“Come in!”
Click
Hearing the voice, I opened the gate and got in before shutting the gate quietly. The room was dead silent apart from the murmuring of two people and I didn’t wanna disturb it.
“Ah, Mr. Romero. I’m assuming your session went well and you wish to meet your teammates?” A nurse in the staff lounge looked at me and asked with a soft voice. She was…. actually quite beautiful. But not like I was interested in romantic endeavors right now.
“Yes, he said I’ll be completely fine in a few days and am allowed to go back to my duties. Before leaving I wished to see my teammates once and hoped you could help me?” I asked the nurse.
“Sure, please follow me” With one last whisper in her partner’s ear, she stood up and walked out the door into the hall.
“I’ve always been quite a big fan of the Inquisition if I must say sir” the lady spoke all of a sudden in the middle of our awkward walk and continued “You must be quite brave to be able to fight such horrific people every day and still stay sane”
‘Stay sane she says…’
“It’s nothing much. Just like you don’t break under the gory scenes of the hospital, it’s the same for us. We’ve been trained adequately for these situations.” I replied back with a plain answer.
“Of course, but still being able to stand here after going such a terrorist attack. It must take an amazing amount of will to still be able to go back to the - oh we are here Mr. Romero. This room belongs to Mr. Matheo Mercier.” she stopped in the middle of her prattle and gestured towards the door on her right.
Click
Entering the room I saw Matheo lying on the hospital bed in his hospital garments like the ones I wore. The room wasn’t a grand one. It had an empty saline stand by the side of the room along with a trolly, a dust bin, and a basin on the other side of the room.
“Can you tell me if Aline Hananel has woken up?” I asked the nurse.
“Yes sir, she woke up a few hours before you did and had also visited everyone, especially spending a few hours with Mr. Mercier here” the nurse responded as if waiting for this question.
“Hmm, can you please give us a moment” I didn’t stop for her response and went in before closing the door quietly and sat beside him on the bed.
For a few moments, I didn’t say anything. I just sat there and looked at the ground mulling over my words. Even if I appear alright to others, I - I honestly don’t know what to do anymore…..
Nothing seems to be getting better, and I don’t even know if it ever will after this.
It was still alright earlier. At least we had things in control, barely, but at least the illusion. We had Aidan to lead us in the captain’s absence, a guide to help us and direct our efforts, an anchor of sorts. But now…. I don’t even know when he’ll wake up.
‘It’s so stupid. Why are you crying over them? They’ll get better in a few days. We are immortals, don’t forget that.’
‘Heh, immortals. You know the hardest part about being an immortal?’
‘The emotions of a human which never fades with time’
‘Yes. It’s been so long, I tried so hard! Tried to care less, to show less, to keep my emotions in check. But no! NO! NO! NO! IT’S JUST SO FUCKING HARD!!
‘Every time I think I’ve gotten used to them, I just can’t help but feel sorry for them. I know it’s stupid, it’s so fucking stupid! Nothing will happen to them! I know it! But…. it’s not the same for their loved ones.
’They’ll still be devastated, grieving knowing what we’ve been through. They know the pain and they feel it too. I just…. don’t wanna let that happen. Why should they even? I don’t have anyone to care for so I should do these things! Why am I so slow!! Why couldn’t I have figured it out earlier!!!’
‘Heh, big words for someone who ran without any care at the first sign of the bomb. Where was your bravery and self-sacrifice then?’
‘I know…. I guess I’m just a hypocrite and a coward, heh.’
Hahhhh
Heaving one last sigh I got up from his bed and looked at Matheo. “Get up already. Don’t let Aline wait for you more”
With the last remark, I made my way out of the room and gestured to the nurse who stood outside to take me to the other rooms.
As we walked I kept zoning out for many moments and all I heard was a muffled mumble from the nurse and my autopilot hmm’s. Even those got quiet after a while. The only sound left was me scratching my left palm.
“Sir! This is Miss Juliana Kerrache’s room.” she suddenly stopped and looked at me before pointing me toward Juliana’s room.
“Ah yes” Snapping back to reality, I nodded at her and opened the door to peer inside. It was the same room as Matheo’s and Juliana was sleeping peacefully on her bed. This time I didn’t go inside. Not only was it inappropriate, I had no reason to. It’s better for me to just look at them from the outside before leaving.
Though looking at her I was reminded of something, ‘Her cat! I should go feed him once and see if he is still alive.’
Adding one more work on my to-do list, I walked away and just like that visited everyone one by one. Only Al’ has woken up yet and I guess I expected that much out of her.
Another weird thing was…..Morgan was still in a coma. I would’ve expected him to be alright by now since he was in the underground and didn’t face the brunt of the explosion, but he still hadn’t woken up for some reason.
This only proved my point. Something was wrong from the beginning and the whole suicide incident definitely had an outside interference. I just don’t know how…. How did they convince him? Was it blackmail?
‘Hahhh I’m not ready enough to tackle this right now. I need a shower first’
Walking out of the hospital, I thanked the nurse and I almost saw a flash of disappointment across her eyes, but I quickly shot it down. Walking out in the open after so long certainly feels good. Seeing such good weather, I decided to walk around a bit towards my home instead of taking a carriage so quickly.
‘Ah that reminded me, I don’t have my wallet with me anyway’ I chuckled at myself for ignoring something so important. How could my poor money have survived the explosion. ‘Fortunately, my home isn’t that far from here’
And so I walked. Walking on the sidewalks(which met with a fair share of frowning since people complained they shortened the road), I took in the galloping of the horses as they pushed the carriages, the coal engines pushing double-decker carriages, and the new heavy ‘auto-vehicle’ they designed for the rich.
It was really heavy as well as really costly since the gas requirement only got higher.
But it was a show of wealth among the truly rich and I had nothing to do with it.
I slowly passed by bakeries, grocery shops, and some brand stores for clothes, cosmetics, etc etc. A turn here, a turn there; an alley crossed here, an alley evaded there; I finally reached Wetzel Street.
It was a nice but ‘humbly rich’ neighborhood. The first thing I learned after getting a house here was that people liked to ‘not brag’ about how rich they are while shoving a diamond ring at your face.
Like my neighbor Mrs. Ruslanova who always talked about how her son goes to Ozart High School, the most luxurious private school in this city while pretending it’s not a big deal and he got mostly on merit.
I had once decided to quiz the kid on the geographic factors that established the city of Ozart. It was a basic question from fifth standard and he was 14. That day I understood how he got in through ‘merit’.
Of course living among these people, I tried not to mingle too much. My upbringing hadn’t instilled a rich lifestyle in me and I preferred not to be too flashy. I’m much more comfortable around myself and my friends.
Walking down the street, I quickened my steps as much as I could before it became apparent that I was trying to run away from something. Steps quick and precise, eyes roaming everywhere but to the left side. As I entered the dangerous territory, I turned towards the right and began to appreciate the buildings out loud.
And that’s when I saw her. Behind the windows, our eyes locked. Oh that demon, looked right at me and smiled so brightly. I can practically see her shoulders jumping from glee as her eyes sparkled like she had seen a treasure.
Seeing her mouth opening in an attempt to grab my attention, I closed my eyes and sighed internally.
Hahhh
“Mr. Romero!! Wait a second!”
As if I can run away now….
In just a few moments I heard the door click open and she came tow in tow with Mrs. Choi.
Ah….. now it makes all the sense. She has gotten really smart.
Admitting my defeat at this clear use of tactics, I just waited for her to reach me and start her charade.
“Mr. Romero you looked to be in quite a hurry, oh of course a man like you will definitely be busy with his duties. With so much going on, I’m sure it must have been busy. So lucky of us to encounter you like this here, I was just talking to Mrs. Choi about you and to think we ended up encountering you. How lucky of us!
”How are you now Mr. Romero? When did you wake up? The explosion must’ve been quite something to keep you down for so long. How is the church responding, do you have any idea? Is the city under an attack?
“Me and my husband have been so worried. We went to the church daily and even donated a generous amount of 1,000 pounds for the Inquisition's welfare and their preparation to deal with these new adversaries. Even the Choi family contributed a 1,000.” and there she started, woven under the facade of a bright smile which she alternated to a show of concern, a questioning frown, and a small pride when she flaunted her wealth, very prodigiously.
It was really interesting how she did it and someday I’m so gonna learn it. She has even infected Mrs. Choi with her acting skills now!!
“How very lucky of me indeed Mrs. Ruslanova. How are you doing yourself? I’ve been very well and well taken care of. I’m really sorry, but I ran back home directly after I woke up. But you don’t have to worry, we and the police force won’t let something like this slide and will definitely respond in kind.
“And I sincerely thank you and Mrs. Choi for their patronage on behalf of the church and the order. We’ll forever remember your kindness and this will most certainly help us in our future endeavours. Now if you and Mrs. Choi will excuse me, I have to freshen up and then report for duty. I’ll see you both later!” answering her questions as concisely and quickly as I could (a skill I picked up over the course of 6 years) I stepped back one step at a time while facing them, trying not to look rude.
“Ah yes, our apologies Mr. Romero, of course you must be a busy man. We have full trust in your abilities and I won’t like it of me to stop you from doing your work. But I insist, you have to come to dinner at our place tonight. I have also invited Mrs. Choi and her family for dinner.” her eyes glittered dangerously when she spoke ‘have’.
‘Ok, that’s not a request…’
“Sure Mrs. Ruslanova, I’ll be there on time. See you later!” And so I agreed. They aren’t exactly bad people, and her husband is way better to talk to if you have to.
“See you later!”
The ladies bid me farewell and went back to their ‘den’ running the gossip mill again.
And with that, I turned around, fished out my keys- no shoot! I lost my keys back then!! Well fortunately I have the spare hidden somewhere around….here! The trusty fake stone!
Cracking the fake stone, I found the key hidden inside, unlocked the door, and with a ‘click’ got inside. Ah the true bliss of home! Reaching inside, I bee-lined for the second floor, to my room, to the closet fishing for my towel, and directly into the shower. Even a cold shower can’t deter me today. I’m not gonna bother heating up the water today.
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15 minutes later I was out of the shower with a towel wrapped around my waist and feeling fresh inside. A cold shower can solve anything. Except for this itch in my hand apparently.
Walking to my room I thought about whether I should even bother making lunch now at 4 pm, but decided to enjoy an early light-hearted snack instead. I wasn’t really hungry and I wanted to head back to the office quickly. I have a feeling she might be waiting for someone there.
So I changed into my pajamas and went back down to the kitchen to enjoy a nice bowl of cereal and milk and then back to my room to change back into a proper suit and coat before heading out.
The trip to the office took around 15 minutes and I decided to depart from the carriage early and walk the one block on foot. It was not a pleasant walk as I wished for it to be.
The streets were tarnished and scattered with shrapnel. Blood stains still visible around the corners and glass shards that shined at places paved a path. And at the end of this path, at ground zero, stood her as I expected. Aline really waited for someone to come.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Walking to her I stood by her side and enjoyed the view of our once used to be office being constructed. “How long have you been waiting for here?” I asked
“3 hours. Is it only you yet?” she counter-questioned.
“Yes. I visited others and I was the only one who had woken up. I don’t know what happened after I went away.”
“Don’t bother, I am already surprised you woke up. I heard only 54 people woke up across every city on their first day and only a little more as of yet on the second day so I don’t have much expectation-“
“Wait a second there, what do you mean by ‘across every city’? How many cities were attacked in total like us?” I felt a trepidation run across me as I saw her expression contort in a wry smile.
“Every!”
“Every?”
“Every!”
“What do you mean by every? Every city in the empire?” I didn’t like the answer already….
“Every city in the world!” and her next words just nailed in the final blow.
How was that possible? Who would do that? A unified attack at every inquisition office? Are they not afraid of angering the emperor and the church? And the public outrage? How do they even have such a range?
A myriad of questions passed through my head but I forced them under control and chanted under my breath ‘My emotions don’t control me….my emotions don’t control me….’
I needed complete control over them and it was not a time to act impulsively.
“What happened?’ I asked, solemnity evident in my voice.
“It’s a long story, let’s have a proper talk in the nearby cafe” she suggested and I agreed. I could feel it was going to be a long talk and I dreaded the thought of it.
While walking towards the cafe, I listened to Aline detail about the incident and to say I was blown out of my mind was underselling it. The level of planning and foresight this took was just perfect. It also revealed a disturbing fact…. somehow without us knowing it, we were under constant vigilance under the eyes of our enemies.
They have read us like an open book and we don’t even have a book about them.
By the time she was done with the report, we reached the cafe so I opened the gate and held it long enough for Aline to walk in before letting it go. We looked for a booth by the window at a silent corner and took our seats.
For a minute none of us said anything and decided on an order. She picked a cup of latte and I went with the same.
“There was something else…. there was a card at the scene. The police didn’t report it to the media, and kept it under wraps as per the request of the church.” She said after taking a sip from her coffee.
‘Another card?’
“What did it say?”
“Hahhh
“ ‘We have already won’, ring a bell?”
“WHA- wait what? Seriously? So it really is the brethren! It makes so much sense now! Of course, only the brethren could do something like this…. but why now? Why after all these years? After staying quiet for centuries, they have decided to show their fangs again?” I asked in a raised voice before realizing I startled others around us so forced it under my control just as quickly.
“I have no idea, nor does the church. But this can go either way now. Either the brethren will go in silence for another few centuries after this, or they are close to completion of the plan they have been hatching for so long.
“Honestly I would bet my money on it being the latter. They have made too big of a move, and this can no longer be kept hidden like the incident of ’49. They know the church won’t let it go. We have to make a move now otherwise the church will lose all face. It’s either them or us.
“Normally I would’ve been confident about our chances, but this time….. I’m not so sure. And it makes me so angry you know. All I want is to kill every bastard who planned this, but I’m so helpless.
“It’s like back in 887 before I became part of the order. My parents felt such titans standing in front of my future. But back then I succeeded! It was a miracle but I somehow succeeded. Becoming an immortal, I thought nothing could stop me now. But now it’s the same again and this time…. I don’t know if there will be another miracle” She started like a ball of fire, but by the end, I could feel her exhaustion and her pessimism as she finished. The ball of fire looked more like a candle under high winds.
“Are you worried for yourself?” I asked with a calm voice.
“No.” she shot back quickly
“Are you worried about Matheo?”
“…..Yes” she replied after a second.
“You know he won’t die right? Do you not have faith in the blessings of the sun?” I asked in a way it sounded not like an accusation.
“Of course I believe in it!” she replied with a glare, clearly my attempt didn’t work “My parents have been devout believers for ages, growing up there, do you think I wouldn’t worship him? After all these years? No Oliver, it’s not that I don’t believe in the Sun, and you know what I’m talking about!
“Do you think I want him to be captured like captain and tortured for who knows how long? I know he likes to act all mature and cool in front of all, but he’s still an innocent kid at heart. He can’t even make a proper toast after all these years without me helping him. He still gets lost sometimes if I don’t help him.
“How will he survive if someone takes him away from me? What will I do? I don’t want him to be hurt, not someone like him, he’s still so innocent at heart. He’s the only constant in this world at this point for me Oliver. It’s been so long, and there’s no news about Captain, if something similar happens to Matheo, I-I, I will quit the order. I don-don’t wanna live li..ve li-like that”
Aline looked outside the window and didn’t choose to continue. I can see her shoulders trembling and hear her sniffling, but she eventually didn’t cry. Not even a single tear made a way out of her eyes. Nor did I speak words to comfort her. She didn’t need them
That’s how she was. She was so strong in her own way. Determined even. I could never compare to someone like her. I don’t have what it takes to protect others as she does. While in the hospital I heard how Matheo was relatively intact compared to others and Aline was much more badly hurt.
Only she had what it takes to truly protect the one she wants. But me? I am all words. Just a smoke of the fire she burned so brightly.
It was only after 5 minutes that she finally calmed down and looked back to her coffee which had gotten cold by now so she just discarded it to the side.
“Matheo is strong and wise, I’m sure he’ll be alright.” I tried.
“Heh wise, how many years has it been? 4 years we’ve been together, and he still hasn’t proposed me. I don’t even know what he’s been afraid of. It’s not like I’ll reject him. He should know that by now. Or is still shy at our age? Humph.” and I failed…. Clearly, I don’t know Matheo enough.
But that was certainly news. What is he taking so long for?
“Okay I take that back, but I’m sure he’ll be alright. Everyone will be, even captain.” I spoke. I don’t know how much I believed them, but I still wanted to speak them out loud.
“I know Oliver, I know. But thanks for the words. I know we never say this, but you are like our little brother. So smile a little more okay? You still have many years to live and I life lived without a genuine smile is not one lived to its fullest.” Aline said with a small smile. The smile felt so genuine I was sure she had lived her life to the best of her ability.
“…..I will try. Thank you” I said while smiling a little.
“Let’s get going now, I think that was enough emotional talk for a month. I feel so full, don’t you?” Aline stood up while chuckling asking me.
“Stuffed to the brim. I think I’d prefer going on a diet after this.” Joining on her joke I replied.
“Yes yes, let’s diet together. Only break it after we find captain, deal?” She extended her hand while saying this.
“Deal!” and we shook on it.
“Haha, is your palm okay by the way? I’ve noticed you scratching it the whole time we were there. Irked me a lot if I am honest, but I guess you can’t help it either?” She asked as we made our way through the cafe.
“I have no idea what’s wrong with it. It started ever since I woke up. Maybe a wrongly connected nerve? I plan to get it checked tomorrow again.” I replied.
“Hmm, do get it checked up. It doesn’t look normal. Where are you headed to now?”
“I’m thinking of visiting Mr. Royale and seeing if he’s still alive”
“I still think it’s a stupid name and that’s a stupid cat. But yes, let’s not be the first message she hears after she wakes up be her cat died. Go ahead, though I’m sure it has too much stored in its fat tummy to last at least a month on diet.” Aline replied with a chuckle.
“Haha yes, I’ll still get some cat food on the way. See you tomorrow Al!” I replied with a chuckle of my own while walking away with a small wave of my hand.
“See ya later Oliver!” she waved back and went away.
Left alone again, I heaved a sigh as I walked ahead. It felt nice. Having someone to talk to in these times and knowing I can rely on them. That I wasn’t the only one feeling helpless and like a failure. That I wasn’t afraid of failure and the future. I know it isn’t good to think like this about others, but I was never the most ideal person.
----------------------------------------
“Hello, do you have cat food?” I asked the person at the counter as I walked into a pet shop.
“Certainly sir, we just received a new batch. Which flavor are you looking for?” the cashier a young teen asked in a practiced manner.
“……..” and that innocent question startled me more than I would want it to. Flavors? They have more than one flavored cat food!!?
And it struck me again, somehow in all my wisdom I never asked Juliana which cat food Mr. Royale eats, despite her mentioning a hundred times how he’s a picky eater. God don’t I feel stupid.
“I can see that sir has problems with picking the cat food. It is after all part of the new conveniences bought by the Emperor and isn’t widely known by everyone. We have chicken, turkey, beef, liver, and tuna flavored. The last two have been recent additions so I don’t suppose your cat would prefer it if it’s a picky cat.” the shopkeeper spoke in a practiced manner while pointing towards different products on the shelf behind him as he spoke.
‘What are my chances that he’ll like the food if I buy only one flavor?’ Honestly not so much, so that leaves me with only one choice. It’s time to spend money.
“Give me two cans of the first three flavors and pack them in a jute bag” I replied while sighing internally.
“Sure sir, that will be 10 silvers and 8 bronze. 2.80 for the chicken, 1.40 for the beef, and 6.60 for the turkey.” the shopkeeper narrated while tossing the food in the bag. They came in those special aluminum cans.
‘I hope Juliana keeps her can opener in plain sight, or taking care of this cat is gonna be more expensive than I expected it to be’
Paying the required charge, I took the bag and pushed my way through the door hearing a ‘Thank you, visit again’ behind me.
----------------------------------------
‘Huh, they really gave her the closest house to the office huh’ I commented as I stood in front of her house. It was really just a 5-minute walk at the Burich St.
Fortunately, she has shared the location of the duplicate key for such cases, and should be around here - ah yes found it, the great fake stone!
Feeling a small déjà vu creeping on me, I focused on breaking the key out. Entering inside, and I was greeted with a mess! Ta-da!
Water here, a broken vase there; flour here, a scratched lid there; wool here, a torn sofa there; pages here, a torn book there; blood here, a half-eaten mouse there, etc etc. I guess Mr. Royale had enough stimulus to pass the time. How did he open the flour box though?
“Mr. Royale! Where are you? I bring food!” I treaded through the room carefully as I made my way towards the kitchen.
‘I still like it when Juliana was the one taking care of the house’ I mused internally.
meow...
Entering the kitchen I found a tired black cat with a white patch around his head (Juliana called it his crown) lying on the floor beside his bowl meowing at me softly. I don’t know if they can, but I’m sure I saw his eyes light up with hope as I entered the room and he meowed with relief.
“Aww buddy, you look so hungry, just wait a second. I’ll give you some food and water quickly!” even I wasn’t heartless enough to see it suffering so much. To think he, Mr. Royale, who never even deemed anyone but Juliana worthy of her time, would be happy at seeing me, I decided to act as the human here and give him the food he deserves.
Fortunately for Mr. Royale, I found the can opener fairly easily as it was on the countertop.
“Which one do you eat by the way?” I still didn’t know which one to open so I let him decide. Squatting beside him, I placed the three cans side by side in front of him and asked while pointing in order “Chicken?” “meow"
‘Wow, right on the first try? But let’s try again’
“Beef?” “meow”
“Turkey?” “meow”
‘Wow! A few days of hunger can really change someone a lot huh’
Deciding to have pity on the cat, I chose turkey as it was the most expensive one and should thus taste the best.
Emptying the can in his food bowl, I pushed the bowl near his mouth and sat down near Mr. Royale as I watched him eat slowly slowly.
In the end, he ate up both the cans of turkey before he finally stopped and drank a whole bowl of water then walked towards me, climbed onto my lap, placed his head on my thighs, and started playing with my... left hand? Kind of weird, but it’s not like I’m busy so I allow it.
Sitting there I thought back to the day, it finally felt like a normal day. Nothing out there trying to kill me, no one going missing or no threats delivered in mysterious codes. Of course, I would much rather prefer everyone awake than in a coma, but I will take this peace too.
I sat there for a long time, just watching Mr. Royale play with my left hand while I stroked his belly with my other hand. I think he liked it since he even purred sometimes with satisfaction. I don’t know when but sometime in the middle, Mr. Royale had fallen asleep in my lap while I was zoned out.
Deciding it was time I headed back before I got late for the dinner at Mrs. Ruslanova's. I picked Mr. Royale up carefully and thought of laying him on the sofa and going away, but then I couldn’t bring myself to leave this poor feline who must be bored out of his mind to be left alone again.
‘You are mine now little fellow. Well at least till Juliana comes’
And that’s how I found myself carrying a black cat in my arms walking to my house. Taking a carriage, I reached home in 10 minutes and laid him down on my bed before making my way towards the Ruslanova family home.
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“Ah Mr. Romero, you jest, my position in the tax department is still not high enough to make too much of a difference. I’m but a humble Joint Commissioner. Your word still holds much more worth than poor old me” Troy Ruslanova, my neighbor said with a laugh.
Although he also likes to flaunt, at least he is much more reserved with it.
“Mrs. Ruslanova talked about how you’re due a promotion and are hoping to gain it soon enough? I believe the position of an Additional Commissioner is high enough for me to praise you. Would you be shifting places after the promotion?” I spoke with a level of flattery he likes to hear, something I have mastered over the course of 6 years.
I would’ve never imagined people like them to be so keen on receiving praise, but I guess this is what distinguishes them from the truly rich.
“Ah, so you heard about it huh? She never had a sealed mouth. Well yes, there have been talks in the department ever since Emperor decided on introducing new sectors of financial growth, the ranks in the income tax have swelled like never before, and the need for experienced and capable men in the higher ranks is felt across the department.
“I wouldn’t wanna toot my horn, but having stayed in the department for 15 years, I can be considered one such individual, and even the commissioner praised me for my work ethic. So I believe I’m very likely to make the cut this time.” Troy spoke with a hard-to-suppress glee as he got more and more excited with every word.
“Emperor surely has done wonders for the empire, despite what people might call him. I believe he’s the most benevolent emperor we have been blessed with in centuries. Even in the education sector, who would have thought introducing a simple carriage system for the poor funded by the government for the truly poor would result in such a massive growth of the literacy rate and availability of knowledgeable workers
“His Highness is surely extremely wise. Not only is the government not making a loss, but it has been on an exponential growth since the last 5 years. Although we do believe it will stagnate in the upcoming year or two, it was still a solid move.” Byung Choi, Mrs. Choi’s husband, spoke of his experiences with a sly smile across his face. I guess not every bit of money goes to the government.
“Indeed, I even heard he’s planning on opening special academies and training centers for the police force as well as dividing the new recruits into special batches related to the protection of certain facilities rather than dumping everything on the police force.
“Although this will make everything more complicated, I believe it is still good for the future. Mr. Romero, you should be on the lookout, maybe the Inquisition will go out of business at this rate hahaha” Troy joked while laughing at his own joke and I forced myself to go along instead of punching him on the nose for that comment.
“Haha you don’t have to worry Mr. Ruslanova, as long as the church is around, the order will always be required” I replied.
“Indeed indeed” both agreed with nods but I could feel they weren’t putting much faith in their words.
“Excuse me, gentleman! But if you guys are done chatting, let’s get to eating. The food is ready and served!” Mrs. Truslanova chimed in at the right moment just as the environment was getting a little awkward.
“Yes, let’s get it done with. I believe all of us have a long day coming up tomorrow so let’s not delay it anymore” With that Troy led us toward the dining table and took the center chair as the head of the family. His wife sat at his left, while Byung Choi sat on his with his wife beside him.
I sat opposite Troy as a member of the church.
“Before eating let’s praise our benefactor and thank him for this meal” I suggested as was expected of me.
“Long live the emperor!”
“Long live the emperor!”
“Eternal Aurinko!”
Among the unified chants of well-wishing towards the emperor, my praise for Aurinko fell on deaf ears as they ignored it and the maid started serving food to everyone.
Suddenly sitting there, I felt really lonely.
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