Kind old ladies
Sunlight spilled gently in the glass atrium, It was afternoon and light seemed to bathe the place in some sort of golden glow, lulling others to sleep. But today wasn't a moment of rest, for something exciting was happening in the atrium.
"Your Highness, I understand your boredom, but should you start this now?" Robert asked, face full of anxiety while glancing nervously at the calm figure, trying to keep up.
Choi Han walked on, seemingly intent on ignoring him. 'His Highness' wore a white jumpsuit, wellington boots(apparently they had some in this world) and his thick white gloves clutched a brown bag.
They reached the bustling atrium soon enough. Choi Han turned to Mary. "Did you bring the stuff?" his usual stern voice, strict face coupled with clothes specific to gardeners, nearly shocked Mary half to death.
"Your Highness!" She started, but quickly stopped herself. Who has she to treat His Highness De Fulgur like her son? 'You absolutely must not criticize His Highness' decisions'. She chastised.
Choi Han only ignored her and fixed his gaze on a rather inconspicuous girl hiding behind Mary. "Bring it". He ordered.
Choi Han was never good with kids, his older sisters always used to say he looked like a divorced old man next door who terrorizes kids for a living. And Choi Han never failed to block them right then and there, though it only lasted 2 weeks at most.
The girl flinched, and with a face full of silent tears, handed him a bucket. Choi Han stared condescendingly at its silver coating and peered inside, 'Bag of soil, seeds, gardening tools...all here'. A hint of satisfaction surfaced in his dark eyes and disappeared just as discreetly as it came.
Choi Han stepped on the soil lightly, burying the tiny seeds deeper in the dirt. A deep, booming voice projected from a sizeable pearl on the side table a few steps away from the patch of land. "For this kingdom will reign supreme under my reign, we shall purge those vile disgusting demons and deliver justice- PRO IUSTITIA!".
Shouts of this fashion echoed off the grey walls. It's not really like Choi Han enjoyed the King's righteous spiel, on the contrary, the sound of his self-assured speech grated his ears, but that was that, he suffered no other emotional fluctuations.
"Your Highness, I apologize for questioning your decision, but, why rudbeckia flowers"
Choi Han answered patiently. "Rudbeckia flowers symbolize justice and are Kingdom's unofficial crown flowers, as it is nearing His Holy Majesty De Tempestas' birth date, these flowers are here to wish His Majesty a flourishing reign as they would bloom on that holy date".
"Ah!, so is that why Your Highness asked for recording pearls of His Holy Majesty, to honour him and motivate yourself? Your Highness really respects His Holy Majesty". Robert marveled.
"Hm, sure". Back in his previous life, Choi Han was well-known for pulling stuff out of his ass, you would vaguely feel that something was wrong, but you would never know what due to his ever-present cold attitude and inexpressive face, only to realise you'd been tricked later on(that is, if your lucky enough). He'd garnered a decent amount of enemies that way.
Four days ago, while flipping through Soihan's dairy, he noticed a piece of paper stuck on the last page, 'Susan'. He at first thought it was some girl's name, then he realised he was referring to Black-eyed Susans and how his only wish was to see them bloom. Choi Han wasn't a heartless person(subjectively) and also liked the cherry brandy variety of them, so decided to honour that last wish of his.
"Harriet, water the soil thoroughly, I need to take a break" After this, he upped and left.
Choi Han reached his room and went straight for the bath. It was a gold-gilded Victorian-style bathtub with milky white water and strewn Purinian flower petals. How lavish.
Choi Han soaked in the bath, seemingly languid and lazy but his mind was sharply clear.
He compiled all the information he got from the recording pearl, after all, he didn't torture himself for nothing. '4 Great Wars, 11 civil wars, and 9 religious wars, how energetic' Choi Han commented blandly.
'Though they've been on the peaceful side recently, tensions have risen between The Holy Kingdom of Hirta and The Purinian Empire with the main fuel being His Holy Majesty De Tempestas of Hirta and Her Majesty The Empress Tou Chalazioú of Purinia. Still, it was to be expected, their reign is so different.'
The Kingdom of Hirta is close-minded and obstinate, always sticking to its ideals, normalising racism, xenophobia, homophobia, etc, and all in all, a bunch of extremist nationalists.
But the Purinian Empire is the complete opposite, it's open-minded and full of many different people of varying genders and identities, however, it is precisely because of this carefreeness that their politics are so hard to navigate. With so many crouching dragons and hidden dragons, it's easy to get fooled, everyone has a personal vendetta against someone, and there are, on average, 2,000 people lost to assassinations each year. 'A dangerous empire to live in, so surely it must be unpopular', but its rising population says otherwise.
Choi Han dressed himself in a plain shirt and trousers. He started heading to the atrium for tea. "Your Highness!, the Imperial Guards, they're here" Mary ran franticly to Choi Han whose face twitched minutely in response. "Are they here yet?"
"They're in the hall" Mary replied, panting and desperately trying to remember the proper etiquette to greet the Imperial Guards. "Escort me there" Choi Han's cool voice helped calm her down. "Yes, Your Highness".
When they reached there, they were met with a buff, friendly-looking lady who seemed to be in her late 40s and a short man with a disapproving scowl fixed on his face.
"Your Highness" The lady greeted. "Imperial Commander Greta and-" He started stiffly. A smile appeared on Greta's face. When inexpressive, she looked forgettable, but when she smiled, she looked amiable and good-natured in a unique way that gave the witness a warm feeling. Choi Han stared at her brown hair and eyes in slight envy.
"And Vice Imperial Commander Julius, please sit".
Greta grinned "Your Highness is too kind".
The Crisis,
And... done! this took way too long 🙃
