122 Visit
"Do you want to play with grandma and grandpa?" Noctis asked after calming down.
The kids were reluctant after seeing their father's face earlier. Seeing their hesitation, Noctis felt guilty as he faked a smile to assure the kids that he is not mad.
Finally, the kids reluctantly agreed after being coaxed for a long time. Noctis then teleported them to his room in Lucis. When he arrived, he saw that his room was cleaned spotless and the room was rearranged and had a big bed.
"They must've taken the chipmunks in consideration." Noctis said as he left the room and immediately went to the throne room.
When the people living in the castle saw the eldest prince, they immediately recognized him and bowed their head in respect. When he reached the throne room, the guards in front of the door kneeled down in reverence.
Noctis then pushed the door to see Somnus and Helen talking to people kneeling down and stating their reports. Somnus noticed his older brother and nodded to him. They are in the middle of a mini-court session so he couldn't just stand up and greet them. The people kneeling turned around and saw him greeted him.
"Greetings your highness." They said while kneeling.
"Continue, don't mind me. I'm just here to visit my parents." Noctis said while Somnus had a wry smile on his face and Helen just chuckled hearing about it.
Noctis could see that Helen's finally had the confidence to stand beside Noctis. Seeing that they are busy, Noctis turned around and left the throne room.
"Do you know where my parents are?" Noctis asked the guard of the throne room.
"Your highness, I believe they are in the garden right now." The guard said and Noctis nodded his head and threw a gold card at the man. The guard caught the card in happiness while his partner looked at him in envy.
"Are you happy to see grandma and grandpa?" Noctis asked the trio while walking down the castle.
"Un, grandma tells us stories of grandpa's childhood." Erza said with twinkling eyes.
'You will only know his pain when you grow up, when I tell your grandparents your embarrassing deeds right now.' Noctis thought as he looked at the trio.
"Un, grandma makes us delicious food." Kagura said while skipping.
"Grandma is telling me things that makes me curious." Pitou said while walking.
Noctis chuckled after hearing the trio as he patted their heads and entered the garden. He saw his father lying on a hammock while his mother is kneeling on the ground digging with a small shovel.
"Mother!" Noctis shouted, gaining the attention of the two elders.
"Grandma!" The trio shouted and Hera immediately turned around and smiled as she stood up and walked towards the chipmunk, hugged them and ignored Noctis.
"Mother, I am the one who visited you, yet you ignored me?" Noctis said while chuckling.
"Oh, please. As if you're really visiting me. You're only here because you have something to do right?" Hera rolled her eyes while the chipmunks laughed after seeing their grandma rolling her eyes as they copied her.
"Grandma, how did you do it?!" Kagura asked as she tried rolling her eyes but her eyes just went side to side causing the others to laugh.
"Alright, alright. Play with grandma and grandpa for now, okay? Papa's going to work." Noctis said before leaving.
"Why is your face like that? Your father not going anywhere." Hera said as she looked at the sullen faces of the kids.
"Papa got mad earlier... Grandma did we do anything bad? Is Papa mad at us?" Kagura asked sadly.
"No no no, dear, you didn't do anything bad. You are good girls, okay? Now stop making that face, let's go inside and let me make your favorite food. Let's leave your grandpa alone." Hera said as she turned around and pulled the children's hands.
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After Noctis left the kids in her mother's care, he went back to the throne room and saw that their talks are reaching their conclusion.
"Your majesty, at this rate, we will have so many excess food crops. If we didn't ship it out, they will rot and they wouldn't have any value anymore." The man said.
"But the trade price is not favorable at all. They wanted the lowest price and we would still have to pay tariffs, on top of that it will be our ships that will be used to transfer our goods. We will also be penalized if we are a day late in transporting the goods. What if someone robs us of our goods? We will have to pay them and give them another batch of goods for free? Its simply unreasonable." Another man said.
They continued arguing about trading with other countries for half an hour that Noctis got bored as he stood up.
"Alright you can leave. As for trading with unreasonable conditions, you can forget about it. The goal of trading is a win-win situation. Such unreasonable conditions, its obvious that they are trying to make it hard for us. Now get out, I have something to discuss with my brother." Noctis said as he waved the three people kneeling in front of Somnus.
The trio looked at Somnus who waved them off, only then did they stood up and left the place.
"Guards! Close the door!" After the trio left, Noctis ordered and they followed suit and closed the door.
"What is it brother?" Somnus asked.
"I can solve that trading problem. I have negotiated with the King of Alvares about having an alliance and cooperating." Noctis said and Somnus widened his eyes. He had heard from the now Ghost about the basic information about Alvares. Their economy is far from stable but their military power is cream of the crop.
"What are the terms?" Somnus turned serious as well. Helen noticed that the talk between the two brothers turned serious so she just listened quietly.
"I offered the King a chance to study a little tree of mine and promised him the formula of your fertilizer, of course we'll give the outdated ones. We could also trade with them. I would suggest to them to build a skyport and have one of the skyships deliver the goods. Add in the sea ships, we will have another trade partner alongside Minstrel." Noctis said and Somnus thought for a bit. The terms are not harsh at all. He also thought about Noctis' idea of using skyships to trade, its much safer to deliver it through air than by sea.
"If they accept it, then you can agree and let a Ghost member know once the cooperation is agreed. You can sign on my stead. This should've been your job." Somnus said and complained a little at the end.
"Also, I have a surprise for you this week. Maybe you can go with Helen to that place. Maybe you can find a cure for Helen's scars." Noctis said before leaving. The couple was stunned after hearing Noctis' words and Helen's body shook as Somnus caught her body.
"Are you alright?" Somnus asked Helen with worried eyes.
"I-I'm fine." Helen said but her voice is shaking.
"I don't know what kind of place is my brother saying. As long as there's a slight chance to heal you, I will go to it." Somnus said with a firm voice.
"I'll be following your side." Helen said as she held Somnus' hands tightly. Somnus and Helen were looking for a cure to Helen's scars but they can't find anything at all. Suddely, his brother drops by and dropped the information that a place might contain the cure to Helen's scars, it brought hope for the two as they hugged each other in the throne room.
Meanwhile, Noctis teleported back to the tavern and saw that it is full but he saw one hooded individual looking at him in irritation.
"I thought that you hate crowds?" Noctis smirked as he leaned forward to the hooded individual.
"Just get me my meal." Zeref rolled his eyes while Noctis just chuckled and started working in the kitchen.
