Len began to tear up upon receiving Merndil's apology. If even the crown prince found himself unable to intervene in the process, then there really wasn't anything that could be done. This was it, this was the end of his life.
"Len. . ." Diana was also starting to cry now, though she was holding it together to prevent Len from losing his composure.
"Can't we just take him away? Surely they wouldn't be able to get him if we hid him in another kingdom, right?"
"You can do that if you believe making the entire galactic community your enemy." Hlapven stopped Donovan dead in his tracks. "The Sanctum has rules regarding these sorts of conflict. International disputes may be handled off the record or in one of the Sanctum's courts, but incidents between two people from the same nation are to be handled domestically."
"Indeed, it is an understanding between those who visit. The people of a nation exist under the sovereignty of that nation, and are therefore subject to its laws should they come in conflict with another under that power. Warding him away from the Empire through the Sanctum is a direct violation of that agreement and a grave breach of trust. If enough of a commotion is brought up over it, the Sanctum may have to get involved and force an extradition."
Donovan looked over to Diana, who shook her head in the negative. She knew what he was thinking. 'Could the Arboreal Maiden act in our defense?' It would be simple, all she would have to do was ignore their pleas, but getting her to do so would undoubtedly use up a great deal of their leverage over her. That didn't even take into consideration how other nations would adjust their stance towards them, ruining potentially beneficial relationships in the distant future.
"It is incredibly important for the stability of many nations and the neutrality of the Sanctum. This agreement makes the use of the Sanctum impossible as a tool for rivals to use each other's nobility to cause chaos and flee without consequence." Merndil put in one more short little word, just in case they still felt like doing so.
"We won't, we can't afford to." Diana sighed, crushing more of the hope that Len didn't realize he had left. The poor boy had long since slumped into the chair, his eyes empty.
"What can we do then?"
"I don't know." Merndil shrugged, also leaning back into his chair. "We may just have to accept the fact there isn't anything we can do."
Donovan closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as tears began to flow down Len's face. There was silence for a few minutes as everyone either grieved or thought. Nobody sobbed, nobody spoke, each and every one of them lamenting that things were turning out this way.
"There has to be something we've missed." Donovan was the person in the room least willing to accept this outcome. "I refuse to believe there is no way out of this."
"Donovan. . ."
"I don't need to be comforted, Diana, I need a solution. Merndil, what law has Len violated?"
"He has assaulted a member of the upper nobility. It is a very serious crime."
"What are the punishments for it? All of the possibilities if you wouldn't mind."
"Slavery and death."
"Slavery or death. . ." Donovan sank back into thought. It was possible that this Rishtahn character could be manipulated into making Len a slave. "Who, um, who would be responsible for him if her were to become property."
"He would ostensibly be enslaved to the noble he assaulted, Rishtahn in this case."
Donovan slashed the idea that had been forming around that possibility. Slaves were merchandise, and could therefore be purchased. Should he be put up in the slave market, it wouldn't be impossible for them to purchase Len and free him under Terran sovereignty. However his immediate placement under Rishtahn presented a great many uncertainties. It might be possible to purchase Len back, but it was far more likely that Rishtahn would have Len suffer for what Donovan had done to him. Slavery would be worse than death in such a scenario, so Donovan could not justify it.
The options were slavery and death, which didn't give them a lot of room to make mistakes.
"Would it be possible to get the punishments reduced?"
"No. The law is very clear on that matter."
"Fuck!" Donovan pinched his nose. ". . . this is all happening because Len is a not a noble and is under the Bulsarzian Empire's jurisdiction isn't it?"
Hlapven and Merndil looked at him with a tad of apprehension as they processed that question. Of course it was, wasn't it?
". . . yes?"
"And there is nothing we can do to nullify Rishtahn's claims? Such as present proof that he is lying?"
"No. His word that he has been assaulted will be taken at face value given his injuries."
"So . . . what about his other claims and information? Like, about what Len said during their confrontation?"
"They would believe him, probably?" Everybody listening was wondering where this line of questioning was going.
"But he doesn't have any proof that Len has said something, right?"
"That would be correct."
"Then does that mean your word will carry greater weight on matters not directly related to the incident?"
"Presumably."
- - - - -
Donovan was not very well-versed in civil law. He did not know how to navigate a court, and he had little clue how to make a case. However just because he couldn't claim proficiency with regards to civil legal proceedings did not mean he was entirely unfamiliar with how laws worked.
He was a military man, trained in part for a command position. He could recite more than a few of the lawbooks that governed combat by heart. He was also taught how to dance around these laws, how to make things that would normally be as black as the night sky appear to be a very steely shade of grey. This was what Doctor Helmsguard, his tutor for much of the subject matter, called 'the Game'. The Game, despite it's relation to lawfare, only had one rule.
Don't get caught.
While playing the Game it is entirely possible to do illegal things, war crimes, and get away with it either by cover-up or portrayal of the events through another lens. Finding influential powers willing to cover for you, trading favors to redirect the investigation, hiding evidence, anything and everything is possible in the Game so long as you followed the rule.
Don't get caught.
That said, the best way to play the game was not one which involved secret deals in backrooms or something that put yourself in someone else's debt. The best way to 'win' was to never put yourself in a position to get investigated. It is difficult to charge someone with a crime if what they did is not covered by the law. As they say, 'It's not a war crime the first time'. You only need to ensure that you really are doing something for the first time, removing it from the scope of all laws currently on the books.
However this situation was not one that required they do something new to avoid prosecution. Indeed, 'assaulting a member of the upper nobility' is an incredibly large umbrella, covering almost any form of harm one could imagine. But it had a caveat, that being the requirement that the perpetrator wasn't a noble and was a subject of the Bulsarzian Empire.
Donovan had come to realize that he was trying to solve this problem on the wrong end.
They shouldn't be thinking about how to lighten Len's sentence or concoct a plan to recover him from the aftermath.
They should be thinking about how to remove Len from the scope of that law.
- - - - -
"Is there any way we can make Len a noble or make him a citizen of another country?"
Confusion was Merndil's primary reaction.
"How is that relevant to the problem?"
"Len is only under threat of execution because he a subject of the Bulsarzian crown and does not belong to the nobility. Making him either a citizen of a different nation or a noble will at the very least protect him from death and slavery, won't it?"
Merndil recoiled, thinking Donovan to be insane.
"That would be impossible. Such a change in status would occur after the fact, rendering it moot." Hlapven responded before he could.
"Really? Where is your evidence of that?" Merndil felt a twinkle of light shine in his mind. He wasn't yet sure, but he had an idea of where Donovan was going with this.
"What do you mean? It is a clear fact that at this moment he is neither foreign nor noble, you even admitted it yourself!"
"Is it? Where is your evidence? Who is backing up your claims?"
"Who-? Wha-? What do you mean by that?"
"For all you know, Len could have accepted an offer from the ruler of another nation to become one of their retainers weeks ago."
"Yes, but he hasn't, and that is the problem."
"That absolute belief in honesty before the law is comforting, Sir Hlapven." Merndil began his admonishment with a compliment. "However it seems to have blinded you to the endless possibilities of skullduggery."
"Hwa?"
"The good sir Strauss is suggesting that we lie. Len is not a common subject of our Empire, he is a noble of a foreign realm."
Hlapven inhaled slowly, his mouth agape and his eyes wide open as he realized why Donovan had asked those questions. Whose word meant more with regards to the status of vassals? The crown prince's of course! Did Rishtahn have evidence that Len was a member of the Empire? Of course not, today was the first day they had met - and the same went for almost everyone else.
"Will that work?!"
"It's possible, but we will have to act fast, making sure that our story is unified and believable. Even then we will probably need something else to get him out of this, a plausible reason for him to accept. I understand that your realm is not what we would consider powerful, so it stands to reason that he will need more of a connection than just 'I was a part of his squad for a month'. Even I understand that he is not the best in combat."
The room had been reinvigorated, they had found an out.
"Money?"
"That probably won't be enough to convince them."
"What about status?"
"I can hardly imagine they would buy that the position of 'knight' in another realm would supersede that of on of the Empire's knights."
"Marriage?"
"Unless you have a female ruler of marriageable age somewhere in your kingdom willing to go along with this, any wife of his would be expected to move to the Empire."
"""Hmmmm."""
The three men took a moment to think, there had to be something convincing enough to justify Len's departure from the ranks of the Empire. Diana, now recovered from her empathetic episode, took this time to submit her suggestion.
"Donovan has always wanted a brother."
". . . have I?"
"Yes, of course you have. Someone reliable and loyal. Someone who shares your blood. Someone who could protect your wife and children in your stead should you ever fall in battle. . ." Diana's implication was clear, Len was to be inducted into Donovan's 'dynasty', or otherwise connected to his family tree.
A family tree which quite literally only included him - his mother was a test tube.
"I have, haven't I?" Donovan caught on, fortunately.
"Yes. Yes you have. It was by pure luck that you found your long lost brother at the academy. He had been taken away to safety by his father in the midst of a nasty civil war at your deceased mother's request. He found employ in the Bulsarzian Empire under the great General Arrelois, who he hoped would provide him some assistance in reuniting with his wife after he had built up sufficient accolades."
"Indeed. I recall such a story during my time there." Merndil began to build on this mythos, corroborating it with falsified testimonies. "His dying words were a request to the general, to protect his son and return him to his mother once he had come of age. Should his wife's kingdom have fallen into disrepair, he was asked to either help him rebuild it or give him a normal life. Should his mother or half-brother still live, he was to send him away with smiling eyes."
"I do recall having a younger brother when I was young, though he looked nothing like my mother or myself. I took after my father, a Terran who had died in one of the numerous internal conflicts. My half-brother was given his father's last name in keeping with our nation's marital traditions."
Just like that, they had a backstory. They had a justifiable reason for Len to have changed nationality.
"Is anyone actually going to believe this?" Hlapven still had his doubts.
- - - - -
"Hlapven."
"Yes my lord?"
Merndil had pulled Hlapven aside upon exiting the barracks. There was important work to be done with regards to Len, work that his status as crown prince would not allow him to perform. He needed someone to go in his stead.
"I need you to go to Slaphitori and make sure that General Arrelois knows about this. He needs to understand what has happened here, what incentivized us to act like this, and why he needs to keep to the story as strictly as possible. He's a maverick, but I have faith that he will pull his act together for Len."
"But my attendance at the academy-"
"Can be set aside for the moment. This matter is far more important. Should you get into trouble with your father, I will cover for you. I can only trust you to carry this task out properly, am I understood?"
"I understand, my lord. What should I tell my father?"
" 'The Crown Prince was made aware of secret matters vital to the security of the Empire and needed someone with territory close to the General who could be trusted to deliver a message so that the General can prepare adequate countermeasures to the threat.' If he pushes for more information, tell him that the information was relayed with the understanding that you divulging it to any other person beside the General would result in your execution under charges of treason. That should give you a sufficient excuse, and I will act in your defense should he still try to punish you."
"Very well, my lord. I shall set sail in the morning."
"Excellent. Now it is time for us to head our separate ways." Merndil put a hand on his subject's shoulder. "Take care, my friend."
"I-, you, I will see you later." With a confused smile, Hlapven made his way into his carriage.
Merndil's smile turned into a frown as he watched the carriage move into the distance. Hlapven's response to being called 'friend' was not what he had hoped, but he understood that strong relationships were not built overnight. He was far more concerned about his father. The emperor would not fall for such paltry tricks, not in a million years.
- - - - -
"Welcome back my lord." Satie was standing at the front door of the mansion to welcome him home from the party, the same as she always did. As usual, she bowed before Merndil could stop her. "Is there anything you need me to do for you before bed? Perhaps draw a bath?"
"I would like for you to leave that to the other maids tonight dear Satie, there is a much more important task I need you to perform."
"I-is it with regards to the bedroom?"
"No. As I have said before, if ever I feel the need for release I will inform you. At the moment I only plan to do so after I am wed and a successor is on the way. The task I have for you tonight is far more important."
Merndil watched on in pity as the tension left her body. Despite the fact that it was her bloodline's duty to serve the Imperial family, some individuals were less prepared for certain duties than others. She would perform properly if called upon, however Merndil had no desires to force that upon her. It was not necessary for him to cross that line until his wife was pregnant anyways.
"A task, my lord?"
"Indeed. I need you to deliver a message to my father. The contents of this message are only to be heard by my father, and you are to make it clear that my decision was made with the interests of the nation in mind. Can you do that?"
"Who will attend you in my stead?"
"There are others I trust, though perhaps not to the degree I trust you. They will suffice until you have returned." Merndil watched the conflicting emotions of pride and disappointment clash behind her indifferent eyes. "You are the only person I can trust, Satie. This is important."
". . . very well. What message do you wish for me to relay?"
cakeonfrosting TWENTY-THREE CHAPTERS
That was the length of this party arc, somewhere over 60k words in total, is enough for a short novel. I didn't even get to do everything I set out to. I do wonder if you guys know what the crossroads was and what choice Donovan made, because it is very purposely ambiguous. Of course, you know the rules, I am not going to tell you what that decision was.
Also, I didn't seen anyone mention the correct answer in the comment section of the previous chapter, so I will tell you the correct answer here.
It was the Latin League. - the very first entry in the Wikipedia list I mentioned as the hint
That's right ladies and gentlemen, the Bulsarzian Empire is based on Rome, at least it's origins are. Of course, the Bulsarzian Empire didn't conquer as much as it did accept new members, and Rome was definitely not ne to allow provinces to just secede, but the right of the nobility to meet with the Emperor is vaguely reminiscent of the Roman senate and their later relationship to the Emperor. Of course, in real life the emperor held much more authority than the 'aristocratic council', but the Emperor did apparently preside over many senatorial debates.
Len began to tear up upon receiving Merndil's apology. If even the crown prince found himself unable to intervene in the process, then there really wasn't anything that could be done. This was it, this was the end of his life.
"Len. . ." Diana was also starting to cry now, though she was holding it together to prevent Len from losing his composure.
"Can't we just take him away? Surely they wouldn't be able to get him if we hid him in another kingdom, right?"
"You can do that if you believe making the entire galactic community your enemy." Hlapven stopped Donovan dead in his tracks. "The Sanctum has rules regarding these sorts of conflict. International disputes may be handled off the record or in one of the Sanctum's courts, but incidents between two people from the same nation are to be handled domestically."
"Indeed, it is an understanding between those who visit. The people of a nation exist under the sovereignty of that nation, and are therefore subject to its laws should they come in conflict with another under that power. Warding him away from the Empire through the Sanctum is a direct violation of that agreement and a grave breach of trust. If enough of a commotion is brought up over it, the Sanctum may have to get involved and force an extradition."
Donovan looked over to Diana, who shook her head in the negative. She knew what he was thinking. 'Could the Arboreal Maiden act in our defense?' It would be simple, all she would have to do was ignore their pleas, but getting her to do so would undoubtedly use up a great deal of their leverage over her. That didn't even take into consideration how other nations would adjust their stance towards them, ruining potentially beneficial relationships in the distant future.
"It is incredibly important for the stability of many nations and the neutrality of the Sanctum. This agreement makes the use of the Sanctum impossible as a tool for rivals to use each other's nobility to cause chaos and flee without consequence." Merndil put in one more short little word, just in case they still felt like doing so.
"We won't, we can't afford to." Diana sighed, crushing more of the hope that Len didn't realize he had left. The poor boy had long since slumped into the chair, his eyes empty.
"What can we do then?"
"I don't know." Merndil shrugged, also leaning back into his chair. "We may just have to accept the fact there isn't anything we can do."
Donovan closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as tears began to flow down Len's face. There was silence for a few minutes as everyone either grieved or thought. Nobody sobbed, nobody spoke, each and every one of them lamenting that things were turning out this way.
"There has to be something we've missed." Donovan was the person in the room least willing to accept this outcome. "I refuse to believe there is no way out of this."
"Donovan. . ."
"I don't need to be comforted, Diana, I need a solution. Merndil, what law has Len violated?"
"He has assaulted a member of the upper nobility. It is a very serious crime."
"What are the punishments for it? All of the possibilities if you wouldn't mind."
"Slavery and death."
"Slavery or death. . ." Donovan sank back into thought. It was possible that this Rishtahn character could be manipulated into making Len a slave. "Who, um, who would be responsible for him if her were to become property."
"He would ostensibly be enslaved to the noble he assaulted, Rishtahn in this case."
Donovan slashed the idea that had been forming around that possibility. Slaves were merchandise, and could therefore be purchased. Should he be put up in the slave market, it wouldn't be impossible for them to purchase Len and free him under Terran sovereignty. However his immediate placement under Rishtahn presented a great many uncertainties. It might be possible to purchase Len back, but it was far more likely that Rishtahn would have Len suffer for what Donovan had done to him. Slavery would be worse than death in such a scenario, so Donovan could not justify it.
The options were slavery and death, which didn't give them a lot of room to make mistakes.
"Would it be possible to get the punishments reduced?"
"No. The law is very clear on that matter."
"Fuck!" Donovan pinched his nose. ". . . this is all happening because Len is a not a noble and is under the Bulsarzian Empire's jurisdiction isn't it?"
Hlapven and Merndil looked at him with a tad of apprehension as they processed that question. Of course it was, wasn't it?
". . . yes?"
"And there is nothing we can do to nullify Rishtahn's claims? Such as present proof that he is lying?"
"No. His word that he has been assaulted will be taken at face value given his injuries."
"So . . . what about his other claims and information? Like, about what Len said during their confrontation?"
"They would believe him, probably?" Everybody listening was wondering where this line of questioning was going.
"But he doesn't have any proof that Len has said something, right?"
"That would be correct."
"Then does that mean your word will carry greater weight on matters not directly related to the incident?"
"Presumably."
- - - - -
Donovan was not very well-versed in civil law. He did not know how to navigate a court, and he had little clue how to make a case. However just because he couldn't claim proficiency with regards to civil legal proceedings did not mean he was entirely unfamiliar with how laws worked.
He was a military man, trained in part for a command position. He could recite more than a few of the lawbooks that governed combat by heart. He was also taught how to dance around these laws, how to make things that would normally be as black as the night sky appear to be a very steely shade of grey. This was what Doctor Helmsguard, his tutor for much of the subject matter, called 'the Game'. The Game, despite it's relation to lawfare, only had one rule.
Don't get caught.
While playing the Game it is entirely possible to do illegal things, war crimes, and get away with it either by cover-up or portrayal of the events through another lens. Finding influential powers willing to cover for you, trading favors to redirect the investigation, hiding evidence, anything and everything is possible in the Game so long as you followed the rule.
Don't get caught.
That said, the best way to play the game was not one which involved secret deals in backrooms or something that put yourself in someone else's debt. The best way to 'win' was to never put yourself in a position to get investigated. It is difficult to charge someone with a crime if what they did is not covered by the law. As they say, 'It's not a war crime the first time'. You only need to ensure that you really are doing something for the first time, removing it from the scope of all laws currently on the books.
However this situation was not one that required they do something new to avoid prosecution. Indeed, 'assaulting a member of the upper nobility' is an incredibly large umbrella, covering almost any form of harm one could imagine. But it had a caveat, that being the requirement that the perpetrator wasn't a noble and was a subject of the Bulsarzian Empire.
Donovan had come to realize that he was trying to solve this problem on the wrong end.
They shouldn't be thinking about how to lighten Len's sentence or concoct a plan to recover him from the aftermath.
They should be thinking about how to remove Len from the scope of that law.
- - - - -
"Is there any way we can make Len a noble or make him a citizen of another country?"
Confusion was Merndil's primary reaction.
"How is that relevant to the problem?"
"Len is only under threat of execution because he a subject of the Bulsarzian crown and does not belong to the nobility. Making him either a citizen of a different nation or a noble will at the very least protect him from death and slavery, won't it?"
Merndil recoiled, thinking Donovan to be insane.
"That would be impossible. Such a change in status would occur after the fact, rendering it moot." Hlapven responded before he could.
"Really? Where is your evidence of that?" Merndil felt a twinkle of light shine in his mind. He wasn't yet sure, but he had an idea of where Donovan was going with this.
"What do you mean? It is a clear fact that at this moment he is neither foreign nor noble, you even admitted it yourself!"
"Is it? Where is your evidence? Who is backing up your claims?"
"Who-? Wha-? What do you mean by that?"
"For all you know, Len could have accepted an offer from the ruler of another nation to become one of their retainers weeks ago."
"Yes, but he hasn't, and that is the problem."
"That absolute belief in honesty before the law is comforting, Sir Hlapven." Merndil began his admonishment with a compliment. "However it seems to have blinded you to the endless possibilities of skullduggery."
"Hwa?"
"The good sir Strauss is suggesting that we lie. Len is not a common subject of our Empire, he is a noble of a foreign realm."
Hlapven inhaled slowly, his mouth agape and his eyes wide open as he realized why Donovan had asked those questions. Whose word meant more with regards to the status of vassals? The crown prince's of course! Did Rishtahn have evidence that Len was a member of the Empire? Of course not, today was the first day they had met - and the same went for almost everyone else.
"Will that work?!"
"It's possible, but we will have to act fast, making sure that our story is unified and believable. Even then we will probably need something else to get him out of this, a plausible reason for him to accept. I understand that your realm is not what we would consider powerful, so it stands to reason that he will need more of a connection than just 'I was a part of his squad for a month'. Even I understand that he is not the best in combat."
The room had been reinvigorated, they had found an out.
"Money?"
"That probably won't be enough to convince them."
"What about status?"
"I can hardly imagine they would buy that the position of 'knight' in another realm would supersede that of on of the Empire's knights."
"Marriage?"
"Unless you have a female ruler of marriageable age somewhere in your kingdom willing to go along with this, any wife of his would be expected to move to the Empire."
"""Hmmmm."""
The three men took a moment to think, there had to be something convincing enough to justify Len's departure from the ranks of the Empire. Diana, now recovered from her empathetic episode, took this time to submit her suggestion.
"Donovan has always wanted a brother."
". . . have I?"
"Yes, of course you have. Someone reliable and loyal. Someone who shares your blood. Someone who could protect your wife and children in your stead should you ever fall in battle. . ." Diana's implication was clear, Len was to be inducted into Donovan's 'dynasty', or otherwise connected to his family tree.
A family tree which quite literally only included him - his mother was a test tube.
"I have, haven't I?" Donovan caught on, fortunately.
"Yes. Yes you have. It was by pure luck that you found your long lost brother at the academy. He had been taken away to safety by his father in the midst of a nasty civil war at your deceased mother's request. He found employ in the Bulsarzian Empire under the great General Arrelois, who he hoped would provide him some assistance in reuniting with his wife after he had built up sufficient accolades."
"Indeed. I recall such a story during my time there." Merndil began to build on this mythos, corroborating it with falsified testimonies. "His dying words were a request to the general, to protect his son and return him to his mother once he had come of age. Should his wife's kingdom have fallen into disrepair, he was asked to either help him rebuild it or give him a normal life. Should his mother or half-brother still live, he was to send him away with smiling eyes."
"I do recall having a younger brother when I was young, though he looked nothing like my mother or myself. I took after my father, a Terran who had died in one of the numerous internal conflicts. My half-brother was given his father's last name in keeping with our nation's marital traditions."
Just like that, they had a backstory. They had a justifiable reason for Len to have changed nationality.
"Is anyone actually going to believe this?" Hlapven still had his doubts.
- - - - -
"Hlapven."
"Yes my lord?"
Merndil had pulled Hlapven aside upon exiting the barracks. There was important work to be done with regards to Len, work that his status as crown prince would not allow him to perform. He needed someone to go in his stead.
"I need you to go to Slaphitori and make sure that General Arrelois knows about this. He needs to understand what has happened here, what incentivized us to act like this, and why he needs to keep to the story as strictly as possible. He's a maverick, but I have faith that he will pull his act together for Len."
"But my attendance at the academy-"
"Can be set aside for the moment. This matter is far more important. Should you get into trouble with your father, I will cover for you. I can only trust you to carry this task out properly, am I understood?"
"I understand, my lord. What should I tell my father?"
" 'The Crown Prince was made aware of secret matters vital to the security of the Empire and needed someone with territory close to the General who could be trusted to deliver a message so that the General can prepare adequate countermeasures to the threat.' If he pushes for more information, tell him that the information was relayed with the understanding that you divulging it to any other person beside the General would result in your execution under charges of treason. That should give you a sufficient excuse, and I will act in your defense should he still try to punish you."
"Very well, my lord. I shall set sail in the morning."
"Excellent. Now it is time for us to head our separate ways." Merndil put a hand on his subject's shoulder. "Take care, my friend."
"I-, you, I will see you later." With a confused smile, Hlapven made his way into his carriage.
Merndil's smile turned into a frown as he watched the carriage move into the distance. Hlapven's response to being called 'friend' was not what he had hoped, but he understood that strong relationships were not built overnight. He was far more concerned about his father. The emperor would not fall for such paltry tricks, not in a million years.
- - - - -
"Welcome back my lord." Satie was standing at the front door of the mansion to welcome him home from the party, the same as she always did. As usual, she bowed before Merndil could stop her. "Is there anything you need me to do for you before bed? Perhaps draw a bath?"
"I would like for you to leave that to the other maids tonight dear Satie, there is a much more important task I need you to perform."
"I-is it with regards to the bedroom?"
"No. As I have said before, if ever I feel the need for release I will inform you. At the moment I only plan to do so after I am wed and a successor is on the way. The task I have for you tonight is far more important."
Merndil watched on in pity as the tension left her body. Despite the fact that it was her bloodline's duty to serve the Imperial family, some individuals were less prepared for certain duties than others. She would perform properly if called upon, however Merndil had no desires to force that upon her. It was not necessary for him to cross that line until his wife was pregnant anyways.
"A task, my lord?"
"Indeed. I need you to deliver a message to my father. The contents of this message are only to be heard by my father, and you are to make it clear that my decision was made with the interests of the nation in mind. Can you do that?"
"Who will attend you in my stead?"
"There are others I trust, though perhaps not to the degree I trust you. They will suffice until you have returned." Merndil watched the conflicting emotions of pride and disappointment clash behind her indifferent eyes. "You are the only person I can trust, Satie. This is important."
". . . very well. What message do you wish for me to relay?"
cakeonfrosting TWENTY-THREE CHAPTERS
That was the length of this party arc, somewhere over 60k words in total, is enough for a short novel. I didn't even get to do everything I set out to. I do wonder if you guys know what the crossroads was and what choice Donovan made, because it is very purposely ambiguous. Of course, you know the rules, I am not going to tell you what that decision was.
Also, I didn't seen anyone mention the correct answer in the comment section of the previous chapter, so I will tell you the correct answer here.
It was the Latin League. - the very first entry in the Wikipedia list I mentioned as the hint
That's right ladies and gentlemen, the Bulsarzian Empire is based on Rome, at least it's origins are. Of course, the Bulsarzian Empire didn't conquer as much as it did accept new members, and Rome was definitely not ne to allow provinces to just secede, but the right of the nobility to meet with the Emperor is vaguely reminiscent of the Roman senate and their later relationship to the Emperor. Of course, in real life the emperor held much more authority than the 'aristocratic council', but the Emperor did apparently preside over many senatorial debates.
