176 Chapter 176: Business Discussion (1/2)
After recovering from his initial shock and disbelief, Roland couldn't help but burst out laughing. Cecilia patiently waited for him to stop, watching as he clutched his sides and doubled over, unable to prevent himself from erupting into guffaws.
”YOU got rejected?! The stellar princess of the Global Federation? One of the most beautiful women in the world? The most competent, talented, strongest and skillful woman, rejected by a commoner? How in the world…?!”
”He had someone else he loved,” Cecilia replied guardedly, but there was a tinge of grief in her eyes. She had heard of Alicia's death, and was heartbroken by it. More than anyone else, she probably understood the emotional pain I was going through.
”Ah, I see…he must really love that lucky girl a lot, if he was able to resist your charm and beauty to stay true to her. Not many men can do that.”
”Richard is certainly exceptional,” Cecilia agreed with a shrug. ”And what he has achieved over the last few months are nothing short of impressive. But he's not the most talented or charismatic. We are not short on competent and powerful young men in the Global Federation.” She smiled slyly. ”Or the world. You are one such example, even if you're not part of the Federation.”
”I'm flattered that you think so highly of me.”
”You deserve the praise,” Cecilia said mildly. ”Now, shall we proceed to business?”
In actual fact, they didn't. They ended up first proceeding to a sumptuous dinner that was prepared by the finest chefs in Southampton City. After their meal, Cecilia invited Roland toward her garden, where they slowly strolled across the lawn and into a patio. Maids were already preparing tea and sweet desserts, laying them across the pristine table under the majestic, umbrella-shaped shelter. The two of them took their seats, with Roland lounging back in a relaxed manner while Cecilia sipped her cup of tea in a dignified posture.
”That was a great meal!” Roland exclaimed, rubbing his stomach and grinning. ”The Global Federation really has the most delicious foods in the world!”
”I am glad that our family chef's menu was able to suit your palate,” Cecilia said with a smile. ”I can ask him to pass your chef the recipe if you so desire.”
”Nah, no need for that. My family doesn't have a chef. My mother…the empress, cooks her own meals for us.”
”Oh?” Cecilia raised an eyebrow in surprise. That wasn't something she expected. She had imagined the imperial family of Amazerian Empire to have their own army of servants, chefs and staff. ”She must be an excellent chef.”
”Good enough for me,” Roland replied with a grin, and then dropped his voice into a whisper. ”Just between you and me, she's nowhere as good as your family chef.”
”Is that so?” Cecilia maintained her polite smile.
”Yeah. Anyway, enough about my family. Let's proceed to the main topic. I want to get this done and over with, so that I can return to exploring the Federation during my limited stay here.” Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please clickfor visiting.
”I can assign a tour guide,” Cecilia began, but Roland shook his head.
”Nah, I prefer to explore the Federation by myself. It's more fun and less restrictive that way. I don't want anyone telling me where I should go.”
”I see. But if there is any place in particular that you want to go to, please let me know.”
Anyone else would be thrown off by Roland's seemingly random pace and constant sidetracking from the main point, but Cecilia played the political game evenly, entertaining him at every turn and staying absolutely patient.
Recognizing that he wouldn't be able to wear down Cecilia's guard, Roland decided to just tackle her straight-on.
”All right…you probably already know what I want.”
Cecilia nodded, not denying it. Trade and commerce was a warfare on its own. It was vital to gather intelligence on the opponent, review one's own assets and limits, and conceal one's hand for as long as possible. Just like in a match, the two participants in a negotiation would circle around each other at first, probing for any gaps in defense, any lapse in attention, before attempting an attack. Even though she couldn't know for sure what Roland was talking about, Cecilia had to at least put on the appearance that she did, or the opponent would sense a weakness and exploit it. In any case, she had been well prepared and thus she highly suspected that she knew what Roland was looking for.
”The Empire will definitely pay a good price for it,” Roland continued with a brilliant grin. ”As we always do.”
”Yes, you have been an outstanding trade partner,” Cecilia agreed noncommittedly. ”We have no worries regarding that front. I have absolute trust that you will be fair again.”
”Ah, of course.”
The two of them began to spar verbally, and obviously I wasn't going to launch into the details. What, you want me to waste an entire chapter on trade negotiations? Why should I care if Roland wanted the mana cannons or whatever technology that the Federation possessed? It had absolutely nothing to do with me or the story, not unless I was dragged into some stupid global conspiracy later, and even then it mattered not whether the Empire bought the technology from the Federation or not. Instead of wasting the readers' time on boring dialogue, I was going to use my protagonist's privilege to skip straight to the actual plot.