Chapter 189: Twenty-first Episode: Chapter 8 (2/2)

”Mistress Kitanova?”

”Yes… your Highness,” Kitanova regretted; she was well aware of what was about to come.

”As colleagues, don't you want to greet me?” Oscar sized up the mountain of meat. He discovered that the mistress was actually a natural match with the Sea Creature, Almodovar Godzilla.

”Colleague?” the lady owner of the Ollier Commerce Chamber shook and stared at the Titan prince in disbelief. ”I… how can I be of equal standing with you, I… I'm just a…”

”It doesn't matter what you are!” Oscar waved his arm in dismissal, ”Right now, I only want to know how you're planning to explain this matter to me.”

Kitanova sucked on her lips. She felt that her mouth was dry, and that scorching flames were burning in the depths of her throat.

”Or… shall I send my regards to the Titan's Highest Commanding Officer who has been dispatched to Kegiber?” Oscar chuckled with menace.

Kitanova blinked. Suddenly, enlightenment seemed to have dawned upon her, and she kneeled down like the female dogs who had been splashed with water. She rubbed the thighs of His Imperial Highness the Prince with her large bosoms which she had used to feed the bastards and faked cries which sounded too real could be heard from her mouth.

”Oh heavens! Please pardon me, God of Light … I'm a lowly being even lower than the pigs and dogs… I'm…”

Oscar moved his thighs away. It seemed that he had enough of the amusement, ”Philip, do you still plan on staying here?”

Count Goolean recovered from his daze immediately, ”Yes… yes! Your Highness!”

Oscar and the former Imperial Confidential Secretary walked out of the salon together. The women of the Ollier Commerce Chamber were all gone, and fully-armored guards now stood on each and every walkway, both inside and outside. Philip sized up the faces of these soldiers. If it was not for His Imperial Highness the Prince who walked in front of him, he would probably still be unable to move his legs.

The grand carriage hanging with the symbols of the Andrews had stopped at the gates. There were the pagan warriors, who had worn blue bandanas, in front and behind the carriage. They had all placed their skinny hand on the handles of their machetes respectively.

Oscar stopped at the gate of the brothel and turned toward Count Goolean, who had been standing next to him in utter silence. Philip wanted to provide some explanation regarding his crimes but had received a huge fist to his mouth even before he had the chance to open his mouth.

Oscar shot a cold glance the palace officer who had fallen to the ground, now with a bleeding nose and mouth. He had not expected for the brilliant and capable Imperial Confidential Secretary to become such despicable and pathetic person within the short span of six months.

”This is not about Alanis, because the events today will eventually reach her ears. Even if I don't investigate, someone else will naturally look into the matter.” Oscar lifted the Count's collar, ”I've hit you just for the sake of the deceased Alfa III His Majesty, Alfa III His Majesty had been blind. How could he pick such coward like you to be his close servant?”

Philip crawled up from the ground while swaying. His teeth were slightly loose, and his mouth was overwhelmed with the metallic and sweet taste of fresh blood. If he could have a look of himself in the mirror, he would discover that his left face had already been distorted.

”Get on” Oscar pointed at the carriage door. Philip seemed as if he still wanted to say something, but he just let out a sigh in the end and proceeded to enter the carriage.

Oscar followed suit, and ordered the carriage man, ”Hamilton Palace!”

Hamilton Palace? Philip pictured the massive palace in his imagination, he was just too familiar with the palace! Has it been ten or eleven years? He did not remember! He had worked so hard for so many years in this palace which symbolized the highest authorities of Titan, but what had he gotten in return? A document officializing his termination! He knew that he should not be complaining about this matter as he had seen too many examples of this since long ago. However, he had never expected for this to fall on himself as well. He had sacrificed his loveliest years of youth in his life to the country, royalties, and his king... But what happened now? Even if it was just dismissing a mere dog, could it not have been done on better and friendlier terms?

There was not a single person on the capital's streets. The Guards had announced the lockdown, and would only open the cities to the civilians once the crowning ceremony had been completed the next day.

Lights of the Vanity Fair illuminated brightly. Every house and family were celebrating as if it was Christmas.

The new emperor signified the new era. Even though the faces at the Vanity Fair were constantly changing, every changed represented a hope and it was similar to the stations on a journey to exploit for more gold. The people gathered here and communicated with each other with vague languages and story-telling gestures. Some were looking to secure their meals, some were looking to improve the quality of their lives, while others were doing it for the sake of the positions and ranks which would be changing soon.

”You… when did you return?” asked Philip while receiving a handkerchief from His Imperial Highness the Prince.

”Just a while ago… but I couldn't find you!” Oscar said coldly and directed a glare at the Count. ”Don't think that I've forgiven you, you and those bug-like people had been humiliating my wife!”

Philip could only smile bitterly, he no longer wished to explain anything to His Imperial Highness the Prince.

”Those people … are not bugs!” After some time, Philip spoke. ”Or rather... They have not been!”

”If they're not bugs, then what are they?”

The Count sighed, ”Among those people, there's the best accountant of the Finance Ministry, the leading figure in academics on the international stage, and…”

”I don't want to listen to all this!” Oscar interrupted. ”I had not seen these people just now. Instead, what I've seen were just a bunch of ignorant and corrupted whoremongers.”

Philip said no more, he was also one of them. The former Imperial Confidential Secretary was now an alcohol addict, whoremonger, and a pathetic fellow who relied on his savings to have fun with women.

”If you have any dissatisfactions toward the empire, you just have to say it out loud! Only hypocrites and cowards will hide from reality by drinking and trampling over their lives.” Oscar knocked Count Goolean with his words which were spoken with an extremely disdainful tone. ”The best accountant of the Finance Ministry? The leading figure in academics on the international stage? Enough! In my eyes, there won't be any good person among those men who bared their fangs and claws. Before you rant, you must visit your conscience. What have you done for the empire! And then, have a look at what the empire has done for you!”

”Are the efforts I've poured for the empire and royalties still considered little?” Philip shouted maniacally all of a sudden. ”After I've graduated from university, I've entered the ranks of Alfa III His Majesty's Department of Staff. From every detail and aspect of an ordinary office worker, I've done all my work with honesty and diligence. Others have gotten off work at five, but I've worked until nine. While others have been dancing and enjoying their leisure time, I've been reviewing my work for the day. Then, I've become His Majesty's Confidential Secretary. Is this considered lucky? It's what I've gotten in exchange for my blood, sweat and hard work like a monk!”

Philip panted vigorously, and pointed at the street outside the window with shaking fingers, ”Look at Dulin! Look at the capital's royalties! They relied on the statuses of their ancestors to undermine the foundation, poach connections, smuggle the empire's taxes, and fish the empire's incomes! What about me? There's nothing I can do but I've been able to adhere to my ethics as an officer and a civilian! I've never received any bribes, and I've never laid my fingers on the empire's belongings! Alfa III His Majesty has mocked my silliness, but I'm not! I knew all along that he had been seducing my wife. Nevertheless, I had still stayed loyal to him. I did this neither for the title nor to glorify my ancestors! I just think that… I just think that it's a kind of honor for me to be able to contribute some of my efforts to the empire. A single smile of His Majesty will be my greatest return! I don't ask for anything else…”

Count Goolean retracted his shivering fingers, and leaned toward the inside of the carriage seat, ”Your Majesty, you've always been out, you have no idea what drastic state the capital's palace and the royalties here have become!”

Oscar gazed at the young Count deeply, ”Can you give me an example?”

”Hehe…” Philip chuckled, ”A few days ago, my father has written me a letter. He said that an officer has made his price known, bought and sold governmental positions in the South. My father asked if this is real! Take a guess, how did I reply his letter?”

Oscar opened his arms wide. Philip turned his head to the side, ”I feel sad for the empire. So, I told my father that this is all just a rumor! However, my father said that the minister had really returned to Dulin while transporting several cars of golden coins and a few newly-appointed officers!”

Oscar's lips tightened. He heard some of the news regarding Dulin's absurdities, but he was a soldier. He only knew that the situation of the Guards seemed to be slightly cleaner.

”And then…” Philip pointed at the Taxation Ministry Tower as if he had come to some new discoveries. ”Have you heard of the City Population Growth Tax?”

Oscar shook his head.

Philip chuckled in delight, ”I'm afraid you won't believe it if I were to tell you. After some time, you will have to pay taxes if you wish to stay in the same room and bed with Her Highness Princess Alanis!”

”Oh my God! Whose idea is this?” Oscar's eyes widened in disbelief.

”The newly-appointed Taxation Minister!” Count Goolean grunted in disdain, ”He doesn't know how to calculate, but he was a genius in terms of designing these wonderful tricks, there's no other Taxation Minister in the history of Titan who could be his match! Other than the City Population Growth Tax, there's the Urination and Excretion Tax, the Winter Coal Combustion Tax, the Summer Shade Tax, the Wedding Tax, the Funeral Tax... Not to mention, the pregnant ladies have a Giving Birth Tax, the widows have a Being-Single Tax, the single people had Marriage-Seeking Tax, and oh! Those beggars… those beggars!”

The former Imperial Confidential Secretary exclaimed while pointing at the street outside the window, ”Have you heard that the beggars and homeless are required to pay taxes as well?”

”Not at all!” Oscar shook his head almost blankly.

”Now there's this!” Count Goolean grunted frivolously. ”the Personal Income Tax! These are all the newly-implemented taxes along with the crowning of the empress!”

”Philip, let's be frank now! What is it that you really want to say?”

Staring at the Imperial Prince's face with intensity, Philip Goolean's aura and volume had lowered, ”I just want to say that… if Her Highness Princess Alanis can't overturn this situation… I don't know how I should describe this, I only know that if the future Her Majesty the Empress isn't going to adopt an effective measure to overturn the current situation of the empire, the holy Titan will become a rotten lion, first the country's government, followed by the military, then… it'll be the end!”

Oscar shook his head softly and turned his face toward the outside of the window. There was the Dulin Scott Cathedral. Under the illumination of the night lights, the towering palace with sharp features seemed to be engulfed in red. Other than that, countless people who were dressed as servants were bustling in and out. Even the slightest mistakes and carelessness would not be tolerated as the crowning ceremony of the new empress was about to take place here.

The carriage passed by the cathedral. The soldiers of the Guards who were stationed near the cathedral saluted at the Imperial Prince respectively. Oscar thought of his Alanis, and she was still so beautiful, so confident. However... her eyes had been sheathed by a layer of misty shadow. Oscar wanted to look deep into the real thoughts of his wife, but he had realized that he had trouble figuring her out.

When he had just arrived at Dulin, it was naturally his wife's embrace which had welcomed the Imperial Prince. However, the Prince realized that it was all faces he had never seen before around his wife. He no longer saw the smart and brilliant Paul Jawock and Philip Goolean who had served the royalties with unwavering loyalty… Oscar did not like such a situation. He felt that his wife was isolating him, and opined that his wife was pursuing some unrealistic things. Despite his thoughts, he could not tell clearly what those things were.

”I've been puzzled all this while …” Oscar turned toward the Count at his side. ”In the South, why did you assist me? You should've been able to guess my plans in the South!”

Philip looked at His Imperial Highness the Prince with alertness, ”You… why are you asking this all of a sudden?”

Oscar shrugged, ”Because… if you're really that loyal to the Morisette royalties, you should've reminded Alfa III His Majesty to look out for my actions in the South, and not be providing me your assistance.”

”I don't know why I've helped you either! Really!” Philip shook his head in denial while smiling bitterly.

”Alfa III His Majesty had not paid much attention to the South's politics, what he had cared about all the time was his Dulin, or in other words, the entire empire! From the 'winter attack' and 'Riel invasion' in the very beginning and all the way to the 'tax inspections' and 'disbanding of the House of Lords' later on, it now seems that… Everything had only been Alfa III His Majesty's struggles in the face of impending death! He had come to his senses a little too late!”

”Why is that so?” Oscar did not think that Alfa III His Majesty had done anything wrong. Especially his hand of assassinating the Andrew Duke, the Imperial Prince had even thought that Alfa III His Majesty was ridiculously brilliant.

Philip let out a sigh, ”The empire's government's evils have been deeply rooted, and the nobles' drives and motivations have long been destroyed in Dulin's Vanity Fair! Alfa III His Majesty no longer puts his hopes in his subordinates to have any wonderful accomplishment. Thus, he has invoked a huge fight with the House of Lords and some noble families as he thought that he can at least eliminate some unnecessary troubles for the empire's heir by doing so... But tomorrow, Her Majesty the Empress will be crowned. Not only have these conducts of corruption not being curbed, they have even worsened! Our Princess Alanis… won't be a good ruler!”

”Who said so?” Oscar scrunched his eyebrow. ”Alfa III His Majesty and Marshal Alan have been holding high opinions of her! Otherwise, how would she be the person she is today?”

Philip shook his head consecutively, ”The deceased emperor had high opinions of Princess Alanis only due to his psychological factors as a loving father. It was because, in some areas, the wisdom and courses of actions Alanis have displayed resembled the younger Alfa III His Majesty a lot. As for Marshal Alan… I can only say that he views the ruler of the country from his perspective as a soldier. Not only Alanis's appearance and personality fit the soldiers' role model standard perfectly, Her Highness the Princess, who knows nothing about military affairs, will listen blindly to Silver Fox just like this war! You weren't there to witness the scene, but the Princess had not even spared a glance at the things sent by Alan before imprinting her stamp.”

Oscar had fallen silent. All of these did not mean anything good, but he had no idea where the dangers were lurking.

Count Goolean suddenly waved his hands as if he had some regrets, ”What I want to say is… I shouldn't be saying this… but the empress' situation isn't positive at all. The deceased emperor had spent thirty years' time to clean up the accumulated hatred of the empire. As for Alanis… while she may be a good ruler, she doesn't have the time anymore. If the internal and external matters of the empire fail to improve in the shortest amount of time, then…”

”Then… what?”

”I've said it… it's over! There's nothing else!”

Oscar turned his head away, ”You still haven't answered my question. In the South… why did you help me?”

Philip smiled bitterly again, ”I know what you want to prove, but I just wished that you'll be able to overturn the political scene of the South and calm down the chaotic South. As for the others… I'm really not clear.”

Oscar nodded in understanding, he seemed to have stopped looking into the matter deeper.

”Philip, are you still planning on heading to that place?”

Count Goolean quickly waved, ”Relax, and don't worry! I was almost scared to death when I saw you just now, I thought that you were about to rush forward to kill every single person there!”

”Oh…” Oscar laughed, ”Indeed, I had planned to do so, but once I saw you, I've changed my mind!”

Philip also chuckled, ”What is it, my Imperial Highness the Prince, are you about to assign me a task?”

Oscar nodded, ”We must offer our assistance to the very end. Since there is a vacancy of the position of a Governmental Affairs Chancellor of the unified government of the Five Provinces of the South, the only candidate in my mind who's fitting of handling governmental affairs is you!”

”But I'm just a secretary!” Philip stared with round and big eyes. However, his heart was beating fast, the Governmental Affairs Chancellor of the Five Provinces of the South? This meant that this career would be expanding from the secretarial matters to which he had been accustomed to the genuine governmental affairs. This would be a great leap for him, which would…

”Don't blink!” Oscar waved his hand impatiently, ”You're the emperor's secretary, and the capabilities of a single emperor's secretary can match those of five Provincial Governors, there's nothing to worry about! Furthermore, the South is your hometown, you'll be even clearer than me as to what you should do!”

”But…”

”Oh!” Oscar let out an exclamation. ”But what? Are you saying that all that you've been ranting about the empire's accumulated grudges and evil practices are fake? Are you telling me that all this while you've only been shouting aloud and tearing your throat apart, but you've never considered the solutions to remedy the situation?”

”I… I've thought of some!”

”This is enough!” Oscar patted Count Goolean on the shoulder, ”But… there's one more matter!”

”What is it?”

”Your concerns are definitely reasonable!” Oscar's eyebrows drooped low

and he fell silent.

”What are you referring to?”

”The Ollier Commerce Chamber!”

”What of the Ollier Commerce Chamber?” Philip was puzzled.

The person in charge of Titan's Military Intelligence Bureau glared at him, ”You people have been speaking as you like over there, but no one has been aware that the Ollier Intelligence Officer had documented everything! Every single country on the mainland has been bearing ill intentions toward the holy Titan, which may seem powerful, but is in fact as vulnerable as you've just pointed out.”

”The Ollier people?”

”Yes! Kegiber. Abbreviated as ”KGB”, that is one of the external bases of this Intelligence Department.”

”This is simply unbelievable!” Philip's mouth widened.

Oscar gave a bitter laugh, ”My friend, what you've said is still insufficient to describe the internal and external situation of the empire. If I were you, I would say… Titan's current situation is 'fairly' drastic!”