Chapter 195: Twenty-second Episode: Chapter 5 (2/2)
Instantly, the two loyal bodyguards showed themselves. They understood that their master objected to any interferences from outsiders.
”Just as you've guessed, Alan and Robin have selected Great Titania as the experimental unit of the new army!” Oscar said while pulling the Sukhoi Mistress into sitting on the recliner chair on the balcony. A stove was burning next to the recliner chair, and there was another pot of hot black tea on the stove.
”Isn't it time for you to tell me? Why is it Great Titania? Initially, I had thought of getting a unit from the Southern army, just like the Military District Eight Second Corp of General Silvio Barrick. In my opinion, there's no second troop more fitting than this elite team!”
Vijdeline smiled while shaking her head, ”Do you really think so?”
Oscar also followed suit and chuckled, ”It's just my imagination. It would be ridiculous if Alan was to assign the modernized troop in the Southern army group! But, I still don't understand! Marshal Robin had also picked Great Titania, could he not see through Alan's intentions of using this new troop to monitor my hometown?”
The Sukhoi Mistress shook her head once again and patted the snow off the man's body, ”Oscar, I must remind you! You're the prince of the empire, the Marshal of the empire. If you're still considering about the consequences to Andrews whenever you're looking at an issue, your vision will be restricted in an extremely narrow scope and this is the reason as to why you've failed to comprehend the meanings of the new troop's placement in the military areas of Great Titania.”
Oscar furrowed his eyebrows and thought for a while, ”Are you saying that I should stop taking Andrews' losses and gains into account when I'm thinking about an issue?”
”That's about it!” Vijdeline finally nodded. ”But, how much of Titania do you understand?”
Oscar shrugged, ”The descendants of the pathetic Royalties who had been exiled by the Morisettes, the very first shapers of Titan Empire! Other than these, what else is there?”
Vijdeline waved her hand, ”It seems that I must let you meet the Duke Hank Burtnot Titania. Allow me to arrange a secret meeting!”
Oscar's brows sank even deeper, ”Secret meeting? Is this even necessary? If I have the time this year, I'll definitely return to Narcissus County and won't it be better if I just make my visit at that time?”
”This isn't about courtesy!” Vijdeline shook her head so hard like a rattle drum. ”As the former ruler of the dynasty, the existence of the Titania family is extremely delicate! Are you still not familiar with that section of history? How had the pioneer emperor of the Morisette Dynasty been crowned?”
Oscar pondered for a moment, ”From what I know, the Persians had come! Titania family had no means of overturning the crisis of the empire. Thus, the Morisettes had used the nobles whose hopes had gotten bigger and the soldiers who wished for victory to their advantage to invoke a palace revolution, then…Titania had lost, and in fact, they had lost to the extent they had been left with no means to strike back at all. They could only hand over their Royal powers and be assigned to a province to sit as Dukes.”
”Indeed, things had been like this. But it had not been exactly like this either!” Vijdeline looked at the man with slight worries.
”I've been suspecting that the Morisettes had been able to sit on the throne due to the compromise of the Royal family of Titania. If the Royal family of Titania had really lost to the point that they had been left with nothing to retaliate, the Morisettes should have killed all of them instead of preserving a legal Royal bloodline all the way till this day!”
”What do you mean?” Oscar did not understand Vijdeline's words at all.
”Actually, I'm not too clear either!” Vijdeline turned her head away in annoyance, ”Looking through the history in hindsight, the Titania family had always been the most loyal servants of the Morisette Royalties, isn't this strange? The statuses of these two families today is the other way round!”
Oscar shrugged, ”What is there to feel strange about, isn't the Andrews like this too? Even if the Morisette royalties had their own suspicions toward the guardians of the Eastern borders, my family has still been upholding the imperial system of the dynasty. Otherwise, I believe that Andrew won't be the Andrew we know today anymore! I'm guessing that the Titania family also has more considerations about its stability over other matters.”
Vijdeline shook her head once again, ”Your explanation seems to be able to clarify the issue but Titania family symbolizes the former imperial system and is completely different from the Andrews. The Morisettes had preserved Titania's bloodline only because it had not wished to bear the charges of regicide. This matter had been reasonable back then but what about now? I think that there's a matter which deserves our attention!”
”Which matter?” Oscar's curiosity had been aroused. While the Andrews had been centuries-long neighbors with the low-lying last royalties, this was his first-time hearing someone doubting this silent, historical royal family.
”Do you still recall that particular military operation where the deceased Alfa III His Majesty had disbanded the House of Lords?”
Oscar nodded in affirmation, ”I was there!”
Vijdeline gestured with her fingers while listing, ”The Four Military Houses which had been in charge of executing the Royal missions were Hagrid of the South, Steinberger of the Northwest, Andrew of the East, and Titania of the Central East! What did this imply? You've studied military affairs, now look at the status of Great Titania Province. What can you think of?”
Oscar pondered, and shook his head, ”The East has rejected the Andrews but the West has aided the capital. I can only say that these are mere geographical borders, what else is there?”
”The key is that I'm not clear if there are any other meanings to it too. But this time, I've finally testified my deductions. The new firearm troop belongs to the Titania family and this should be an emergency measure left by the Guards or even the empire's Royalties!”
”Emergency measure?” Oscar's eyes widened. However, he was back to laughing with a disdain soon enough.
”Vij, it's enough! You're overthinking. There's only one corps of the Titania's family private armed forces. It is insufficient to pose any threats to the Andrews and won't have any supporting effect to the capital as well!”
”No! No! I'm not talking about the military affairs, what I'm saying is about the bloodline and status of the Titania family! Only this family can be considered as the true ruler of Titan Empire, without them, we won't have the Titan we see today!”
”That's right! So what?” Oscar chuckled again, ”Are you worried that they'll restore the lands? If there's a possibility of their restoration, I'm afraid that Alan won't equip Titania with firearms as well!”
Vijdeline turned her head away in annoyance, ”Forget it then! My words can't get through you!”
A snowball suddenly fell onto the Imperial Prince's head. Oscar did not dodge but instead took the blow firmly. Little Micath was laughing with sounds unique to a child. Oscar leaped down from his seat and swiftly rolled a snowball. As a result, his little son had run over quick-wittedly.
”Come, Vij! We don't have many chances to gather together as a family!” Oscar exclaimed in joy and then chased over by tracing the footprints of his son.
Vijdeline had stood up from her seat. She was smiling rather bitterly not because of the current awkward situation between her and Oscar but due to her doubts if the man she had chosen had the resolve and charisma. She thought that she had already pointed out the infuriating matter by mentioning the relationship between the Titania family and Morisette Royalties. However, her man was just like a fool and had not been moved at all.
”Maybe, now's still not the time!”
Looking at the father and son playing around in the garden, Vij bent her body and picked up a ball of white snow. It seemed that it was now the time to release herself. Her future with Oscar was still in a thick fog with nothing to be seen.
Right when the sunlight was the harshest in the evening, the accumulated snow in Dulin had begun to melt away. The winter of year 801 had not been considered cold. After the several early waves of chilly currents, the empire's capital had already regained its energy and liveliness.
Starting from the Tower of Heroes to the city's South, the Paladins had cleared the drains. The melted ice and snow had descended in piles from the tower at a great height and had transformed into a fine drizzle later and after that, the Road of Kings had turned busy. The soldiers of the Guards had cleaned the roads while the snow water had washed clean the greenish white surface of the marble road. Whenever the royalties' vehicles drove past the slate, the flowing water would transform into several lovely ripples.
Reaching Hamilton Palace, sceneries of rainfall from the massive roof could be seen under the sunlight. The melted snow water flowed from the various carvings of religious figures and splashed onto the ground nonstop, resulting in occasional clashing sounds while hitting the iron-like slates.
The walkway in front of the palace was occupied with newly-planted flowers, all the way to the Eastern sky where the sun set. There were the green woodlarks, tallow roses, white Faran cherry blossoms, and the most dazzling winter hollyhocks. When the sun had set in the East, only had these colorful flowers closed up, whereas the bees which had been circling them all day had also vanished in an instant. No one had any idea where these diligent bees would be landing as the entire world outside the palace was the coldest when the snow was melting.
Obeying the promise he had made with his wife, Prince O'Neil had held another family dinner at the Hamilton Palace. Since it was a family dinner, the restrictive courtesies of the palace had naturally not been of use. The guests had included the family of Discount Sukhoi who had just wedded together with the Mistress of this family and the Marquis Boude's family who had been serving at the empire's Agricultural Ministry.
Even without the high-ranking officers and royalties who loved the fun but spoke no meaningful content, His Imperial Highness the Prince's dining was still seated with more than thirty guests. Oscar had ordered his palace chef to serve local Faran dishes and had used fresh ingredients from the sea which were rare in this season. His Imperial Highness the Prince loved seafood, but this was before a portion of his intestine had been removed. Digestion of food required extremely strong stomach and intestinal functions. As for O'Neil Andrew Morisette whose stomach would hurt even with few more gulps of cold water, eating seafood was naturally out of his league.
Regardless, the guests present had still shown a great response for such rare things like seafood especially the raw oysters served on the ice tray. It was an exclusive appetizer of Rodia, the taste of the flowing juices with every bite was simply astounding. Oscar's appetizer was the duck blood broth with scallops,whereas his main courses were some roasted mutton with creamy beans, roasted clam with beef fillings, and lastly the foie gras dish, the most renowned Faran dish. His Imperial Highness the Prince himself had handpicked the raw foie gras to be fried with olive oil. The feelings of spectating the cooking skills of the chefs were just more addictive than tasting one mouthful of the dishes in satisfaction. Of course, the end results would not be disappointing. Oscar could not stop complimenting the fried foie gras which had been sprinkled with truffle, sweet vinegar, almond and caramel.
When the dinner had proceeded to the stage of desserts and the demonstration of salads, Empress Alanis who had seemed distracted the whole time had finally spoken. She did not give her blessings to the newlyweds nor had she addressed her regards to the agricultural ministers. Her Majesty said to the cautious Lady Vijdeline in a straightforward manner, ”Bring your child along with you to move into the palace! Have some fun here before you go!”
”How can I disturb your Majesty?” Vijdeline exchanged glances with Oscar promptly who was seated at the main seat on the right side of the dining table.
”Not at all, how will I be disturbed?” the Empress raised her head and sized up the Sukhoi Mistress and her husband playfully, ”I believe that Oscar wants nothing more than this!”
Along with Her Majesty's words, those at the scene had put down their cutleries in utter silence. Even though there had not been any change to Her Majesty the Empress' intonation and demeanor, those who were quick to understand the situation had felt bone-deep chills.
The Imperial Prince had fallen silent for a moment and then laughed as if nothing had happened. He spread his arms toward Lady Vijdeline, ”You may not have known, but Her Majesty the Empress has been yelling to live separately with me!”
Alanis turned her head away in disgust. She despised the man's tone which sounded as if he had no business in this matter.
”Everyone in Dulin knows! Don't be bothered, Lady Vijdeline, my Oscar will never simply get a room for him to relieve his depression!”
Oscar's face had finally darkened. He waved his hand at Her Majesty the Empress who was seated at the far end of the long dining table, ”You just intend to ruin everyone's mood, don't you?”
Alanis drank some liquor, and this resulted in her face to be blushed. After hearing clearly her husband's accusations, she stood up proudly. The royalties instantly followed after the empress who was leaving her seat, and everyone proceeded to give a deep bow at Her Majesty the Emperor who was about to take her leave.
Facing Oscar who was still seated as calm as ever, Alanis smirked softly, ”Do I not have the rights to relieve my stress? Or are you saying that you're ordering me to leave?”
”Your Majesty!” Vijdeline said while leaving her seat with Little Micath, oblivious to everything, in her arms, ”Are you willing to bring me to have a look at my room? I still have a lot of interesting encounters to share with you on our way!”
Oscar glared fiercely at the Sukhoi Mistress who intended to relieve the tension. However, Vijdeline seemed to not have noticed the flushed man at all. She had reached the front of the empress and gestured at Her Majesty the Empress with the child in her embrace.
Alanis took the child into her arms and chuckled and kissed the little boy on his forehead. Little Micath looked at his mother innocently as he was not used to being carried by different people to and fro.
Her Majesty the Empress held the little boy with difficulty. The child who would be turning four years old soon was even heavier than she thought.
”I'm so jealous of you!” Alanis whined at Vijdeline. Among her words, there was the addition of unprecedented genuine.
Vijdeline thought of Her Majesty the Empress' miscarriage all of a sudden and could only laugh with slight fear. Everyone knew that it was never good news to have invoked an empress' genuine envy. This matter might be extremely dangerous too. Oscar was speechless and had only directed a glance at Paul who had concealed himself at the walkway. Instantly, the King of Assassins had understood his meaning! Following the silhouettes of the empress and Lady Vijdeline, he trailed after them.
”Well then, let me tell everyone a joke!” a sharp laughter suddenly erupted from Torry's young wife.
Oscar and the dazed artillery Major General looked in that direction in unison. Discount Sukhoi's wife had already changed from her faint-colored feminine costume. Now, she had her golden hair tied up, revealing her fair, petite figure. After speaking up while opening her folded fan, the alluring Viscount rose from her seat like a mistress and slightly bowed at the Imperial Prince and the guests present.
”There's an infamous addict in the city of Dulin! One day, he had discovered that his wife was also smoking opium. Thus, he had given the unfortunate woman a heavy beating! In the end, he had even said to his wife, if you dare to smoke one more time, I'll stuff your nose into the cigarette holder!”
Those present at the dining hall laughed except Oscar and Torry who were still plastering a cold demeanor.
Lady Lado Evelyn dropped her smile and extended her arms at His Imperial Highness the Prince in a helpless manner, ”Is it that…is it that it's not funny at all?”
Torry spared a glanced at his old friend's facial expression and he could not help but wish to give his wife a few slaps. Was this woman a fool or had she transformed from some other being? Did she not know what the joke implied?
The artillery General pulled on his wife's skirt secretly but O'Neil Andrew Morisette whose face had completely darkened stood up.
”Your joke is absolutely hilarious!” Oscar tried his best to nod at the Viscount with the kindest expression he could muster, ”I must thank you, today…has it been a whole day? Only your joke has truly allowed me to relax!”
”Excuse me!”
The servants pulled away from the Imperial Prince's seat for him. Then, Oscar left the spot without looking back. Until the silhouette of his old friend had completely disappeared, Torry held his wife's face.
”My baby, if this is during earlier times, I'll say that you've gotten your life back!” the General of the Guards sized up his wife endearingly, but he had already lowered his voice, ”Little fellow, you did it on purpose, didn't you?”
The Viscount chuckled menacingly and bit her husband's ear, ”There's some issue with your master's brain! This is Dulin and he still wishes to show his displeasure to Her Majesty the Empress! Your sister is much smarter than him!”
Torry suddenly held his wife's face, ”My baby! You're not serious, are you?”
Lado Evelyn sized up her husband's facial expression. She knew it was time to stop.
”Don't worry! I was just splattering nonsense!”
Torry immediately pecked his wife on her cheek and hugged her tight, ”You've scared me! You've scared me…”
The Viscount patted softly on her husband's spine and had kept on consoling the Artillery Division Commander who had been shocked. However, a beam of light full of cold vengeance and deep hatred suddenly flashed across her eyes. Nevertheless, when her husband had once again turned his face toward her, the pair of eyes which had been a stark contrast with her alluring beauty had been replaced with an endearing gaze, skilfully masking all emotions unknown to the public as if she was pulling off magic tricks.
This night, the empress husband-and-wife had all suffered from insomnia! Oscar had kept on smoking like an addict while his wife had also drunk nonstop like an addict. Maybe, deep down in their hearts, the patience they had allocated for each other was near the brink of their limits. Maybe, at this time the next day, this bit of patience left would vanish amidst the provocations, clashes, hatred and gossips!
When that time comes, between Oscar and Alanis, what would be left?
This was indeed suspicious as they used to be so loving!
However, there were still some doubts. Did they really not love each other anymore?
Baron Ogeiro closed his historical book and kept his feather pen. Before he ended the journey today, he sized up the table littered with cups and plates and the palace illuminating with lights one final time. It seemed that the time had come for the melodies to end and the people to be dismissed.
Vijdeline nodded with a bitter grin. She could only hug the man tight but there was nothing the embrace could do to bring momentary peace to her soul.