The wine in her cup swirled lazily as Morena shifted it in her hand. Across the table, Ella poured herself another, leaning just slightly forward as she reached for the jug.
The movement was natural, unhurried, but the cut of her gown slipped just enough that it allowed Morena’s eyes to catch on the curve of pale skin before she shifted them in a hurry.
She thought it would be rude to stare, even if the sight was one to behold; she had been invited as a guest into the house with the goal of forming a deal.
But her thoughts were far from shared; Ella noticed the girl looking away. Of course she did—after all, she had done so on purpose. Her smile curved faintly as she set the jug down and brushed a strand of blond hair behind her ear, letting it fall again just so, like a frame to her face.
Ella began to speak, her lips lingering on her name for a moment as if testing it out.
"How is House Ravenscroft handling the merchants keeping away? I imagine the lack of caravans has made things... inconvenient."
Morena tapped a finger against her cup.
She wasn’t surprised that Ella already had such information. It was reasonable that many others had the same insight; it was no secret that House Ravenscroft was one that thrived on men, not sales.
So when she posed the question, instead of being shocked or acting surprised, she kept a calm demeanor and spoke plainly.
"Supplies are one of our main concerns, yes. I’m sure you know, my father’s estate was built for war, not trade. So far we have been able to keep the walls secure and the roads safe, but the soldiers can’t march on empty stomachs."
She sighed and lowered her glass, taking a short sip just to wet her throat.
"With the merchants passing the city straight, grain has been rising in price, and wheat grows scarce. Soon enough, shortages will begin to rise."
Ella hummed and nodded in understanding.
"You’re not wrong. The people are already growing antsy. All these arrests, searches, wagons turned away at the gate. It makes the city feel unsafe. And if the people believe it isn’t safe..."
She trailed off, her green eyes steady on Morena.
"They leave. Or riot."
Morena finished the sentence for her, knowing exactly what the girl meant.
It was also an issue she worried about. If the church kept up with its farce, then the people would only grow more unwilling to comply with it. If she couldn’t supply her own men with food to live on or money to survive, then even they may choose to revolt.
"Exactly that, and that’s not good for anyone. Well, maybe it’s good for the church."
For a moment, Morena didn’t say anything; she simply looked at the lady across from her, thinking about just how straightforward she was. She couldn’t tell just what game she was playing at or whose side she was on.
And that made her hesitate to be forthcoming.
Ella’s hand drifted to her hair again, twisting one lock between her fingers idly, her gaze never shifting away.
"How do I put this... You sound like you have a plan to deal with that. Do you?"
Morena raised her brow.
It seemed like the lady expected too much of her. While she had some ideas that could possibly solve or at least mitigate the issue, she wasn’t able to accomplish any of them without outside help.
That was her entire reason for being here, but she didn’t need to explain all that.
She allowed the lady to hold onto her misunderstanding.
"I can’t say I haven’t thought up some ideas, but none I can do easily. What about you?"
Ella’s lips curved into a faint smile.
She gestured slightly toward her with the fig she’d picked from the plate.
"You speak much better than others do. The others? They’re too busy worrying about their own skin or trying to get under others, and can’t even bother seeing the cracks forming under them. You, on the other hand, you sound like someone who already plans for that crack to happen."
"You overpraise me. I might misunderstand your intentions."
Morena replied with a chuckle.
Ella questioned, leaning closer to the girl.
"Perhaps there isn’t anything to misunderstand at all. You see, I like to be a certain way..."
The lady trailed off, as if daring Morena to ask her, so naturally she complied.
"And what’s that?" Follow current novels on 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹⟡𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮⟡𝙣𝙚𝙩
Ella’s smile turned sly.
"I prefer directness."
The way she said it wasn’t just about politics. Morena could feel the intention behind it, the tone behind the words; she wasn’t dense. She could tell that the lady was acting odd from the start, she simply assumed she was playing at some odd game.
But now, it seemed like it was something completely different.
She didn’t comment, just placed her cup down carefully and steered the conversation back.
"You asked how my house is handling it. The truth is simple: we can hold out longer than most, but not forever. Men need food and families need money. And food grows harder to buy if the coin keeps tightening."
Ella sighed at the brush-off and leaned back, her fingers brushing lazily down the stem of her glass.
"This is where we differ. House Brenle doesn’t lack coin. Our stores are deep enough to weather shortages. But if the unrest grows... coin won’t matter."
"Then we circle the same problem from opposite sides."
Ella’s eyes gleamed faintly as she tilted her head.
"You have what we lack. Soldiers and strength. Your men could keep a market calm when the church’s white sashes only stir fear. And I—"
She spread her hand slightly, the motion of her body causing her upper half to sway slightly in Morena’s eyes.
"—I can buy what you cannot. Food, hire caravans, even supply families with coins to last years."
Morena’s eyes lingered on her for just a second before shifting to her face, the speech being much more important than the body in this moment.
"You’re suggesting more than courtesy between our houses."
Ella smiled at that, unashamed.
"I want to have much more than courtesy with someone like you."
Ella’s voice remained calm but her intentions were clear. She was making a deal not just for House Ravenscroft, but also for Morena; with Morena being the core part of it.
It would be foolish to ignore the offer, not with the situation before her.
Morena leaned back, folding her arms.
"Coin and supplies. That’s what you’re offering?"
"That’s what I’m proposing."
Ella leaned forward again, enough that the neckline of her gown shifted.
"I believe that together we have more to achieve than we could possibly do alone... Our houses, that is..."
The silence that followed wasn’t empty. Morena stared at the lady as many thoughts ran through her mind, countless calculations supplied by the aid of the AI.
Everything told her it was a good deal, everything told her to take it. But there was a sense of hesitation in her heart, not her mind.
Ella didn’t move back this time, nor did she move away, staring directly at Morena as she awaited a reply.
"So, Morena, do we call this an alliance?"