The feast went by rather calmly and slowly, as Harun, Aladdin, and Shapur talked about trivial political matters and the coming coronation ceremony.
Arslan kept quiet, only talking when he was spoken to.
However, when Harun and Aladdin brought up the subject of the trading problem, there was a subtle shift in the atmosphere surrounding them.
It got heavier, almost to the point that sent alarms blaring through Ali Baba's mind. His instinct screamed at him to bolt. But the fear of Shula taking revenge on him for doing so and embarrassing Aladdin was enough to ground him there.
Shapur knitted his fingers and leaned on his hands, his eyes narrowed and calculating. " I'm sorry to say, but Pars is going through some dire times at the moment, so trading is not a priority for us as of now. We're trying to quell riots and acts of rebellion, not to mention the drought and pandemic. To keep things under control, we had to freeze our trading for a while."
