Jovis, Year of Severus, 15, I.R., the 51st day of Fall, Arenfall

--------------

For Prince Arterius, making tea was supposed to be a relaxing process. It was only Stolas who knew about his knack for brewing good tea and even then, he wasn't the type of guy who usually drinks tea. In Stolas' words, he was a natural, not that it mattered to him.

The reason why he learned to brew in the first place was because he always imagined tea brewing like an alchemy experiment. Balancing water and tea leaves plus adding in other ingredients to him seemed like another day in his laboratory.

Who would've thought this hidden talent would come in handy one day during a parley? He certainly couldn't believe it, but there he was. After pulverizing the tea leaves, he then took a fine strainer and placed the powered tea leaves on top of it.

He looked at Lady Bieroff who seemed to be mesmerized with how he processed his tea. Her eyes never left his hands as he intricately poured the hot water over the powdered leaves. Prince Arterius let the water do its job and made it drip over a tea cup.

"Is that it?" Lady Bieroff raised her eyebrow as she stared at the dripping tea over the cup. "I never thought that intricate process you showed me would turn out like this? Such a depressing note to end it."

Prince Arterius smiled at her, "Lady Bieroff, it's not like what it seems. Here give me another moment."

He took something out of the chest. Lady Bieroff stood up and pointed at it hysterically. "What is that?! Is that the poison you plan on mixing with this tea?" She ignorantly accused him.

Suddenly Lady Bieroff's escorts stood up and was about to raise their swords right there. Their gesture was mirrored by the Prince Arterius' escorts. Lord Prestonheim was the first one to pull out his sword.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Prince Arterius shouted. "What is going on with you people?! Lady Bieroff, please don't instigate such malice! This is nothing but a brush!" He answered calmly.

"You don't trick me with that!" The accusing lady stubbornly replied. "You shall never trick me with any of this—"

"The Prince is not tricking you, Lady Bieroff!" A familiar voice blasted from behind the Lady's knights.

Prince Arterius recognized the voice and stood up to see if it was indeed the man, he thought it was. Lady Bieroff stood up from her chair and looked back towards his men. He could see in the Lady's face that she wasn't expecting that answer coming from her escorts.

"W-why a-are you h-here?!" Lady Bieroff exclaimed. "W-who told you to join me?!" She pointed.

Lady Bieorff's escorts moved as if trying to accommodate someone moving to the front. Prince Arterius watched as the man's identity was slowly unveiled as he came forward.

"Greetings, My Lady." The red-haired man bowed. "Your brother would be displeased if you continue to instigate it like this!" He confidently said in front of Lady Bieroff's men.

"Mas—" Prince Arterius bit his lip and stopped himself from calling Servus 305-M his former title. "I am surprised you have come." He slightly bowed his head.

"Prince Arterius," 305-M bowed back. "It has been far too long! But forget about this emotionalities, this is not what I came here for!" the red-haired slave replied with his own quipping term.

He approached Lady Bieroff and slid a small note on the table. Lady Bieroff hesitantly took the letter and read it silently. It only took her a few moments to tear the note into pieces before sitting down pale on her chair.

"Your brother would not be pleased with this." The red-haired slave commented.

Prince Arterius could see Lady Bieroff's face turn from pale to a shade of crimson. She was furious with whatever it was written on that letter. Now that he thought about it, Lady Bieroff was just another pawn for his brother's glorious rise.

"You snake!" She stood up from her seat and tried to slap 305-M but the former mentor calmly smiled at her.

"Temper, temper, Lady Adrena." He said. "Or would you like to invoke your brother's displeasure? Hmmm…come to think of it, would you like me to read out loud the last few sentence written on that note? I need not to remind you of that am I, Lady Bieroff?" He shook his head and sighed.

Lady Bieroff bit her lip so hard blood trickled down from it. From the looks of it, she had no power over Servus 305-M who seemed to have been backed by her own brother. Prince Arterius now knew how powerless the Lady was and saw how her decisions led up to this. She wanted recognition from her brother. She wanted to be known as Lady Adrena of House Bieroff, the Lady of Arenfall and Protectress of the Crescent Isle.

In a way, Prince Arterius understood where she was coming from. All his life he tried to prove himself to his family that he was not a deadweight to their glorious rise. He pitied her because unlike him, she was still bound to his brother's grasp. But regardless of what he felt, he was never giving up the mines to her or to whoever would like to claim the glory for themselves, not even the Imperatur—if it's possible.

His former master looked at him and cleared his throat, "Am I not welcome here in this…what do you call this? Hmm…parley?" He smiled.

"O-of course not!" He answered back, flustered with his mentor's comment. "In fact…I am even getting one more cup for you as well." He added.

305-M scoffed, "Well, one might think he's forgotten now, just because of the predicament he is on" He scratched his chin as he stared directly beyond his former pupil.

Prince Arterius no longer needed to look back to see who his mentor was looking at. He obviously knew it was his godfather, but he just kept it at that. He needed to focus on this crucial conversation that could make or break his campaign.

After 305-M was given his chair, Prince Arterius proceeded to pour another cup of tea for his former mentor. He gave them both the aromatic tea and proceeded to pour his own. As per old customs, the maker of the tea must drink it first to prove to his guests that the tea was never poisoned.  Prince Arterius drank it first and expected at least his former mentor to follow. Instead, both of guess simply stared at their cup, unmoving and not showing interest. It was quiet an insult for the host not to be trusted, and he felt the same way after both his guest whom he served tea in his goodwill treated it all for naught.

Although he showed his calmness and gracefulness, Prince Arterius was deeply furious from the disrespect he received. But now was not the time to tear open his façade. He calmly put his tea down the table and sighed.

"Am I not a trustworthy individual to be treated with such mistrust?" He said.

Both his guest didn't reply. Their silence aggravated him more. He wanted to yell at them and throw some profanities that even his father wouldn't dare say in front of his subjects., but this was a negotiation, so he remained calm.

"I-it is not that I, your former mentor does not trust you, your Majesty." 305-M said. "It's just the way you did this tea was too…foreign to me…I wish to have someone taste it first. Isn't that right, Lady Bieroff?" He asked the seething widow.

It took some time for Lady Bieroff to compose herself, and it didn't help that 305-M was rubbing his privileges on her. She took a deep breath and nodded.

"See, your Majesty?" his former mentor announced. "We just need to be sure that this tea doesn't have any adverse effects. No offense, but it is truly need—"

"None taken." Prince Arterius said dryly. "Well, if you have someone to taste it with, I will allow it."

"Very well." 305-M clapped his hands. "Come're, Malikia!" He called out.

A short statured person wearing tattered robes came out from the back of the knights and slowly approached the red-haired slave. From the fellow's structure, Prince Arterius thought of him as either a dwarvling for that matter. His child-like height and movement seemed to be like it.

305-M then pointed the cup of tea at her and asked her to taste it. The fellow nodded and tried picking up the cup when all of the sudden, 305-M went mad.

He slapped the poor fellow's hand, "Don't you dare touch that cup with your dirty hands!" He exclaimed. "Taste it without lifting it from the table!" He smacked the poor fellow's head that it slightly revealed the face and hair of the mystery man.

The hooded fellow, looked like a girl with green eyes and crimson-colored hair. A trait that only his former mentor's house had in all of Arteria. Prince Arterius' jaw was left ajar at the stark realization of who the girl was.

The poor girl held her hood and bowed to the table where the teacup was and directly sipped on it with out her hands touching the cup.

"So…what about the tea?!" He heard 305-M ask the timid little girl. The girl nodded and told them it was delicious, to which he replied.

"I asked you if it was poisoned or not!" He smacked the poor girl arm once more, until she finally said it was safe for them to drink. "That's what I wanted to hear! Now, get out of my face!" The small girl ran back into the back never to be seen again.

305-M cleared his throat and poured the tea on the ground. "I am sorry about that, but I believe my tea was already stale." He smiled at him.

Although furious, Prince Arterius calmed himself down and poured him another one.

"Now that the fiasco has been settled, can we begin with negotiations now?" Prince Aterius tiredly sighed.

"Of course, we can!" His former mentor excitedly answered back. "And do I have a wonderful deal for you…"

Prince Arterius took a sip of the tea once more, "Go ahead, I'm listening."