A full hour had almost gone by in Clustervayne, and for the last thirty minutes, Ethan and Isabella had been in a private conversation within his study.
And it had reached a point where Ethan finally said…
"If I present the terms that way, I'm pretty sure it'll work. At the end of the day, your father wants this more than I do. He will agree to them."
Bella had a thoughtful yet concerned look for a second. Then she exhaled.
"What if he doesn't want you dictating the terms of alliance to him?" she asked. "He is the King, after all."
Ethan stopped pacing and turned to face her.
"Then it's a straight refusal from there, and we don't have to wait seven days," he said simply. "I'll just have to find a different way to deal with Edgar."
Isabella stared into his determined eyes, and after a moment, she nodded in agreement.
"Alright."
