Only after a long while did a soft, drawn-out intake of breath break the silence in the pavilion.
"Xu Yi, why didn't you tell me beforehand or discuss something this important with me?" Servini stared at him, her expression carrying a trace of resentment and confusion, but far more joy. "If you'd just told me, I would certainly have understood and supported what you were doing. There would never have been such a serious misunderstanding."
Xu Yi spread his hands with a wry smile and sighed helplessly. "Because when I met you two months ago, it was still just an idea. Nothing had been decided. I couldn't exactly discuss something like this with you by letter. You know how inconvenient that would be."
Servini murmured her acknowledgment, fell silent for a moment, then continued, "Since you knew how important this was, why didn't you... make time to come and see me?"
Xu Yi frowned. "Servini, shouldn't I be asking you that instead? This was important, but the reason I wasn't in a hurry was that I never imagined you would act so impulsively. Just because we indicated that we intended to sell military magic machinery to the Sark Kingdom, you declared war on them outright. I have to say, that was far too rash. It wasn't like you at all."
Servini bit her lip gently. A flicker of regret crossed her eyes, but her expression remained somewhat stubborn, and she offered no response to his accusation.
Her reaction left Xu Yi deeply puzzled.
The Servini he knew had always been gentle yet resolute, persistent in working toward her ideals, but never reckless.
Yet this declaration of war against the Saal Kingdom had been her decision. It ran so contrary to her usual character that Xu Yi found it almost unbelievable.