Chapitre 13: Lance is the Object of Common Hatred

The secretary of the Council whose job was to prepare the files for weekly Council meetings never gaped his mouth for so long in his entire decade of office career. If he could grab a bag of his favourite roasted peanuts, he would do so and cross his legs to watch the unfolding drama.

"The pattern of his energy that matched the lightning strike is a matter worth investigation," General Spring's resolute voice heard next.

The lady of the South Manor had come early for this morning meeting, usually held at 9 a.m. on Tuesdays. With her usual prim and proper looks, although the rest of the Council members knew that she shed her layers of clothing easily when the other Guardians approached her, she trotted confidently to present her case.

What this secretary heard was this peerless beauty had been married to the ruler of the Northern regions, a man whose cunning reputation preceding his arrival everywhere under the Dome's skies. The secretary also heard about — checking his latest juicy gossip chat group of the Council employees — the arranged marriage between this promiscuous general and that lord.

The chat group dripping with juice couldn't stop for a moment as one of the members was also present at the wedding, constantly texting the people like reporting a live event.

It was something they couldn't get from the official news channel from the Council that kept themselves from even adding it as an evening news item, much less broadcasting the ceremony.

But, didn't the nephew of this general storm to this hall a couple of days ago, accusing the elders of dismissing the sins the lord had made in the past, one of them taking the lives of this young man's parents in a trap? Indeed, this secretary was also there to tidy up the meeting notes, but what he had seen slapped him awake. A substitute for an afternoon coffee.

So, now that the general appeared fresh and sharp with her proposal after the last campaign to patch the barrier over their heads — thank the heavens for this, the capital city would be safe again — he couldn't help but wonder how many more dramas he could watch as their relationship progressed.

"Let me get this straight. Now, you want to stay by his side, observing him only to report to us and thus, risking your very life if he knows about your spying effort?" General Oriole Hart's no-nonsense head always stripped the statement to the core truth. The secretary had seen many times that other people complained about General Hart's forwardness.

If his memory served him right, he also heard that the same general begged the elders to cancel their plan of marrying off General Spring because — he remembered someone quoting it verbatim in the depraved group chat — General Oriole Hart had known her since childhood, and she was his first lover.

Grand Elder Marion's interception was the only thing that didn't make the scene turn into something straight out of the series he watched from the streaming services.

General Oriole Hart had a sincere heart and upheld honesty; he couldn't lie to people's faces. Therefore, he always expressed his concerns immediately, devoid of preserving others' feelings. This was also his trait that flinched people away from any prolonged conversation with him.

If you were his subordinate, he would give you truthful feedback, not mincing his words. So, you had to be worthy of his praise. Otherwise, you'd only hear complaints.

If you were his superior, he wouldn't bother supporting your plans that he deemed flawed. He would point out the mistakes so you, a leader yourself, could improve.

This was the reason Grand Elder Marion shot his objection down with few words; an honest point had to be countered with another honest point. His direct mouth to be clamped shut with the plain rational reason that his vote whyattered less.

A dirty trick even from the upright elder, but this secretary knew that the only way to put General Oriole Hart in place was to present an unshakeable rule.

That was what she did at the moment.

"Understood your concern, General Hart. But, have you forgotten that you both are Guardians whose job is to ensure the safety of the Dome citizens, be it from external or internal threats?"

Her smooth, commanding voice emphasised the 'internal'. For the commoners or other officials who rarely heard the beautiful, imposing lady speak, this tone alone would raise their hackles and freeze their spines.

But for the Guardians and high-ranking officials who met her regularly in meetings, they only felt slight discomfort. Nevertheless, nobody dared challenge Grand Elder Marion's authority if she pulled this card.

"Grand Elder, I wholly agree with your point. General Hart, I know how to defend myself and act carefully. Please don't obstruct my plan."

The secretary, and he believed all the other silent watchers, lowered his head to cover his 'pffft'.

"But, if this general may ask something offensive, may I know why the Grand Elder previously didn't consider him evil, but now as an internal threat?"

The secretary's metaphorical peanut bag creaked open. It looked like he had to stay longer to type in the meeting minutes.

If there was one behaviour he observed from the elders was favouritism for the Guardians. Grand Elder Marion, however, showed impartiality towards the lineup. She married off General Spring to the alleged murderer of her foster sister, she scolded General Hart in public without constraint.

Would she publicly admonish the dainty General Spring, too?

"General Spring must have forgotten the geographical landmark of the regions under the Dome."

Okay, she started with calmness. But whether it was calm or the calm before the storm, everyone would be a witness to see in just a moment.

"Because why did the General even ask about this when Lord Hua's land in the north could provide the food security for their clans, while those granaries managed by the Department of Logistics are still scrapping their wheat and rice?"

Grand Elder Marion didn't lose her momentum, she kept charging with her next silver bullet. "Does it even occur to you that you and the rest of the Guardians' incompetence fail to overflow the rice barns?"

"Even when," she sighed before continuing, "the combined stretch of land from each of your jurisdictions surpasses his arable land by multiple, the crop production is still significantly less than his. It was only by the hundred-year-long treaty that we don't send military expeditions to acquire them into the Council supremacy."

Chiaki Spring only nodded. The secretary thought she would be punished and reflect on her audacity. But the Grand Elder said, "You must come back to him and resume your duties normally, don't raise his suspicion. The Council will plan an attack if you can find anything worth a reason to connect him with the anomalies."

~*~

Chiaki Spring returned to her manor, mind buzzing with new tasks, even those unrelated to the spying assignment from the grand elder.

Was there any other otome game with this trope where the female lead spied on the male lead, and they would end up as mortal enemies? The reverse otome? Lance Hua was also tagged in the trapping incident fifteen years ago; no way for him to clear out his name.

So, this was it. Lance Hua was evil; Chiaki had proven it by the general sentiment of the Council members. It was just that they needed his power to defeat the anomalies so the South Guardian could seal the barrier that they acted courteously to him.

Judging from the reaction from the wedding guests, it was just a skit. Chiaki sauntered to absorb the energy field that replenished her body.

Although she looked as strong as she normally was in the morning meeting, she hid the fact that her legs were one hop away from giving up.

The muscles spasmed sporadically, giving her no warning before the wavering strength travelled upwards. She could even feel her toes bend inside her boots, just like how the spasms twisted the muscles unnaturally.

Lance Hua caught sight of her as she lowered herself to the monitoring swivelling chair in the garden.

"You didn't collapse on the floor during the meeting? With that level of lightning anomaly, I'm staring at you in awe for getting back on track just one day after your almost death."

Hearing that drawling husky voice, she was poked by a flicker of irritation. She decided just to go ahead and extinguish her curiosity once and for all.

"Does Lord Hua know that Grand Elder Marion envies that you could ensure food security for the Northerners under your rule?"

Lance Hua looked at her judgingly. His calculative eyes bored right into her visage. Under his gaze, she felt like being undressed.

What did she even think, by the way, to raise such a question?

She was not to play a double agent here, her mind supplied. Path of Indifference detached her from any sort of social obligation. Her loyalty was to the Council and their people. If people under her care were vulnerable when the famine struck, it was her responsibility to learn how other capable leaders did it.

In this case, it was her husband himself. Therefore, why didn't she just shoot the question and learn from the best, right?

Lance Hua lowered his upper body until his head was about to touch hers. His stare conveyed arrogance, sneering at her machination. "I wondered how and when you cracked. For a general of your calibre, it was unsurprisingly short," Lance interrupted his sentence only to check at his holographic handheld, "within three days of interacting with me."

She still didn't understand what he meant.

"Is there any other question your boss wanted me to answer, or is it you who doesn't master the art of interrogation technique? Your path makes you as blunt as General Hart, hm?"

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