[RETCONNED] Tuwid na Daan

III год XI эры урдуджа
5.1960.يوليو/يوليه
15.27
Dunstog
Lamback, Makopa

"Don't you think it's strange? The name of this city."

"Why...?" Demak asked in an uninterested tone.

"It's Aleman. But we're in the Tawilisi Empire."

Demak didn't want to answer Adrian's question. With sweat dripping down on his forehead, there are more heated matters to deal with. He tried to put him off by staring blankly at the window. Watching the orderlies exit the ambulance in the mansion driveway.

Hauptsaal House is an imperial residence. A stately Aleman house. It sticks out like an ancient monolith indecipherable to the brown-skinned landscapers and the tropical gardens that surrounds it. Built by Hightonians, or Blanke Tawilisi, as a gift to their most generous host. The Kaladya, Empress of all the Tawalisi, looks past color and creeds in the loyalty of her subjects. Looking past anything these days, she would only miss the scheming foreigners who are trying to destroy everything she holds dear. She gave them a new home, they take everything away in return.

She continues to host them, such as this foul creature sitting across Demak.

Adrian tapped the cover of a document sitting neatly in the table in front of them.

"Legally, in discreet government papers, it's actually Hightonian Iteria. And this..."

He turned his head to every direction he could physically turn to. "-Das ist Dallicania. Former massive fiefdoms of the Kaladya gifted to the Hightonisch migrants. A piece of Iterien just for people like me."

A page dressed Craviterian in the imperial turquoise livery refilled the empty orange juice pitcher on the table. An impatient Adrian picked it up half-full to refill his own glass.

The smile of Adrian's face as he took a sip induced Demak to scoff. "Not for long." Demak pointed at the document. "Once this draft achieves its final form, it's not only absolute monarchy that's finished."

"It'll be a process. That's for sure." Adrian looked at his glass longingly before drinking it all in one gulp. He let out a satisfied sigh. "The Constitutional Assembly's flagship debate is the country's new name upon independence. Definitely our first priority in the founding of our new nation." He said sarcastically. "It's no surprise if your people spent the next half of this year on the new national motto."

Demak's eye twitched at Your people.

"After independence, they'll be your people too." Demak glared at Adrian. He shook his head and looked away again.

Adrian raised an eyebrow. A smirk spread throughout his lips. "Why so passive, Demak? It's almost as if you're afraid of shutting me up. Or..." He reached under the table and grabbed Demak's thigh. Demak's knees jumped in retaliation, and so did Demak now up on his feet, almost tipping over the table in the process if it wasn't for Adrian's other hand.

"Anong ginaga—!! What're you doing?!"

"Checking if you're actually here and not somewhere up in the clouds." Adrian winked.

"Walang hiya... Pfft. Don't do that again." Demak took his seat again. Eyes now wary of Adrian, who is still smiling.

"At least you're paying attention now-"

"Not for the right reasons, I'm not." Demak brushed down on his thighs. With the same force as brushing off dirt.

"ASSASSINS! ASSASSINS EVERYWHERE!"

Demak looked down at the driveway outside. The orderlies were dragging a middle-aged woman out of the mansion. She kept pushing, throwing, and kicking with all her limbs in vain attempts to escape their hold. But it wasn't her that caused the orderlies actual difficulty.

"LET GO OF MY MOTHER!! LET GO OF HER!"

"SHE'S THE EMPRESS! THE KALADYA!!"

The Crown Princess and some of the Imperial Household servants tried to help the Kaladya. Although they pushed away a lot of the doctors accompanying the Imperial Physician in securing the Empress, they were no match to the Imperial Guard—special police officers but police officers nonetheless. They're under strict instructions to ensure the institutionalization of the Empress.

"Godspeed to her. She's going to need it where she is going." Adrian said as he joined Demak in watching the dramatic scene unfolding below them.

Demak tsked. "We have so many Gods in Diwanism. I'm sure her journey will get a lot more blessings from them than your lonely Messiah."

"We do have the Holy Trinity. And you know what we Hightonisch say..."

Adrian raised three fingers. "Three's a crowd."

At this, for some strange feeling clicking in his mind, it burst out of Demak and he laughed. He raised his glass to Adrian and said, "A toast. To constitution and democracy forever."

Adrian grins. "Ah. Ah. Ah." He wagged a finger at Demak. "Konstitutionelle Monarchie und Demokratie."

Although it's probably nothing, Demak imagined he heard Adrian ending what he said with -For now.