But the Council had been disbanded decades ago, back when the Elves had decided to isolate themselves from the humans, cutting off all trade and communication with the Middle Kingdoms.
And Prince Ilya wanted to reinstate it again? Why?
“Why?” Lord Ryu said, echoing his thoughts.
“Because I want peace,” Prince Ilya said, suddenly sounding weary. “I want peace for everyone in the Four Kingdoms. I’m tired of the fighting and the endless war. All that anyone of us wants is to live peacefully. And I want to make that happen.”
Luka blinked. An end to the fighting…yes, he wanted that too.
“And you think the Council is the way?” he said.
“It’s a start,” Prince Ilya said. “If we’re all allies, then I’m sure we’ll be able to find peaceful solutions to any problems we may have.”
It was an intriguing thought, and one that Luka liked. The Prince may be overly optimistic about their chances for peace, but at least someone was thinking about the good of all Four Kingdoms, instead of sticking to their own myopic viewpoints.
“I would think that a Sunvaaran getting caught for espionage would put rather a damper on those plans,” Maya said, shaking her head, and Luka had to agree.
Rana’s actions would undoubtedly bring forth a wave of political humiliation and negative diplomatic relations for Sunvaara. Whether the idea of a Council would be well received in such a climate was a question that was up in the air.
Soon, word arrived for each of the ambassadors—they were all being recalled to their homelands. Prince Ilya left first, with an apology for his compatriot, though Maya assured him that he wasn’t responsible for what Rana had done.
“It’s his fault, not yours,” Maya had said, and the Prince had given her a relieved smile.
The Merovians were the next to leave, and Luka had been sad to see them go. He clasped the Baron’s forearm as he made his goodbyes, and the Baron had grinned at him when Luka had congratulated him on the child that was due. Lord Phillip had been grave and quiet when he’d taken his leave, with many promises to take Luka’s proposals for trade treaties to his uncle, King Edward.
The Elves had been the last to leave, waiting for the ship that would take them back across the Northern Sea to the Ellem Isles. Lord Erlan had smiled as he’d said his goodbyes, kissing Maya’s hand gallantly and complimenting Luka on his deft handling of the summit.
It had left Luka feeling rather like a schoolboy, as if he was back in the Academy. He had rolled his eyes at the pompous patronizing of the Elves, but he knew Lord Erlan meant no harm. Perhaps a consequence of living so long as the Elves did was that everyone else seemed like a child in comparison.
Whatever the reason, Luka was glad to see the back of them, and when the Elves had finally left for the port after dinner, Luka was exhausted. It had been a long couple of days, and he’d spent an inordinately long time in his prosthetic.
He flexed his foot under the table as he had a quiet dinner with Maya, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Vennela had been sent home; Maya had written to her brother about everything that had happened at Kamenev. Vennela’s brother would be freed, but Luka didn’t expect the maid to be working with the Rakhmonovs for much longer.
As their dinner drew to a close, Luka rang for the butler.
“A bottle of wine, please,” he said. “The best in the estate.”
When Maya looked at him in surprise, Luka shrugged, and dropped her a wink. “We just caught a spy, and our work here has probably helped free my sister from an engagement to an unsuitable man. I think it calls for a celebration.”
Maya smiled, and when the wine came, they toasted each other.
“We did it!” Luka exclaimed, lifting his glass in the air.
Maya giggled and clinked her glass against his. “Yes, we did. I'm so proud of us.”
As the night wore on, they found themselves letting loose, laughing and toasting to their success. The silliness was a welcome relief after all the tension of the last few days, and as the wine flowed, Luka felt himself relax further and further, simply enjoying himself in Maya’s company.
As the serving lady refilled Luka’s glass, he looked at Maya. She smiled back at him, her cheeks flushed and her eyes shining, obviously still in high spirits.
Behind her, Luka saw the serving lady hide a yawn.
Luka leaned closer to Maya over the table. “Let’s continue this elsewhere?”
“Let’s go to my lab,” Maya said, following his gaze. “We won’t be disturbing anybody there.”
“Perfect,” Luka muttered, and he took her hand as she stood from the table, both of them weaving a little as they walked to her laboratory, where they could drink and talk without interruption.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
