When fate plays its hand (Miranda)

Chapter 958 +25 BONUS Lisandra spoke first.

She believed Starhaven had violated the agreement between the two kingdoms, which was to not harm civilians or execute prisoners of war. The slaughter of civilians and the brutal treatment of a war prisoner during wartwere actions that would outrage both man and god. Similarly, the massacre of the Sinclair family by Westhaven's spies was a grave mistake.

"We seek peaceful negotiations, and for that to happen, both sides must acknowledge these facts. Only with that understanding can we proceed with talks for peace between our kingdoms.” Once the translator relayed her words, both Rafael and the negotiating officials from Starhaven agreed with her. Thus, the negotiations officially began.

Westhaven put forward five conditions. Firstly, Starhaven must issue a formal apology to the people of Westhaven for the lives lost.

Second, Starhaven was to pay compensation of 10,000 gold coins.

Third, compensation of 3,000,000 bushels of grain was to be delivered to Westhaven by Starhaven representatives.

Fourth, the treaty signed at Fawnrun City was to be rendered null and void. This meant the border should revert to its previous terms before the agreement.

Fifth, Barrett, Aurora, and Dominic must be handed to Westhaven for punishment.

Even though Starhaven had prepared itself for tough terms, these demands were still too much to accept.

"We can agree to the first two conditions, but we cannot accept the terms of delivering 3,000,000 bushels of grain or shifting the borderlines," Rafael said. "We acknowledge our fault, but the massacre of the Sinclair family is also tied to the situation at Victory Pass. This is a shared responsibility.

"As for the fifth condition, Aurora may be handed over to Westhaven, but General Sullivan does not bear the main responsibility. At the time, he was severely injured and unable to control his subordinates. Therefore, he should be dealt with by our kingdom." Garrick retorted, "The Sinclair family's massacre was a direct result of your violation of the agreement. Westhaven is at fault, yes, but you must also take responsibility for this incident." "What you say shows a lack of respect for the facts we all just agreed upon, Mr. Horton," +25 BONUS Chapter 959 Davis pointed out. “Grand Princess Lisandra herself said that the foundation for these talks is mutual respect for the facts. The Sinclair family massacre was carried out by Westhaven spies. Regardless of their reasons, it is unforgivable to carry out such a brutal act against innocent women, children, and the elderly." "We respect the facts, and as such, we are willing to follow the first two conditions in regard to the massacre of the Sinclair family," Lisandra said firmly. "We will apologize to the remaining Sinclair family members and compensate them with 10,000 gold coins. With this, the first and second conditions are balanced out.

"However, I ask Starhaven not to overlook the most important fact-that you killed war prisoners and massacred villagers, breaking the agreement first. Therefore, you bear the main responsibility. The compensation must be increased accordingly." "Balanced out" meant that the Sinclair family's massacre should not be brought up again.

However, Rafael certainly wasn't about to agree. His goal was to remove Dominic from those first two conditions and to place the Sinclair family issue on the negotiating table. The primary aim was to absolve Dominic from the matter entirely.

"Since we're talking about respecting facts," Rafael said, his tone calm but firm, "I ask that Westhaven also,respect General Sullivan's role in the Fawnrun City incident. He was only guilty of not being able to control his subordinates. He neither gave the order nor participated in the massacre of war prisoners and civilians." Dominic wasn't one of Westhaven's primary targets. Bringing him into this conversation was a strategic move to gain leverage in negotiations, so naturally, Westhaven wouldn't back down easily.

Not only did they refuse to back down, but they also dragged Barrett into the conversation. They argued that as the general overseeing Fawnrun City's actions, he too bore sresponsibility for the situation.

Given the strategic nature of the talks, it was clear Barrett had to be protected. Agreeing to hand him over Agreeing t op the first day would open a dangerous precedent. For now, Starhaven only agreed to surrender Aurora and nothing more.

And so, the first day of the negotiations ended without significant progress. The only agreement reached was on the first two conditions-mutual apologies and compensation. Before the day concluded, Lisandra made one last remark, “If you think the massacre of the Sinclair family can fully cancel out the events at Fawnrun City, that is impossible." Rafael responded in kind, his voice just as resolute, "These are human lives we're talking about. It's not possible to cancel one tragedy with another. To do so would be a profound disrespect to those who died in such brutal circumstances." As such, the negotiations for the day ended without any meaningful breakthroughs.

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