Land itself wouldn't of much value to him either, but that river and the way that it cut with its limited bridges was of strategic value. Of course, where there was water, there would be clusters of human to utilize and scrape out a living upon it, and those populations were important to survival during difficult times. He expected those difficulties would be upon them in the next two decades, potentially sooner depending on expansion and conquests elsewhere to the North and West/East.
His fingers remained steepled together in front of him, as he let her talk her way through her investigation. While he hadn't explicitly set a timeline, he needed this to take as much time as was required to make the kind of progress that would lead to the fewest casualties. Vampires with pricked pride were a dangerous thing. He also would be so very displeased if this entire disruption was over a maidservant; what were they, children?
Yet his interest piqued when something in her explanation changed, and he even sat a touch straighter in his chair and leaned forward so he could rest his elbows on his knees. He didn't interrupt, but the corner of his lips tugged in a pleased smile as Lenore showed him exactly who she was and how her intelligence and instinct were closing in on the mark that he had considered but hadn't had enough evidence of before her arrival.
"The Wallacian royal family will not be able to stop the expansion into our borders, though they will try. They know the terrain, but the Ottomans will have the numbers if this expansion into new territories continues," he remarked almost conversationally. They would all survive, of course, but if their human populations were driven more inland towards the capital, some might consider being reckless and not abiding by territory.
"Redirection is a good tactic," he agreed, nodding his head. It would be one less headache he would have to contend with. "Do you think that compensation of the maidservant in time would soothe some of the ill feelings? Perhaps not right at this moment, but in time, if done as an extension of an olive branch that either would perform such acts?"
no subject
His fingers remained steepled together in front of him, as he let her talk her way through her investigation. While he hadn't explicitly set a timeline, he needed this to take as much time as was required to make the kind of progress that would lead to the fewest casualties. Vampires with pricked pride were a dangerous thing. He also would be so very displeased if this entire disruption was over a maidservant; what were they, children?
Yet his interest piqued when something in her explanation changed, and he even sat a touch straighter in his chair and leaned forward so he could rest his elbows on his knees. He didn't interrupt, but the corner of his lips tugged in a pleased smile as Lenore showed him exactly who she was and how her intelligence and instinct were closing in on the mark that he had considered but hadn't had enough evidence of before her arrival.
"The Wallacian royal family will not be able to stop the expansion into our borders, though they will try. They know the terrain, but the Ottomans will have the numbers if this expansion into new territories continues," he remarked almost conversationally. They would all survive, of course, but if their human populations were driven more inland towards the capital, some might consider being reckless and not abiding by territory.
"Redirection is a good tactic," he agreed, nodding his head. It would be one less headache he would have to contend with. "Do you think that compensation of the maidservant in time would soothe some of the ill feelings? Perhaps not right at this moment, but in time, if done as an extension of an olive branch that either would perform such acts?"