ALTGS 27

She would not have to meet the King for another three days.

For that, she was truly grateful.

Arriving at the meeting chambers in her proper mahogany-colored dress buckled at the waist with a modest but well-polished leather strap, Celestria looked regal and powerful. But gosh was she tired. Sleeping had been hard last night, her mind uncomfortably muddled with a plethora of things.

In actuality, she did not think as deeply as she could have about what Lord had done or said the previous evening. As a demon that had never interacted with humans, she could understand the novel quality she had to him. It was not at all strange for him to naively jump to extreme conclusions either. God knows that wasn’t the first time completely mind-boggling solutions to simple problems had come from him. She was fully understanding of the fact that she was a new and shiny thing for Lord to take interest in, and she knew that she had to hold that interest he had in her for as long as she could for the sake of Fortane. Just like a developing boy would take a new interest in girls and vice versa, a growing demon would take a new interest in humans and that was all well and good.

But she would not tolerate the ridiculous idea of marriage.

For what? Just so he could hold her hand without the fear of public backlash?

Such a childish reason to play with something as dangerous and costly as marriage. It brought a vile smirk to her painted red lips. The same reasoning children used to declare that they would get married when they were adults as they played with sandcastles and swings. Marriage wasn’t something that should be flippantly decided. It was a shackle that one willingly put on themselves. And in Fortane, it was a shackle that could only be broken by death.

Damn. She had ruined her already dreadful mood.

Sighing, Celestria came to the large wooden doors of a hall thrown open, and stepped into a bustling hall full of nobles. This was what had relentlessly occupied her mind. Today was an incredibly special day.

It was time for a meeting with the nobility of Fortane to discuss the agendas that the Royal Palace had decided to focus on in the unsteady peace after Lord’s upheaval of the throne. Such meetings were regularly held to keep everyone in the know and to give the other nobles a chance to voice their concerns and opinions. Fortane was, after all, as close to a democracy as a Medieval Kingdom could get. And today, she would be a part of this gathering. A big part.

Celestria sat in the large, wooden chair before the group of men on a platform higher than them. There were some that took note of her in passing, while others obviously began to talk silently about her. Majority didn’t even seem to know that she had arrived. Or perhaps they simply didn’t care. Of course this was how it would end up being. It should have made her feel somewhat nervous, sitting before a group of supposedly accomplished men, each leaders in their own right. Yes, her stomach should have been twisting and turning. And yet, she felt nothing.

Well, it was stupid to feel nervous about something she had done many, many times before. And yet, this was her first time standing before these nobles.

The skeptical eyes that rested on her were plentiful. Almost as plentiful as the scornful ones and uncomfortable ones. After all, she sat where the King would traditionally sit in such a meeting. She had been appointed as the King’s Speaker. Because of the fear that Lord often instilled in humans, he could not personally attend such meetings. Unless there was a way to suppress that human instinct, no meeting he attended would be truly productive. So it was her duty to speak on his behalf

Really, Celestria would have been more than happy if the one to do this was a trusted demon of Lord’s. But of course, those straightforward and obtuse demons didn’t understand the difficulties such a position would put forth for her. Or maybe they didn’t care. Well, she saw the benefit of it. It would at least give the illusion that humanity was still somewhat in control if a human were to sit on that chair and talk to those men, but gosh was it going to be a pain.

A young, unmarried woman leading a meeting amongst noble men, some of which had higher ranking than hers?

Celestria nearly laughed at that.

For all that demons proclaimed about understanding stratified society, they didn’t seem to understand why putting her here was such a bad idea.

“Good morning, Gentlemen of Fortane.” She began, her voice so loud and crisp that many of the nobles stopped talking and turned to her. “Today, we will begin discussing what our merciful King has decided to focus on for the future of our great country. We have several new projects on the agenda, and our benevolent King wishes the house to have a fruitful discussion.” Even though it was inevitable that she would speak, the nobles were still shocked at the natural clarity and power Celestria spoke with and carried about her. This had not been the image that she had had in public. Back then, she had played the part of a relatively well-behaved lady. Quiet, demure and sweet. So their stares—party in amazement, and partly scandalized—were justified.

The first thing on the agenda was soothing any possibility of unrest within the kingdom’s public. This was something that everyone agreed upon, and thus something that everyone was capable of engaging with as little attitude as possible. Celestria had scribes to take down everything said in this meeting, for Lord would read everything and make decisions based on their discussions. For the issue of maintaining peace amongst the common man, it was agreed that Celestria and a few other noble daughters would continue that little publicity stunt she pulled earlier. They would be called the Lily Maidens of Fortane, and would be used to cultivate positive public opinion of the new King. That matter was discussed quickly and fruitfully.

But the next topic would meet resistance. It was not something that Celestria did not expect.

“The next item on our agenda is opening several stations around the kingdom with the purpose of treating the many common ailments of the masses. This in part ties to cultivating a good opinion about our Gracious King. We will begin first by setting up a small number here in the capital and monitor the results that follow, which will inform our venture into a kingdom-wide system.”

Immediately, someone spoke.

“To treat the common masses? Seeing a doctor already costs much more than a peasant can afford! How can you expect them to be able to pay?”

“This will be a free public service that anyone will be able to use.”

A stunning silence befell the hall.

“Lady Voltaine. Do you understand the monetary backing such a project would require?” A questioning voice rang out.

Ah, and there it was.

The condescension Celestria had been waiting for.

“Not at all, Lord Guishire. I put this in the agenda haphazardly without even a thought spared to the logistics or budget such a project would need.” Celestria’s reply was immediate. Her sharp yellow eyes rested on the man that had so foolishly asked this. Threading her fingers together and planting her elbows firmly onto the table before her, she stared right at him.

Right in the eyes.

It was considered improper for a lady to stare at a man that was not her friend or family member so blatantly in the face. Yes, many even went so far as to consider it rude. But of course, Celestria knew this.

He squirmed very slightly in discomfort as he seemed to shrink just a bit. “Now, as of recent, a unique demon has luckily decided to work for the Palace. He is able to synthesize... medicines that could prove useful to the common people. The only thing he needs to be able to do is to observe and study the ailment, and he will be able to work something out. Hiring apothecaries and herbalists will ensure that his treatments will either be able to be reproduced by human hands if possible, or will help him understand complex diseases better. That is where a lot of the funds will go to, next to the amounts needed to set up the actual physical locations.”

Another uncomfortable silence. Then a tall man with a peculiarly dislikeable face stood. He had long brown hair that haughtily curled at his shoulders, and eyebrows that gave him a permanent look of contempt. “Forgive me for this question, Lady Voltaine. But why should we expend such obviously valuable resources to commoners? Something as advantageous as that should be used first and foremost for the nobility that keep this country stable. It would be an incredible edge above many other countries as well. As far as I know, such an ability hasn’t been discovered and used in any other kingdom. I find that this is a grievous misplacement of resources.”

Celestria kept her blank yet steady gaze on this new contender. Really, she should not be looking at him as such. They were all supposed to be gathered here to discuss and improve upon ideas and policies for the good of the Kingdom. They were supposed to be comrades who worked together to secure a better future for their country, and she should have been able to trust that his criticism came from a good place. Sadly, Celestria knew full well that that was the ideal situation. The reality was that the nobles sitting before her were human. Humans with varied morality, and thinly veiled desires and petty intentions. She could see it in this man’s eyes. In the way he stood proudly, with that light tilt of his head. In a way, Celestria pitied him and all that thought like him. Hoarding resources that could make everyone’s lives better was something she wasn’t exactly partial to, and she couldn’t fully understand why others would consider it in the first place.

“I believe this is the first time I have ever spoken to you, Marquis of Delimare. Isn’t that so?” Celestria asked, her tone much softer than it previously was. The Marquis’ brow twitched.

“I believe it is, Lady Voltaine.”

“And yet I would know exactly who you were based on the fashionable choices you make. I have heard from so many, praising you for dressing tastefully. Look at your stylish jacket. I am quite a distance away, and yet I can clearly see the fine gold embroidery shimmering from even your cuffs.”

This caught him off-guard for a second, but it was only for a second. After all, no noble could resist such praise. Very soon, his chest had puffed, and he had a proud look on that foolish face of his.

“This is not the proper place to be commenting on one’s sensibilities, Lady Voltaine. Although I am grateful for the compliments.”

“Yes, you’re right. However, you misunderstand. My intention was never to praise how tasteful your senses were. This is, after all, not the place we should discuss how fine the embroidery of your coat is. It is the place we discuss how best to serve the skillful commoners that did that impossibly intricate embroidery for you.”

The Marquis looked like as if someone had shut a door right at his face. His eyes were large and scandalized, having realized what it was Celestria had been meaning in her compliments.

“That commoner as of now is no doubt struggling to feed her family, torn between raising her children and working on garment pieces for nobility to enjoy. Each piece takes an incredible amount of time to conceptualize, design, and finally create. It takes a huge amount of energy and stress, but judging from how excellently executed it is, she is hard-working and professional. Now, if we lived in an ideal world, this constant cycle of stress and work and worry would not impact her health at all. She would work effortlessly until god knows when.

But this isn’t an ideal world. The stress incurred from both her work and private life will pile up higher and higher, and weaken her to disease. She will fall sick, and despite all that hard work she has done, she will not have enough money to seek help from the expensive doctors that could help her. She will waste away, and eventually die a premature death. And why? All because...” Celestria leaned in, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly. “Her lords weren’t sympathetic enough to see the difficulties of her life.”

Marquis Delimare stared at her completely blankly. Like as if someone had viciously slapped him across the face at a peaceful gathering. Celestria sat back, folding her hands on the desk before her. She turned to look at another man who peacefully sat a few seats away from the Marquis. He was not going to participate in this discussion, of that she was sure. But he was the most suitable one to use.

“Lord Goshel. I heard that your lands did exceptionally well in this year’s harvest. Your grain is healthy and your fruits are currently in the process of drying and pickling. No doubt you’ve got superb profit to show. But winter is upon us. The farmers that are working to prepare your profits will expose themselves to unfavorable conditions, and consequently to disease as well. Many may catch the chill, especially with how many hands will be needed to prepare your large harvest adequately. Their Lord will reap the profits of their labor and suffering, and yet he will not spare any understanding for an initiative that could possibly save them from death’s door should they need it?”

Goshel’s face folded in discomfort at having been called out personally, but he did not object. Anyone who would object would no doubt have their callous words recorded and seen by their new King. This was something that Celestria knew and decided to use and abuse. Being gentle and kind never got anyone anywhere. In such situations, the only thing it got you was dead.

“All of your here, like it or not, profit off of others’ hard work. I do so as well. But the biggest mistake we can make as nobility is to assume that those lives are not valuable or worth our attention and care. We all know very well of the great pestilence that befell our lands one hundred and two years ago. How when the common people fell from hunger and disease, the noble houses felt that impact just as strongly. The death and despair that every single person, regardless of class or creed or gender felt. Have we not learned from that experience? If there is a way to prevent something like this from ever happening again, I struggle to comprehend why anyone would seek to keep it from reoccurring.”

The room stared at Celestria silently. Wether this was good or not, she did not know. It was all pointless in her eyes, after all. Nobles were not the pleasant kind of people many thought they were. Most of them, at least. They were exceptionally entitled, and lacked empathy for anyone that was not them or their family. Her little speech probably did very little to rouse a modicum of sympathy for the common people. But that was fine. That had not been her intention anyway. All she needed to do was set the precedent. She was powerful. She was not weak. Nobody would be able to walk all over her. That itself was more than enough.

Satisfied with the results of her words, Celestria opened her mouth, prepared to move on with their agenda, but someone new rose from the group.

A man in a navy blue suit. The coat fell to his knees, minimally decorated with silver lining and plain buttons. The dress shirt underneath was pressed and neat, a sky blue cravat tied at the neck. He had the disciplined posture of a soldier with his hands firmly clasped behind his back, and when Celestria saw his face, she had no doubts he was one. Piercing grey eyes, a firmly set mouth, and strong jaw. His face was severe, almost reflecting the harshness of battle on its very planes. His dark hair was neatly pulled back, and she could see that it was graying at the sides. The beard he wore was neatly trimmed and kept, hairs graying slowly at each side of his jaw.

“Duke Enteford.” Celestria nearly gasped.

She had not expected this elusive Duke to attend this meeting. Nobody ever did. After all, it had been years since the militaristic man had shown his face in any social gathering. He was always off at some border, fighting battle after battle after battle. A Warprince was what they called him. And yet, here he stood. Imposing and undeniably authoritative. Oh gosh... if he were to oppose me here... would I be able to recover? Celestria’s mind snapped from the place of awe and surprise it had unconsciously fallen into and turned to one of worry.

The only remaining Duke, and the one with the most experienced army amongst the nobles. Duke Enteford had not been present at the banquet that had resulted in the previous King’s death, but it did not mean his sentiment would not be the same as the other five Dukes that were now dead. They had marched on against Lord, and had been crushed in a single night. Piles and piles of bodies. Blood everywhere. What reason did he have not to contest her opinions and rally the support of nobles that were quietly seething with dissatisfaction? Rally them, fan their flames, and have them plot a coup? It was chillingly possible. No... I don’t want any more people to die. Please... please just quietly endure this like all of us are doing.

“Lady Voltaine. I am surprised by the sense someone as young as you displays.” His voice was calm and low, deep and rich.

What?

Celestria stared at him for a moment in complete shock. What had he just said?

“It’s common sense. Nobles are obliged to care for those that are less fortunate. We are expected to uphold the spirit of charity and goodwill at every chance. We are also expected to care for our serfs and subjects because they place their effort and trust in us to protect them and their wellbeing. I’m shocked that this is something being questioned.”

Everyone’s eyes were on the Duke now. A man that hardly ever attended any gathering, and barely spoke beyond greetings when he did. Now he spoke of noblesse oblige?

“The House of Enteford pledges their full support in this healthcare program put forward by the Palace through Lady Voltaine. Anyone with enough sense to know that he cannot stand alone and unaided in human society would do the same.”