"I'm absolutely certain—that was a pack of vicious, cruel, bloodthirsty, utterly brazen pirates—"
Tuale's frenzied roar was so shrill that it made Chief of Staff Reagan's ears ache.
A dozen or so people sat scattered around the Government Hall's conference room. The magic lamps lit the luxuriously furnished room as brightly as day.
As Tuale roared, the attendees watched as if they were witnessing a poor circus act, not a single one of them showing any expression.
At the sight, Tuale was so furious he thought his heart and lungs might burst. The wound on his ear, wrapped in white gauze, had split open again.
He had sent out the notices ages ago in the name of the Governor's Residence. Everyone who needed to be notified had been. And what was the result? Not a single important figure had shown up.
The First Fleet had sent a First Mate from a Sixth-rate Ship, the Navy Department had sent a staff officer, the Extraordinary Affairs Investigation Bureau had sent a minor clerk, and the Church of Truth and Justice hadn't sent anyone at all.
Tuale knew exactly why. When the Calvinde Family had been in power, there had been plenty to go around for everyone. The Navy Department and the Investigation Bureau had practically treated this place like home.
Since the Governor's Residence had been established, nobles like the Earl of Highland hadn't even been allowed to sip the broth. The Navy Department and the Investigation Bureau had become outsiders with no privileges at all, let alone the newly stationed First Fleet. They couldn't get so much as a taste of the spoils, and even their supplies depended on the Governor's Residence.
Tuale was at his wits' end. He had advised the Second Prince to take things slowly, but the prince