In the end, either it is earth or Althera, either it is a 'normal' world or the one with magic and dragon- if they faced politics, it will always be chaotic. Just like in the very extravagant and fully decorated meeting hall, with very thick black and silver accents and the symbol of black dragon fluttered magnificently. Many people who filled chairs in this 'O' formed table, desperately tried to point out their opinion. Where it is to the point that they are begging- but only some of them of course, and they are all the people who are invited to this imperial meeting.
Yet, none of the other party- if she could say that this imperial meeting is divided into two parties, where the other one left of course will be the one that is inviting these people. None of them, who wear the imperial uniforms gives a sign that reassures the other party about this problem. The problem that makes all businessmen here turn red and angry but could not do anything but beg. While the other one looks so calm despite all of the chaotic things that happened in this meeting hall. The ones with imperial uniforms are really calm with their swords hanging on their waist or fully-armored knights who 'guard' them for protection.
" This is what they called as Tyrant Empire." Sure, she now understands why several people that are invited to this meeting trying so hard to avoid it. They are quick-witted to understand and predict the situation, that nothing will go right with the involvement with the empire.
It does not mean she does not understand the system of tyranny but, she has never been in one condition that involved this ideology. She was lived in the very democratic country with strong laws about human rights, so, she kinda surprised to look at how a government could oppress the people like this.
" Please, could you reconsider your regulation! My company will not even survive for a month-"
" ... If what I have just said is not clear enough, I could arrange a meeting with the crown prince so you can state your complaints." said, the one that is known as the finance minister of this empire. With a very straight face as he could not seem to even feel these people struggle. In fact, what he said now, silence them already without even giving them a chance to speak one more. "... Then, if there is no one who wants to say something anymore. We are going to close today's meeting," he said with a face without a little bit essence of guilt and dare to use a word that someone will be embarrassed enough if they still have some pride or morale. Most of them quickly go outside the meeting hall with anger, some look so desperate enough as if it is their ending. To be fair though, after trying to understand what is the problem that makes this kinda situation, she could safely say that, what is happening now could ruin some companies because of how unfair the regulation is.
It is really a complicated situation.
To put it simply, because the trade and business matters are all cut off in the eastern area caused most of the state finances decreased dramatically. Then, they 'asked' independent businessmen who are mostly doing business outside the eastern area to 'contribute' in this country matter by paying dramatically raised taxes, and if they refuse to do so, some 'meeting' with the crown prince will be held. Of course, everyone understands what could be happened in that kind of 'meeting', right?
At the worst part, even though they are independent, they are all bonded by the empire's law. So, either follow the new regulation or just leave. Then, of course, The business they left behind would be taken over by the empire. Kinda, wicked is not it?
[ Thank you for doing the interpreter for me.] said Irisha to Rosan who are now, use the magic elevator that will lead them to the first gate that is under this 'flying' castle. It is not literally flying though, it is just attached to the big rocky mountain and looks like it is flying from far away. To go to the castle, either ride dragons or use these big elevators that are literally big enough to fit many people inside it. Then, they will end up in the large front yard of the palace where she was just there before. At first, she was so surprised at how this humongous imperial palace is attached to this rocky mountain. It was so spacious even she was not exploring many places and the wind was so brutal who made people run fast inside the palace. [ Arisha would be so excited if she could come to the palace.] she said.
and Rosan who was still mad, look hissed. "... if she does want to come, I will try to persuade her not to." she then chuckled, " What is good about that oppression people?"
and Irisha smiled, weakly. It is so understandable why Rosan is angry, especially when her company could possibly collapse with this regulation. [ I , actually have something in my mi-]
" Sis Rosan!" and a young man comes to approach them of a sudden before she finished her conversation. A nice-looking young man with a very attractive appearance that makes you could say that he is a successful businessman with just the first glance and he runs all the way to them when they just arrived at the first gate. Behind where he was coming from, many people from the meeting are gathering, seems to talk about the previous meeting if she could guess.
The man talks with Rosan for a while, they seem to know each other and are quite close as Rosan looks soften her fierce while talking with this man. Then, suddenly their eyes meet, and the man looks at Rosan who then makes Rosan looks at her too.
" Ah, she is my assistant," she said while using sign language unlike before.
and the man looked confused with Rosan's hand.
" This is sign language. She could not speak and could not hear, so, this is how we communicate which each other." Rosan said.
and the man looks at her. The kind of looking that starts from her foot to her head. That kind of stare, that is very uncomfortable. " She is your assistant?"
" Yes. Her name is Irisha Spes." Rosan said.
then the man laughed so hard as he kinda coughed at the end. " Hahahaha, are you going crazy Sis Rosan?" asked him. " The well-known owner of the famous Daniel's company seems good at joking now, huh?"
" What do you mean?" asked Rosan resentfully but the man was not looking at her but Irisha.
" Tell me, what is your name?" he asked her. Yet, of course, she could not understand anything. So she tries to open her note to write her mind, but the man closes her book." Don't follow that kind of joke, you know? For the one like sis Rosan to hire a disabled is kinda fool-"
Brakk!
and a short-tempered Rosan is furious and gives him a very strong punch that makes the man falls so hard. Her face turns red, and the man was shocked. The situation now is gathering many interests of many people's eyes.
" What the fuck are you doing?" yelled the man while holding his reddened cheek.
While Irisha, who is surprised, tries to hold Rosan who is furious and ended up having a hard time because of it. Rosan is a strong woman, she is bigger than her and taller, she is also muscular. So, to stop her is really something for Irisha.
" Why are you so fucking mad, It was your joke!" said the man while looking at Rosan who was being held by that small woman who hug her entirely to stop Rosan. Then, he frowned, " Are you really saying that woman is really disabled?!" asked him.
" Shut the fuck up, Ed!"
" What?! What is wrong with you?" asked him. " You are now hiring useless people? So that is why in that meeting you did not do anything because you were taking care of a disabled?" he smiled in disbelief. " And now you punched me out of nowhere because of her-"
" Say that again and I will kill you," she said.
and the man stared at her, furiously. " Go on, for doing that over that little woman. You are really crazy," he said.
the man's statement really makes her furious even more and more, to the point that she could do anything to him in front of many people like this. Yet, she does not realize that Irisha who could not hear anything putting all of herself just for holding Rosan, with Rosan's energy, she could be injured if she still desperately hold onto her. Then suddenly, someone grabbed her and pull herself from Rosan just before Rosan pushed her hard because of her anger at that man,
" You will end up crushing her," and some strange woman, with her calming looking, stabilized her fall who ended her up on her embrace. " Are you okay?" asked the woman to her when she looks up in her embrace.
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She hurriedly let her go and bow in a second later. [ I am so sorry.] she said while unconsciously saying it in sign language where of course, no one understand instead of Rosan.
" Are you okay, Irisha?" asked Rosan suddenly, who is now looking worried than furious.
then she smiles awkwardly. [ I am okay, it is okay.] while she turns herself to the woman who just helped her, who is now standing with her calming expression different from many people who are looking at her with uncomfortable curiosity.
" If you are done with your fight, how if you go inside my carriage," asked the woman.
and Rosan who is now fully aware of the situation, look so guilty and nodded. " Yes, you may be right," she said. While then holding Irisha's hand and following the lady with her elegant dress. That caught her interest as with her body figure and dress like that, the woman could help her in that kind of situation. Where, she has to push Rosan a little with quite strong power so that Irisha's could let her go, then only by that time, she could pull her out.- is what Irisha's speculated about the lady's action back then.
[ Thank you.] Irisha said, in her note to the beautiful lady with bright brown hair that is being done prettily. She looks so calm, and surely she is a noblewoman as her attitudes show it so.
and with her orange-ish eyes, she looks at her note. " How you say, 'thank you' with your hand again?" asked her to Irisha, but, look at Rosan after that.
In confusion, Rosan shows her. " Thank you is like this," she said. Where the woman looks so interested in that and practices it in second. " Thank you, for helping me out. If you are not there, I might hurt her," she said.
and the woman stops her hand and looks at Irisha before looking at Rosan again, "... well, I kinda understand what's your feeling, but, better realize that ... the more persistent you are defending them, the more you put them into the worst situation.
then Rosan narrowed her eyes. "... so you are saying that we just need to stay silent?"
and the woman looks at Rosan calmly and composed, which makes Rosan could not blow her anger as she knows exactly this lady's motive,"... I am not trying to fight you like the previous man there." she said." I am just saying that even though you are thinking differently from the other, this woman is still disabled and useless from their point of view and, you are not someone that could change it with a mere fight."
and Rosan gripped her hand so hard as she understands her too well. "... please.... just stop the carriage," she said.
the woman nodded, seeming to understand that Rosan could not hold herself any longer with this kind of conversation. She then asked the coachman to stop. While looking at Irisha once again. Seemed, this woman also said something that made Rosan mad again and pulled herself out of her carriage. She could not understand their entire conversation, but, if Rosan could be this mad and at the same time try to hold her anger like this... it will be about her, entirely.
" I am so sorry." and, the fierce-faced woman, with a big and tall figure who always terrifies people in their field, is bowing her head in guilty while saying it in sign language. "... after what I said to you, in the end, I am not powerful enough or wise enough to defend you," she said in the middle of the crowded places in the empire, where many people pass by in the big pathway. She looks so sad even it's all are about her. She bows her head quite long for Irisha to spend time waiting for her to look at her.
Then she looks up to the sky, which gives a vibrant color of orange and purple. It is really beautiful and makes her smile and calms her down every time she looks at it. She is then silent for a minute before realizing that Rosan now is looking at her again. [ It was made me uncomfortable, surely.] she said. [ Being looked at and talked about without me understanding anything, surely uncomfortable. Yet, somehow, I just get used to it you know.] she said.
" How could you get used to something like this? you don't deserve to live that way!"
[ In what way, actually?] asked her that made Rosan confused. [ In a way that they are underestimating me, pitying me, and making me as a useless object to be looked at is what you mean?]
and Rosan looks so depressed as she feels guilty of everything while it is never Irisha's intention to make her feel that way, so,
then Irisha smiles warmly while holding her hand. [ You seem to misunderstand, so I will explain it to you.] she said. [ I understand that people like me will face disadvantages in our life as many people still think in a way that is different from me, but, for me myself, I never thought that my life is something to be defended about.] she said. [ I never thought that my disability is something that others should tolerate and understand. Yes, I am different, but that's it. And, I still think that I am equal with other people so that is nothing to be defended] she said before she then smiles. She lifts her shoulder while looking at Rosan, [Let's just don't think about it.] she said.
"... You... I never thought you are so carefree about this."
[ Well, I just understand there is something I could not control...I could not control people, that is why I choose not to bother about something that will waste my energy and time.]
then she smiles. [ Let's just go home, I have to buy Arisha her favorite dessert as I promised.]
then Rosan sighs because she knows that in a way, Irisha is much stubborn than her. She kinda lost herself in her anger after that dumb meeting. She is kinda forgotten, that Irisha is a kind of a woman that is strong enough to defend herself. Strong enough to face her problem. She is a strong-willed woman and the only thing that Rosan needs to do is just put her trust in her. Just like before back when the company's members were all against her, but now, look how many people put their trust in her.
***
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"... There is no response from the Halam Empire and Durik Kingdom about this matter."
" Seems they choose to be silent."
" There is also the possibility that they create an alliance with Jahar Empire."
"... If the war really breaks up, we are in the disadvantage situation, Your Grace." add the finance minister. "... we could not pressure people any longer. The opposition uses this as their tool to raise people's empathy."
Then the crown prince who sits down comfortably looks at the document with his terrifying cold gaze. " Since when do we consider people's opinions?" asked him without looking at them but frightening them with this pressuring pheromone.
and all of the officials are silent. They are all in a very confusing situation, as they all know about how powerful this man is, but, they also do not know how the enemy's strength is. Cutting all of the tradings to the eastern already decreasing half of their financial state and if this situation persists, this war will be a very difficult one despite how powerful their military is. Yet, how could they explain it to the man with the dragon's blood? And people here understand pretty well how inhuman they are all.
" ... Send someone to check the eastern border, investigate what are they trying to do," he said. " push the trading in the northern and southern area, execute someone that rebel against the regulation," he said, calmly.
"... As your wish, Your Grace," and they just say it in unison. While standing together when the man was going to leave the meeting hall, but, he stopped when the princess showed up.
With her beautiful platinum hair that is tied up and with her charismatic and elegant figure, she smiles while standing in the large window of this 'flying' castle, " Say, my dear brother. Can I play with those dumb people?" asked her calmly, despite how horrifying her position is and no one seems to care as it is a usual phenomenon.
" What do you mean?" asked him.
Then, with her casual pant and beautiful shirt, she holds the pillar of the window and swings herself out of the window to another one so that now she faces the opposite way. " They are yelling for their justice now," she said. Then mocked, " What injustice they are saying actually?"
The crown prince then walks to the window, where far under their castle people gather while yelling about the injustice toward themselves. The injustice about the new regulation.
"... They are all the owners of the independent companies." said the finance minister.
" Hemm." and the crown prince looks so calm despite the hectic situation under them.
" So, can I execute them?" asked the princess.
and the crown prince who seems uninterested said. " You may."
" YOUR GRACE!" and make all of the officials' panic. " Please reconsider-" but the princess already jumped to her dragon and was about to fly toward all people there. " Send someone down!" ordered the other official to his subordinate while not realizing the cold gaze from the crown prince to him, " Your Grace! Please refrain to do this, our situ-"
Brak!
And that muscular and big official is being crushed to the window's pillar as hard as it broke it. He was choked so hard despite how big their bodies difference. The crown prince with the shining golden eyes could easily make his body blued while giving him a dreadful stare. " Seems you are forgotten, who am I, right?" asked him calmly with his deep voice. While pushed him that struggling back and bent the stone pillar. " Seems you are forgotten of what is the reason we never faced war again, is not it?"
"...Fo-forgi- y- ack." and that man could not even ask for his forgiveness. While the others struggle with their breathing because of how strong the pheromone the wicked crown prince spreads now. They are all holding their chest so hard that they want to throw their lung so that the pain will go away.
Sure, they are kinda naive to think that the crown prince will be lesser wicked than the other.
Sure, they are thinking too light about the one they serve.
Sure, they are forgotten about the horrifying and the true terror of the one with the dragon's blood. Since it was hundred years ago since this empire had its last war. It was so long ago when people saw the real human weapon in the big large-scale war.
It was a long time ago when the empire was known as the sole victory.
The one that solely stood strong.
The one that could not be shaken.
So, yes... they are all become naive. As the power that strangled them is so powerful for them to even stand...
'so...then what could we do?' while they are now being shown of why the person in front of them deserves to be a tyrant. Nothing can stop him and the entire imperial family. Nothing can stop him to do as he pleases if it also kills this official,
but when the offical that being choked to his death starts to lose his consciousness, the crown prince narrowed his eyes. Let the man go who desperately fills the empty lung of his. " What?" and his pheromone that unconsciously lessens, make people then look at him in curiosity.
'what thing that interests him the most other than killing?' is what most people who was strangled by his pheromone think right now.
It is far under him, far from where he is at now. Yet, that brunette hair is too familiar for him not to recognize. The one with that strange hand's movement, the one with no voice nor sound she could hear. Seems pleading for someone's else life in his sister's hand.
He smiles a little bit, " You are not trembling now, huh?" while remembering the memories that are still vividly craved in his brain.
***