The four clan house leaders looked at Max, then at her, waiting for his orders.

"Leave us. Thank you for all of your hard work today." Max nodded at them.

The four men rose from their seats and left slowly, bowing to him several times to show their respect. Their eyes carried exhaustion, but also hope for the future of this upcoming empire. For the first time in a long while, the Dragon Region had a direction, even if that direction was dangerous, sharp, and covered in blood.

"Please, Diplomat Clotilde, take a seat." Max pointed with his palm.

"Thank you. I won’t waste much of your time."

She sat down fairly close to him, her sweet aroma drifting toward him. Max raised an eyebrow. He could swear she had not worn any perfume the last time they met.

What is her plan? He wondered as his eyes lowered slightly, catching sight of her thighs showing more skin than before, almost as if she had chosen not to wear her armor stockings on purpose. She was injured, pale, and clearly tired, yet every detail about the way she sat felt too deliberate to be careless.

"I have time," he replied, his gaze lingering on her for a moment longer than it should have.

"Thank you," she said again.

Her fingers tightened slightly around the shaft of her spear before she forced them to relax. Then her eyes lifted to meet his, locking onto them with a seriousness that pushed away the faint softness she had shown when she entered.

"It’s about the Imperial Court Empire. My kingdom has sent word that Emperor Augustus has already received news of your actions against his son, and they are preparing forces to move against you. Officially, they intend to invite you to their empire."

Max listened carefully, and that explanation drew a smile from him.

"So they want to summon me there so they can kill me off without causing a proper war?" he asked with a low laugh.

Clotilde’s eyes widened slightly. She had not expected such insight from a young and inexperienced king, especially one who had only recently taken control of the Dragon Region by force.

"Precisely," she said after a small pause. "That is what my king told me in the letter he sent. It is either that, or destruction, as their motto goes."

"I understand." Max leaned back slightly, his fingers tapping once against the table. "I just don’t understand why you are here. What is your king expecting me to do in this situation?"

He did not drag the conversation out. He pushed straight to the point, forcing her into the corner before she could wrap the offer in pretty words.

Clotilde inhaled softly. For a brief moment, her gaze lowered. When she looked back up, her voice was steady.

"My king has a way to delay your summoning to the enemy empire by at least a year. But that would require your cooperation, and a promise that you will support our kingdom in the war against the Crimson Horde Empire, which has been giving us trouble for a long time."

Max did not answer immediately.

Clotilde continued before his silence could crush her nerves.

"My king admires your strength greatly. He believes that, given a little more time, your kingdom could grow into a true empire. By then, the Imperial Court Empire might become far more cautious about moving against you directly." Her lips pressed together for a moment. "But if we help delay them, we will also become their enemy and the next target. And if you abandon us after accepting our help, we will be the ones paying the highest price."

She stopped there, watching him closely.

The offer sounded generous, but Max could hear the fear beneath it. Her kingdom was not helping him out of kindness. They were placing a bet on him because the alternative was watching one monster grow stronger while another enemy kept tearing at their borders.

Clotilde had come prepared.

Perfume, exposed skin, a wounded body, and an emergency letter. All of it was meant to secure that bet before the Imperial Court Empire closed its hand around Max’s throat.

Max had already suspected that she was acting like this under her king’s orders.

"I can’t turn down such an offer. I know it will come with a price, but..." His eyes suddenly grew lecherous. "I can’t agree to such simple terms unless I get something that would truly secure our relationship."

Clotilde’s fingers tightened slightly around the spear resting beside her chair, but her face remained calm. She had expected him to demand something.

But Max’s eyes lifted slightly, as if he was reading something only he could see above her head.

He had secretly used a skill he had never needed before. With the dragons, he already knew enough about their bloodlines, but humans were more complicated. Their power was hidden deeper, buried behind families, old clans, and names that history had almost swallowed. So, for the first time, he used bloodline search in secret.

[Legendary Bloodline detected — Crystal Bloodline.]

[The innate ability of the clan members is mana crystallization.]

[It has mainly been developed for forging weapons and armor that can be powered by infused mana.]

[At higher control, it is possible to crystallize mana across large areas, turning the battlefield itself into a weapon.]

Max smirked happily, already plotting something wild.

Crystal Bloodline... If used properly, it could become more than just a pretty ability. It could build weapons, fortresses, traps, and maybe even cities that no normal army could break through. And if that bloodline entered his future empire...

His smile deepened at that thought.

"Whatever you need, King Maximus, my king has already instructed me to do whatever is needed to make you agree." Clotilde lowered her head slightly. "We do not lack riches or powerful artifacts."

"Oh, I don’t need those." Max looked straight into her eyes.

Clotilde’s heart tightened.

"I want your king to give me a woman from your kingdom as a concubine," Max said, his voice calm, but his gaze anything but innocent. "Someone valuable enough to strengthen our relationship properly."

The room fell silent enough for Clotilde to hear her own breathing.

She did not move for a moment. Her lips parted slightly, but no words came out right away. Only then did she understand what kind of relationship Max wanted to secure.

And judging by the way his eyes remained on her, she also understood something else. He had not said her name. But he also didn’t need to.