The Royal Palace, Spring Kingdom.
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"What's the plan, your grace." Duke Silverthorne asked briskly and dutifully. His old goofy demeanor was replaced with the utmost attention and focus.
The meeting room was a big luxurious hall, decorated with valuable paintings and carvings.
In the centre of the hall, stood a large wooden round table with twelve chairs drawn on opposite sides.
Twelve chairs- five for the five dukes of the kingdom, the most powerful after the royal family. Four for the advisors and the councilmen of the King. Two for the Supreme knight commander and the Grand Wizard of the kingdom and the last one, or rather, the first and foremost chair for the King himself.
He was seated at the head of the table, as he should be, and all the other people were facing him.
"What plan?" King Redigal asked. He was a middle-aged man with golden hair and blue eyes, the embodiment of typical nobility and royalty. "There are only two options here-" He held two fingers. "-Either they clear whatever misunderstandings they have of us and apologize publically or The annihilation of the entire Aurore Island. There are no ifs and buts and there is no middle game. This is the decision."
"Senseless bloodshed could only cause distress and losses for us too." One of the advisors, an old man with white hair and a beard said. His voice contained the years of experience he had. "This war can be avoided. The senseless bloodshed can be avoided."
"Are you saying to yield, Advisor," Duke Elyone Moonstone asked pounding his fist to the table. He was well into his fifties but the fire in his eyes was just as bright as the day he was born.
His face was full of rage, making his eyes look bloodshot. His voice was filled with fury and the veins on his neck were visible through his brown skin. His fiery red hair was uncombed and falling carelessly on his shoulders. "Are you out of your goddamn mind? I say we attack them and take the island to ourselves! If you are afraid of losing lives then-"
"Stop it, Duke Moonstone," The King roared. His voice was commanding. "You will not speak like that on this round table."
The room was silent for a while, everyone was in shock.
Duke Moonstone was a veteran and a soldier, and he fought with honor. To see his own King order him to stop speaking was a bitter pill, but the King ordered it.
"Forgive this imbe--"
The King held up a hand. "Save your worthless apologies, Elyone. We're here for a discussion, for a decision that can affect our Kingdom also. In a better or worse way."
The room fell silent once again, everyone understanding the gravity of the situation.
"Now, let's return to the matter at hand," the King said, breaking the silence. "We need to decide on a course of action. Advisor, what do you propose?"
The old man cleared his throat before speaking. "Your Majesty, I suggest we send a delegation to Aurore Island to negotiate and clear up any misunderstandings. We can offer them our full cooperation and assistance in finding the true culprit behind the assassination. If we can resolve this peacefully, it would be in the best interest of both our kingdoms."
Duke Zadkiel nodded in agreement. Though his health hasn't fully recovered, he was there because of the power he held and because he doesn't want the other nobles to think less of him. "I concur with the advisor, Your Majesty. It's worth a try to avoid war and unnecessary bloodshed."
The King pondered for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Very well. I shall assemble a delegation to send to Aurore Island. But we must also prepare for the worst-case scenario. We shall increase our military presence in case negotiations fail."
"That is an excellent idea, majesty," The Grand wizard said, stroking his long, white, and pointy beard. "At that, might as well send one of our advisors to them so that we can have more insight on their way of thinking."
The King nodded. "Agreed. We shall select the most suitable advisor for this task. And we shall also increase our intelligence gathering on Aurore Island. We need to know everything about their military strength, their resources, and their alliances."
The Supreme Knight commander spoke up. "Your Majesty, I suggest we also prepare for a possible siege. We must secure our borders and fortify our defenses."
The King nodded again. "Very well. Let us make the necessary preparations. And let us hope that our delegation can bring back a peaceful resolution to this conflict."
"But what happens if they kill the delegation?" Favian Frostwood, the Duke of the Frostwood duchy asked. He was a middle aged man, spotted with green hair and dark eyes. He looked wise for his age.
"That won't happen." said the King.
"Why not?"
"We're not going to send them without any sort of defense on them. We're not fools after all and they knew better not to do something un-honorable as that."
"We're talking about a small island that is ready to wage a war against us in a heartbeat. what made you think they won't do it." Said Devlin Goldberry, the Duke of Goldberry Duchy. The same duchy where Calen and his sister Celeste mined the gem from.
He was an old man with blonde hair like the gold they mine from his duchy. He can be said to be the richest man at that table.
"Do you have concerns about that?" The King asked with a menacing smile. "If the other side happens to slip up, this war could be over in an instant. And I'm hoping for that outcome. I could, of course, end this madness without even offering them the chance to negotiate, but as a King, I have a reputation to maintain. So, we'll bide our time. Wait for the smallest mistake, a misstep from them that will come at a high cost."