Gema had underestimated Annan.
He had thought sending money would earn the two families special treatment in Free City. In fact, Free City had already placed considerable trust in them. Members were assigned to departments according to their strengths, and the children were quickly enrolled in school. It certainly wasn't because the city was so short-staffed that most officials held several posts at once.
The two families cooperated fully with Free City's system, even handing over their secret Breathing Methods.
They had prepared for this long ago, so they had no complaints about such seemingly heretical "sharing."
It looked as though they had lost their treasured Breathing Methods. In reality, because Free City had made every Breathing Method public, their people could now choose ones better suited to them.
Even the Old Housemaster was sent to Reynaldo, and the two formed an elderly council of advisers.
The two old men had known each other in the Rikaner Kingdom and had plenty to talk about. But unlike Reynaldo, who was enjoying retirement, the Old Housemaster was restless. He wanted to accomplish something big.
"Do whatever you like. You don't need my permission," Annan said indulgently.
"Anything?"
"Uh... what did you have in mind?" Annan felt inexplicably uneasy.
"Strip those two runaway bastards of their titles as Kings of the North!"
"Wouldn't that be a little..."
The Old Housemaster glared, his beard bristling. "Are you trying to stop me?"
"No. I mean we should threaten them into coughing up some benefits first, then strip them of their titles!"
Since you've betrayed the Northern Frontier and refuse to fulfill your duties as Kings of the North, I, Annan, King of Kings of the Northern Frontier, Whatever-This-Ridiculous-Name-Is, Reeves, have no choice but to strip you of your titles...
With Gema handling affairs in the