Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king - Chapter 158

Chapter 158: Hot topics Chapter 158: Hot topics The flicker of candlelight bathed the small room in a soft, warm glow along the walls as Jasmine and Alpheo sat across from each other.

The faint crackle of the hearth added to the cozy atmosphere, the fire fighting off the cold that pressed against the castle walls.

They sat in plush chairs, their postures relaxed, legs stretched out as they sipped wine from ornate silver goblets.Alpheo swirled his cup idly, eyes fixed on the flames as they flickered and leaped, while Jasmine reclined with one arm resting casually over the chair’s armrest.

Alpheo leaned back in his chair, setting his goblet aside as his gaze shifted from the burning fire to Jasmine.

The warmth of the room and the ease of their conversation had lowered his guard, and now, curiosity flickered in his eyes .

“So,” he began, his voice steady but tinged with interest “did anything worthwhile happen during the month I was away?

Any news I should be concerned about?” Jasmine took a moment, her gaze drifting to the flickering flames before shaking her head lightly.

“Nothing pressing,” she said with a casual shrug.

“The court has been calm, no stirring nobles to deal with for now at least ” She paused, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“However, there was one thing-a happy surprise, actually.” Alpheo raised an eyebrow, intrigued.

“Oh?

Do tell.” Jasmine leaned forward slightly, her eyes bright with satisfaction as she continued, “It’s about the reports from the sale of your products.

Well,” she continued, “the initial numbers are far better than expected.

We’re bringing in nearly more than 2,000 coins every month.

And that’s just from local markets.

It doesn’t even account for when the products fully penetrate the neighboring princedoms, or-” her eyes gleamed with ambition, “when they reach the markets of the Empire, there we will finally strike gold .” Alpheo’s expression shifted from casual interest to surprise, then to satisfaction.

“Two thousand?

Already?” he echoed, clearly pleased.

He leaned back, a slow smile spreading across his face.

“I wasn’t expecting it to take off that quickly.” “Neither was I,” Jasmine admitted, swirling the wine in her cup thoughtfully.

”Soon we will have a meeting with the merchant guilds discussing a huge sale to open a market north in the Empire.” Jasmine leaned forward slightly, setting her goblet aside as her eyes sparkled with the gleam of opportunity.

“With the demand increasing so rapidly, we should think about expanding production,” she suggested.

“Increase the supply so we don’t fall behind.” Alpheo groaned, rubbing his temples with his fingers.

“That’s the issue,” he muttered, his voice a mix of frustration and thoughtfulness.

“We can’t just expand production like that, not without addressing the bigger problem.” Jasmine tilted her head, intrigued.

“What bigger problem?” He sighed, leaning back in his chair and locking eyes with her.

“Security.

If we increase production without proper safeguards, we’ll risk everything.

I’ve been thinking about this for a while,” Alpheo said, his tone now more serious, “and I’ve decided that we need to build a fortress-a self-contained stronghold that handles the entire operation.” “A fortress?” Jasmine asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes,” Alpheo nodded.

“A place where the production of these goods can be tightly controlled and protected.

A fortress would ensure the security of our assets, the workers, and the products themselves.

Everything in one place, surrounded by thick walls, with armed guards patrolling, strict security and a man with a torch to put them into fire if the fortress is about to fall, bringing the secrets to his grave .

No chance of sabotage, no leaks of our methods, and it’ll be harder for anyone to steal or interfere with the supply chain.” Jasmine’s lips pursed as she considered his words.

“That sounds…

ambitious.

But wouldn’t that be costly?” “It will be costly,” Alpheo admitted, “but it’s necessary.

The more valuable the products become, the more likely we’ll attract unwanted attention- rivals, even allies looking to disrupt our operations.

If we build a fortress, we not only protect our investments but also centralize production, making everything more efficient.

Plus, it gives us control-complete control.” Jasmine took another sip of her wine, swirling it thoughtfully in her cup before glancing at Alpheo.

“So, how much loot did we actually get from the siege?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Alpheo smirked, leaning back in his chair.

“Quite a bit,” he replied, his voice carrying a hint of pride.

“There were 18,000 silverii stored inside the fortress-official records, taxes, tribute-everything.

And that’s not even counting what the soldiers took when they sacked the city.” Jasmine raised an eyebrow.

“18,000 silverii, and how much of that did we get?” Alpheo smiled, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction.

“We took 9,000.

Since my army made up more than half of the force, the split was fair.

The rest went to the other lords and their men.” Jasmine nodded slowly, calculating the numbers in her head.

“That’s a significant haul.” She agreed , before lowering her tone ”My uncles must have been saving it quite a bit….changing topic…

do you think my aunt killed herself and her son?” Alpheo chuckled, shaking his head.

“No, I wouldn’t put too much faith in that story.” “You don’t believe it?” Jasmine asked, her gaze sharpening.

“It’s more likely they were poisoned by their own courtiers,” Alpheo replied with a wry smile as he sipped from his cup “Lady Elira was known for her pride and stubbornness.

From what I’ve heard from the prisoner , she’d gone mad after the fall of the city and the retreat to the keep, not even leaving her room as she had the food brought to her .

The idea that she would suddenly choose to surrender?

Highly unlikely which made people that wanted to live even more desperate” Jasmine frowned slightly, leaning in.

“Poisoned by her own people?” Alpheo nodded, his voice turning more serious.

“That’s what I suspect. She was a fighter to the end, you have got to give it to her .

It’s much more plausible that her own courtiers, desperate to save themselves, decided to silence her and her son in order to open the gates and surrender.

After all, dead rulers can’t argue.” Alpheo smiled, leaning forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with a quiet satisfaction.

“Isn’t it better this way?” he asked, his tone light but with a sharp edge.

He watched Jasmine as she considered his words, the faintest trace of amusement playing at the corners of her mouth.

Jasmine nodded slowly, swirling the wine in her cup.

“They’ve handled a rather hot potato for me, haven’t they?” she said, her voice carrying a note of dark humor.

“No mess, no scandal.

Just…

neatly cleaned up with many witnesses giving their accounts.” Alpheo’s smile widened.

“Exactly.

All of Lord Ormund’s direct kin, gone in less than two months” Jasmine raised an eyebrow, catching on as she continued listen “Which means,” he continued,his voice thoughtful, “that his lordship is now without an owner.” Jasmine’s gaze narrowed slightly, her curiosity piqued.

“And where exactly are you going with this?” she asked, her tone half-teasing, half-serious, as she studied him.

Alpheo set his cup down, a subtle shift in his expression signaling that he was about to speak more seriously.

“I’ve been thinking,” he began, his voice calm but deliberate, “about Confluendi.

Now that it’s back under royal control, I believe it would be fitting if I were named its lord.” Jasmine tilted her head slightly, intrigued but silent as he continued.

“As it stands, my words hold weight as the prince consort,” Alpheo explained, “but imagine how much more authority they would carry if I also had lands of my own.

Confluendi is an important is key to the realm, and as lord, I could better oversee the stability of that region.

Not to mention,” he added, a calculating glint in his eye, “it would help with the maintenance of my troops.

They’ll need to be sustained, and having land would make that far more manageable,it a bit of a disgrace if the prince consort does not have land of his own.” Jasmine sighed softly, setting her own cup of wine down as she looked into Alpheo’s eyes.

“I can’t just name you lord of Confluendi,” she said, her tone firm but not unkind.

“If I were to do that so suddenly, the nobles would think I’m giving you too much-showing too much favoritism.

They would question my judgment, Alpheo, and see it as a weakness.” Alpheo raised an eyebrow, the thought running through his mind that she had already taken him as her husband.

What’s wrong with a little gift?

he thought, but he kept the words to himself.

Jasmine continued, her gaze steady.

“At most, I can appoint you as governor of Confluendi.

It gives you the authority you need, without stirring too much unrest.

Maybe in time, once things settle and the nobles have seen your merit, you can be granted the lordship.” Alpheo leaned back in his chair, considering her words.

Governor.

It wasn’t exactly what he wanted, but it was good enough for now.

He smiled, the calculating gleam still present in his eyes.

“That’s more than enough for now,” he said, reaching across the table to place his hand gently over hers.

“Thank you.” Much to Alpheo’s surprise, Jasmine didn’t pull her hand away, letting it rest beneath Alpheo’s touch.

Her fingers, soft and steady, remained still.

She looked at him with calm eyes, neither yielding nor defiant, simply present, as she already accepted that this would be the man she would spend the rest of her life with.