-Prior-
Prior hadn't been able to fall asleep for a while, but it was more because of a kind of positive nervousness. At some point, she did fall asleep anyway. When she woke up, she inevitably thought about the previous day and about Kashion. And about Kashion's messages. She was still lying in bed, but she picked up her tablet to check if he had written anything else to her. And indeed—
kashion233
Get used to me exceeding your expectations.
When she read that, she immediately smiled. Arrogant as always. But by now she knew what kind of person he could also be—that he thought a lot, that he could get nervous, and how attentive he was toward her. She also had to think of little Kashion in Gelserkh and felt more determined than ever to truly get to know the person behind him.
She wondered what she could reply to him and eventually started typing an answer.
-Kashion-
Early in the morning, Kashion had prepared for the meeting and then saw on his tablet that Prior had written to him.
FoxPriority
And what if the bar for my expectations is quite high?
He laughed and thought for a moment. He would give her a better answer later, but for now he simply wrote: "Just wait."
Then he set off with Oren to see Count Kashk Rutz when Wanyi suddenly approached them in the corridor.
"I have a report," Wanyi said. Kashion nodded, and Wanyi continued, "Someone tried to break a window in the laboratory building."
Kashion looked at him, startled. That was the last thing he needed right now. "Tried?" he asked.
Wanyi nodded. "The windows are made of multilayered security glass. It didn't succeed. Just scratches. But they left a message."
"Who? What message?" Kashion asked.
Wanyi showed him a silver coin. It had an unusual engraving: a sun reflected in water, and at the same time in a mirror. Behind the mirror, Saturn could be seen. He had only ever seen coins in museums or pictures before. The metal felt strange and interesting in his hand. "This is…?" he asked.
"It was lying in front of the main entrance of the laboratory building. It's the symbol of the New Dawn: the mirrored sun. To me, the message is clearly a warning," Wanyi explained.
Kashion sighed. "Make sure the laboratory building and the palace are fully secured. No unauthorized person is allowed to enter the labs. If anything unusual happens, our people must report it immediately."
"What about the scientists from Saturn?" Wanyi asked.
Kashion immediately thought of Prior. But there were others too—Talina and Professor Keron. They all belonged to the group supporting the agreement. Still, thinking of the man from the kitchen showed him that not everyone could be trusted.
"No one from Saturn is to enter the laboratory in the next few days," he said finally, and Wanyi nodded.
"Of course, except with my explicit permission," Kashion added.
Inside, Kashion was deeply annoyed. Problems like this were the last thing he needed. There was already so much on his mind. But for now, he had to leave the matter to Wanyi.
He then continued on his way to Kashk Rutz.
In front of the room, Professor Nara, Professor Wan, Pil, and Tendol were already waiting. Kashion immediately went to Nara and Wan and asked if they had heard about the attempted break-in. They hadn't and looked very concerned.
But there wasn't much time to dwell on it—Kashk Rutz was already waiting, and he wasn't someone you kept waiting.
-Prior-
Talina and Prior had arrived at Evlina's place. Professor Keron was there as well.
Prior felt a bit nervous seeing Evlina again for the first time after their conversation.
But it was also a huge relief that there were no more secrets now.
When Evlina opened the door, she looked at Prior for a longer moment, then finally smiled and invited everyone inside.
They would stick to their plan and not deviate from the planned delivery volume—only the distribution would now remain open.
Evlina also expressed that she wanted their help to appear especially strong and confident for the meeting. She would wear a black-and-white pantsuit, and Talina was to help her again with a beautiful hairstyle. She also chose slightly more striking makeup.
Prior inevitably thought again of Evlina's offer. She would understand if Kashion accepted it after all—especially given the political situation.
But then she remembered how he had touched her fox piece during the game, and his words. The seed of hope had now broken through the soil, and the first tiny shoots were beginning to sprout.
She wanted to trust him—truly trust him—even if it made her vulnerable. Hadn't he compared it to science? If she didn't try, she would never find out. And where would science be if people hadn't simply tried things, even when they seemed unlikely?
-Kashion-
The conversation with Kashk Rutz had gone more or less as expected. He stubbornly stuck to his position. Even his advisor Rosh had pointed out that the technology from Tingdao could benefit him, but he didn't want to hear much of it.
Kashion thought that in the end, he might have no choice but to compromise and give Kashk Rutz the larger share. But he could already hear the voices of his father and the council—that Tingdao would once again stand in Terland's shadow, and that this could become a threat in the future.
The weight on his shoulders felt crushing.
The negotiation would be exhausting. And on top of that, he would have to warn the others about the New Dawn.
These were the moments when he wanted to leave everything behind. But it wasn't about him. The people of Tingdao depended on him. He had to be strong for them.
The only bright spot was that he would see Prior again.
-Prior-
Prior waited with the others in the meeting room. It was almost unchanged from the first time—but the atmosphere was different. Much more tense.
She noticed how people kept looking at Princess Evlina, and some were whispering. So far, only the representatives from Ostrand and Terland had arrived.
Count Kashk Rutz seemed even more reserved, but there was also something confident—almost victorious—about him.
Then Rein entered the room with Taner. He looked at Evlina and winked at her. Then he looked at Prior and raised his eyebrows. She didn't know what that meant. But yes—after the tiger incident, he probably saw her differently now too.
Finally, Kashion entered the room with his team, and Prior immediately forgot everything else. Her heart began to beat faster.
He greeted everyone with a nod—until his gaze reached her and stayed there. He held her gaze for a few seconds before sitting down.
Prior sat down as well and exhaled. She hadn't even realized she had been holding her breath. She also noticed that Evlina was watching her. Rein, too, looked at her skeptically again.
-Kashion-
Looking at Prior felt like recharging his strength. He immediately felt more courageous.
He cleared his throat.
"Thank you all for coming together again today. Before we move on to the main topic, I unfortunately have to inform you about a current issue."
He could feel that he had everyone's attention.
He held up the coin and said, "We have received a warning from a Saturnian group that opposes the agreement."
A murmur went through the room.
"Who is that? May I see it?" Evlina asked.
Kashion handed the coin to Oren, who stood up and brought it to her.
She examined the shiny silver coin with its unusual engraving and showed it to her entourage as well.
"The New Dawn? Where did you get this?" she asked.
So the symbol wasn't unfamiliar to her.
"It was lying in front of our laboratory," Kashion explained. "Nothing else happened. We have also increased security measures and, for the time being, will not allow any outsiders into the labs. I just ask you all to be mindful of safety and confidentiality so that no one is put in danger and the agreement is not jeopardized."
"New Dawn? What is that?" Rein asked.
"It's a rebel group that wants independence from Earth," Evlina explained. "My father, the other rulers of Saturn, and I have nothing to do with them."
Kashion nodded. He already knew that.
Rein looked at Kashion and mouthed, "The tiger?" Kashion nodded again.
Count Kashk Rutz let out a dry laugh. "We should finalize the agreement as quickly as possible. And I hope Tingdao can ensure the necessary security."
"Of course," Kashion replied.
-Prior-
Prior looked at the coin that Evlina had now placed in front of her. She had heard that there were groups opposed to the agreement, but she had never heard the name "New Dawn" before. She couldn't understand why anyone would want to sabotage the agreement. It would benefit both worlds.
Evlina handed the coin back to Oren, and he returned to Kashion.
He looked more tense than usual. How she wished she could take some of the weight off his shoulders—but she didn't know how.
-Kashion-
Kashion noticed that Prior was looking at him and smiled. Just her attention and her concerned gaze made his burdens feel a little lighter.
"Enough about the rebels. Let us now move on to our main topic: the trade volume and the distribution of delivery quantities," he said finally.