LOGINThird Person's POVPrincess Helia led her exhausted team out of the Protocol Hall and back to their quarters.The Northern officials, however, didn't leave. They stayed behind, locked in a heated strategy session for the next round of talks.Cyrus joined the discussion, pointing out a critical red line."We absolutely cannot agree to the third condition regarding food supplies. The Western Tribe suffered a brutal winter last year, and their army is starving. If we send them those rations, we are literally feeding the enemy so they can better attack our own soldiers on the battlefield!"He paused, adding firmly, "Furthermore, Lycan Erasmus has made it clear: there will be no retreat from our current border lines!"After speaking his piece, Cyrus left, feeling a sense of relief. Lance's performance at the table today had given him the confidence that the North's interests were in good hands.Meanwhile, in the cold, damp cells of the Roy
Third Person's POVHelia was the first to break the heavy silence.Her voice carried the unmistakable aura of a Lycan's command."Your nation unilaterally tore up the pact to protect civilians and spare prisoners of war. It was an atrocity that angered the Moon Goddess. However, our slaughter of the Frostfang Pack was equally a bloody transgression."Her eyes burned like torches as she continued, "If these negotiations are to proceed, both sides must acknowledge these blood-stained facts. Only on this foundation can true discussions begin."The translators quickly relayed her words.Lance and Elias exchanged a look and nodded in agreement.With that, the high-stakes negotiation that would decide the fate of two kingdoms officially commenced.The Western Tribe didn't waste time on pleasantries; they laid out five non-negotiable conditions.First, a formal apology from the Northern Kingdom to the slaughtered civilians of t
Third Person's POVThe Northern officials were willing to offer formal apologies, gold, and mineral resources for the Snowdeer Town massacre. However, their primary goal was to secure a chance for a fair hearing rather than facing the tens of thousands of Western troops currently massed at the border.The Western diplomats distributed the parchment dossiers regarding the Snowdeer Town incident.Included were numerous gruesome eyewitness accounts—the truth as reconstructed by the Western soldiers who had been captured alongside the Crown Prince and later managed to escape.The civilians of Snowdeer Town had not been entirely wiped out; survivors hiding in cellars and snow pits had witnessed the hellish slaughter firsthand.In these documents, the identity of the late Crown Prince was scrubbed, using the alias "Rowan" instead.But Lance and Elias knew the truth: "Rowan" was actually Crown Prince Lucian.As Lance and his team read
Third Person's POVBy bringing up the assassination attempt and demanding a formal response before the actual negotiations even started, Lance appeared candid and sincere, but he was actually applying massive psychological pressure on the Western delegation.In fact, the Western envoys almost wished Lance would be sleazier—they wanted him to use the incident as a blatant bargaining chip. That way, both sides could drop the pretense of diplomatic grace and get straight to the cutthroat business of national interests.At this moment, every member of the delegation—except for Bobby Potter—was cursing Damian in their hearts.A trigger-happy idiot like him thought he could replace Pierce? Utterly delusional.Lance maintained a calm gaze, locked in a silent standoff with his counterparts.He knew this was a psychological war of attrition. The Westerners held the "Bloodscar Massacre" card; they should have been the ones roaring in
Third Person's POVCaldwell quickly wrapped up his briefing, summarizing the recent movements following the Palace banquet, specifically the suspicious shifts within the Blue Abyss and Silverlights.The moment the report ended, Klein turned his gaze toward Lance."None of that matters right now. You're the Alpha heading the negotiations tomorrow. Everything depends on whether your fangs are sharp enough. Now, get out and go to sleep."Lance knew better than to argue with an order from Klein.He stood up immediately, but as he reached the door, curiosity got the better of him."You said Mentor Irene blew up the courtyard—how did that actually happen?"Caldwell began signaling frantically for Lance to shut up, but Lance wasn't looking his way."She was playing with that dangerous alchemical powder. It got out of control. It went off," Klein answered, his face an unreadable mask."Wait," Lance said, sounding surprised
Third Person's POVPrunella snapped her back straight. "Yes, sir!"Caldwell's eyes lit up as he listened.He had already planned on keeping the Silverlight estate under 24-hour surveillance, but Klein's idea to turn Alpha Howell into a penniless rogue before he even reached Hudson City was beautifully twisted. He absolutely loved the plan.Klein let out another cold snort."And don't think I'm giving you the cold shoulder for no reason. Your mentor, Irene, was up on the Shadow Peaks messing with alchemical black powder and managed to turn my courtyard into a pile of rubble! Not only that, she ordered me to the capital to help you deal with this mess. So, my mood is terrible!"Craig and Prunella traded a subtle, knowing glance.Irene was tinkering with black powder again?Back when they first heard Adelaide was heading to the front lines, Irene started refining dangerous powders in her lab like a madwoman. She'd tried it before,
Third Person's POVAdelaide cleared her throat and said, "Let's coordinate our efforts. I need to know which tasks require the Capital Guard's cooperation so I can assign personnel accordingly.""Alright, Dennis, you could discuss the specifics with Ellen," Lance said. "I'll brief Gamma Adelaide on
Third Person's POVRamona's face froze. She pulled Paisley outside the room and said, "Don't mention this in front of her.""Alright," Paisley agreed.She glanced at Ramona and suddenly realized, "You're out of money, aren't you?"Ramona looked embarrassed. "I never had much to begin with. The jewe
Third Person's POVRosa looked at her, squinting, "You're not her—how could you understand her pain? What do you know?""I'm not her, nor do I comprehend this twisted mindset where a slight grievance or setback warrants others' deaths," Adelaide said icily."What else could she possibly desire? Eve
Third Person's POVAldrich had returned to the capital alone.All of his descendants lived in their own territories and held government positions there.Lycan Erasmus was a little wary of that, especially since the person behind Madison still hadn't been found.Until t







