Sania was infuriated, and it took a lot of self-restraint to not frown in front of everyone. Not because she adored him so much to be addressed as a second wife, but because Tehila was involved.
Tehila had a sanctimonious smirk on her face as she stole a glance at Sania who kept a straight face void of expression. As for Lila, she couldn't wait to see how her son would react to the situation, he could either overreact but can't risk becoming a monster before everyone.
"That is not, my wife," Taffi uttered without batting an eye at his mother or Tehila.
The throne room went silent and everyone was speechless. Tehila's jaws dropped in astonishment, and his mother shot a deadly glare at him, but Taffi stayed true to his words.
"This is my wife and the Queen of Azeera," he introduced Sania with a smile.
As much as Caesar found the incident awkward and somewhat uncultured, he nodded his head and said.
"Apologies for the mix-up, nice to meet you, my Queen." He walked up to Sania, took her hand, and kissed the back of her palm.
Sania was stunned, she didn't expect Taffi to make things clear in front of his guests. As much as it embarrassed her, she was pleased and stared at Tehila menacingly.
"Thank you, it's a pleasure to meet you too." She bowed slightly with a warm smile before Caesar returned to his seat.
Lila fumed and couldn't wait for the guests to leave so that she could burst out in anger. Unable to believe that her son dared to embarrass her so much because of one lady, she was determined to burn the entire castle down.
With everyone seated, despite the discomfort created by the incident, Caesar cleared his throat to raise the subject.
"I will begin by saying that I am displeased. Two of my men lost their lives because they delivered a message to you."
"I believe you forgot to teach your men how to speak to a King… but, that's a story for another time. What brought you here?" Taffi inquired, he'd rather get straight to the point than dwell on the past.
"If you got my message from my men," Caesar began and sat forward,
"You'll understand why I believe that Azeerans are such a menace to my Kingdom."
"And what evidence do you have to have to back up this information?" Taffi asked.
"I wouldn't go deep into details," Caesar replied,
"But every time a crime is being committed, it's always an Azeeran."
"I see," Taffi interjected,
"And what do you think, if I may ask, is the solution to this problem?"
Caesar rolled back his eyes in disdain, and replied,
"If you had read the letter that I sent through my men, you would have known…
"I'd prefer you say it to me in person, I do not fancy written words."
Sania was attentive to their conversation, but at the same time, she couldn't overlook the shame on Lila and Tehila's faces. It was also an experience to watch Taffi act seriously and maturely.
The way he reacted left her wondering how much she was worth, for a man to bring himself so low to treat her like a baby.
"I want to cut ties with the kingdom of Azeera, I do not want any Azeeran in my Kingdom, and if you wish for my people to leave your Kingdom as well, I do not have any problem with it. As King, we both know that whatever problem is faced by our Kingdoms, it's our responsibility to find the root cause and eliminate it."
"But at the same time, I believe it must be handled in such a way that another problem will not be created." Taffi chimed in.
Caesar laughed and shook his head from side to side,
"What problem will my solution cause?" He asked.
"I'm quite ashamed that you and your royal advisor never thought of it." Taffi adjusted his seating position on the throne and continued.
"We are both aware that Belta needs Azeera to survive as much as Azeera needs Belta…
"I'm afraid you are wrong, Your Majesty," Caesar's royal advisers cut in.
"Apologies for my interjection, but I believe your argument stems from the resources that both kingdoms benefit from each other." He stood up and took a few steps forward, staring up at Taffi confidently.
"Azeera is rich in vegetation, and Belta depends on it for agriculture, but that was until I arrived and found a solution to our problems. If you look into detail, you'll understand better, my lord."
"So to correct your statement," he continued,
"Azeera needs Belta because we both know that your Kingdom depends solely on Azera for livestock, but there isn't a solution to the disease that plagued your land and killed animals."
"Watch your tongue, young man, if you do not want to join the others in the grave…
"You threaten my adviser in my presence Taffi, for a King, you have no self-control." Caesar snapped in a fit of rage.
"Both our kingdoms need each other in a certain way and creating restrictions is the best solution to your problem?"Taffi asked, he was quite disappointed and irritated by the royal adviser's show of wisdom.
"It is not just the best, but the only solution…
"Gerald!" Caesar cut his royal adviser off,
"Watch your manners when you speak to a ruler."
"So, Taffi, what solution do you have? " He asked.
"You don't expect me to magically come up with an answer, do you? I'll need some time, I'll call a meeting once I'm ready."
"We don't have that time, " Gerals chimed in.
"What do you suppose that I do then?" Taffi snapped but took a deep breath when he realized how much his temper might affect the entire discussion.
"I expect a response in two weeks, if none, then do not blame me when the entire Kingdom of Azeera is covered in blood…
"Such an intriguing way to start a war," Taffi interjected.
"Your words, Taffi, not mine," Caesar retorted.
"I may have a solution," Sania chimed in.