"I really don't know what sort of education you received." Jaina stepped naturally in front of Illucia, her gaze cold as she rebuked Arthas.
Jaina? Seeing Jaina again, her pale golden hair pinned into a bun, Arthas felt a jumble of emotions.
Although Jaina was already part of his past, the memory of his old hopes still left a bitter taste.
But Arthas quickly composed himself and argued, "What do you mean by that, Princess Jaina? Isn't Illucia the president of a Lordaeron merchants' guild? Didn't the Barov Merchants' Guild grow to its present size by relying on the Kingdom of Lordaeron? Now that it's made enough money, it wants to take that money to Kul Tiras. Neither morally nor logically can that be justified. As Rowan's fianc-" A sharp pain pierced his heart. He paused and took a deep breath, concealing his feelings before continuing, "As a princess of Kul Tiras and the Daughter of the Sea, aren't you afraid Illucia will make enough money here and then run off to another Alliance nation?"
"Your argument isn't entirely unreasonable, but I certainly haven't seen Illucia bring any great amount of gold or assets into Kul Tiras. All I've seen is President Illucia commissioning Prince Liam's Dusk Fleet to deliver two warehouses' worth of supplies to us. Calling those supplies a transfer of assets would be laughable." Having spent so much time around Rowan, Jaina had become remarkably sharp-tongued.
This quick-witted Jaina gradually shattered the image of the innocent, adorable girl in Arthas's heart.
With the conversation already at this point, Arthas abandoned any attempt to spare Jaina's feelings. He stared coldly at the two women and said, "Isn't it laughable? The Barov Merchants' Guild bought up military supplies in Lordaeron at inflated prices and shipped them to Kul Tiras.