Chapter 59: CHAPTER 59- Deal
"Court Mage Ambrosia, can you use a sound barrier for me? I would like to speak with all the Dukes individually."
Ambrosia sitting near him still hadn't quite registered him calling her by name but she knew it was the rule, at least in the presence of others.
"At once."
Ambrosia lifted her right hand and snapped her fingers.
A magic circle appeared around him and the Northern Duke and Duchesses, not letting any of their voice escape. Now they could talk without the others listening to them.
The Duke, his first wife Roza and third wife Nadya all looked up at Ray as the barrier surrounded them.
Kazuo had talked to his two wives before about needing a drop of the king's blood to wake up his second wife Yei.
The three of them had planned what to say and how to properly express their wish without offending him, but they were beaten to it.
Even before any of them could open their mouths, Ray looked at Kazuo and smiled as he started speaking.
"You want my blood right?"
Immediately all three were shocked.
Roza looked at Nadya and Kazuo as if to figure out if any of them had leaked the info, and the same was the expression of the other two.
Nadya however was confused.
'Why did he mention the blood beforehand? Shouldn't he have waited for Kazuo to request it first?'
Kazuo who was unable to comprehend how Ray knew about it was about to ask him how but once again Ray spoke before him.
"Don't ask me how I know. You shouldn't underestimate me. I know a lot more than you think I do…"
Ray knew the all the dukes' personalities really well. Ono Kazuo was a direct man. He hated petty tricks and conspiracies and liked a direct show of strength to deal with problems.
And so Ray decided to be overbearing enough to appear completely mysterious in his eyes.
Now he would question how Ray got the information before him and his previous negotiation plan he had discussed with his wives completely fell apart.
"You have been loyal to the kingdom for a long time. You have fought wars for the empire and helped us in numerous occasions."
All three kept listening as Ray spoke.
"You have done enough to ask for a favor. As a king I am obligated and happy to give you something, but it's up to me what that will be. And as a person, do I personally know you well enough to hand you a drop of my royal blood?"
This was exactly what they had feared.
As a Duke, he could ask for a reward from the palace or the king, but how could they appeal to Ray as a person and not a king? Why would he agree to hand over royal blood whose only possessor was him?
Before Roza could think of a something to say, Nadya heard a command in her head from Ray and opened her mouth.
"What would your majesty want in return for a drop of your blood?"
Kazuo looked at her in surprise.
'When did she become so impulsive like me?'
Roza was thinking about the same thing too, but they could understand where she was coming from.
For the last few days Nadya was getting more and more worried about Yei not waking up. She grew impulsive, became slightly grumpier and didn't think of her actions properly.
However what they didn't know that it was just an act that Ray had asked her to put up.
And it all led up to now.
As Ray heard Nadya speak, he nodded his head internally and raised his right hand to his chin as if he was in deep thought.
"Hmm… you know… one drop of my blood might not be enough to wake up your wife. You would need at least three."
The Duke grew even more agitated at this. He didn't know what to do.
"But, I can give it to you if you follow one simple condition."
Kazuo looked up at Ray with wildly running emotions.
He had almost agreed to betray the empire to save his wife, so why not a simple condition?
"Your majesty, may I know what the condition will be?"
As the three people waited for him to speak, Ray smiled.
"Don't worry it's not much. Duke Ono Kazuo, you will just have to sign a slavery contract with me."
"Huh?"
None of them could believe their ears.
The general in war, the berserk in battle, the overbearing duke, Ono Kazuo signing a slavery contract?
If anyone else had said this, the duke would have immediately send him off, but looking at the smile in Ray's face as if he spoke like it was nothing made him feel insecure.
"You know, it's not exactly what you are thinking. It will be more like a loyalty contract. I'll not instruct you on your personal matters but only give you commands on political and war related matters."
Nadya kept quite as she looked at Ray. She didn't care what he did as long as she had her revenge.
Roza however was a different matter.
Who would want their husband become a slave to another man? And one whom he couldn't betray ever?
She immediately voiced out her concern.
"But your majesty, you must trust the Duke, he did help you fight the traitors…"
But Ray cut her off mid sentence.
"Trust? You know… trusting others blindly without any base or insurance is just called being naive? Didn't you trust the marquises from your territory that turned out to be traitors?"
And then he looked at Kazuo as he spoke.
"And I know how you must feel. It's not that I don't trust you. It's exactly because I do that I believe you will accept this condition. I don't want you to betray the empire and I know that you have no intention to. If you really don't have anything to fear, I don't know why you would refuse the deal."
None of them said anything anymore. Roza knew Ray was finding it difficult to believe them and needed insurance, but it still dissatisfied her.
'And now the final nail in the coffin.'
"The second duchess Yei has been asleep for quite a few days already. Fine, if you accept my condition, I will hand you three drops of my blood today and you have to assign the contract only after you cure your wife."
This time Kazuo was sure he needed to take this deal.
He just couldn't see any negatives in it.
Ray was smiling as he waited for their response.
'What will you do I wonder…'
This was the perfect setup for Ray.
He didn't let them negotiate. He immediately increased the price they needed to pay by increasing the deal from one drop of his blood to three.
And finally there came the issue of trust.
Roza had asked him to trust the Duke that he would stay loyal.
In return Ray had done exactly what she asked but reversed the cards. He was asking them to trust him with the contract. If he rejected, it clearly meant he didn't trust the king and was likely to betray the emperor, completely contrary to what Roza had just said.
'You fell trap to your own words… whatever you think, you will have to accept the contract if you love your family as much as I think you do…'
And Kazuo did love his family that much.
He didn't care anymore.
"I accept."
Roza was about to speak up again, but Nadya spoke before her once again.
"You shouldn't! I know it must be difficult for you, but…"
The Duke looked at her and shook his head sideways.
"I've made my decision. I'll accept the condition. If my wife gets cured, I agree to sign a slavery contract with your majesty and be completely loyal to you for the rest of my life."
While the others outside the barrier it felt just like another serious discussion, it was far more serious than they could imagine.
One of the Dukes had just agreed to become the king's literal slave.
Unlike Roza who appeared conflicted, Kazuo was sure he had made the right decision. After all he was just signing the contract with his king; he was not selling his soul to the devil, so he didn't have to worry.
Ray didn't change his smile as he heard Kazuo accept his condition and kept smiling.
'And there's another one completely under my control.'
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