Francis Underwood's face immediately turned extremely grim. He stared at Helmut Zemo and said, word by word, "His Excellency has merely lost contact for now. This is not the time for a mere Prime Minister of the Cabinet like you to act recklessly!"
Zemo met him head-on, saying coldly, "There are currently no laws in the Duchy of Dawn regarding succession. Then may I ask, Your Excellency the Prime Minister, what gives you the right to appoint yourself regent? You just mentioned nomination, so who exactly nominated you?"
He knew perfectly well that Francis Underwood wanted to use this opportunity to completely suppress Operation Zero. Naturally, there was no way he would let Francis get his way.
"Since there is no legal heir, then I, as the person holding the highest administrative office, should temporarily assume the position. That is only natural," Francis declared proudly. "Are you suggesting that you are more qualified than I am?"
"Although the Grand Duke has temporarily lost contact, and the nation cannot be without a Supreme Leader, the obvious course is for the Grand Duke's child to serve as regent for the time being," Helmut Zemo said coldly. "That is the rule we should be following now."
"That is not democratic!" Francis growled. "Nor does it uphold the principles of fairness, justice, and freedom that the Duchy of Dawn has always embraced!"
"So I must ask you, when exactly did the Duchy of Dawn become a democracy?" Zemo retorted.
Bang! Francis Underwood slammed his palm against the table and shouted sternly, "Tang Xing and Tang Yun only turned six this year! What malicious intentions do you have in making such infants serve as regents?! Do you think you can easily control two children?"
Zemo and Francis began arguing, neither willing to yield an inch.