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You pursed your lips, glanced at the knife and back to Julio, without moving a finger.
<span class="mu-b">“Indeed. Why indulge him? What manner of martyr lays his means of sacrifice before their foe and asks to mutilate them before a crowd? This is crude theater.”</span>
<span class="mu-g">“He does deserve it. But we do not need to be the ones to take the knife, do we? His time will come.”</span>
“I won’t play this game,” you declared, “Stop being a degenerate. We are here for reasons of diplomacy. For the future. If you want to place a knife before anybody, then give it to that woman’s sister,” you nodded towards the mother and child, “I’ll have your side of the agreement as formally as should be expected.”
Julio’s smile melted, and he hummed melancholically as he sheathed the dagger and put it away. “I should be please. Some whom I’ve made a bet with will be, but I rather thought to test myself. I’ll make a note that you’re not any fun at parties.”
You preferred your parties to be nostalgic remembrances and mellow conversation, perhaps some skillful activity. The less Julio knew about you, the better, so you’d let him keep guessing.
The rest of the details of the treaty were hammered out in much curter and more businesslike affair. As much as Julio was an indulgent and debased devil, he had competence and wit. He simply chose to misuse it terribly. When you were both done, an agreement with absolutely no room for him to maneuver had been put together and sealed. He would move out of Fumonido, and the League would move in- while the county of Tramantosogna would be given over to Marcus Domani, though he’d have to be known as Di Tramantosogna officially, now.
>Fumonido and Tramantosogna are now under your control. +1 Lira Income, +2 Manpower.
“Hopefully, the start of a fruitful relationship,” Julio said with satisfaction and a final scribbled signature and a dripping of wax, “I guarantee that, in spite of what you might think, you will not regret this. Come, Bonetto. Wouldn’t you like to meet my newest daughter, give her your blessing?”
“I would like not to see you again until I require your presence,” you said, getting up and taking your copy of the papers with you, “And the Judge Above willing, that day will never come.”
With all that over, it was finally time to head back home again. Though after this province, admittedly, you weren’t sure if any other province would show similar difficulty. The Eastern Revolutionary Leagues had grown powerful indeed, and under the umbrella of the Leagues combined with the West, you and Leo must have been terrifying indeed.
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