A Battle Unseen

[Doc]

Chancellor's Office, Downtown Kaliburg Ananto
December 30, 9:37 am

"Show him in Brad," said the Chancellor. The heavy oaken door of the office swung open, and in walked Grand Duke Craig Alvarez, closing the door quickly behind him. "You have three minutes, before Princess Mary gets here."

"What the hell is this?" he demanded, throwing a copy of the special edition of The Republic onto her desk. She looked over the headline, the whole front page, and probably several pages inside were occupied by the story of the missing Emperor and Empress.

"What am I looking at here, Craig?" she asked. She had not slept for an entire day, and was both punch drunk and groggy and was not even sure if she was actually talking to the Grand Duke at this point.

He pointed to a passage in the paper and through bleary eyes, she tried to read it. She put her reading glasses on and it still looked blurry even after she squinted. She took her glasses off and tossed them nonchalantly on the desk in disgust. "Worthless," she muttered as she pushed the button for her intercom. "Brad, am I currently at work?"

"Yes Madame," answered the intercom.

"Am I speaking with the Grand Duke right now?" she asked, only half joking.

"Yes Madame," said the voice. "Would you like your coffee now?"

"Please Brad, yes, thank you god."

She waited until her secretary brought the coffee in. She took it, thanked him, and dismissed him.

"Well?!" demanded the Grand Duke.

"Well what?" she asked and sipped the strong black coffee again.

"What's this about Princess Nicolette as regent here? This paper said you said that."

She squinted again at where he was pointing and just gave up. She was just too tired. "Ah, I say a lot of things, Dukie..."

He stepped back and examined her closely. "Are you stoned? Right now? Are you kidding me?"

She laughed. She was exhausted, and she was emotionally drained from weeping in the moments that people would leave her alone long enough to let her have a moment to cry. "Go to hell. I'm just tired, and I'm not going to go home for a few more days. So what are you talking about, please? Either say it straight or get out of my office."

"Princess Nicolette? As the regent? Are you insane?"

"That's what this is about?" She asked incredulously.

"Yeah, THAT's what this is about. Have you lost your mind? Are you sleep deprived? You said that to the press last night?"

'What? Princess Nicolette, yeah. Regent? Sounds good. I agree."

"No," he said, "I do NOT agree. The Emperor's sister has made a life out of avoiding any concept of responsibility of any kind. How can you dream that she would be suitable as regent?"

"Well, someone has to be."

"Yeah, anyone but her..." shot the Grand Duke back. "Literally anyone."

The Chancellor laughed at how upset the Grand Duke was getting. "You got someone in mind? Huh Craig? You been doing some thinking?"

The Grand Duke shrugged: "Call Lady Anantonia back here. Or Princess Mary. or..."

"Or what?" the Chancellor responded. "Or what? Oh... you mean or you."

"Well? I am the Grand Duke of Kalistan."

"And?" asked the Chancellor.

"And I am related to the Royal family..."

The Chancellor smiled, "And?"

"Well, I think I would make a damn good regent... if there is going to be one..."

Noticing an almost imperceptible pause in his speech, the Chancellor put her reading glasses on, not to see him better, but for effect. "Yeah, that's not going to happen, Craig. You have things you need to take care of in Kalistan. And an Ananto will be regent, not an Alvarez. And you know full well why that is."

The Grand Duke kept tight lipped. "No. I don't think I do."

The Chancellor fixed her gaze upon the Grand Duke. "Don't think I don't know what you and the Dukes of Kalistan discussed last night in your little secret meeting."

"I'm sure I don't know what you are talking about." said the Grand Duke.

"Oh yes you do. You may not realize things but people are willing to talk. You should be more careful who you tell what to. You never know who is listening."

The Grand Duke stammered. "Look, that was just an idea, ok? It really wasn't even a serious one. But now is the time, if we're going to make any changes, now is the time to do it."

"My, Craig. They aren't even officially dead yet," said the Chancellor, outraged. "You think you're going to come in here and talk about regime change when they might still be out there, fighting for their lives?"

"No no... we don't have to call it regime cha... hey, wait a second. You don't know what you're even talking about. Who told you we were discussing regime change? who even told you we met?"

"Well, you just did, you moron. I ought to have you clapped in chains."

The Grand Duke suddenly realized he'd been tricked. "I... look, we're just talking..." He paused. "I outrank you, you know... I am your liege, and I expect your fealty."

"My lord, Grand Duke, you outrank my county, but my Premiership outranks you and your whole Ducal council, and the law is on my side. I suggest you immediately reswear your own oath of fealty to House Ananto now, before I bring you up on charges of violating Lese Majestie and the Single Party Act." The Grand Duke was about to protest, but he saw the Chancellor was serious. He acquiesced, took a knee and said the Oath of Fealty with his head bowed.

"As an Institutionalist, I am absolutely committed to our Monarchy," said the Chancellor as he finished his Oath, "and along with that, its legitimate order of succession. And my friend, you are nowhere in that line. I hope you will remember your place, and when the time comes, you will redeclare that oath before your next Empress. And meanwhile, you are also bound, under the law and before the entire Universe, to uphold whoever I put in as Regent, which is absolutely and one hundred percent my responsibility as the leader of the Institutional Party and the Government of the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan. Is that perfectly clear?"

"Yes Madame, it is crystal clear."

"In time you will do your job and advise me, in the Name of Their Imperial Majesties. But for right now, I seriously need you to just go away. You aren't the most important person right now. The most important person is a 12 year old girl who is recovering from the flu, and who I have to go to Luxon now to inform about the possible loss of her whole god damned family. She's the only person I care about, alright? She's a REAL one. OK? Thank you. That's all." The Grand Duke stood up and backed out of the office. He secretly thanked God that he didn't have to be that person today. "Lady Donahue... if I..."

"Goodbye," she said as she dismissed him. As he turned and walked toward the door, she pressed the intercom button and said, "Brad, please allow the Princess of the Empire to enter. We need to work out what we are going to say to the Minor Princess."