Chương 206: Chapter 200: Will You Marry Me?

"I'd say I've read thousands of books, not tens of thousands. I wish I had, but school got in the way," chuckled Priam.

"How was it?" Esmée asked, her eyes bright with curiosity.

"School?" Priam shrugged.

"It was nice, but I realized it too late. Spent fifteen years thinking it was a chore. I was quite the restless kid; sitting still for hours bored me." Esmée smiled fondly.

"Twenty years later, the restless kid scares away monsters." Priam burst out laughing.

"Yeah. Fortunately, books calmed me down."

"Why did you change your mind about school?"

"University and odd jobs taught me how fortunate I was to get free education in high school."

"I used to think my life was horrible too," said Esmée.

"It wasn't until I talked to Myuri that I realized how lucky I had been..." Priam glanced up at Log-a-rhythm, where Myuri hid. Aydan's former sex slave remained silent in his presence for now, but he hoped that would change over time.

"Do princesses go to school?" Priam asked, changing the subject.

"My sisters and I had tutors. I enjoyed the lessons, but the teachers refused to answer most of my questions. So, I turned to books," smiled Esmée.

"I spent most of my time in the library, where I could be left alone."

"School bullies avoid libraries. What kind of books did you read?"

"Everything. The library was connected to a platform that housed all the books in the Empire. I would switch genres periodically: historical texts, philosophical essays, mythological tales, newspapers... I was quite dismayed when I realized I couldn't read everything the Empire published!"

"I feel you. Do you have a favorite genre?" Esmée nodded.

"Novels. I realized I wasn't alone in having stories swirling in my head. In those books, I could travel, leave the Palace, meet people, and experience positive emotions. Most importantly, I saw how men interacted with their equals and..." She trailed off, but Priam understood. Esmée had identified with free characters and desired that freedom.

"You realized you weren't inferior to men," Priam finished. Esmée looked at him, surprised, before shaking her head.

"I know we're not from the same civilization, but I find it strange that you don't look down on me for my gender."

"To look down on someone is to underestimate them. I won't make that mistake," winked Priam. Esmée let out an adorable laugh.

"Too bad." At that moment, Blueberry arrived, carrying two wooden planks. Seven opened shells filled with chilled foam were arranged on each.

"Six sorbets, each prepared from a different berry. The last shell is filled with salted caramel to enhance the flavors."

"Whoa... You've outdone yourself!" exclaimed Priam.

"It cost me three hundred twelve Sun points," declared Blueberry.

"That's generous of you then." Seeing the bear's grimace, Priam burst out laughing.

"I'm kidding, I'll reimburse you." Satisfied, the bear left the rivals with their dishes.

"Bon appétit," said Priam in French.

"Toi aussi," replied Esmée before grabbing a shell. For a few minutes, silence was only interrupted by the sound of eating.

"That was exquisite," declared Esmée as she finished her shells.

"Hmm," replied Priam, grabbing his mug to rinse his mouth of the sweet taste. He blinked as he realized it was empty.

"Someone finished my drink," he grumbled.

"I think I know the culprit," smiled Esmée.

"That's a sign we've been talking for a while," replied Priam, returning her smile.

"I had a great time, but we haven't talked business yet." Esmée nodded, pushing aside the empty shell plate. She adopted a professional demeanor, and her warm smile vanished. Such a pity.

"Let's get straight to the point. What does Aydan want?" Priam asked.

"My brother would like access to the Auctions." Priam almost rolled his eyes. He hadn't used the Auctions yet, but Esmée already knew he had that option. I'll have to ask the Guardian of Secrets how to block confidential information.

"Haven't you found a trade channel?" Priam asked. Accessing the Auctions required a building, a merchant, and a channel to transport items. Priam had access to the Secret Channel thanks to the Guardian of Secrets, but there must be other possibilities. Esmée shook her head.

"I'm afraid these channels are quite rare. Obtaining them with a Merit of a Nobility Title is possible, but my brother is reluctant to spend four points on that." Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.

"I understand," said Priam. He himself lamented his low number of Merit points.

"I'm not opposed to the idea, but there are conditions."

"That's natural. May I know them?"

"The first: in addition to the ten percent commission from the Secret Channel and the fifteen percent from our Merchant, Oasis will take ten percent." Esmée pursed her lips.

"That makes a total of thirty-five percent."

"You're good at mental arithmetic." Esmée raised an eyebrow in a way that Priam found charming.

"The Necromoon is our common enemy. It's in your interest that we have the weapons to confront their ilk."

"How can we be sure these weapons will only be used against the corrupted?" Priam objected.

"In any case, maintaining and improving our defenses to ensure peaceful trade is my responsibility. As a royal, your brother may not be accustomed to paying taxes, but I'm afraid I have to stand firm on this." A one-third tax was high, but Aydan's options were limited. It was unlikely that other rivals would have access to the Auctions. Only the tribes remained, but their commission would certainly be higher than Priam's. The percentage was reasonable, and both rivals knew it.

"My brother will be disappointed, but I accept," announced Esmée. She had objected only on principle.

"What's the second condition?"

"I would like your help to unlock a probability manipulation resistance." Priam had tried to use his Potential to unlock this resistance, but the System had demanded nearly three thousand Potential points—a prohibitive cost. Priam's primary goal was to spend his Potential on acquiring the high upgrade of [Aether Manipulation]. Spending such an amount of aether to counter a possible attack from Esmée was too costly for now. Esmée leaned forward, fixing her gaze on Priam's face.

After about ten seconds, the young man coughed.

"Do I have sorbet on my chin?" The question made his rival smile and revealed a dimple.

"No."

"No to what?"

"To both questions."

"I had to try," replied Priam. He had asked without shame, aware that Esmée would likely refuse. He didn't intend to explain the details of his abilities either.

"In that case, I'll need your help to tilt the odds in my favor in a future battle."

"Against whom?"

"A Tier 4." Esmée furrowed her brows.

"The tribes haven't survived this long for nothing. If they find out I've been involved in the downfall of a Chief or a Shaman, I'll be dead." Priam noted that she hadn't declared herself unable to manipulate Tier 4s. That gave him hope.

"I don't plan on attacking the tribes," he reassured her.

"My target is a local beast. The vanguard will consist of Tier 3s or 4s, and our role will simply be to support them." Hesitant, Esmée began to play with a lock of her hair. Priam decided to drive the point home.

"If all goes well, the System will reward us."

"... We'll need to define the exact terms of my help and get my brother's authorization," replied Esmée.

"Will he oppose it?"

"Well, he prefers me to remain weak..." Priam felt his hearts quicken with anger. He wanted to stack the odds in his favor to ensure Sumstreh's defeat. That Esmée's brother could ruin that made him furious. However, something bothered him. According to his add-on, this wasn't the first time Esmée had tried to turn him against her brother. She had altered his words during their first conversation to create artificial tension.

"You want me to kill your brother." Esmée shook her head.

"I can't let you say that. If you try, I'll have to stop you." The princess's words were straight, but her eyes said something else. Priam's recent experience with Sumstreh's divine mark gave him a clue. She's forced to protect him. If I kill him, I should inform her afterward rather than before. But was it in his best interest? Priam liked Esmée. The young woman was his age, stunning, intelligent, talented, and capable. She had a natural charm that attracted him.

However, she was a stranger, and Priam was a pragmatic man. His goal was to save Sphinx, not Esmée. If Aydan had a more interesting proposition than Esmée's...

"Forget what I said then. Anyway, actions speak louder than words," said Priam. His statement was intentionally open to interpretation.

"I kindly ask you to convey my offer to your brother. This could be the beginning of a fruitful collaboration..." If Esmée wanted his help, she would convince her brother. Esmée nodded.

"I'll return with an answer soon. Were those your conditions?" Priam nodded.

"Yes. Did you have anything else to tell me?"

"I have a personal offer and... a proposal from my brother." Intrigued, Priam focused on his rival.

"I would like to be able to use the Auctions freely for a week. At the end of this week, I want you to open a passage to your Moon using [Hearthstone]. In exchange, I promise to hatch your Moon Wyrm into a mutant form within a month. This will increase its power and potential by a Noble Tier." She knows a lot about me... Priam thought of the reward he had obtained from the last event. The Moon Wyrm egg waited in Concepts Archipelago, and he didn't have time to care for it properly.

As for Esmée's requests, they cost him nothing. It was possible that his rival would steal some rare resources on the Moon, but only the Colosseum rewards truly interested Priam. His path was different from Esmée's, and he doubted she would steal unique rewards from him. He didn't plan to return to Béchar until after obtaining the Heavenly Dragon to go as far as possible in the Waves.

"I accept. Let's sign a contract on our Potential," declared Priam. It took a few minutes for the two rivals to agree on the terms and swear with the System as a witness. Once satisfied, they exchanged a smile.

"A win-win deal as I like them. It reminds me that I owe you a racial upgrade." Esmée had entrusted him with Myuri to obtain the genetic code of the Royal Empyreans.

"Is it possible just before my trip to the Moon?" asked Esmée.

"No problem. We only have your brother's proposal left, I believe?" Upon hearing the question, Esmée hesitated.

"I..." Priam raised an eyebrow. She seemed strangely timid all of a sudden. His senses picked up on an increase in the young woman's heart rate, and he braced himself to react. Had the prince ordered an attack?

"Is there an issue?"

"None. My brother proposes an alliance between our two civilizations," Esmée said, avoiding Priam's gaze. The response left him puzzled.

"An alliance?"

"A marriage," clarified Esmée.

"Between you and me."