The dragon's harem

Chapter 1153: Coiled Like A Snake

Isdis kept her stern face, her cold blue eyes looking at Tyal with cold indifference. ”Yes. Since Arad is back, we should start from the beginning, shall we?”

Silence fell for a few moments before Tyal finally opened up with a smug remark. ”Naval navigation, aerial navigation, the Storm Crystals, and the great Ivory Marble of the thunder mountains. Several rare services, powerful energy crystals, and near-indestructible building materials. How do you intend to compensate for such a loss?”

All of the nobles paled. Isdis and Tyal were locked in a deathly staring contest while Baltos looked exhausted, his eyes wandering away with dark spots beneath them.

Arad studied Isdis and Tyal, quickly noticing that while Isdis hid all of her emotions behind an indifferent mask, she was shaking her foot beneath the table. Tyal, on the other hand, seemed to be thrilled, and she wasnʼt happy before he came. Itʼs clear since he could tell she was growing for an hour before he arrived. Her eyebrows still had faint marks.

Arad could either ask directly or listen and try to understand what was going on. Tyal mentioned compensation. Did something happen while he was asleep? A conflict with the storm titans?

”Naval and Aerial navigation, I can handle that with ease,” Arad said with a passive face, mimicking Isdisʼs indifferent expression. ”For those Storm Crystals and Ivory Marble, what do they do?” He was directing the question at Isdis or Tyal, but at the nobles.

One of the nobles gasped, ”Storm Crystals are powerful magic crystals that store lightning and can be used to power several magic devices. The Ivory Marble is a special type of stone harvested from the Strom Titansʼ mountains. Itʼs far more durable than normal stone, looks better, and can resist magic pretty well. A fireball canʼt scratch a wall made from Ivory Marble.”

”Harvested?” Aradʼs gaze shifted to Isdis, ”What is this about? Did they lose a shipment on our land?”

”No… She came here to establish a political relationship.” Isdisʼs eyes slowly turned to Tyal, ”Through marriage. Those are the basic offerings of the Storm Titans.”

Tyal spoke next, her eyes focused on Arad, ”And I got rejected. Do you believe it? I was even told that you arenʼt here. Iʼm sure there was a misunderstanding of sorts.”

”So you rejected her?” Arad looked at Isdis, and she replied clearly, ”Yes.”

”Then why are you having this meeting here?” Aradʼs words sent a shiver down Tyalʼs spine. She could see a clear bafflement on his face. How canʼt he understand what had Isdis deprived his kingdom of?

”She is here to file a complaint and appeal the rejection. I didnʼt completely reject her, though. I said that she would be a concubine, but not a wife.” Isdis sighed, ”And here we are.”

Aradʼs gaze shifted back to Tyal, ”If she said no, then it means no.” He paused for a few moments and then fixed his eyes on her, ”So youʼre telling me youʼre here trying to force her hand by offering some benefits?”

Before Tyal could say anything, he continued. ”Letʼs say I wasnʼt here and you convinced her to change her mind. Later, I found out. Do you know what wouldʼve happened?”

Tyal froze in her place, ”I wouldʼve kicked you out so hard that youʼll fly back to where you came from.”

Tyal remained silent for a moment, then growled, ”Iʼm not the only one here doing this. Are you going to kick them all?”

Arad looked at her for a second and then at Isdis. He shook his head, ”She doesnʼt get it at all.” He sighed, ”You want to be a wife, live with her under the same roof. Yet instead of trying to work with her, youʼre here trying to force her to put up with whatever made her refuse by sheer benefits.”

Arad leaned back on his chair. ”Isdis, why was she rejected? Did she ask for an explanation?”

”No, she didnʼt ask. I rejected her for several reasons. For example, we donʼt have a place for her to live, and Alice Dagon took that spot. And the most important reason is the worldʼs power balance. The Storm Titans are one of the strongest in the world, and getting an official wife from them would make it seem like weʼre trying to conquer the world.”

Isdis rubbed her forehead, ”There are many other reasons, ones that I can say and others that I canʼt because Iʼm not certain of them.”

Tyal was about to speak, but she opened her mouth and then remained silent. ”So… as long as we donʼt make it public. The deal itself wonʼt be affected?”

Isdis stared at Tyal with her passive face, ”Yes, but there are many more reasons why I rejected your request. So as long as they can all be resolved, youʼve still got a shot.”

Tyal looked down and then took a deep breath, ”Please excuse me. Can we discuss this at a later date, with all the details?” Even with her pale skin and expressionless face, Arad could smell and hear them; her heartbeat, her sweat, and the faint twitches of her eyes.

”Of course, Iʼll send you a letter.” Isdis replied, and soon, the meeting ended. She was left alone with Arad, so after a warm greeting, she looked at him with a serious face.

”There is a rumor that the Storm Titans are in a civil war. Tyalʼs father is trying to overthrow his father, Zeus. I bet he sent her here to get power for the cause. I donʼt want to support any side.” Isdis looked at him, and Arad sighed, ”So thatʼs why. As expected, I can count on you.”

Arad looked out of the window. ”Iʼll go check on Zeus later. For now, where is everyone?”

”Looking for Merlin?” She looked at him with a smug face, ”Donʼt worry, the day is about to end.” She reached up and gently touched his cheek.

”Are you growing a majestic mane now? Iʼd say youʼre looking more like Alcott.”

Arad smiled. He doesnʼt decide how his human body looks. Of course, he can change at will, but this was the default, minus the size magic that shrinks him. ”I donʼt know. Iʼll let you and the rest decide.” He rubbed his beard and then looked at the window. ”Merlin is one thing, but I didnʼt expect you to be here. Am I understanding this wrong or right?”

”Who are you talking to?” Isdis couldnʼt see anyone outside the window. The window was at least thirty meters above the ground.

It was then that the clouds seemed to shift, and the air grew stale. Isdis felt like she saw something move outside, and she wasnʼt wrong. Suddenly, a large green dragon head appeared out of nowhere.

Arad looked at Claug with a smile, ”Your claws arenʼt scratching my castle, are they?”

Everyone in the castle gasped as they saw the massive green Drakaina coiled around the castle upside down like a titanic snake.