Confused, the old man tilted his head to stare at Lily’s eyes that resembled that of Lilian’s. Why did Lily choose to come here? In the place where they mostly held their secret meetings? In the place where the members of the order always visited? The very same location that they consider as their base?
“What do you want from me?” Lily’s question woke him up from his stupor.
“I can call the others to set up a meeting. Tomorrow, we can discuss everything.”
“I want everyone to stop involving me in the matters of the Order.” Lily said bluntly. “I want to know now. I want to give it to you and the others… with the promise that you will no longer involve me into something that does not interest me.”
“Something like the Order?”
“Yes, something like the order.” Lily said. “I am not interested in political affairs. Nor did I want to involve myself in the matters of this world. I want to live peacefully with my money.”
“You are different from Lilian.” said the older man.
“We are two different people. It is only logical that we are not the same.” Lily bluntly said.
The old man frowned. “I cannot discuss matters like this without the others.”
“I chose you because I knew you don’t belong to Mr. Neeson’s or Mr. Naru’s group.” Lily’s answer was enough to make the old man rethink his decision. The council was composed of six people, including the deceased Lilian. However, this does not mean that these people were friendly. At most, they respected each other’s strengths.
In fact, inside the order, there is something that most people would call a faction. Two factions divided the group. One is Mr. Neeson’s faction, while the other is led by Mr. Naru. Those two were powerful individuals that had no qualms in making their opinions known. Despite this small similarity, Mr. Neeson and Mr. Naru’s opinions about certain matters always clash.
This is a simple, realistic vs. Idealistic.
While Lord Neeson loved to manipulate the affairs of countries, he also loves to assert his ideas and beliefs into other countries, thinking this will benefit the country in the long run. He would not hesitate to sacrifice a key figure to instigate a civil war or burn a forest to make the people question the leadership of a country.
On the other hand, Lord Naru only wanted to influence the economy. He does not want to get involved in politics and is quite realistic about certain things. He believes that the economy is enough to change everything. There is no need to forcibly change the belief of people for them to get what they want. There is no need to hurt people in changing leadership. To Lord Naru, a revolt and even a change in leadership should come naturally because of the people’s decision. He believes that it is something that evolves with time.
Of course, Lord Neeson hated this idea. To him, the leaders in a country are too important. They are the only people who could change the country.
Because of these differing opinions, Lord Naru and Lord Neeson had long considered themselves as each other’s nemesis. However, unlike these two, Lord Mu always preferred the peaceful and quiet side of things. He does not argue, instead… he thinks he is too old to argue. He would always nod his head and vote. Sometimes, he would tell them what he thinks about certain aspects then afterward will stay quiet.
Because of this, the other members of the council always see him as someone level headed.
“Fair enough.” Old Man Mu sighed. That is indeed an acceptable reasoning. Now that he thought about it, Lily was not someone that would offend a person who didn’t offend her. She would not go into people’s houses, provoking them for a fight. However, the question inside the old man’s mind increased. First, how did Lily know about the factions? Second, her words about living in peace are simply impossible. However, he was already expecting that Lily would have a plan for this. Still, the question remains. How far is she willing to go to achieve her wish? And third, how is she going to deal with an organization that existed before she was even born? “However, I am not allowed to discuss these matters outside of the meeting. This was something that I swore. I may be a sinner but, I always value my oath.”
“I see.” Lily nodded. She had always expected the old man to refuse. This is something that even Harringfort is not qualified to know. How could she just waltz in here and expect the old man to say something about the matter? Still, Lily is not leaving empty-handed. “Was it about the research?” She bluntly asked.
As expected, the old man’s eyes widened for a few seconds before he turned his head away as he tried to hide his surprise from Lily’s eyes. However, it was too late. The quick flash of emotions in the old man’s face was enough to tell her everything; his eyes gave her the answers she seeks. “I am not going to discuss these things with you.” The old man said. “And I am sure that not one of the other members would be willing to talk about this matter to you while alone. That is simply the law that we follow.”
“I see.” By now, Lily already knew that this was indeed about something she doesn’t know. Lilian was very secretive and Lily was confident that the latter didn’t tell her anything about biotechnological research. To put it simply, Lilian is not crazy enough to tell her granddaughter something that would put her in danger.
However, no one would believe such a thing. To these people, Lily is Lilian’s granddaughter. She also inherited everything from Lilian. So it is logical to think that she knew about that research too!
What rubbish reasoning.
What a rubbish group of people.
What a rubbish organization.
Lily thought inwardly as she rose from her seat and bid the old man goodbye. “Please… call me at your next meeting. I will be there.” She said before putting a scarf around her head and left the room without sparing the man another gaze. “I’ll see you soon, Lord Mu.” Her voice echoed before she shut the door behind her.
…..
We are about to find out about the organization and Lilian.
