Judging from the old woman's public statements, she had a strong dislike for political forces backed by the Outer District. She had publicly criticized figures representing them many times, and had even clashed with them head-on.
But over the course of two decades of conflict, she had ultimately lost ground. More and more Outer District Players were entering District 001, and they were naturally estranged from the local Players. They tended to band together—not to cause trouble, but to better fight for their own rights. As this struggle continued day after day, political forces representing the Outer District also secured a foothold in the District Government.
Of course, the old woman had completely left politics several years earlier and had disappeared from public view for a time. The media stopped reporting on her, and even when they mentioned her son, Mr. Valen, they barely spared her a passing reference.
A figure like her should, by all rights, have had at least one son all but guaranteed a place in the innermost circles of politics. She shouldn't have been so thoroughly ignored. But when she stepped down as Chief Secretary, she became embroiled in a bribery case. Even though she was eventually acquitted, her reputation in the eyes of District 001's residents had already taken a severe hit. On top of that, the forces that had once supported her abandoned her completely, so few media outlets were willing to report on her.
As for why she hadn't become ammunition for her son's political opponents, it was because, although she had stepped down, not all the Players around her had died. During the two years when her son, Mr. Valen, was nearing the Council, his past was dug up and used against him. But it didn't last long before several successive "accidental