As I ended the meeting, I gave Rummy my “please stay after the meeting” look. He raised his eyebrow and nodded.
“I’ll catch up with you later, wifey. We’ll do our daily questions then.” Emma gave me a smug look before nodding and departing with Skera. Soon, it was just the two of us in the office. A nervous tension
I fidgeted my hands before speaking. “Thanks for staying, Rummy. I have a question for you.”
“OK. Shoot.” He nonchalantly answered. The way he casually assented sure didn’t help my nervousness. But fortunately, I had prepared an important question as a preamble.
“These… memories you were given. Did they contain any information on how people were governed?”
After pondering for a second, Rummy thoughtfully replied. “Yes, but I doubt they’d contain the answer you’re looking for.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re looking for a system of governance that is inherently superior to the Imperial System and immune to abuse. There is no such system. All systems are vulnerable to corruption and sabotage given enough time.”
I felt a heavy weight drop in my heart, but I was undeterred. “Even so, that system produced extraordinary memories that you currently hold. Surely it must have some redeeming features!” I argued. “Why don’t you tell me all about it so I can see for myself.”
***
After an hour-long description and discussion, I managed to understand this novel concept of “democratic-republicanism”. I was instantly enchanted with the concept! Imagine if the people had the power to end the incompetent reign of Artorius XVI and usher in one of the more competent Princes (like Avalon or Exal)! Imagine if the power of governance got split into multiple branches instead of concentrated in the hands of one corrupt nobleman. What an egalitarian society it would be- at least more so than the current Holy Artorian Empire. Best of all, we could all be spared the chaos of a civil war every time an Emperor dies on the throne without naming a successor.
My enthusiasm was quickly doused by Rummy’s repeated warnings about how reliant this system is on an educated and engaged populace, in addition to how time-consuming the deliberation process could be. For good measure, he also described how that system was inevitably co-opted by the rich and powerful to crush the commoners underfoot. Worse of all, because of their masterful manipulation, they managed to keep them weak and divided. I supposed it was a blessing that the nobles in this era were too arrogant to be this thorough.
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“So what do you propose we do?” I asked in exasperation.
“Anything you want, Tali. monarchy, democratic-republicanism, it doesn’t matter. Sooner or later it will inevitably devolve into a society where the strong prey on the weak. The only difference is that there’d be less lies and hypocrisy in a monarchy.” Rummy cynically answered. I could clearly see the bitterness in his eyes. I chuckled in response. After all, Rummy rarely let his feelings cloud his objectivity. This was quite unlike him. I wondered what memories he experienced to make him so distrustful of anybody in power.
After a small sigh, I regrouped. “Let me rephrase the question- if you were designing a system of government that would last the longest, what is the optimal solution for us in Pridwen?” Time to appeal to his inner problem-solver. If that didn’t get him to refocus, then nothing would.
He furrowed his brows in contemplation. Then he replied, “A mix of both. A Constitutional Monarchy with two councils: A Large Council directly elected by the citizens, and a Small Council appointed by the Monarch. The Large Council would focus more on domestic and local issues, while the Small Council would focus more on foreign policy and military defense. The Monarch gets the final approval on any laws or decisions made by either council.”
At last, the ever-dependable Rummy delivers again! By tasking the Small Council to issues that require agility, Rummy removed one of the weaknesses of a democratic-republican system. And despite the monarchist design, this hybrid system still managed to give the commoners a way to improve their livelihoods, or at least bring their everyday problems into the forefront.
“So what role would the monarch play? Am I the City Lady, or am I a mere symbol?” I inquired further.
“Since most of the citizens are uneducated and all worship you now, it’d take a couple of winters for them to gain the ability to think independently. A democratic culture takes time to groom, and is terribly fragile. You would have to rule like a Lord the first few winters and gradually relinquish your power bit by bit until they could competently rule themselves. And by the time you retire, a new monarch can be elected from the Small Council, preferably your most competent child.”
“My most competent child, huh?” I laughed. “Bold of you to assume that I would have children to pick from given my current match prospects.”
Rummy gave me a wry smile in return. “Never say never, my Lady. The future is never set in stone.”
I fidgeted with my hands again. “Say, if I couldn’t find a good match in these next few years, would you… would you mind stepping in as an alternate?” I felt my cheeks redden as I finally squeezed out the question.
Rummy looked me in the eyes, his piercing brown eyes locked with mine. With a boyish smile, he replied. “Of course, my Lady. After all, it’s for the good of the city, right?”
I stammered a bit. “Ye..yes. It’s for the good of the city.”
Blast it, I was starting to think that Emma may have a point…