Chapter 2: No Choice

The arrival of Kakiya’s envoy and Vero seemed almost inevitable, much to Komer’s surprise.
Vero’s arrival was somewhat unexpected for Komer; in his view, Zelin seemed unlikely to use his own daughter as a bargaining tool, and he knew that Vero’s presence wouldn’t change anything.
Still, Komer was glad to see her. Vero remained as pure and innocent as ever, and conversations with her were still relaxed and leisurely. This wasn’t just superficial ease—it allowed Komer to feel psychologically at ease, which was rare.
Komer knew that Vero might not be fully aware of her true purpose, but the Gutenberg noble who accompanied her was by no means just a companion; he was the real protagonist.
It was the privilege of the victor to sideline the protagonist.
At this moment, Komer only wanted to enjoy himself with Vero. Vero had no particular preferences—reading and traveling were her few hobbies. Komer admired her elegance and tranquility; such a temperament became an even rarer virtue among noblewomen as she grew older.
The envoy from Katin was treated the same as the Gutenberg noble. Although Komer didn’t react particularly to Katin’s ugly behavior, it didn’t mean he felt no resentment. A broad mind didn’t have to show in such matters. Komer didn’t consider that to be the style of a great man; on the contrary, he saw it as a foolish act of vanity that harmed one’s own interests. Taking advantage of such opportunities to extort more benefits suited his own style better.
After three days of traveling and resting, everything worth seeing around Plovdiv had already been explored, and even Vero herself suggested taking a break.
“Komer, why don’t you meet Mr. Kardom? Does he annoy you?”
“Uh, why would you think that? I’ve had no contact with Mr. Kardom, so I can’t really say I dislike him. I just don’t want other things to affect our mood.” Komer scratched his head; it seemed that only in front of Vero could he act in such a childlike manner.
Vero lowered her incomparably beautiful eyelids, her pretty, curved eyelashes fluttering like feather fans. “Komer, you know very well what Mr. Kardom’s intentions are, right?”

Komer gave a bitter smile. It seemed that Vero wasn’t as ignorant about everything as he had thought. After all, living in Gutenberg, even if Vero didn’t want to know about those things, could she avoid everything related to the fate of entire Gutenberg and even all of Galia? Clearly not. Whether willingly or not, she had to get involved in such distressing matters.

Seeing Komer head down in silence, Vero also smiled. “Komer, there’s no need for this. There’s no need to trouble yourself because of me. I’ve never interfered in my father’s affairs, nor has he ever asked me for anything. But I know that this time my father seems much older. I really hope to avoid unnecessary harm. My father is old now; perhaps he isn’t as you imagine.”

Komer didn’t know how to respond for a moment. Vero’s words carried many meanings. Life was hard for everyone.

The conversation with Lord Cardom lasted only a short time, but Komer had already roughly figured out the implications in the other party’s words. It was a wise decision—since resistance was impossible, cooperation was the way to go.

Cardom showed great sincerity. On behalf of the Storten family, he made it clear that as long as the Storten family continued to rule Gutenberg, everything could be negotiated. The Storten family would no longer seek the rights they had during the Kingdom of Nicossia, meaning they would accept the terms of the original Utrecht Edict—though now it wasn’t the Romanov family but Komer who was the counterpart.

Of course, Lord Cardom also subtly raised some demands, such as regarding the relationship between Vero and Komer. This shouldn’t have been a topic at all, but Komer had no objection and made it clear that he would grant Vero sufficient honor and status.

If Komer showed enough respect for Lord Cardom, he treated Palermo, an old friend representing Kakiya, with cold indifference, contrary to his usual behavior.

The atmosphere became tense from the moment they met. Komer remained silent, and Palermo couldn’t think of a suitable topic to ease the awkwardness. The outcome of the Battle of Plovdiv had shattered many people’s dreams. The decline or even downfall of the Romanov family was no longer something to shock anyone. “New talents emerge in every generation, each dominating for centuries”—this saying fully demonstrated the variability of history, and Palermo was deeply moved by it.

“Palermo, don’t you want to say anything?” Eventually, it was Komer who broke the silence.

“Yes, what should I say?” Palermo countered.
“Hehe, that’s interesting. Then what did Kakiya ask you to do?”
“I don’t know either. She just asked me to come here and explain things to avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.”
“Misunderstandings? Are they really misunderstandings? I hope so too. If it’s really a misunderstanding, that would be great.”
“Then just consider it a misunderstanding.”
“Do you think that’s possible?”
Palermo was speechless. Komer wasn’t an individual—he represented the vested interests of the entire Caucasus and Homer. His ambitions and desires kept growing, and Katyn gave him such a good excuse. Would he give it up so easily?
“Alright, Palermo. We’ve known each other for a long time. Continuing this nonsense is pointless. Tell me your purpose—what does Kakiya want now?”
“Komer, it’s not about what Kakiya wants, but where you intend to go.”
“Hmm, where do I intend to go? I don’t know yet. Maybe circumstances will determine where I have to go. You know I’m a very conservative person. I don’t have any special ideas. It’s all driven by circumstances.”
“A conservative person?” Palermo smiled bitterly inwardly. This guy is really bold. It seems this trip of mine won’t yield a satisfactory result. His words clearly implied that he often had no choice either.