Chapter 116: Scandal
The steady chime of a distant bell broke the monotony of the secretary-general's restless dreams.
He stirred in bed before slowly rising. Beside him, his wife was already out of bed and in their large kitchen. He could already smell the enticing aroma of cooked rice and fried eggs filling the air.
"Honey," she called out in a warm and inviting tone, "breakfast is ready."
"Not now," he grumbled, slumping back against his pillow. "I can't think of food when I'm plagued with the thoughts of how I'll endure another day with that insufferable successor to lord Hiromu."
The wife's laughter punctuated the room, mingling with the scent of breakfast.
"You can't go through work forever talking ill about lord Belfort, dear," she said. "He's going to be the feudal lord of our nation one day. And you must admit, some of the changes he's implemented have proven beneficial."
"Beneficial?" he retorted, finally rising to a sitting position. "You mean to say that because of him, the country is less of a mess?" That's not an endorsement; it just speaks to the barely-functioning machinery that he refers to as governance."
"Come, eat something. You'll feel better," she suggested with a gentle concern.
"I'll feel better when I'm free from all this," he replied, pulling himself up from the bed with a reluctant groan. "One day, I'll overthrow that John and take the title of feudal lord for myself. They'll see."
"Now, hold on," she cautioned, her hands on her hips. On top of having neglected to identify their lord by his title, he even stated that he would overthrow the current lord's successor. "Are you serious? You've been saying that for months now. What makes you think it will happen?"
"I have my reasons," he snapped, his frustration clearly showing now. "More than a few trade ships have gone missing at sea under his watch. And don't forget, he lacks proper citizenship. None of this is legally binding! He's an imposter playing at lordship, and this is the biggest scandal in my country."