Chapter 80: Convincing

Laurel returned to her room after lunch to get the last dose of the antidote. The priestess smiled at her and bowed politely, whispering a blessing over her before she left. Eden was packing things up in a large trunk and the bottle she was supposed to drink was sitting on the table. She wrinkled her nose at the thought of taking it.
“Isn’t there a way to make it taste better?”
Eden laughed, “No, there isn’t. We’ve been over this.”
It didn’t hurt to keep asking. She took the little cup and tossed it into the back of her mouth before swallowing swiftly. She coughed and sputtered, reaching out for a glass of water. Eden handed it to her, and she was pleasantly surprised to find it full of juice.
Eden smiled, “I thought you deserved a treat to celebrate the end of your treatment.”
“Thank you, Eden.”
He took the glass and set it aside before looking at her, “Have you… decided to stay?”
Her heart lurched at the question. A spike of fear went through her at the thought. Having Adolph come to see her so often and focusing on fixing everything wrong in the palace. had kept her mind off her terror, but when she was alone it came back and stole her breath away.
Eden’s offer was enticing. At the least, with him, she wouldn’t have to worry about the dangers that lurked in the castle, waiting to kill her at any moment.
But she couldn’t leave Adolph to face the threat of the vampire queen and her agents alone. She had to stay at his side as his shield, and him her sword. Her stomach quaked at the thought. For a moment, she was in the hall looking up at Adolph again, preparing to say her vows again.
She shoved the memory away.
“Yes.”
Eden nodded; his expression was solemn, “If you change your mind, it’s still on the table.”
She smiled at him, “Thank you, Eden. For everything.”
He shook his head, closing the trunk, “You don’t need to thank me… but I’m curious.”
She turned to him, curious.
“Is it worth it?” Eden asked, meeting her gaze. “Having a mate.”
Laurel frowned, “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know much about it… I just wondered if, at least in your case, it’s worth it.” He lifted a shoulder a bit though his expression was pensive. “From what I’ve heard… from everything that’s happened, it just feels like you’re in danger all the time and you always be in danger if you stay.”
She swallowed, “What have you heard?”
“The last luna died, didn’t she?” Eden asked. “Laura?”
She nodded stiffly.
“And now, you’ve been poisoned on your wedding day…” Eden winced, “It just… seems like the position, the Raymond men, come with a lot of danger.”
Laurel looked down, considering his question. The answers to his question and the feelings they evoked had been haunting her dreams for the past few days. She’d promised to stay at Adolph’s side, but she couldn’t say that Eden was wrong.
“It certainly seems that way, but…” Laurel gave him a small smile, thinking of Adolph’s warm smile and the feeling of his arms around her. “Now that I’ve met my mate, there’s no way I could consider leaving him.”
Eden stared and her heart sped up. His grey eyes seem to be searching for some other answer. She wondered what he expected. He nodded.
“I see,” he turned to the door. “Well, I hope you find your happiness…”
She frowned, “Are you leaving the city soon?”
He laughed, “Not at all! I… actually have a meeting with the king to get to!”
She grinned, “That’s great! It seems like you’re striving to make the amount of difference you were hoping for.”
His expression turned shocked and his eyes widened. He smiled warmly and his eyes seemed to be full of emotion.
“Yeah… it would seem so. Wish me luck.”
“Best of luck, Eden.”
Eden left and closed the door behind him, pressing a hand to his heart for a moment, stunned at the jolt of joy and warmth that had gone through him. He took a deep breath and continued down the hall towards the hall. He had to contemplate Laurel and his feelings some other time.
Right now, he had a meeting to attend, a final report to give, and hopefully some information to gather. He entered the hall he had been directed to and found most of the ministers seated around the table. Basil was missing, but Adolph was seated at the head of the table, reviewing some paperwork.
He looked up and their gazes met. He felt something go through him as their gazes met and let it wash over him.
Adolph set the page down and nodded at Eden, “So glad you could make it, Eden. Take a seat and we’ll get started.”
He nodded, “As you wish.”
Eden took the last seat available at the other side of the table and glanced around the room. The ministers, overall, looked confused about his presence, but he ignored them. Gavin shuffled his papers quietly as the door closed behind him.
“I’ve called this meeting for several reasons. The first is to recognize Eden’s help with Laurel’s recovery. You have my thanks for lending your time to the priestess to treat Laurel.”
“As I said before, Laurel is a good friend of mine,” he said. “I do not need thanks.”
Adolph sensed something in his almost placid tone, but he didn’t address it.
“The second is to deliver some official decrees about how trade and transport of food goods will be handled going forward. As you are a merchant, Eden, I thought you might want to know the changes that will affect you as soon as possible.”
“I am grateful for your consideration.”
Adolph kept an eye on Eden out of the corner of his eye while looking at the minister of commerce and letting his gaze drift over the room. The two generals were looking at him expectantly, the ministers all looked nervous as he hoped.
“From here on and retroactively, the ministers’ power to negotiate, sign, and execute contracts on behalf of the kingdom without Laurel or my approval has been revoked.”
Eden’s heart jumped and he watched Gavin flinch before the minister of commerce sputtered.
“Your Majesty, that would be incredibly time-consuming for you or your future luna to review every contract.”
Gavin agreed, but he also knew what the decree meant: Adolph was closing in on how much the ministers received in kickbacks from the human merchants. It was hard enough to figure out how to maintain his grip on the merchants he had after the decree regarding werewolf escort and search was announced.
“No, it won’t. At least not for long,” he lifted a parcel of pages. “Because I don’t intend for there to be a great number of contracts external to the werewolf kingdom. I’ve reviewed all the contracts that have been negotiated on behalf of the kingdom and are still in effect and found them all lacking.”
“Lacking?”
“Yes, and in violation of several laws regarding the bribery of ministry officials and benefitting from the negotiation of deals,” Adolph’s smile turned cruel and knowing. “That being said, these merchants will be allowed to propose a new contract for review, but all will be thoroughly inspected regarding their trading routes and procedures.”
He nodded and a nearby knight placed a stack of parchment in front of Eden.
“That’s a list of everything that will not be allowed to cross my borders even if the final destination is elsewhere.” Eden picked up the list. “It should give you plenty of time to re-route your trade routes and move contraband out of the kingdom by the end of the week.”
Eden reviewed the list and forced his expression to remain innocent. The list was long, but it was targeted. He didn’t deal in slaves, but the supplies of certain gems, crystals, ingredients, and others were targeted to go against the vampire queen’s needs as well as the witch covens that existed within the queen’s borders.
“Your consideration is very gracious,” Eden smiled at Adolph. “I’ll be sure to speak with all the merchants under my command and adhere to the laws… I’ll also submit a new contract.”
Adolph nodded, “I look forward to it.”
Gavin swallowed looking between the two of them. Had Adolph figured out how much Gavin made through his relationships with the merchants? Without them, he’d be losing revenue at the worst time.
Why couldn’t Adolph have died on the front lines the way everyone expected him to? It would have made everything so much easier. Gavin reviewed the pages in front of him and barely listened to the rest of the meeting.
He had to think of a way to get around Adolph’s new laws and maintain his position in the kingdom. He glanced at Basil’s empty seat and an idea began to form at the back of his mind.