Public Speech

The morning mist hung low over Weissenburg City, like a milky-white veil.

Thin wisps of smoke rose from the chimneys, only to be swallowed by the fog and blend into a deeper gray-white.

The sound of wheels echoed through the streets. The whole city was gradually waking up.

In the bedroom, Frederick stared at the familiar ceiling and pulled the covers over himself.

Maria had been persuaded on the matter of an heir by her mother and godfather, who had approached it from a political angle. They planned for her to get pregnant in January and give birth by the end of the year.

So, as soon as Frederick returned from Mushroom Village last night, he had been pulled into the bedroom.

Frederick got up, washed, and headed to the training ground of the estate's rear guard company in leather trousers and a short-sleeved shirt.

The guards were doing their morning exercises. Frederick sparred with them, worked up a sweat, then enjoyed a relaxing soak in the bath.

The radio receiver in the bathroom was broadcasting the morning news. Winter rat-control campaigns were underway throughout the region: people were clearing corners and filling rat holes in buildings, laying poison in sewers, and fumigating rat holes in the fields.

With his eyes closed, Frederick thought, Rats in cities and farmland are easy enough to deal with. The rats in the country are another matter.

Political maneuvering wasn't as complicated as it was in plays and novels. The more twists and turns there were, the more openings they created. Those who actually got things done usually seized on an opponent's exposed weakness and struck hard.

There was plenty to do now, but he couldn't let the other side catch wind of it and become wary.

A document was brought to Frederick. At