Meanwhile, in the country residence of yet another capital city rich man, who passionately desired to curry favor with Katarina, the Great Council was in session. Within its walls, the fate of the Empire was being decided — not in a global sense, of course, but for the next year or two, certainly — and more specifically, in economic terms.
However, Katarina's thoughts were far from titles, lands, and taxes. There was no one in the hall less noble than a duke, with the rarest of exceptions, but even that did not occupy her. The affairs of cattle breeders from the Green Lands worried her little, and the nasal little voice of the wrinkled clerk from the land office, droning something under his breath, dissolved into the void without reaching her consciousness.
Her entire mind was occupied by him. Or rather, by a complex dilemma. "He must be at the celebration, and it is essential... no, vitally necessary."
Her appearance alone at such a significant event would set off the most unpleasant rumors. Over time, her reputation would begin to crack at the seams, and from there, it would be a stone's throw to open whispers behind her back, or even rebellion or a palace coup.
"So what can I offer him? Threats? — Not an option. If he goes into deep defense, I won't be able to drag him out of there in time for the event. Bribe him?" — A smile flickered for a moment across her perfectly impassive face. "Oh, if only it were that simple..." — she answered herself.
"Beg him? — No." Even if he was her chosen one, she was not ready to lose face even before him. Lose something else — clothing, for example, yes. But a ruler's pride — never.
"Then I must negotiate. — The only option, but it requires jeweler's delicacy... and there's no one to consult. Oh, what am I to do?.."
Nearby, on her right hand, sat Marcus, leaning his hands on the polished table. With one eye he watched the massive floor clock, counting off unbearably slow seconds, and with the other, he watched Katarina. His report had been among the first, and his work had been approved.
So why the hell should he now have to listen to the problems of cattle breeders at the other end of the Empire? But there was nothing to be done, and he gave in to idle thoughts.
"Marimed's birthday is tomorrow. I need to stop by early and congratulate him... Just like last time... But I have to give the old man a head start; he's not young, after all, and I am a noble man. Heh... So I'll have to start hitting the bottle from noon. The only question is, with what?"
Further away sat a man in a strict, mirror-polished suit of plate armor bearing the imperial coat of arms. His face was like the steel that covered his body — impenetrable and cold. He hardly blinked, and his gleaming bald head and picturesque mustache worthily presented his stern nature. Their owner was now pondering the latest news, and even he felt sick from it.
"Hmm. Who is she so constantly concerned about?!" — Thought Commander-in-Chief Rigort, looking at Katarina's worried face. He knew the answer and even the name, but he could not believe it.
"No sooner had I left the capital for a couple of months than there's practically a new emperor already! And what kind... a damned assassin from some backwater. But never mind, I'll deal with that little devil. After all, I swore to protect this country, regardless of its desires..." — He looked at the dreamy girl... — "And everything else is just details..."
Even further away, a slightly corpulent man, a parchment scroll in his hands, gazed at the carved ceiling lamps.
"Hmm... Gray is offering a deal — the title of count in the Southern Isles, but Duke in the Alliance of Golden Rivers also sounds proud. And there's more money there... Although the Southern Isles have an undeniable advantage — they can't extradite me from there on first demand. Ah, to hell with it! I'll take both titles. I just need to pull it all off quietly."
Nearby sat the head of the city guard. Something was clearly wrong with his face; it had a sickly green tint. Fortunately, for such occasions, he carried a supply of healing elixirs, but even they were powerless against the monstrous amount of last night's drinking.
"Just don't throw up. Just don't throw up... Why did I have to try that 'Vulgar Hangover' yesterday! And besides... my head is splitting, damn it..."
One seat over from him sat another nobleman.
"Well, I'm a normal guy. So I woke up in bed with two boys. So what? I just need to figure out the situation... how it happened."
And further on, at the very end of the table, sat a man of nondescript appearance, wrapped in luxurious clothes, but you can never, ever erase a peasant from a man, and it showed through, in every movement he made. The man was clearly out of his element and, as a result, was frankly trembling.
"These idiots. They're all scaring me, to the point of shitting myself. How did I even get here? I'm just a simple janitor!" — "There's no one else. It's an order. It's just that you look a lot like the clerk from the embassy office."
"And that bastard is probably setting the brothel on fire right now!"
"Just read what's written on the piece of paper!" — "They said, but do they even know that I can't read?" — He glanced fearfully at the empress. Even he could see that she was not here, at least in spirit. "Phew... maybe I'll get lucky and the turn won't even reach me. Well, in the worst case, I won't be the only one executed."
And finally, at the very end of this wing, in the shadow of a pretentious statue, sat the leader of the Monster Hunters' Guild — Gindo. He, alone among those present, had no lands or titles, not even the smallest. They had been offered to him, and he had refused. "No need to cling to dirty earth," he had replied, consciously renouncing all of it, for the kind of work... that had so suddenly appeared on his horizon... An unknown monster, unlike any ever seen, was exactly what he was looking for.
And now, his motionless figure was enveloped by a quiet rage mingled with curiosity. His thoughts were consumed by two questions, equally important: First, "How is Saigo connected to that 'Unknown' that Mona whispered to me about?"
"And second, how is this little brat so brazenly and eagerly wasting my time?"