Fates Parallel Interlude 6.1 - Movers and Shakers

An Chunhei wrung her mouse-like tail anxiously, fretting over every little detail of the spread she’d prepared to receive the most important guests of her life. After the third time she adjusted the placement of the teapot, her husband Minjun hugged her from behind.

“Relax, Chunhei. You don’t have to fret like this every time we have friends over.”

Chunhei spun in his arms and frowned, licking her finger to rub a smudge out of one of the large pangolin scales decorating his neck.

“Friends or not, they are royalty, Minjun. You know as well as I do how important it is that we stay in their good graces.”

He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

“Even so, I doubt they’re going to be offended by the angle of their teacups. It will be fine—we’ve met Princesses Seong Eunae and Seong Haeun before, they’re sweet girls.”

“You never know with mages! They can be so capricious.”

“Our daughter is a mage too, you know.”

Chunhei huffed.

“And she ran off to ancestors-know-where without so much as a letter this entire time. How is that not capricious?”

Her husband shrugged.

“It could be worse—no, wait—”

It was too late. Minjun’s careless reminder set Chunhei to worrying. It had only been a few years since she thought she’d lost her daughter forever, and while she was getting better lately, she was still prone to anxiety attacks.

“Oh ancestors, I hadn’t even thought of that! What if she hasn’t written because something happened to her? She left with the princess, right? Why didn’t she come home? Is that what this meeting is about? They’re delivering the bad news.”

Minjun wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair softly.

“Shh, it’s fine, honey. I’m sorry—I shouldn’t have said that. Eui’s a strong girl, I’m sure everything is fine.”

“Oh, I knew it was a bad idea. That Lee girl—she’s a bad influence. She’s going to be the death of our daughter!”

“Sweetheart, don’t say things you’ll regret. You love Jia—we couldn’t ask for a better daughter in law.”

Tears welled in her eyes as Chunhei clutched her husband’s arms with trembling hands.

“I miss her.”

“I know, darling, but our Eui’s an adult now—a powerful and respected mage, even. I’m sure she misses you too, but Eui has her own life to live.”

A soft chime interrupted their moment—a magical formation that alerted them to the arrival of guests—and Minjun sighed.

“You take as long as you need to compose yourself. I’ll deal with our guests.”

Chunhei gave him a tight nod.

“Sorry. I’ll be right behind you.”

He smiled and gave her a gentle kiss.

“Don’t rush yourself. I’ll be alright on my own for a bit.”

—-

Minjun had no intention of keeping the princesses waiting, and he rushed to greet them before they could make it all the way to his doorstep.

He bowed low as the three Seong women approached. As much as he’d been trying to comfort his wife, he was pretty anxious himself. Entertaining royalty was the dream of any merchant, but it was also a nightmare.

“Welcome, your royal highnesses. You honor these unworthy citizens with your visit.”

Minjun was most familiar with the youngest Seong, particularly after the incident where she’d snuck out of the palace to meet Lee Narae. Seong Haeun had grown somewhat since he’d last seen her, and carried herself with an air of maturity unbefitting of a ten-year-old. Of course, he knew that was just an affectation—he’d seen her childish side first-hand.

Seong Eunae, he’d only met once before, but she’d left an impression then and he could tell that she’d changed dramatically. Once, she’d had only three tails, and the way she kept her eyes closed gave a feeling of grace and serenity. Now, she had five, and an intimidating array of ghostly green flames that resembled another four.

She smiled openly and met his gaze without hesitation. Thanks to Jia and Eui, he knew of Eunae’s power, but felt no different after looking into her deep blue eyes. Princess Seong Eunae inclined her head slightly in greeting.

“An Minjun, raise your head. There’s no need to stand on ceremony with me—your daughter is a dear friend of mine. Please, just call me Eunae.”

He’d been warned of this, too. Seong Eunae loathed formality, and didn’t enjoy being treated like royalty. Normally, he’d politely ignore her invitation, but in this case it would be better to just play along.

“Of course, Miss Eunae. I hope you’ll forgive a token of formality—just for my own comfort.”

“Naturally. You’ve met my younger sister, Haeun, already, but allow me to introduce my older sister, Princess Seong Misun.”

Minjun had never met Seong Misun, but he knew her by reputation, and he caught the hint in the different ways Eunae addressed each sister. He bowed directly to the older princess.

“Your Highness.”

“Hm.”

Princess Seong Misun acknowledged him with a nod, and after a beat Minjun decided that was enough of a dismissal to move on.

“Please, come in! Make yourselves at home—our house is, quite literally, yours!”

He chuckled at his own joke, but the princesses were unmoved. Eunae at least gave him a polite smile as he ushered them inside, but the other two didn’t react at all. Minjun sighed internally—this was going to be more difficult than he thought.

Minjun guided them to the large sitting room where the refreshments were already prepared.

“Take a seat wherever you like—or we can meet in the courtyard, if you prefer?”

Princess Seong Misun plopped down onto the couch, spreading her six tails out enough to take up the entire thing.

“This will do—we aren’t staying long.”

Minjun hurried to pour her tea, which she took without acknowledging him. Princess Eunae gave him an apologetic smile as she took her own seat on a plush chair across from Seong Misun, and little Haeun quickly took the seat next to her.

Having his guests face each other was slightly awkward, but Minjun was quick to improvise. Eccentric nobles were nothing new to him, after all. After serving each of the girls some tea, he pulled up a spare seat and positioned it at the side of the table so that he could face them all.

“Welcome, your royal highnesses. To what do we owe the pleasure of this visit?”

Seong Eunae smiled brightly—a good sign, by Minjun’s estimation.

“We have a few matters to discuss, but I don’t want to rush into business too quickly. First, I’m sure you must be wondering about your daughter. Eui is doing just fine, and would like me to convey her sincerest apologies for the lack of communication.”

Minjun allowed himself a sigh of relief. He’d meant what he said to Chunhei, but it was gratifying to hear it confirmed.

“That’s excellent news. My wife will be most pleased to hear it.”

Knowing her, she probably already had. The princess nodded in acknowledgement before continuing.

“I’ll leave retelling the full story to her, but suffice it to say that our travels through Qin and beyond have been rather eventful. Most importantly, they have culminated in the reclamation of the Grand Academy of Spiritual, Martial, and Arcane Arts from the invading demonic forces.”

“Oh! That’s fantastic to hear! A grand victory for our nation, no doubt.”

Princess Seong Misun snorted. Minjun blinked, not sure what he’d said wrong, but the princess didn’t elaborate. Thankfully, Seong Eunae was more forthcoming.

“In a sense, yes. Victory was achieved by a coalition of Goryeon, Yamato, and Qin forces. Yoshika had a major personal role in the battle, almost single-handedly taking control of the academy grounds and the shield formation protecting them. Not that Yoshika does anything ‘single’ handedly.”

The princess tittered at her own joke, and this time it was Minjun’s turn to politely chuckle along. He had a hard time wrapping his head around the fused identity of his daughter and her lover. Minjun was happy to consider Lee Jia as a second daughter, but got a little bit confused by the concept of both of them being the same daughter.

Nevertheless, he accepted it as cultivator strangeness. Besides, that little oddity was rather significantly overshadowed by the news that his daughter was a war hero.

“That’s amazing! I knew she was capable, but I never imagined she’d accomplish so much at such a young age.”

Seong Misun set her teacup down with just enough force to draw attention, then crossed her arms and sneered down at Minjun.

“What my sister is carefully dancing around is the fact that immediately after doing so, she declared independence.”

The sound of clattering dishes carried from the next room, and Minjun cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry?”

“Your daughter—although it’s officially just Lee Jia—has made herself the head of a new city-state that has seceded from Goryeo and the other coalition nations. They are now the...well, whatever the hell Jiaguo decides to call their heads of government.”

An Minjun was at a loss for words. He tried to buy himself some time by pouring a cup of tea, but he was still dumbfounded, so he took a long sip. He was saved by Chunhei coming through with a tray of sweets.

“Hello your highnesses! My apologies for the late greeting—I hope these treats can make up for my tardiness?”

None of the princesses moved to take one, but the youngest stared at the tray so hard that Minjun worried she might bore a hole through it with her eyes.

“Please, help yourself. Chunhei’s dasik is as good as any confectioner could make.”

Chunhei slapped his shoulder playfully.

“Oh, stop! It’s just a hobby, but if it pleases your highnesses I’d be delighted for you to try them.”

Seong Haeun gave her oldest sister a pleading look, and Princess Misun sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Go ahead...”

The little princess snatched a cookie off the plate so fast that Minjun could barely see it, popping the entire thing into her mouth before closing her eyes and chewing on it with a blissful expression on her face.

That was evidently enough of an approval to spur the other two sisters into trying one each for themselves—and Haeun a second.

The moment of levity was just what Minjun needed to collect his thoughts, and he gave Chunhei’s hand an appreciative squeeze as she took a seat next to him.

“I’m glad you are enjoying our hospitality. Please, if you can, I’d like to hear more about what’s going on with my daughter.”

Seong Eunae shot her older sister an irritated glare, clearing her throat.

“Ahem, yes, please forgive Misun’s bluntness. Jiaguo’s founding was conducted as legally as it could have been, given the unique circumstances, and while there is currently no official policy, I don’t see any reason for our nation to be on bad terms with them.”

“That’s good to hear, but I’m more interested in hearing how this came about in the first place. I know that Jia and Eui both received...harsh treatment, but—”

“What our country did to them is monstrous, Mister An. You needn’t sugarcoat it for my sake. Neither of them have any reason to remain loyal to this country, yet they’ve done us incredible services anyway.”

Minjun relaxed a little bit.

“Thank you for saying so.”

Seong Eunae inclined her head and smiled.

“As I said, they are dear friends. I can’t explain their reasons without getting into state secrets I’m not at liberty to discuss with you, but they have my full support. However, not all nobles will see things my way.”

Minjun’s expression faded, and he straightened his back. He sensed that they’d gotten to the root of things now, which meant that he was no longer a father entertaining friends of his daughter, but a businessman meeting with important clients.

“What do you need from us?”

Seong Misun laughed.

“Well, don’t you catch on quick? Your dresses are quite popular aren’t they? You serve high-profile clients all over the country, and business has picked up significantly since moving into the capital.”

“We have been doing well for ourselves, yes...”

Minjun pursed his lips. These women were royalty, yes, but more importantly, they were his landlords. He had to tread carefully. Seong Eunae gave him a disarming smile.

“We’d like you to help spread support for Jiaguo among your connections, as well as lay the groundwork for regular trade with their country.”

“My expertise is in domestic trade with select clients. Quality over quantity. Chunhei designs the dresses herself, and the seamstresses that work for us are hand-picked. High-end custom orders, like the ones Jia and Eui wore to their audience with you, are even made right here, by hand.”

Chunhei blushed under his praise. She wore her heart on her sleeve, which was always a struggle when it came to business negotiations. Still, he appreciated having her by his side for support.

“I don’t think I have the level of influence you’re looking for, and I don’t think my business models will scale well for international trade. I’m honored that you would consider me, but I don’t believe I would be able to deliver the results you want.”

Seong Misun raised an eyebrow and fixed him with a predatory glare.

“I wouldn’t be so sure. I actually have a few of your designs in my own wardrobe, and wearing them publicly would make a pretty significant statement. More importantly, Jiaguo is a small city-state, and their greatest asset is the academy.”

She picked up one of the cookies and flipped it around in her hand, examining it from every angle.

“What was it you said? Quality over quantity? They’re going to have to be very selective early on—with students, trading partners, and even immigrants. You are our way of getting involved ahead of anyone else, without officially taking a position.”

“What are you suggesting?”

“Use that expertise of yours to help spark Jiaguo’s economy. You’ll be able to move closer to your daughter, serve your nation by establishing favorable trade deals with an emerging power, and grow your own business by expanding your reach to include international clientele.”

Minjun narrowed his eyes. He didn’t like how hard she was trying to sell him.

“What do you get out of this? What are the risks?”

The princess shrugged.

“If it fails, or if the high nobles end up taking a more hawkish stance on Jiaguo, then we’ll cut ties with you and you’ll be on your own. In the worst case, that could put you in the middle of a war—not that we expect it to go that far.”

“Ah. And the matter of our debts?”

“Forgiven, of course. I’ll be glad to be free of Eunae pestering me about it, honestly.”

Minjun exchanged glances with his wife. Chunhei’s eyes had that pleading look that he could never say no to. It was a risky proposal, and he was far too close to make unbiased judgements. But for her, he’d trade away the sun and the moon.

He squeezed her hand and smiled, turning back to the princesses, his decision firmly set in stone.

“Please give us some time to think about it. Perhaps we can meet in a week to negotiate terms?”

He was still a merchant, after all. He’d trade away the sun and the moon for his wife, but he’d still make sure to get the best price.