Behind the Mirror (Yandere Ja'far x Reader)

Time to talk

As you welcomed Ja'far into the same room as the princess, you also ordered for some of your best tea to be served. Kougyoku was furious at the sudden change in your attitude. Your previous hostility seemed to vanish at the sight of Sinbad's close aid.

"Welcome Ja'far, I wasn't expecting you."

"I hope I am not interrupting something."

"Oh, this? The princess and I had a little chat. Apparently the merchants of Kou are not working in harmony and that seems to be my fault."

"I did not say that!" Kougyoku exclaimed and you chuckled.

"I'm just teasing. Still, your highness, if they want any support from me, then they better show that their buisnesses aren't going to fail within the first month. That is only a logical demand, I hope you understand."

Kougyoku gritted her teeth, made a quick bow and excused herself, leaving hastily and clearly unhappy with how things turned out. Ja'far turned and looked at you with worry.

"What happened? Is the Kou empire pressuring you?"

"It's because I monopolized the market, meaning they'll have to pay taxes to me and in extend to Sindria if they want to sell speciffic products in their own countries and beyond"

"How did you do that?"

"I just worked hard and didn't try to show off my wealth. The more you try to enter the center of the stage, the more likely it is for you to become a target."

"Sneaky."

"Thank you, in my line of work, this is a must. I have a family to raise all by myself after all."

"Oh, I don't blame you. This is helping Sindria, still if you need some help, I'd be happy to assist."

"Thank you, now would you kindly tell me the reason you decided to visit me?"

"Ah, yes. It was to inform you that Sinbad is coming."

At that you said a simple "ah" and sighed.

"I should have known, at least he's going to have people ready to take him home once he's drunk." 

"Yes, Masrur and I will be there to keep an eye on him."

"Well, that's reassuring. Now, would you join me for some tea? I recently got my hands on a rare flavor."

"Thank you, I gladly accept your offer"

After that you two spent three hours chatting happily, enjoying each others company and discussing different and at times, more personal matters. Clearly there was a form of friendship between you two. Ja'far was happy that you were opening up to him, that you trusted him enough to reveal a few things about yourself, even though they were all lies. 

You liked Ja'far, however you didn't trust him enough to reveal your true identity. Your origins were something that simply had to remain a secret. Due to your divine blood, you'd eventually have to force an illusion on everyone that came into contact with you, making you seem like an aging person who would eventually die. Then you'd have to move out and restart your life... thankfully, this was the easy part.

When Ja'far eventually left, you gave him some tea to share with his friends in the palace. This was a move that would eventually benefit you, seeing that princess Kougyoku would most certainely not back down. You had to be ready for everything, nobles, royal families, other merchants... they wouldn't leave you alone now that you had become powerfull. Therefor, establising some sort of friendship with king Sinbad and his friends was necessary, if you wanted everything to go according to plan.

"Hopefully, I won't have to work a lot on this... I need to ensure the future of the children." You murmured and then went to your room... tomorrow was the party... meaning you needed all the mental support you could get from those around you.

Meanwhile Ja'far had told Sinbad about Kougyoku's visit and what she wanted from you, he was worried that the Kou empire was aiming for something more and they had to be carefull about this.

"What about (Name)? What did she say?"

"She made it clear that unless it's something that can bring certain success, she will not work with them. I believe it's her way of telling us to make our move." Ja'far said and Sinbad smiled.

"She's a crafty one."

"She just looks out for her family, she can't risk their lives just because the princess of Kou wants something."

"It seems that the two of you are the best of friends, she even gave you a gift."

"She asked me to share this, it has become one of her favorite drinks and so she decided to share it." Ja'far said in his defence.

"Uh huh, that explains a lot."

"Sin, don't assume that there's romance here, she's really only focused on helping her family."

"That doesn't mean she won't need male support to achieve that."

"She has her son."

"That's a fancy excuse."

"Don't push your luck, Sin. You can still work with a broken leg."

"Okay, I'll shut up now."

The two kept discussing over Kou's actions and how to act, they decided to let you take the lead and they would join if you needed some extra help. This wasn't something the could casually discuss, especially because so many people were involved in this matter.

However the news regarding your meeting with Kougyoku had also reached Kou and it caused quite the uproar. The nobles were furious that the concubine of a merchant was that arrogant and refused to agree a deal from the royal family. However, the royal family didn't quite see it like that, your reaction wasn't unreasonable, they would have acted the  same way if the were in your place, so that meant ensuring that the merchants of their own country didn't mess up, then you would accept and work with them, it sounded simple yet it was anything but. They still argued over who was the best choice to try and talk with you but they showed no real interest in helping the empire, only making and keeing money for themselves.

Things took a turn for the worse when they heard that Kougyoku had openly picked a fight with your son, Lahan. A move tha reflected poorly on the Kou empire.

"Prepare a ship, I'm personally going over to Sindria to talk with her."

"Yes, your highness."

It was time to make peace and save the face of the empire... well, at least what would be left of it, if things remained as they were.