As he hungrily devoured a turkey leg, the Prime Minister chuckled, "Nothing beats stress eating!" His companions, Saikyuu and Koukei, however, were more refined in their dining, opting to use proper manners befitting their station.
"Prime Minister, one should enjoy food properly," Saikyuu, the Prime Minister's closest ally and assistant, chided gently, swirling his glass of wine. "Savor every bite and wash it down with a great glass of wine."
"I couldn't agree more," added Koukei, the Military Officer, who sat tall and slim with shoulder-length hair and a sword at his side.
Saikyuu, a middle-aged man with slick, dark hair, a Fu Manchu mustache, and wore stylish sleek pair glasses, exuded sophistication and intelligence. Though the Prime Minister indulged in his vices, Saikyuu was the man he trusted to run the country in his stead. Saikyuu had established his own private army of assassins with the power granted to him by the Prime Minister. Some leaders might fear their right hand man having such a powerful force but not the Prime Minister. Saikyuu's loyalty is unwavering, and he would do anything to ensure the success of the Prime Minister's goals.
On the other hand, Koukei was an entirely different character. Though he wore the standard Imperial uniform with pride, he was an extremely selfish man who sought only his own benefit. Koukei smuggled Empire supplies and sold them on the black market to gain wealth. With the Prime Minister's support, he was able to slander and falsely accuse generals who dared to defy him.
"The last few days have taken their toll on me," the Prime Minister stated, his voice heavy with sarcasm. His two companions, Koukie and Saikyuu, exchanged a quick glance but said nothing. They knew the truth, that the Prime Minister's physique was too strong to be easily tired. His rotund appearance was only a deceptive facade, designed to lull his opponents into a false sense of security. For the Prime Minister is a man who is a master of the Empire's Imperial Fist fighting style. Any individual that could reach such a level are monsters in the battlefield. One of them can take out dozens if not hundreds of ordinary individuals.
Koukie looked out the window of the chamber and surveyed the multiple imperial troops doing their rounds around the palace. "And I thought it was impossible to attack the palace before, now it's even harder to do such a thing", he remarked.
"Budo is going all out," Saikyuu added as he took a sip of his wine. "Based on previous reports, it has been quite a few years since Budo personally interrogated someone."
The recent lockdown imposed by Budo's Martial law had caused quite a stir within the Capital. With Budo's troops killing revolutionary members found within the Capital itself, most ordinary civilians were on edge. Even though the majority had no ties with the revolutionary army and most of them just wanted to live their life in peace, they were still afraid of being falsely accused.
The sight of the multiple bodies hanging outside the gates of the Capital, as a result of Budo's handy work, was a gruesome reminder of the brutal consequences of rebellion. It was a powerful message to all those who dared to challenge the Empire.
"Budo is the least of my problems", Honest stated in annoyance as he chugs a large glass of wine. Besides, Budo's recent action was actually a welcome outcome. He didn't have to personally make any moves, and yet multiple rebel spies were taken out swiftly and effectively. It only proves how much Budo is loyal to the empire and how much he is willing to do to protect it.
"I say you're talking about the child emperor's health then", Koukei replied.
"Yes," Honest replied with a sigh, "it has been a few days, and the comatose Child Emperor still hasn't woken up. The imperial doctors had done their best to try and wake him up, but to no avail. The best they could do was to keep the emperor alive. They concluded that it would require a miracle to wake the emperor up. It was an answer that Budo didn't like to hear, which resulted in one doctor dying on the spot."
Saikyuu, who had been listening quietly, spoke up. "Why worry then, Prime Minister? Isn't this an opportunity?"
Honest smirked and gained a thoughtful look in his eyes, "True, multiple ideas did come to my mind. If somehow the child emperor dies, the empire, for the first time in its history, will have no direct heir in the Imperial Family. It could be very problematic in the beginning, but it is also an incredible opportunity".
"An opportunity to become Emperor", Koukei added with a smile on his face.
"Yes, but it wouldn't be that easy to do. The Empire has never faced a situation like this before. With no direct heir to the Imperial Family, multiple nobles who have married into the ruling family in the past will push forward their claim to the throne. It will be a fight for power, and the rebels will take advantage of that chaos. And we cannot forget Budo. He is loyal to the emperor, and if the emperor dies, no one knows where his loyalty will be.", Honest stated.
There was no love lost between him and Budo. Despite both being officials of the Empire, they were enemies through and through. Especially now, each time Honest visited the Emperor, Budo would stare at him with his cold and calculating eyes. Right now, Budo has slowly become a more active official, slowly using his authority when he can and backing down when he knows it can't benefit him. He is a problematic enemy in the battlefield and in the Imperial court.
But the idea of becoming Emperor was something he did think greatly about within the recent days, only that doing so would be very hard. One would have to fight multiple fronts at the same time, the nobles outside the capital and Revolutionary army beyond the borders. Such a battle could potentially ruin the entire empire completely and Honest did not want to be a ruler of a ruined nation.
It was just too problematic to deal with, but he was not also against the idea.
Right now, though, being the ruler in the shadows was still something he preferred.
"You being Emperor, now that would be a sight to see", Koukie added, breaking Honest from his thoughts.
"Anyway, did you know what I heard?", Koukei said teasingly. "I have such an interesting information".
As Koukei teased, Saikyuu grew impatient and asked him to reveal it. "Out with it, what do you know?", he demanded.
Koukei rolled his eyes and said, "Easy now, friend. I was only joking. But since you asked, I heard reports that General Hemi and General Nakaido had a private meeting with the Great General last night. It was said that whatever was discussed made Budo seethe in anger."
Honest's curiosity was piqued. "Hemi and Nakaido? Weren't they the newest generals installed into power? Do you have any information on what was discussed?"
Koukei shook his head. "Unfortunately, no. But whatever it was, I think it's a very interesting information for Budo to get mad".
Saikyuu spoke up. "I'll try to see if I can get that information for you, Prime Minister. We have our spies, and I'm sure we can find out what's going on."
"Hmmm.. You can try, but Budo, Hemi, and Nakaido would be tight-lipped about it. Instead, I need you to do something more important for me. Contact my son and tell him to immediately return to the Empire as soon as possible. His time outside the Empire will have to be cut short. He might prove useful during this time," Honest replied as he served himself more food.
Saikyuu nodded in agreement, "I will do it right away, Prime Minister."