you wanted to see me,” said the supervisor.
“Yes. I did.”
Count Ventura, who had been pacing anxiously, reacted right away and, struggling to put on a calm face, spoke to the official.
“I just can’t properly get my words through to a low-level subordinate,” explained the count.
“Hmm, what is the issue here?”
“This place,” Count Ventura said. “I assume there has been a slight but grave mistake.”
“Oh, I already heard that you expressed dissatisfaction regarding the reception room. But, unfortunately, this reception room has rightfully been assigned to you.” The official offered a respectful smile.
“What?” Dismay. Count Ventura’s eyes were filled with dismay. “Then… What about the sultan? Does he not plan on entertaining us?”
“Regretfully, that will be the case for now.”
“Regretfully? For now?” the count repeated.
“Yes.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The great and omnipotent sultan is overseeing a plethora of construction projects at the moment. Therefore, he cannot entertain you all as there’s too much work for him to catch up on.”
“But we are the representatives of Queen-”
“I am aware,” interrupted the official. “You are the diplomatic delegation sent by the queen. However, nothing can be done.”
“This is… outrageous!”
As the count shouted aloud, the veins in his neck bulged out of his skin.
“I am trying to be patient, but this has gone too far! What kind of a kingdom treats royal envoys like this?! This is not appropriate diplomatically, and it is out of line!”
“But,” said the official coolly, “there really is nothing we can do.”
“There is nothing you can do? Do you expect me to just accept that?!”
“If you disagree, then you can always go back.”
“What…?” Count Ventura stopped short, wondering if he heard him right.
The corners of the official’s lips rose in a strange manner, and he added, “I have expressed our stance well enough. Let me reiterate to you, the great and omnipotent sultan is currently unavailable to entertain you.”
“So what, we wait?”
“Now you understand our side. Yes. Wait, and the issue will be solved naturally,” stated the official.
“How long should we wait?”
“At least six months.”
“What-”
“As I said, there is nothing we can do. The great and omnipotent sultan is just that busy.”
“Are you mocking us?” challenged the count.
“Not at all.”
“Then what are you doing?!”
“Asking for your understanding.”
“How could you ask for our understanding for such a ridiculous request-”
“If you dislike it, then you can always go back.”
Thump. The official smiled faintly, bringing out a circular gold plate. He then set it on the table.
“The choice is yours to make. Go back now, or stay here and wait. We do not intend to force a decision on you.”
“What is that…?”
Count Ventura pointed at the gold plate with his jaw. The official grinned.
“It is a gift personally bestowed by the great and omnipotent sultan.”
“A gift?”
“Yes. It is a gift you can receive should you choose to wait.”
“Do explain…”
“The golden plate is called ‘Padashar.’ Its use is simple. Have this, and you will not need any money during your stay here in Ahinsya.”
“How so?”
“This Padashar represents the grace of the great and omnipotent sultan. It marks his promise to provide everything you will need during your stay here.”
Seluk, which was the name of the official, continued to explain.
“Carry this wherever you go in the capital, and you will not need to pay for your food. The same goes for when you buy clothes, hire camels and workers, and pay for your lodging.”
“Are you simply treating us like beggars now?” asked the count defiantly.
“You misunderstand me. How would I dare to?”
But the corners of the official’s lips were already up, and it made the count’s eyes tremble.
“Then I will give you some time to think over it. Please excuse me.”
While the rage and dismay continued to swell over the delegation, the high-ranking official bowed and left the room. Lloyd’s smirk on his face deepened.
It’s like I expected. I’m right.
The sultan kingdom. It was explicitly looking down on the delegation. Go back home if you hate waiting. Be in our favor if you wait. In other words, they demanded the envoys toss their pride to the ground, or the negotiation was off. The sultan kingdom was indirectly suggesting nuking the negotiation just like this. They wouldn’t be treated this way otherwise.
Are they planning to deny that they’re responsible for the Monster Domino incident?
That seemed to be the case which was slightly problematic for Lloyd.
There’ll be a war if the agreement fails.
Lloyd had a bad feeling about this. War had to be avoided. War breaking out was no good for anyone, particularly for the Frontera fiefdom, which would receive tremendous damage.
What’s the delegation planning on doing?
Here came the crucial part. How the envoys responded to the preposterous attitude the officials manifested would determine the results of their discussion. But surprisingly, Count Ventura and the delegation remained still, doing nothing, their shoulders only drooping in discouragement.
“Haah. What do we do…?”
“Indeed,” one of the envoys agreed. “I never imagined that they would receive us in this fashion. How does this make sense?” Count Ventura expressed his confusion.
“I agree with you. This is not right. We must summon someone in charge again and express our complaint.”
“Indeed. We must do it. But what if it doesn’t work?” rebutted Count Ventura.
“How about openly condemning the sultan?” one of the envoys suggested.
“Hmm, but we are in the enemy’s territory,” reminded Count Ventura.
“Then how about we send a letter to the kingdom?” the same official suggested.
“What kind of letter?”
“We will write a letter detailing their lack of respect toward us and ask for a larger delegation.”
“Do you mean to say,” mused the count, “we ask the palace for diplomatic support and pressure?”
“Yes, Your Excellency. Realistically, there seems to be nothing much we can do here.”
“Hmm…” Count Ventura stroked his beard, thinking hard about the subject. “I am clueless as to what we must do. But giving up on the negotiation and going back will only disappoint Her Highness. The war will become inevitable should that happen… But you, what are you doing?”
The count’s brow twitched, and his question was directed to the person in the corner of the room sitting at the table. Lloyd was there, and he grinned at the count.
“Oh, I was taking a gander at this one.”
Lloyd was holding a gold plate in his hand. It was the Padashar the official left on the table. When the count saw it in Lloyd’s hand, his brows trembled hard once more.
“Pray, do you desire that object?” asked the count.
“It seems interesting. That’s all,” Lloyd replied.
“Drop it. That object was given to mortify us. I expect you to keep your curiosity to yourself. And besides…” The count’s gaze grew stern as he looked at Lloyd. “You saw how they treated us, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Then do you have any suggestions for us?”
“Um, nothing much.”
Lloyd shrugged after he spoke. A look of discontentment appeared on the count’s face and vanished after a second.
How materialistic he is.
Actually, Count Ventura never liked Lloyd in the first place. Was it because a man from the sticks received favors from the queen? Or because he considered Lloyd to be an upstart? No. Count Ventura admitted that Lloyd was a capable and reputable man. But he hated the strain of materialistic character Lloyd manifested from time to time. For instance, it was right now. Lloyd was stroking the gold plate the sultan handed out to mock them. Count Ventura stared at Lloyd.
“May I advise you on one thing?”
“Yes, of course,” answered Lloyd.
“The gold plate you are holding. Stay far away from it. Do not exchange your reason for greed. And do not sell your pride for negligible gains. Most of all, do not spoil our visit here with your foolish behavior.”
“Yes. I understand,” answered Lloyd.
“Do you mean it?”
“Of course,” confirmed Lloyd. “Do not worry. I will not ruin this for everyone.”
“Thank you. Thank you for seeing where I am coming from.”
“No problem.”
Was the count relieved at last? Count Ventura nodded in satisfaction. Lloyd responded by flashing a smile at the count to make sure he appeared trustworthy.
And that very night, Lloyd took the gold plate of the sultan and threw the biggest, wildest party of his life.