"By the king's decree, children born in slavery are now free." Helena's voice echoed in the temple. "Kasserlane outlawed the old breeding practices and enslavement under fifteen."
She took it on herself to explain the situation to Halaima's nobles and the traders who gathered.
This wasn't exactly why they all attended, though.
They had to hold an emergency meeting because a certain count had seen a certain dragon.
Konrad tried his best to downplay the situation, but the destruction was too great. And it so happened that the slaver they 'saved' from the carnage was—in Helena's eyes—a criminal.
He shot an annoyed glare at Maple, sitting quieter than usual in a dark corner.
"This changed the status of thousands in the capital," the princess continued. "But as it seems, not everyone got the message. Trying to smuggle them out in the cover of darkness—"
"Of course," merchants protested. "This is outrageous."
"What d'you expect, yer highness? The king gave us no warnings or a grace period."
"This is nothing more than robbery."
The mood was hostile, and even if Konrad did not sympathize with slavers, he could still see their point. They ran a legal business, after all, some of them for generations.
The king's decree took all that away overnight, giving them nothing in return.
Konrad knew he had tried to abolish slavery for a while, but this was too large a step.
No compensation, no public discourse, and the aftermath was chaotic at best.
"Not to question the legitimacy, your highness," a noble joined. "But what'll happen to the young slaves? Forget reimbruising the merchants, but—where will they all go?"
"Indeed, orphanages are full as is in the capital. Who's gonna feed those kids?"
"We treated our commodity well, regardless of origin," a merchant chimed in. "This hurts the children as much as it ruins the economy."
Human lives or not, it was all business for the merchants, and they raised some valid concerns.
Konrad was broke, and now he had to hide, feed, and house five hundred kids in Halaima.
A noble or a less lenient craftsman would've thrown the children out and let them fend for themselves. The king had the right idea, but the implementation—
"It's a royal decree, and this is not the place to debate it," Helena's voice boomed.
She sounded less confident, but continued, anyway.
"We're here to serve justice to a trader breaking this law, knowing what he was doing."
"No, we're here 'cause a fucking dragon burned all the evidence," Count Rolalt interjected.
He didn't even try to be subtle. He was still pale ever since that encounter.
Konrad sighed. Was it his fault?
He asked Maple to leave a lasting impression, and, well, she sure did.
"Justice first," he tried to keep the conversation under control. "I'll deal with the dragon later."
"How?!" the count demanded. "You saw that huge monster. Not even you could do anything."
Maple cringed at the word but knew better than to say anything.
"I dealt with the wyvern's, too," Konrad replied, trying his best at faking confidence. "I will subjugate this stupid dragon, you have my word. My men-at-arms are almost ready, and—"
"Soldiers," the count scoffed. "Have you seen what that beast did to the wagons and the horses?"
"I lost everything," the merchant they saved moaned in the middle. "Can't even pay the guards."
Loud murmurs echoed in Halaima's temple.
"Enough," Helena's voice silenced them. "You smuggled children. I'll have you executed—"
"Let's all calm down," Konrad interjected, seeing that this didn't sit well with the traders. "The question is more complex than that. We have no evidence—but a dragon on our hands."
Many merchants nodded in agreement.
"It's up to the Prodigy of Haiten to decide. These are his lands."
What do you even say to that?
He couldn't help but shoot another annoyed glance at Maple.
"What I can say is that this monster," he pressed the word to spite her, "destroyed every evidence of a crime. Did he smuggle children or adult slaves? We don't know. They're gone."
This would've caused a lot of chatter, but he used magic to suppress all sound.
Helena's eyes almost burned his face.
"What are you saying?" she demanded, her voice down, but still echoing far and wide. "Are you taking the slaver's side?! How can you say, there's no evidence, when—"
"I was there, in person, your highness," he tried to reason with her.
Telepathy would've come in handy, but he still couldn't figure that out.
"You keep saying that the king wants a strong leader and a stable realm. I can't bend the law on a whim or let my emotions affect my judgment. And I have a dragon to deal with, too," he said.
The princess could only gape at him; no voice came out of her mouth for many long seconds.
"So you're saying, you'd protect a slaver who smuggled children against the king's decree—"
"I'm saying, we'll never know what he was hauling, and he already lost everything," Konrad claimed. "If we find survivors, and they're legal slaves, I'll even send them back to him."
This, of course, would never happen, but it was clear how much it pleased the merchants.
"And if we find lost children, we'll take care of them in Halaima," he added to temper the woman's wrath. "I had Eyna and Father Alastair make preparations and set up a nursery."
And an orphanage. And a school.
And the entire supply chain to feed, clothe, and care for five hundred children.
He could've done all that in quiet and without the public getting involved. But a certain dragon decided to make a show, and now he had to deal with all this bullshit instead.
For once, he hoped Maple was reading his mind and felt bad for the mess she had caused.
'I've already said I'm sorry, bossman,' her voice appeared in his mind right away.
Good. He still wasn't done, though.
"I will always uphold the king's laws," he announced to the merchants. "But I'll also protect the people's rights and the innocent. Trade is important for Halaima, and so is your loyalty."
Helena scoffed, but she couldn't find anything wrong with what he said.
"A wise leader, indeed," she whispered, pinching his sides. "I have to stop underestimating you."
Konrad allowed himself a smirk, finally tasting the victory.
"No, please do," he said. "As long as my biggest problem is to entertain you and your brother, and not to deal with politics or slaying a dragon—"
She didn't appreciate his humor and kicked him in the shin this time.
"Careful, Ser Prodigy," she warned, but the tension left her voice. "You still have a tournament to win, so don't let ancient monsters or your angry subjects take your life first."
Then, as he adjourned the gathering, she whispered something else.
"Or let your haremettes drain you until you can no longer entertain me, Lord Halstadt."
Konrad raised an eyebrow at that, and the princess smirked.
Only for a second—until they met Welf behind the scenes—and her face turned all crimson.
There was no way he could hold in that laugh.
"You royals like to talk big, but look at you now," he said. "I'll sort things out on my end. You go, get your fill of entertainment with my right-hand man. Let me deal with this dragon my way."