On the afternoon of the day when the fighting ended, it was after 18:00, and the location was the reception hall of the border fortress.
The polar bear, with its tall and agile body, arrived in front of the queen of a country after a destructive dance on the floor.
Isabella, sitting in front of the polar bear, had just finished sleeping when she was informed by Sister Glasses that the orc country of Wang had requested a meeting.
Although there had been a fierce blood conflict between Dibiles and the orc country of Wang just yesterday, it was necessary for both sides to have this meeting.
In order to find the whereabouts of his daughter, the polar bear had to put aside some of his dignity and use the method of gifting a large amount of gold and silver jewelry to ease the tension between the two countries.
On the other hand, Isabella had been worrying about the finances of the treasury yesterday, and today she heard the news that the orcs were voluntarily giving money.
Even if it was for the considerable amount of money, Isabella had to temporarily put aside her prejudice against the orcs and formally meet with the polar bear.
When the two countries' representatives gathered at the same table, their trusted aides also made eye contact with each other.
Isabella brought Sister Glasses with her, which was not surprising;
On the other hand, the attendant who followed the polar bear was quite interesting.
That attendant was none other than the wolf orc who had almost been beheaded by the queen on the battlefield before.
Even though they had just suffered a major defeat yesterday, the polar bear did not show any obvious blame towards the wolf orc.
In the polar bear's analysis:
The orc army's defeat to Dibiles' troops had too many accidental factors, and the responsibility for the defeat did not solely lie with the wolf orc.
But of course, complete non-punishment was also impossible.
Through the painful war of yesterday, the polar bear had made up his mind:
He would never allow the wolf orc to lead troops in his lifetime!
The polar bear believed that this trusted aide was more suitable for the role of a secretary, accompanying him to various occasions.
It must be said:
The wolf orc indeed had diplomatic abilities.
Due to the ruptured relationship caused by the war, under its short half-day persuasion, there were gradually signs of recovery.
Naturally, the ultimate progress of the relationship between the two countries was not up to the wolf orc alone, but had to be officially determined by Wang and the queen over there.
Regarding the future of the two countries, Isabella had already thought it through completely since the moment the two sides clashed yesterday:
There was absolutely no possibility of restoration!
Isabella wasn't a warmonger, but she was not naive either. She would definitely not believe that the orc country of Wang would change its course and willingly correct its mistakes after just one battle.
Based on her own political experience, Isabella had already realized:
The sudden visit by Wang was definitely for a specific purpose!
What Isabella had to do later was to gradually perceive the true intentions of the other party in face-to-face conversation...
"First of all, as the Wang of a country, I apologize to His Majesty for the unpleasant incident yesterday."
As the most eloquent orc in the tribe, the polar bear didn't mind maintaining a humble posture when necessary, and now he took the initiative to apologize with a lowered head.
After a symbolic apology, the polar bear snapped his fingers;
After this move, the wolf orc by the polar bear's side acted alone, moving the valuable treasures that were to be delivered to Dibiles into the warehouse, one crate at a time.
The warehouse was located inside the fortress, not far from the reception hall. However, with so many crates to move alone, it was not an easy task. Therefore, after the wolf orc finished his labor, there would still be some time to wait.
Before the trusted envoy of the enemy returned, Sister Glasses had the opportunity to shift her gaze to the side and carefully observe the orc king. She asked him, "Is the orc king not trying to simply dismiss our country's military action with those worldly possessions?"
In asking this question, Sister Glasses was indirectly executing the will of the queen. In response, the orc king calmly glanced at Sister Glasses, then immediately withdrew his gaze and replied with a serene expression, "Of course it's not that simple. Our country's mistake cannot be easily remedied. Today's events are just a prelude, and there will be compensations delivered in the future."
"Hmph!" Isabella snorted, but it was merely a curl of her lip, making no sound. As the queen, how could she not understand? At first listen, the orc king's attitude seemed sincere. He emphasized the future compensations, which appeared to be genuine.
Unfortunately, Isabella was not naive and understood quite well. Despite the orcs being quick to give money today, whether those so-called "compensations" promised could be fulfilled was a question. Today, she wouldn't reveal her cards—this was a necessary quality for a skilled ruler. Isabella would not be easily deceived by the other party.
Returning to her surface persona, she chose not to expose the orc king's trick and instead pretended to believe him as she replied, "We feel the sincerity of your country. Let's set aside the conflict of the war for now. Orc king, is there something else you mean by coming here today?"
With just this sentence, Isabella skipped over many probing processes and urged the other side to reveal their true intentions directly. At this point, the polar bear slowly realized that this young girl standing before him was not an opponent to be underestimated, whether in strength or intelligence. The more the conversation was steered, the faster the polar bear had to speak. Otherwise, if he delayed further and his attitude appeared hesitant, the control of the entire dialogue would easily fall into the hands of his opponent.
"If you mentioned it, then I won't be polite. It's not really a big deal..." Isabella didn't continue speaking but used her ever-changing gaze to capture every movement of the orc king, desperately searching for his weaknesses.
It was in this intense gaze, like that of a raptor fixated on its prey, that the polar bear, in a calm tone, revealed his true intention, "My daughter, our country's princess, she's gone!"
Lying was meaningless. The information brokers within the capital had already spread the news of the white cat's disappearance through word of mouth. Sister Glasses had heard about the princess's disappearance from someone else today. Compared to this trusted envoy, the queen herself had slept until this afternoon due to her insomnia and had no time to listen to such rumors.
"Why did you come to my country to inquire about the disappearance of your princess?"
Unfortunately, Isabella was not the kind of person who would suddenly improve her attitude just because the opposite side's orc father had lost his daughter.
And logically speaking, this question was completely reasonable.
It was like if Resident A's house was robbed, and then they went to Resident B's house and rummaged through their belongings to find the stolen items.
As the neighbor and "owner" of the other party's "house," Isabella absolutely had the right to issue the "eviction order" that would come next.
Now was the perfect time to turn the tables, after all, Sister Glasses could easily calculate that even if His Majesty tore his face with the other party now, those rare treasures stored in the warehouse would not have enough time to be taken back by the orc country, Wang...
Polar Bear sensed the atmosphere around him and realized that the situation had become somewhat difficult, so he quickly brought out his prepared words:
"Don't misunderstand. I never connected my daughter's disappearance with the people of Dibiles. But last night, when my subordinates reported, I heard that during the time my daughter went missing, two suspicious-looking women came near our country's borders."
"What does that represent?"
"It represents that I can suspect: those two suspicious individuals kidnapped my daughter, disguised themselves, and infiltrated your country's territory without your knowledge."
"Nonsense! Our country's border is not a joke, it's not so easy for outsiders to sneak in."
The atmosphere in the conversation became more and more tense, and in just an instant, Isabella stood up from her seat;
Judging by her current expression, it seemed that ordering the guests to leave would happen just a second or two later.
However, at that moment, the country's Wang standing behind Isabella suddenly revealed important information:
"According to the soldiers of the Leopard-Head Tribe, those two suspicious women have one with black hair, and the other with blue hair who carries a fan."
With a loud bang, a part of the information in Isabella's mind suddenly exploded.
After a violent explosion, the scattered fragments of memory fell to the ground and unintentionally reassembled into some detailed information:
For example, within Dibiles, it was almost impossible to see a woman with black hair except for the Empress's own master;
And also, a female mage who left the border was exactly a blue-haired one, always accompanied by a fan.
Just having these characteristics overlap would be extremely unlikely, not to mention all three characteristics coinciding at the same time.
Plus, last night, Master Wang Xiaole, indeed "disappeared" for a period of time and couldn't be found no matter how hard you looked.
As a disciple, Isabella thought:
If Master accidentally entered the orc camp during that period of disappearance, then the matter of the princess's disappearance...
Might be related to Master!
It's not suspicion; the disciple could never suspect the Master.
It's just that the disciple couldn't guarantee the following situation:
The Master, who was held captive by the mage and taken to the orc territory, skillfully escaped the clutches of the demon race and coincidentally encountered the runaway princess.
Then, out of a sense of sympathy, the Master unknowingly brought the princess, who was hiding her identity, back home to take care of...
If the above assumption holds true, the master unknowingly becomes the culprit who kidnapped the princess!
Always think of the worst possible outcome in everything.
Before Isabella learns the truth from the master, she must find a way to make King Wang believe that those two suspicious women have already left the country.
Wang Xiaole's secret visit to the orc camp last night can only be known by heaven, earth, and his apprentice;
Otherwise, Wang Xiaole, as a prominent figure in defeating the demon race, would suddenly be suspected as a criminal suspect in the kidnapping of the little girl.
