The silence that followed the assistant words was heavy with multiple implications layering on top of each other.
Julius and Arturo exchanged a look that communicated volumes without needing words. If the opportunistic nobles were initiating negotiations now, at this specific moment...
It meant they weren't going to wait for Arturo to gather an army to confront them.
To both brothers' disappointment, something that tasted bitter… (because they'd already been mentally preparing themselves to crush these parasites properly) but ultimately positive in the grand scheme of things since an internal war could mark the end of the city's ability to defend itself against external threats.
It also meant those opportunists had something they believed gave them a strong position to obtain what they wanted. Something they thought they could use as leverage in discussions.
And given that Victor had disappeared in their territory and now they wanted to talk...
