"I think we need to reduce the prisoners' food, we give them too much to make it sufferable at any level." The woman sitting on white clothes on the table, jotting down numbers with her pen.
"Ever since I was a kid, Sir Frey used to put in charge of distributing food to injured soldiers and the people who were thrown out for supporting the movement. I learned a lot about making hard decisions then, but seems I also became soft at giving everyone a piece of the pie." Yuuka stared at another bunch of papers on the other side of the table.
The room was lit by the sunlight coming from the window, the silver dye on the black hair was giving a gleaming shine. And, inside the two people did their paperwork with small talks here and there.
"Fighting a war is hard and painful, but nothing makes me feel weaker than this paperwork I have been trapped in for the last few months."
"The paperwork is much more hellish than people think, it can make a human unsufferable, weak and close to losing control, hope the future will have something better than this. Also, why don't you hire some people to do this work for you, you're sitting on the king's throne right now."
"I can't any people here, Axum's spies are hiding throughout my ranks, if I make a slip-up and give one important decision into the hands of others, I might just lose. Milize's state tells me that."
"Giving our trading minister the advice to do trade most our supplies when after doing an attack on the border after maintaining a hard neutral ground was certainly good. Your spy hid really well."
The crackle of the chains came to the ears, of both of them when Anju tried to move her legs.
"The shackles on your leg are tight, don't move too much or the walls behind will fall on you."
Anju stayed doing her work with a cold face, "I don't think I will do anything sitting inside the prison deciding the rations for each prisoner and deciding whether a prisoner deserves a new issue of clothes."
"You will be washing the clothes of the female prisoners for the next tasks. You will have to work your way up to me, Anju. You have a sharp tongue on less, but your sister is a far better resource on the battlefield and discussion table." Yuuka dropped his pen and bundled his papers together.
"There you go again with-"
"I think you forget quite often that, you lost your kingdom to the person you are talking to. You have chosen to work for me while conspiring against your sister first, and now your people who fighting to get you out of my grasp. Read this."
Yuuka searched his finger through the paper bundle and brought out a single paper which he threw at Anju, who looked at him with suspicious eyes and caught the paper in her hands.
She began to read it carefully, reading past all the lines and looked at Yuuka with stunned eyes.
"You are planning to kill them! What would happen to their families?"
"I offered them to surrender multiple times, but they figured we were lying. All they wanted was Milize, you and some other minister to be released from prison, possibly I refused that from happening, and the worst thing happening was then getting Shin out of there."
"!!!"
Yuuka slightly bit his tongue when he said that, Anju looked at him with a small smile.
"Well, I thought you knew everything about what's happening around you. Seems things have slipped from your hands too. So, did the rebels intercept the ride you hiding you used to bring him here?"
"I don't need to tell you. Besides, That person is hiding well within their shadows, and their attacks don't let me sleep properly knowing my soldiers are dying without any need. So, this how it will go this order will reach the soldiers and Shin and his rebels get killed... or"
"...."
"I might just have to throw some people out of the kingdom, and kill some for treason."
"Throwing them off the kingdom seems a far better option than killing someone...."
Anju knew she realized that Yuuka wasn't about to throw the rebels from the kingdom, "You are throwing and killing the family members of the rebels who are fighting?!"
"You realized it pretty late, that lack of experience. You'll need to see what happens at the lower level to know what needs to happen at the higher level. Being the sister of the queen doesn't get you anywhere. "
Anju answered the insult with a cold stare of anger. The shackles rang louder and more violently, and the wall behind began shaking.
"This is your first test Anju under me, as a person. You have a chance to save these people, so you plan to save them or let me have my way.
"I know, Milize wouldn't let this happen, she would tear that page right off and write a letter to rebels asking them to surrender and accept as they should after a battle and not hide under the shade of trees inside forests. Would you do that, can you help me avoid bloodshed and unnecessary harm?"
"Why don't you go and ask Milize if already know her response. Go to her."
"Your sister wasn't the one who decided to defect to my side after a series of negotiations and I don't want your sister to sign it, you will have to answer me because I ordered you to do it. You have 2 days to answer and I guarantee that Shin will hanged if they surrender."
He got from the chair and left looking at Anju's face one more time.
"Wipe that arrogance off your face, Anju. Start writing about every contribution you made to this battle, I would love to read the paper with keen interest, and also write a paper on why it is justified for you to become second in command to your sister and nobody else? Read that one yourself."
Saying this as the parting words Yuuka closed the door.
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