“Damn it!”
The expensive, crystal-clear wine glass was tossed ruthlessly to the ground, shattering into glass fragments. Greig’s fat cheeks were flushed red and he was trembling like a pig that was about to be slaughtered. It was no wonder he was so furious. The election that lasted for a year had just ended. He, Greig Walker, won 40 percent of the votes, but lost to Nakvard!
Damn it. That bast*rd beat me by less than five percent! Why did I lose?! Greig clenched his fists in disbelief. He had prepared for the election for a long time, only to fail at the final moment. How should he answer to his supporters, the Manny Financial Group, and the military soldiers? If this continued, he wouldn’t have a future any longer. He knew that Nakvard wasn’t a benevolent person, so there must be a way to bring him down!
Greig felt even more annoyed at this thought because it had been two months since the election ended and Nakvard had officially received his appointment. During this period of time, Greig had been writing to the other territories in search of support. If Nakvard were to get involved with the legislative branch and lower house, it would be even harder for Greig to overthrow him.
“Sir Greig!”
“At this moment, a loud voice interrupted his thoughts. He puckered his brows and stared at his trusted aide in displeasure.
“What happened? Why are you acting so panicky?”
“Sir Greig, there are results from the investigations!”
“Oh? Hurry up and show it to me!”
Greig’s eyes glinted with hope. He stood up, his obese body trembling in his movement and almost knocked off the book on the table. But he didn’t care as he reached out for the report from his trusted aide. In order to figure out his competitor’s weakness during the election, Greig put in a lot of effort, but to no avail. He was clearer than anyone what sort of a person Nakvard was. It wasn’t easy to find a flaw in him and at a certain point, Greig had given up entirely. But he didn’t expect fate to lend him a helping hand in the toughest time.
“This… This… Hahahaha! Great! Great!”
Greig burst into loud laughter. Indeed, just as he expected, there was nothing that he couldn’t find as long as he dug for it. As soon as this matter was made known to the public, Nakvard could forget about becoming the next chairman!
“Pass this report to Ken and make him look for General Fabian in the military headquarters. Hahaha, I didn’t expect that bast*rd Nakvard to commit such a mistake!”
Previously Greig had contacted the military through his connections, convincing them to give him support after Nakvard announced a cut to the military budget to improve people’s livelihood. Of course, this raised disapproval from the general and Greig would receive his full support now! With the support of the military and an arsenal of tools on his hands, he wasn’t afraid that Nakvard would stir up a storm anymore!
“Hurry, ready the carriages!”
***
The palace was as tranquil as usual. Gazing through the window, Sonia clearly witnessed the brightly lit streets in midnight Casabianca. No matter how prosperous the city seemed, it could never conceal the darkness and disgust hidden underneath.
Sonia revealed a wry smile, looking at white letter in her hands. She had been working hard for Rhode after receiving his orders. She considered herself lucky because her family was also opposing Nakvard. Right now, they needed a more competent leader.
Sorry, Sir Nakvard. This time, no matter if it’s for my family or myself… you won’t have a good life ahead.
But… What will happen to Her Majesty?
Sonia turned around and went up to Lilian who sat on the huge bed, hugging the teddy bear in her arms and looking at herself. Sonia smiled in response and patted her head gently, before letting out a subtle sigh. She admired Lilian because puppets also had their benefits at times. On the other hand, once one was involved with politics, it was basically impossible to get out of it. Having to lead a life like Lilian’s was also considered Sonia’s wish from a certain degree. At least she didn’t need to worry about the intriguing political dealings and could peacefully get by everyday without troubles…
“Sonia, are the discussions over?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. There are only some small troubles, so there’s nothing that you need to worry about.”
“I see…”
Lilian said with a dubious look. Shortly after, she shook her head and laid on the bed.
“Alright then. Sonia, tell me a story. Let’s continue with the one from yesterday.”
“No problem, Your Majesty.”
Sonia showed a gentle smile and lifted the book beside her.
A peaceful night as usual.
But as the sun rose the next day, Casabianca was slowly engulfed in clamors. This time, shocking news swept the entire city. Yesterday night, Parliament Member Greig headed to the legislative branch with doubts about Nakvard, the newly-appointed chairman’s legality! Not only that, but he also provided strong evidence to prove that a huge part of Nakvard’s election funds came from outside the Country of Light! After thorough investigations, it was discovered that there were also shenanigans with the votes: the votes of the two constituencies didn’t match the actual number of people! Also, more and more issues were slowly exposed such as manipulated votes and disadvantageous rumors!
Greig requested the legislative branch to summon for Nakvard immediately, requesting that he provide explanations for the issues. Not only that, but he also dispatched men to investigate the source of the election funds. After two months of peace, the Country of Light was once again caught in a new storm.
Nakvard was extremely calm against their accusations. He expressed that there was no problem with the source of election funds. The reason why they came from outside the Country of Light was because his supporters resided outside of the Country of Light. As for the votes, he asserted that calculation errors were expected and it didn’t affect the general situation… But things weren’t that simple.
The dramatic reform which Nakvard proposed after becoming the chairman affected the interests of the financial groups and military. Not only was the military budget cut to support the civilians, but tax was also increased and industries were also reintegrated. This touched a lot of links and along with this series of matters, the dark clouds once again enfolded the sky of Casabianca…
“Sir Nakvard.”
Nakvard lifted his head and narrowed his eyes at his trusted aide. Even if many people saw him as a ‘traitor who betrayed his country of money’, he maintained his solemn look. On the contrary, his trusted aide appeared so pale that Nakvard knitted his brows in displeasure.
“What’s wrong? The legislative branch and lower house finding trouble again?”
Although Nakvard did bear considerable doubts, he was continuing his duty as the chairman as there wasn’t any evidence that was strong enough to strip his title. But in comparison to the past, he faced a lot more rejections in his proposals now. Not only did the parliament members suggest to ‘research’ the topic for a few days before coming to a conclusion, but the results also weren’t as he expected. But even though he was in this terrible situation, he still remained calm as though he wasn’t the affected chairman at all.
“No. It’s… Outside…”
“Outside? Those protesters? Don’t be bothered by them. How many times have I told you? Didn’t I tell you that the situation will cool down after some time?”
“It’s not that case, Sir… There are many retired soldiers gathering and protesting in Freedom Square!”
“Why?!”
Nakvard stood to his feet and glared fiercely at the trusted aide.
“Tell me the details!”
“Y-Yes, Sir!”
The trusted aide sweat profusely to the sharp gazes. Then, he explained the situation in full details.
The cause of the problem went back to the end of the war between the Country of Light and Country of Darkness. Even though the Country of Darkness had indeed ceased fire, the Country of Light wasn’t victorious in war. Not only that, but the Country of Light’s military also took a huge hit after the war. The family of the deceased needed their pensions while the soldiers who retired due to several reasons needed compensations to get through with their lives. After all, they were crippled despite surviving in the war against the Country of Darkness. They could no longer work like ordinary people to support their lives.
But blessings never came in pairs. After Lilian took away the ‘offerings’ from Lydia, the desperate Light Parliament became deep in debt. In the end, they had no choice but to accept fundings from the five largest financial groups to get through the crisis. Under such circumstances, the parliament couldn’t help themselves, not to mention support the retired soldiers. Back then, the election was ongoing after the former chairman stepped down, so the parliament chose to put off this matter. All in all, they signed a promissory note to the retired soldiers and could only compensate them after receiving the fundings.
Even though the Country of Light was in a tough spot, the soldiers were still loyal to their country. They never thought that the parliament would lie to them, but the situation had developed in a completely different direction. They thought that after the new chairman was appointed, the situation would stabilize and they would receive their deserved compensation. But after Nakvard took over and cut the military budget for the sake of the people, that was when the problem arose. Although the cut budget was meant to benefit the people, unfortunately the retired soldiers weren’t in the category of the ‘people’. In other words, the slashed budget included their compensations!
The retired soldiers couldn’t sit idly by any longer. Their lives were extremely tough, so they anticipated having the compensation to live the rest of their lives in peace. But now, they were worried since they didn’t know when they would receive the money. It was due to this that they came to Freedom Square, hoping that the government could fulfill their promise. They had no more alternatives. If they couldn’t receive the compensations, they would starve to death on the streets!
Gazing at the clamoring Freedom Square from the carriage, Sonia revealed a smile. At this moment, the retired soldiers swarmed the square. They wore tattered military uniforms, raising flags and broken weapons at the tall building. There were thousands of them and from time to time, more retired soldiers joined the crowd with flags. The wide, clean plaza was in complete disorder. Apart from the soldiers, there were also tents and bonfires. In the distance, guards were lifting their weapons and gazing at the gathering crowd nervously. No matter what, the retired soldiers were experienced veterans and not ordinary people. Not only were they wielding weapons, but they were also rich in battle experience. Although they had physical disabilities, only fools would think that they weren’t threatening!
“The plot is complete: stage and actors in place, awaiting the moment for the curtains to be drawn. Everything is unexpectedly successful and as predicted by Master. No… Maybe I should say that it is due to the soldiers’ heart for justice that makes it so successful.”
Sonia twitched her brow and muttered under her breath. Even though she was indeed the mastermind behind the scenes, it took two to tango, after all. Sonia was aware that there were also forces from the military secretly involved in this situation. The military was also using this excuse to apply pressure on Nakvard. After all, they were the biggest victim from this so-called ‘reform’ by Nakvard.
Sonia narrowed her eyes and gazed forward, tapping her finger on her thigh lightly as though she had nothing to do with the protest.
“Alright, don’t stop here. We have other matters to attend to.”
“Yes, Sir.”
The driver urged the horse with the whip and the carriage started moving. Sonia closed her eyes and leaned back on the chair quietly.
Are you ready to accept this huge gift from Master, Sir Nakvard?
