Nunnally shook her head at the words that the Empress had just uttered. It seemed to her that the woman she was speaking to was not the serene, graceful Nifonese Empress that she had heard of, from the stories she had read about the Oriental monarch. Only at that moment, did the Cassadian Princess felt as if her world around her had stopped, her mind pondering over the real meaning under every sentence that was so freely and nonchalantly expressed by a woman whom Nunnally had perceived to be Royalty.
Not anymore.
How can someone be of Royal stock and have such a reprehensibly haughty disposition of her station? The Von Peacekraft queried to herself, at her conscience as she tried to make sense of what Hinata had expressed in her remarks which the young and almost gullible-looking girl found to be most distasteful.
Then it was as if a spark had been stirred within her.
The realization in that fleeting blink of a pause caused her to have an epiphany, one that shook her to the very bottom of her soul and almost shake her worldview, had it not been for the revelations that Lukov let her on from time to time when the subject of Faith, politics and their place in society was raised, one that often included the topic of her place within that very hierarchical framework - the essence of Cassadia's structure that weaved the fabric of Cassadia together, by the metaphysical power of the Orthodox Christian Faith and that of the Monarch who was divinely proclaimed by the Lord to rule over the domain of the Holy Kingdom with the power of the Crown's absolute authority from which all earthly powers derived their authority from, having been delegated with much of the Crown's legal, executive and judicial functions into such institution of governance, from administration to law and order that made Cassadia the country that it was today.
A velvet glove wrapped around the silvery hand of an iron fist.
Nunnally's mind recollected those moments past of Lukov; of hearing his occasional sermons about the meaning of believing in something and all the struggles that it entailed, against one's temporal desires and conscience or the diametrically opposing ideas coming from the principalities and powers of this World. It was the observance and adherence to this compartmentalized belief system, to the Church, the Crown, the moral commandments passed down by the Scripture which the Legatus extolled the eternal struggles against oneself and the secular and unholy forces that the world had to offer - all of which was Satan's domain. Her Bate Lukov, after all, was unimpeachable in his ironclad adherence to the values and ideals of the Legion, was he not?
Was it not in his speeches that Nunnally never really bothered to pay attention to really delve into its subtle commandments that beamed the refrain that those who engage in hypocrisy against the righteousness of the traditional values and moral commandments and worldview upon which the UCNL hedged its very existence upon, did not deserve to retain any role within the religious-monarchist organization in any capacity - ''for the UCNL would deserve to be torn asunder'' if either Lukov or the Central Command Council or the provincial and local lieutenants of the Legion that commanded the admiration and zeal of faithful Legion members, were to become negligent to tolerate those who overlooked and neglected their obligations which the tenements of the organization's holy tenants commanded them to submit without compromise or dissent.
For a Legionnaire was to be humble, honorable, an exemplary paragon of moral obedience to the UCNL's principles and those that were handed down by the Christian faith.
The UCNL over the last decade since the rise of Baron Punchev Lukov as Legatus Augusti of the UCNL would see this politico-paramilitary organization reformed into its current form which was almost unrecognizable from the bloated clay giant of Maidanov's days. A time of stagnation, of malaise that sucked the very life of the Legion by scores of grifters and opportunists that plagued the medium and low ranks of the Legion. Yet that time of easy living, double lives that went against the principles of the Legion would see the end of their careers, upon many of whom would befall a fate that had them eliminated outright, expelled in disgrace, or made to submit their honorable resignation.
It was all part of Lukov's ''ground-up'' overhaul of the Legion through a series of much-needed changes; A few of many of the Baron's reforms to the monarchist organization's structures was swift, even if heavy-handed, in regards to the restructuring of its membership rooster by a standardized formal membership process through which one was to join the UCNL as a Legionnaire by successively climbing through the ranks a three-tier membership system based on merit, skills, and loyalty to the values of the Legion.
Another radical change from the Baron was decentralizing the control of local and provincial UCNL chapters to even with the grassroots support base they cultivated instead of awaiting instructions from above. But what was most glaring was the monetary pie that was the allocation of sums to budgets to the Provincial Commands and Municipal Sections. Previously a black hole that hemorrhaged the Lukov family's multi-billion dollar fortune, private donation money, and membership fees alike. The result of petty graft and embezzlement schemes would prove to be short-lived, however, as the rise of Baron Punchev Lukov as Legatus Augusti put stop to the profligating time of easy days of those who indulged themselves on defrauding the Legion, oftentimes meeting a grizzly end for the crime to which such miscreants had been guilty.
In addition to strengthening mechanisms controlling access to the organization's funds, the only exception to the rule being that it preserved direct financing for budgets of local chapters, with many caveats such as only dispensing funds by the organization's central treasury authority pertaining only for the expenses of full-member salaries and building upkeep and maintenance costs, all the while setting up a grassroots-level oversight on whose only purpose to closely monitor the behavior of fellow Legionnaire members.
Nunnally was but a small child at the time, barely entering puberty. But even then, she remembered the fuss all around her; of Bate Lukov seizing control of the Union of Cassadian Legions after the tragic and dastardly death of his father. Yet, it was in that short time on the heels of this event when curiosity piqued her interest as she watched on TV on the news of the public humiliations of former high-ranking Legion members in high-standing, stripped of all rank and honor, their persons shouted down an angry mob often by their fellow Legionnaires who so often used to be under their command, thrown into trash containers, or absorbing some of what she heard from the muffled discussion by servant staff and in the Imperial Court, talk of ''cultish' honorable resignations.
''... If not. Then, what good is our religion, our morals, our values which hold the very fabric of our motherland together - the same principles can and must be applied for the Legion. For our organization was founded to defend those very same fundamental principles with all its might - if we cannot put our conviction to genuinely keep them close to our heart and observe them with the authenticity and reverence that they deserve. Then verily, our failure shall be as good as assured, for it would stem from these rotten and nefarious practices. Those of hypocrisy that has had so many supposed honorable men from among our ranks to actively go and sin against that which we claim to profess, often with a clear but also equally mindless conscience, that is those misdemeanors, crimes and moral transgressions for which will bring about the death knelt to our holy organization if we continue to refuse to change from these wicked ways and follow the straight and narrow path of righteousness, duty, and humility to our moral commandments, ideology and the Crown that lean upon the teachings of our unblemished Orthodox Church of Christ. This is what we have sworn to preserve not only to the best of our abilities but also with our wealth, lives, and very souls.''
It was admirable. Nunnally lauded the dedication of the man whom he saw not only as a big brother figure but also almost like that of a father.
She was conflicted, yet the guilt in her conscious weighed her down if she was not to express that in which she deeply ascribed great credence to, which the Nifonese Empress had defaced with her stray words and poisonous confession of unbelief.
''I am afraid I have no recourse but to rebuke you on this point, Ren-sama.'' Nunnally declared, in a plain almost neutrally monotonous voice. The once bubbly and talkative girl had etched into a more serious disposition, her tone stern and cold as the World Ocean itself.
''Without faith, our societies would be spiritually and morally impure. They would be hallowed out husks for which the people shall suffer the flames of hellfire if they don't submit to the Word of God.'' Nunnally sonorously said, with a grave tone and expression having stiffened into her disposition,'' In the end, the Lord shall hold us to account to which we all shall answer for, and get our dues accordingly. God knows Ren-sama, the word is wicked evil, and I must confess that I have remained ignorant of it, until recently. But alas, the World is of the Devil to rule and control through the temporal sway of wicked desires through the powers of moral and demonic principalities that control men to do evil — as has been inscribed in Scripture and the written works of the Saints.''
Nunnally continued,'' The World of Man is separate from God and has been so since Adam and Eve were banished from the Lord's Kingdom. But what men who discern to be in the world and choose to harness its power to control the minds and passions of the people and to control entire countries — what they can do; Is baptize them into the Faith and convert them over to the Lord's ways of His teachings. One that can open for the way for the nation to be closer to His Kingdom and attain salvation, even if it is at the cost of their own personal salvation.''
The Cassadian Princess tensed, gulping at the grievous gravity of what her own self was uttering in the way of the Nifonese Royal.
Was it her having a spiritual awakening? Was it because of the realization that even in the world's supposed most upstanding and moral nations who subscribed to one or another denomination of Christianity, were as authentic and genuine in their Christianity as the pagan people of Yulmata? The young girl felt mentally boxed-in at the notion, her conflict with her scrupulous conscience that screamed for the sheltered ignorance in which the princess had sequestered herself from the real world, was beginning to see making dents and cracks in the walls as a more pious voice began to emerge. One whose presence she could only feel at the palace's chapel and her receiving communion and the Eucharist.
Oh, how she was on edge of letting out her emotions and let sorrowful tears cascade her high, soft, and delicate cheeks which Bate Lukov and her older sisters alike loved to pinch when she was but a wee little lady, much to her frustrating pouty protests.
Only now did she understand the wickedly hallow personas that people placed in front of themselves for other people, the same way how one of public standing would make themselves out to be with a deceiving aura of respectability as examples of a moral paragon, a false image, be it as a front one played in front of friends or in the case of Ren-sama, in front of an entire nation - like masks of those in the plays in Ancient Greek and Yulmatan classics.
''Our stations in society which the Lord has blessed or cursed us depending on your perspective - carry heavy responsibilities and duties indeed. We have been raised in luxury all our lives, yet we are deprived of simple incremental freedoms that commoner girls and women have, unlike ourselves who are of Royal stock. I might not have been raised to be a ruler, but my sestrichka once said to me that in order for my country to advance, one has to engage in the unholy profession of intrigue, treachery that is politics.'' The princess paused, picking her next words carefully. Bate Lukov is of the same opinion. The profession of ruling and to dabble into the world of politics is to taint oneself almost irreparably with sin. But if sinning is inevitable, then it at least it should be committed with the intention to protect the country from enemies from within and without, to keep our Christian faith and identity.'' Nunnally said, further adding,'' But that doesn't mean that the Lord grant us a license to philander and sin to our heart's content because our duties deny us the happiness that commoners enjoy simply because of our duties to the nation, to be given in marriage to a person we may never really grow close to or truly love the way a wife would give herself to her husband, and he in kind to his wife.''
As she uttered her words an unending stream of conflicting thoughts played her mind, like she was at war with her own essence as a person, with her young and ignorant self who screamed to be kept in the gleaming ivory tower surrounded by tapestries of beautiful things and naively good people with good standing, even though she knew for a long while from Bate Lukov that there were many wicked people who reviled her because of what she was and represented, the Christian faith, the moral and nominally traditionalist society who kept Faith's teaching and values to truly reflect the society it portrayed itself to the world.
Nunnally stood up from her seat, on which she happened to have been seated right next to the Empress.
''Now if you excuse me Ren-sama. I have a certain matter of emergency that I need to attend to.'' Nunnally said, giving a convenient excuse for a way to be free from the company of this so-called Empress who had been introduced to, much to her displeasure, the Cassadian princess now personally unearthed for herself in her interactions with this vapid woman. Just like that, Nunnally beat tail as she hurried further away from Hinata for good, hopefully for the rest of the evening.
And as she made her way to the Shogun, there was one thought that haggled her mind like a reverberating echo that repeated itself on a loop in the inner sanctum of her mind.
What am I thinking! How could this be - am I becoming like my sister!?
''That indeed has been true as always Your Highness. It is a shame that there are rulers who are none the more naive or dare I insinuate, are even secretly contemptuous of their country's system, values, or even the significance of faith in society or in decreeing criminalization of innumerable immoralities for which society has proven itself to be so inclined to indulge itself to an unimaginable degree, especially with the excesses that our modern industrial society has made possible -- '' Lukov cut himself, knowing that it would be better to move from the topic he was steering down this conversation,'' Forgive me, Your Highness. In regards to the last part of my statement, it is something that I recalled from this book by Ted Kazinsky that I recently read, but I doubt that a most exalted august person such as yourself would be interested to read. I hope you can excuse this needless gaffe of mine. '' The Baron remarked with a dissuading tone toward the Aureumterran prince.
The Baron looked over his shoulder, towards Kojiro who had already started conversing with other guests that had chosen to show up for the dinner gala.
''I am sure I'll see you around Your Highness. But for now, I think it would be better if you introduce yourself to the Shogun.'' Lukov said to the Aureumterran Prince before rendering a light bow to the Royal and excusing himself from the Royal before setting forth across the choppy sea of people toward the table seat that had been reserved for him. With a slow walk, he swiveled around the groups, pretending to look uninterested as he honed his hearing to overhear what conversations and the topics involved were the others discussing.
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Yeah, I wanted to make my post appear cheesy and this was why I made it over- the-top, just to add a tinge of humor to it. Also, it is just a matter of time until the President hits on the Nifoneese Empress, specifically after he has finished negotiating with the Sultan. Cant wait to actually RP with you.)
