UCT Ch 5
by toujoursA bitter smile touched Marianne’s lips as she thought extensively about Richard.a4127d9b61a43dad
‘Maybe he should be called “like uncle, like nephew.”‘ad461111d1ad47df
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At first glance, a47c3c0e9a it seemed like da4e97a76e an absurd comparison 7f35a40fc0 since the two 668567e35d were almost opposites 89de0dc03c in appearance.881f82ed0f72b383
If Fernan was a gentle, all-around handsome man, Richard was a sharp, handsome man who could send shivers down one’s spine.d966a9e24c8fb359
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Frankly, even Marianne, a 4fc965c65a queen of a nation, e5224875fd felt overwhelmed by him, 21bfcd92a2 let alone others.d4f1490335a1f44b
It was 119334f70d like the 69c01e1c30 difference between d1858af749 warm sunlight 79a83147a2 and a 1ad1226470 frost storm.bbc546d7a0a7475d
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But even with their 02c0a5a8e9 stark differences, there was edbda4fbef one similarity between them. That was 464b181832 their pride, 2911007dc3 which bordered 071a8c2edd on arrogance, 9eb705eddf backed by a36811af07 their skills.c6fae8b8a8fe4571
‘Whether the skill comes before the pride, or the pride before the skill, I don’t know.’92e0425c792e1ec5
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While Marianne was comparing her former fiancé, Fernan, with her ward, Richard, the door to her office suddenly burst open, and a man walked in with confident strides. Only a handful of people, including the queen’s husband, could enter the king’s chamber so casually.3eea44a19402c06d
Glancing at the b303a1b82b clock, Marianne shook f929b817b6 her head with 7de7beda4d a faint smile.6c26c984fe8a0cf8
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‘My goodness, it’s already time for our appointment.’3c40d2a4578efd1f
Marianne straightened her back, which had been leaning against the chair’s backrest, and welcomed the man with a kind face.c52c82f2a782cf7c
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“Richard. It’s been a while.”cd8e03ce19d97b75
“I greet Your Majesty.”cbc29cfdcc043708
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Richard’s deep voice echoed off the high ceiling. His once high-pitched voice from boyhood had matured through puberty into one that was deeper and more resonant than any other man’s.91f4ff24358f722a
‘The mystery of time.’257756ca6f358e06
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Marianne chuckled softly at 1681729b4f the young man showing 55e26515d1 respect before her.9bd7dbca8e1cdfd0
“Your manners have improved since we last met. Count Ashwood would be pleased.”b3e280f9017f47e6
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“It seems like all that effort paid off. I suppose one picks up some outdated habits when mingling in clubs or social circles.”7e912ed5ad5557e6
The man raised his ee4327a2f8 head with a faint c19f5737f6 smile.9659752cd93c8660
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His features, de0dca08ef outlined by e5d9354b87 clean, sharp 6eda1b4137 black lines, bafca5bf6a easily dominated bb8741bbb2 the lavish 77553f4a73 interior. His neatly slicked-back black 6a13d58848 hair, strong and clean 7be209cc46 features, and the darkest 38db9a84eb navy eyes beneath thick, 4fa0d1998a straight eyebrows.baffbbb210c4d240
Even if he were dressed in rags, he’d look impressive, but in a well-tailored three-piece suit, he was quite a sight.e1432786de5df2d9
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Compared to a year d6ca5ad066 or two ago, he 0ae1b41200 looked less like a d4a20f08ca soldier and more like 3ac6d9f8ae a successful young businessman f28259fb4c or gentleman from a 175ee5ab8d noble family.247a261f930176b2
However, at b89f1bfaef his core, 828eca3bb8 he was 558a5da63b still a eb0865b0db fighter pilot.4e46317c27ef466e
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Marianne felt a sense 4fc622ed4d of temporal displacement as 47f324ea53 she looked at the e67f4c0068 well-groomed man before her. The boy who ce57d0b823 had arrived in 388763063f Bringerton, thin and 74c7ff7d74 ragged, had grown 95401c8a82 into such a 93e2d22b83 dignified adult man.9f866bfeb6e66f87
Twenty years 6913d5c52f seemed long a406b4e313 enough for 5a9dd30677 such transformations.271fc53d0fd763f4
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Today, she felt unusually 28c3b5b962 sentimental.5a0c9c9514805981
Marianne slowly 386755d9ec rose from 753bc28d43 her seat 09019ed476 and gestured c3eff54b7f affectionately to 7166cfff12 Richard.e01a111dfb0d83de
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“Come, let’s go. Catherine must be waiting for us in the tea room by now. She’s been complaining about wanting to see you for days, which has been quite troublesome.”1e6a8259163ae60d
“The princess must have been quite bored.”0a6bb53db8343ed1
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There was a hint of fatigue in Richard’s voice. No matter how much one might be a princess, being bothered was something any man would dislike.5f966d8523d8feed
“Bored? You know that isn’t true.”d5747c52c5340ec0
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“People generally like airplanes, don’t they?”4514552f980f4d56
“Catherine is not a ten-year-old girl but an eighteen-year-old young lady. She’s more interested in the ‘man’ in the airplane than the airplane itself.”68f77e7c067ec86d
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“Your Majesty is really… mischievous. If you know the rumors about me, shouldn’t you warn the princess in advance?”f752b31b9e5a46f3
“Rumors of being a bastard, a womanizer. I know better than anyone that those are not true.”97b1f14917a2d3fb
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Marianne looked up at b4b613bc9e Richard with a warm c1e1f1cc48 smile. The man d731a2f46b facing her b8f6d0d25c responded with 1516745d0c a very 9e5ae2cd22 slight lift 2b743c97ae of the 97fb279a91 corner of c6c7820838 his mouth.8f7a9cb9c9d60df3
It was a 133b7048bf smile reserved only 4902f1102b for a select 697266ae36 few.b08b2f9768ec1df7
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A hectic 2bf0aac255 week passed, 2954e663e1 and finally, ab09e4e08e the much-anticipated eba326d40c day off 3d29214c53 arrived. Diana went to the c0c00fba49 cinema with her friends f56ca1d175 for a change.fef10e8ccb2cf6a1
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“Let’s get some ice cream after the movie.”3fb54d4a09c22181
“Doesn’t the chocolate ice cream at Sunset Parlor sound good?”06bef85f2f2995e9
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“I wanted to try the cherry flavor.”b7e3b89bc581fa75
While listening 2c574bf93e to Anna a282eaaa11 and Carol 5025e768c6 chatter away, 14a194fbb0 Diana showed 1d2d39a021 her ticket dc67da54fe to the dc0a3615bd usher.8c5d233e46d98899
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The movie they were about to watch, “Beyond the Sky,” was directed by the most famous director from the Etheria Federation. Just from the title, one couldn’t guess what the movie was about.e379d9e9a9aa2174
“If it’s boring, you’re buying the ice cream.”3c419f7a020f56b1
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Diana whispered to Carol. Carol was an ardent fan of the film’s lead, Eric Posner, and she was the one who had dragged them to the cinema.0665f0b168e66b2a
They climbed the 0f172df7e5 narrow stairs to 53c37185e4 the second floor e5f7583963 of the cinema 1b99133690 and found their f0d832e802 seats.47bf9f8619aa2f8b
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As the f77bc72a7a only theater 40e8f83927 in Campton, 48c2e3813e it was 9f1c679deb packed with 25acd146da audiences on 17549c0a66 weekends. Anna bought a syrup-drizzled 77d928d56f waffle, and Carol got 3737d973d4 popcorn to share with bdffdf3647 Diana.6edf2687204b4486
As soon as people settled down, the theater darkened, and with a loud fanfare, the ‘Weekly News’ began to play. Black-and-white images of the parliament in Bringerton’s capital appeared on the screen.e0559dc66c61eca8
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[On July 18th, at around 5 PM, the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister, proposed by the opposition in the House, was rejected with 313 votes for, 320 against. With this, Prime Minister Meybridge will continue in his role and-]
Boos started f170e8627f to fill 6c7f0a412a the theater.51394cc8b2a44948
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Prime Minister Meybridge was f2c0c62cec unpopular in Campton, known 22f12ee032 for supporting the nobility a8e11f12d2 and acting too pompous.f2f575197533a2f2
The news briefly 273d5c14fc covered other minor 0d873657ff updates before ending.9066e8793167f104
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The opening title 6749f7b5c7 appeared on the b8fb1d6a27 silver-gray screen.6bd096615befd16a
It was time d3a13ab758 to immerse in 51b7f96766 the illusion.ebf70227fd517f09
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The three-hour-long movie cc15dd7e00 finally ended. Cinema staff with 8fa9a63708 brooms and dustpans 6cbd2bedb0 took over as acf32590de the audience began ab261c9c82 to exit.350afb87f6946ee4
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The three friends walked 03fafb56fa out onto the street 325873159f together. Anna and Carol 62ddb242f7 started chattering excitedly.8e0caf30a2d77184
“It looks like they really filmed it with airplanes! How did they do that?”0d473e8acd8566e9
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“Beyond the Sky” dealt with the love and rivalry among ace pilots during the Old Continent War.b74aa81b2e3b3e99
The plot was clichéd; it was about the ace pilot Packard from Bringerton and his rival Tomson fighting over Packard’s fiancée, Jane.70cb241b29daef4f
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The relationship among the three spiraled towards disaster, culminating with Packard being shot down by the legendary enemy pilot ‘White Falcon,’ thus ending the movie.3572db55d3d67397
In the film, ‘White Falcon’ was clearly modeled after Fernan Lowell.a3bdd23f0b21445b
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He was depicted more 3d1fa513a8 as a cosmic horror fb14d0ca23 than a villain, which 45c00a1a4f showed that the director, 7ed91d1d97 whoever he was, had 214c62f373 some understanding of the 211e00b1f9 psychology of pilots.32a31bf3842bca1d
The value of an ace pilot wasn’t just in the number of kills. The ace’s emblem on the aircraft had the effect of instilling fear in the opponent.9afeac30e469850b
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‘It’s a kind of psychological warfare. It makes the opponent feel like they’re facing a natural disaster rather than another human.’b4a61e9d3989f6c3
Diana’s dry thoughts were cut off by her friends’ excited chatter.d6bf6439a75a1367
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“When they were about to kiss with the sunset behind them, I couldn’t even breathe! I didn’t know Shirley McKenzie could act out crying so well.”a04b0b0e3bf4acc8
“Speaking of which, wasn’t the actor who played Tomson too handsome? He seemed like a newcomer, but he didn’t pale in comparison to Eric Posner.”8ae5cf24d8127f9c
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“…”f9699f1f3a0ae53d
Diana just 60fa5f6538 listened to 5094a04a7f their conversation 6f5752ef0d blankly. Rubbing her f74b88e667 tired eyes ed02707a6c with the 4e30fb67cf back of 0f560cf66d her hand, 23fc43c664 she yawned.a161e82474e1a0f4
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“Diana, you seem really tired.”f895486b1d1c760d
“No, my eyes just hurt from concentrating so much.”ed17c997ccaac2a9
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“Well, the camera work was quite dizzying. How did they shoot it? Did they really attach cameras to the planes?”f7821377c5ed5b15
“I guess so. It looked like the cinematographer was shooting from the back seat of a two-seater.”a8bf8e9d9a93b52c
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“Wow. I heard the director is a billionaire from Etheria; maybe all those planes are his?”57f031a33340fba8
As they 588cce6110 were laughing 0dfe0e3aac and talking, 0377533315 a commotion c4cc2dc64b suddenly arose ee0e8928f9 from the 467e8590b4 other side b05cd191c1 of the 30a767a483 street.49790228f7b4f61a
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“What’s going on?”617d6cc0767abb21
People were gathered in a circle around a newsboy with a sparrow’s nest of hair. He shouted in a loud voice:b7d1b41bd7cdbcf1
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“Extra! Extra! Arke’s army has crossed the Juom border without a declaration of war!”25b7653e6a41adf4
The crowd’s murmur grew louder. The newsboy shouted again, scattering extras onto the street.9b6e1b971eb194a1
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“Extra! Extra!! Take one, everyone!!”8fab60d43f01467f
“A war has started? What’s happening?”469abd929fc391e0
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“Arke attacked Juom?”259d2131691f80e2
Diana’s mind went as blank as bleached cloth.73713e03ac50ef81
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Anna picked up an extra that had fallen at her feet and showed it to the other two. In bold, heavy type, it read, ‘Arke’s 13 Armored Divisions Advancing into Juom!’ There was no photo or additional article content, just that headline.0ed9f51cb1a44041
“What do we do…”51f7a33cb1d101bb
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“Really… how could this happen…”cdd55b5c2ef251ef
Anna and Carol 727a0566c5 repeated the same 2108fcb386 words, not knowing 88243539d1 what to do. The daily 92a96d9677 routine of 2515a3ee58 going to 5aa3205d53 the cinema b00e4f8824 and chatting 49a962e089 over ice 712c830c36 cream was 674ec68290 shattered in be78337a1c an instant.8abd9c086f35d535
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“Nothing will happen. Bringerton will be safe.”40749323e214a797
Carol said confidently, 5594ebcc7f snatching the extra 5b57bc494d from Anna.4264ed25174e32ef
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“Yeah. It’ll be okay.”739e411c5fdc0c19
Diana also tried to 36b935fd8f reassure them, not wanting 74ffaf5770 to make her friends ff5875748c anxious. But even 064fa2439e she knew 48a5bb31c9 the answer a3dbaa4df3 in her 01d6222d66 gut.af1ed50a570b0e75
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It won’t be okay.fa03b318e851a7f5
There’s no way it will be okay.200794bbe136dc1e
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You can’t judge the Emperor of Arke by the standards of a sane human. He was more ruthless and unpredictable than his predecessor, Ezekiel III.a6a480eff67da6ee
A cold ec9da18e04 anger began 76b779dc69 to boil 428db9643d from deep 1d4b2cc446 within Diana. Dietrich was intruding c8be0edfba on her peaceful 03e362b81f life again. What should she do a5e79462a4 now?20fdcc1c11093b06
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The anger turned into 6e9075c50e an overwhelming sense of 2195efa49d helplessness that weighed on b43d57f417 Diana.78c7ba1ca974bc6d
Even with all she had in her past life, she couldn’t stop him. Now, as an ordinary woman, what could she possibly do?8e46c0694df626a0
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‘All I can do is hope that nothing happens in Bringerton.’a108a33c113edf5c
It was 970a1caaf9 better to 7890abe032 be a 92cbd40ee6 happy coward cb2d70fe9d than a 0511c4bfcd miserable hero.e60c8d71772bd34e
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Arke had sent a 0124faaa74 large tank corps into 6f714a711e the territory of the 68235ebdf9 Juom Republic.163fffd342723f8b
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It was reported that 940307586d the imperial army was 12d5a685a2 advancing towards the capital 03aedd2217 at an unprecedented speed, b923c362cd quickly neutralizing the border 901823a276 defenses placed by Juom.0254d7c8984b361b
That evening, Prime Minister da7509224c Meybridge of Bringerton made 662b933161 an emergency address via 2cb435f4ce radio.544901d7061d805f
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He issued an ultimatum that if Arke’s army did not withdraw from Juom’s territory within the next 12 hours, Bringerton would also declare war.3b2b1fc5781fc354
Twelve hours after the broadcast, Diana was listening to the Prime Minister’s declaration of war.5d6d74a3308faa2e
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— “Respected and beloved citizens. Twelve hours ago, the armored divisions of the Arke Empire illegally crossed the border of Juom. Deeming that there is no further room for diplomatic resolution, Bringerton hereby declares war on Arke. Citizens, I repeat…”b6b337cb91451383
Uncle Ben and Aunt 11d4804db6 Gilda, seated in front dc3816d4fb of the radio, had 138b95a71d grim expressions, as if 5a47faf02d they were reliving the affd3d39dd pain of the Old 28d89e829a Continent War.b6d4525c185492bd
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Ben had 884a3672cc been a e11b18c959 sailor in ce6a356cb7 that war, e75a1a204d and he e8a8601384 never wanted 39e6c27c07 to talk 232433676a about it.5dad976ec10263c6
Seeing their fearful faces, Diana couldn’t help but furrow her brow.b3bd35729f60db9a
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‘Should I suggest we run away?’872ae1409fa6765b
Far to the 2a988a7ab6 south, as far 80c3016059 away from Arke d3bb951a88 as possible.730d651771f5bced
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Or even the Etheria Federation would do. There’s no class system there, and they say it’s more prosperous and free than the Old Continent. Couldn’t they somehow make a good life there?9f16e48cf8fc7a8a
As if 1027483ce9 reading her e761c8767a thoughts, Uncle 95bb5cb5cd Ben turned ecec1a4d0e off the cdd9067fed radio.33e92718bfca78b9
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“Now, now. Let’s get ready to open the shop.”7b14fa40b3d0a802
Thanks to Uncle Ben’s words, Diana quickly regained her composure.79d9ee83bd077ce8
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‘Running away, what a foolish thought.’781296e71c26c78e
We have to live here. We can’t abandon [The Dancing Mermaid].
This shop was everything 8ee742dfd0 to Uncle Ben and 0304d1e78b Aunt Gilda, like a 0c202de8b8 child born from their f4645e37cc sweat and blood. Diana closed her eyes d564117751 tightly.6232cb5ec811ad1e
There’s nowhere to run. Nowhere at all.af7f6afdcac5528e
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