Enter the arcane world of Alterra, and regale yourself with three tales in one epic story.
☆☆★ AFFAIR OF ROYALS ★☆☆
Tag along with LUCIUS as he investigates the brutal murder of the Arcerean monarch and sheds light on a conspiracy that may alter the...
A/N: This reposted chapter got bumped down by Lucius.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
MAEVE
IT HAD been days since the coronation. The request of King Alphonse to be granted dictatorial powers worried the republicans. The last time a monarch was bestowed with such authority, an unprecedented purge happened among the nobility. That was a dark moment in Arcerean history. Since then, the Senate had been cautious whenever a king would ask for the same powers.
And so, the republicans convened in their headquarters to discuss the worrying future of their country. It kept them at night. Maeve had lost some sleep on it. Even other republicans too.
"How's agrarian reform?" Maeve asked. She sat at one end of the mahogany table. She wanted to get the minor concerns out of the way first. "Have you been allowed to make some significant progress?"
Sumeria took in a deep breath. She had been appointed as the new chairperson of the committee on agrarian reform since Maeve made a deal with the monarchists. "I have arranged the papers for the transfer of land titles to some families of farmers in Ruhbach. But as expected, Victor is postponing the discussion. He's always putting agrarian reform at the bottom of the Senate's priority list."
"If that proposal becomes successful, you will get the credit," Ranald commented, nodding. "That small victory can prop us up for the upcoming elections."
"As much as I want to use my position to score some political points, the people in my province deserve to own those farmlands. It's long overdue." Sumeria clenched her fists. "Those Darschean landlords have exploited them for far too long. It's time to kick them out of Ruhbach."
"The Darschean businessmen have also controlled majority of the mining operations in Magam," shared Marthelo, a senator from the aforementioned province. "My people are still poor because those scums are sucking our tits dry. Darsche benefits more than our province from the stones and ores that we mine from the quarries in our own territory!"
Ouch. Maeve looked away. It stung to hear how the people she vowed to represent had exploited the other provinces. Her parents were businesspeople, so she was well aware of those unethical but perfectly legal practices.
"Victor will most likely reject Sumeria's proposal," said Pyter, a senator from Pach. "Darschean monarchists, who are also the big businessmen in the kingdom, expect him to protect their interest. They contribute millions of mercs to monarchist campaigns. He has two reasons to not approve it. First, to make the Darscheans happy. Second, to deny us of any move that can potentially elevate our status. A political victory for us will hurt them."
"He will have a difficult decision to make then." Maeve's lips twisted into a smirk. "If he approves, that's a score for us. If he rejects, we can make the case to the Ruhbachians that the Senate under the control of the monarchist faction do not care about them. If he delays, we can still spin the narrative to favor us."
