I didn't get any more sleep that night but I also didn't have an assassin barge into my room in the depth of night either. A win still.
The moment the sun rose I went on to properly clean myself…by myself. I'd no doubt been cleaned by some nurse the past two weeks, it felt right to have control and privacy again. Once I'd finished up with my grooming, I prepped the ruthless appetite I'd developed to be satiated. I'd already sent a message to the kitchen to begin preparing my meal while I was in the bathroom, I didn't want to wait any longer to come down on a fat piece of chicken.
Although I could have demanded a meal at any time during the night as well as taken a bath without having the sun come up. I was admittedly quite paranoid about what I'd been shown by the…information bank?- I really needed a new name for it- despite having the power to paralyze any aspiring assassin, I still wasn't entirely sure of myself. There still stood a chance I'd become schizophrenic and couldn't differentiate reality from my active imaginations.
Perhaps I wasn't really endowed with powers from an extradimensional being and I'd just slipped into a catatonic state, dreaming up stories to keep me relatively sane.
It scared me that I never could be sure of what is and what was.
If I wasn't able to kill a man with my thoughts then I'd rather not draw an assassin to my unsuspecting, innocent employees just because I wanted a meal. Nothing made much sense anymore, I'd rather not risk the lives of others on my potential insanity.
Morning fill of mild existentialism aside, breakfast was amazing but the newspaper's seemed to only serve the singular purpose of ruining moods.
On the paper, I read much about the temporarily instituted 'Council of Chiefs' made up of my most trusted advisors and the most qualified ministers of the cabinet. As always, the article was written by Miss Leriva. From what I could deduce she'd come to get that media house I promised and most likely wrung it out of Matthias' hands.
Such an ambitious cat she was. Not even waiting for my presence before taking. I'd cry her insensitive seeing as she'd gotten the company while I was in a coma, but chances are such information wasn't released to her.
So far she'd done well with the company as I'd seen. Renamed the company from the stiff and patriotic governmental name it had to 'Lynx Media' Strange, we had no lynxes here in Schelar.
I shrugged and went on reading about this 'Council of Chiefs' It seemed relatively new, announced officially merely four days ago, alongside the news of my coma. Many questioned why and the inauguration of the 'Young Prince' -as Miss Leriva put- hadn't been held and much unrest soon begun with the internet going wild with conspiracies and reporters picking them up as valid news like dollars off the streets.
"How did the people take this news, Lazafeno?" I asked the man serving me, he looked shocked that I knew his name, visibly looking for confirmation that it was indeed he, I spoke too.
I nod with a smile urging him to come to my side and see what I spoke of. The information bank…the thought bubble machine? Argh.
It had its limitations. It could tell me what the man's name was no problem, but it couldn't tell me anything more about what was written in the newspaper aside from what I'd already read.
Lazafeno smiles nervously as he begins to reiterate what the reactions he and his colleagues had taken to the breaking of the news, "Well, uhm, Sir, we weren't really sure what to think. We were told that you'd fallen ill but we held out much hope that you would regain your health and…lead us. But the Secretary and the general, they suddenly announced a change and we were…frightened…"
I raise an eyebrow at this, "Frighten for your jobs?"
"Ah, frightened that they had a hand in your illness and were seeking to usurp you, Sir…"
It was very obvious the politically inclined conversation was getting him nervous. Citizens like himself much rather focus on securing a living rather than recognize any faction. His subtle declaration of loyalty might as well be a plead for mercy, I didn't think much of it.
I smile and set the paper down, grabbing a napkin I wipe my lips clean of whatever crumbs may have settled, "Why thank you, Lazafeno. Tell the kitchen the meal was fantastic. And your colleagues that I am much healthier now."
The man held his nervous smile as he bowed to me as I left the table.
A lot had indeed happened in the two weeks I'd found myself unconscious thanks to that being, and I wasn't going to get answers from one of the kitchen hands. It's about time I met this Council of Chiefs
***
It didn't take long for me to arrive at my office. There I was met by Mireille, once more in her usual seductive clothing, no doubt she had faith in my recovery.
I accepted her peppy greetings and immediately asked her to summon Matthias.
"Actually Sir, Matthias and the Marshal are waiting for you in your office. They've been in there since the sun rose up."
Huh. Looks like I wasn't the only one constrained by the rising of the sun. I thanked her for the help and had her schedule a meeting with Miss Leriva. "I may be a while so when she arrives be sure to give her some refreshments."
With that I walked into my office to meet Luciano and Matthias, as expected, they were squabbling.
"What are you two giggling about this time?" I asked. At my arrival, they both shot up from their seats at the couch and greeted.
"Ah, it's nothing Hasina." Matthias dismisses
"No it's nothing," Luciano says completely outraged at Matthias that he would lie so blatantly, "Matthias here is attempting to turn us into a democracy, sir."
I almost chuckle at his tone, it felt and sounded like Luciano was tattling on Matthias to the big bad class teacher, or in this case, President.
"Ah, I see, does this perhaps have anything to do with the council of chiefs I read about in the newspaper?" I ask, taking my seat and getting my desk in order for the days work, whatever that might be at this point.
I gesture to them to have their seats in front of me, as they do I continue my point of inquire, "It's the first I've heard of such. Matthias, was this your idea? I fall into a simple coma and you jump at western ideologies?"
Matthias looked at me like he couldn't believe a thing I'd said, "A simple coma, my word, Hasina, you were gone for two weeks with all the doctors dumbfounded by what had really happened to you. And I am not trying to turn us into anything, Luciano is simply reading too much into things."
"And what things are those? Ehn? Matthias, let him know now what you've delegated."
"Oh for the love of- A single man cannot decide everything, we needed experts and many other hands, decentralization is a good thing and decision making by way of popular vote isn't too terrible."
"Popular vote?" what was the meaning of this? "What did you do Matthias? Explain to me clearly."
Matthias goes on to explain to me that as per his constitutional right as the next in line as commander-in-chief, he'd taken the liberty of implementing a cabinet, not too dissimilar to the one my father had back when he still reigned the country, except his, was full of men of military, relatives that were now dead and not many of the ministers were qualified to hold control of the several ministries they did.
Matthias had gone on to empower a much more qualified cabinet of ministers according to their expertise in the ministries they presided over. He spoke of how he thought I wanted a clean and controlled economy. This was true. A cabinet with actual qualified men and women in charge of ministries would work many wonders for crafting the self-sustaining nation I had in mind to build.
Although, it seemed he'd given them the notion that they were equal in right and power to Matthias and Luciano, that they were building and oligarchy. All this begun when he asked for a joint decision on what foreign policy to set with the two nations they'd finally come in contact with; Russia and Madagascar.
And now with news of my recovery and with them in control of most sectors of the country, there could be a civil war brewing.
"Matthias…you fuc-"