Tears Of Cinderella

Chapter 27 - Life goes on

"Your Highness, you have a meeting today with the Duchy Council of Asphodel at 2:00 pm."

Mariing tinitigan ni Gareth ang kanyang Executive Secretary. "Who arranged that one?"

Napaurong ito sa tono ng pananalita niya. He had heard of the rumors before he took in this job. Apparently, the mayors and other local officials of Asphodel didn't know the word respect. Ang mga ito raw ang nagdidigta sa pinalitan niyang Viceroy kung paano patakbuhin ang lugar. And judging by the stats, they were not doing a good job.

The economic rate of the duchy had gone down in the past ten years. The only thing that this duchy was actually profiting from was their fisheries. Taon-taon may humigit kumulang dalawang milyong toneladang isda ang inaangkat nila sa mga karatig na duchy. This actually boiled down to a very serious case of mismanagement.

Recent study showed that Asphodel had many mineral resources like diatomite and sulphur. Isa ito sa mga una niyang pagtutuunan ng pansin. It was highly unusual for a very cold place like Asphodel to have enormous deposits of Sulphur. It will be only be possible if the whole duchy was sitting on highly viscous molten rocks. If his thoughts were right, then the duchy was actually looking forward tapping an enormous resource of geothermal energy which could potentially increase the renewable energy of the duchy. It looked like he had to dispatch an excavation team the soonest to prove his theory.

"Do I need to repeat myself? Who set this meeting?"

His Executive Secretary was now trembling. Ngunit nanatili pa rin itong tahimik.

"Then, I guess I have to find out myself."

Tumayo siya mula sa kinauupuan. Mabilis niyang tinahak ang meeting room.

He quickly opened the door only to be astonished by the scene in front of him.

The mayors from forty eight districts were already there. Apparently, the meeting had started without him.

Nagtagis ang kanyang bagang sa naabutan. There was an old man standing at the pedestal. He was presiding the meeting and talking about things that he knew were nothing more than bull shits.

Napansin nito ang kanyang presensysa.

"Ah... The young prince was already here. Have a seat your highness." Turan nito sa isang bakanteng upuan sa isang bakanteng upuan malapit sa unahan.

He didn't move. He just looked at the man intensely.

His defiance had caught the attention of the man.

"Is there something wrong?" he innocently said.

He sounded very polite but he saw through his façade. Alam niyang pagpapakitang respeto lamang ang ginagawa nito dahil sa status niya.

"Get. Out. Of. There." He silently said.

But despite the sounding whisper of his voice, his statement still flew all around the room.

"I beg your pardon, your highness. I didn't quite catch that one?"

"Are you deaf? I said get out of there," he stressed each word one at a time.

Mukhang namatanda ang lalaki. Nag-atubili muna ito but in the end he conceded. Ito na ang naupo sa upuang tinuran nito kanina.

Agad naman siyang tumayo sa Pedestal.

"Who arranged this meeting?" he dangerously said.

Namuo ang nakakabinging katahimikan sa bulwagan.

Minutes have passed ngunit wala pa ring nagsasalita. The eerie feeling of danger was surrounding the place.

"Do I have to repeat myself?"