"Ho, why do you feel uncomfortable? You can tell me." André looked at Raúl with scrutiny waiting for his answer.
"My lord, I believe that a woman enlisted in the army will bring us bad luck." Raúl gave his answer while still keeping his head lowered.
"Hahaha, hahaha."
André smiled strongly at Raúl's answer, causing the latter not to know what to do.
Lucía, next to André, smiled slightly. In this time she had learned to know him very well and knew that nothing they said could change his opinion of enlisting Mónica in the army.
"Raúl, I will only tell you this once: under my command all those who have the capacity and the talent to do what is necessary will be used.
Times of great changes are coming; those who do not govern themselves by them will be eliminated. Keep that very much in mind.
I do not ask you to change your superstition, but you have to prioritize your work first.
I do not want you in the future to commit errors due to your stupid belief."
André warned Raúl very harshly.
"I understand, my lord. Rest assured that I will not bend my judgment due to any superstition.
For me your orders will be absolute; I will work in function of them."
Raúl spoke in a loud voice and reaffirmed his loyalty to André.
"Very well, I hope you remember your words.
If the day should come in which you fail me for some similar reason, then I will discard you without the least doubt."
"Yes, my lord."
"In addition I want a colder discipline in the army.
Every soldier must follow the orders to the letter; there is no option for insubordination.
Intensify the military training program."
André's cold words made one forget that he was a young man of barely 13 years.
He seemed a character with vast life experience.
"Yes, my lord, I will make certain to fulfill your order."
"Good, you may leave. Take charge of organizing the battalion of my personal guard.
We will leave for London City at dawn.
Also prepare the body of the Count of Blair; we will take it with us."
With instructions received, Raúl left the office.
"Were you not too hard with him?"
"I do not believe so, and that was a good opportunity to change his mentality.
Persons with narrow minds are prone to commit grave errors.
Raúl is a military talent; I do not want him to be eliminated due to his narrow-sighted thinking."
André explained his actions a little to Lucía.
"I knew that you have no opinions about women occupying important posts."
A smile blossomed on Lucía's face.
"How did you realize that?"
"Everyone has realized it slightly, upon seeing how you have given important missions to the women around you without the least hesitation."
"It is good that they realize it; thus they will change their mentality little by little."
The two spoke for a long time before taking leave.
July 5 of the Liberty calendar, year 2010.
At this moment London City found itself besieged by more than 10,000 soldiers.
Mónica de Blair was on the city wall looking at the enemy army, and her face did not look very good.
She was a young woman with an imposing presence and a penetrating gaze that denoted a sharp and analytical mind.
Her straight brown hair framed her serene and decided face, while her hazel eyes distilled a deep intelligence and an unbreakable determination.
Her intelligence was her greatest distinction.
She possessed a brilliant and analytical mind, capable of understanding complex concepts and finding ingenious solutions to the challenges that presented themselves to her.
She always sought to acquire new knowledge and was eager to learn from all the experiences that life offered her.
Her determination to fight for what she believed correct and just was unbreakable, and she did not stop before the obstacles that presented themselves to her.
Although her rebelliousness could make her seem distant, in reality she was a passionate person and committed to her ideals.
Her valor and her intellect went hand in hand, and she was always disposed to defend her convictions with solid and reasoned arguments.
She was a born leader, capable of inspiring others with her example and her perspicacity.
Her seriousness and focus on her objectives made her stand out in any situation and turned her into a figure respected and admired by those who surrounded her.
At that moment a horse was approaching the city walls whose rider was raising a white flag.
After a moment he was at the city gate requesting an audience in the name of André Solomon.
Mónica made a gesture with her hand to the guard and permitted his entrance.
"Greetings, Miss Mónica de Blair.
In the name of Count André Solomon I deliver this letter to you.
I have the mission of waiting for your answer, miss."
Looking at the plaque that hung on his waist, Mónica could say that it concerned an official messenger of the Solomon family.
On the plaque was clearly drawn the symbol (∞).
She knew this symbol, which is the representation of infinity.
She knew it by chance while reading an ancient history book in her family's library.
The book spoke of the era of the world emperor.
It is said that the emperor sought a symbol that represented his greatness in this world, and a wise thinker proposed this symbol to him, but the emperor did not dare to accept it.
It was incredible that a small family in a small kingdom dared to use this symbol to represent itself.
She supposed that the Solomon family did not know the meaning of this symbol; they simply must have read it somewhere, liked it, and used it.
Returning to her thoughts, Mónica took the letter from the messenger and proceeded to read it at the instant.
The letter had nothing outside her expectations: it only concerned an invitation to negotiate the liberation of the hostages.
After reading the letter, she looked at the messenger and said to him:
"Go and tell your lord that I accept meeting with him, but there must only be one guard accompanying each one.
Since he permitted me to choose the time and the place, then it will be 100 m outside the city wall.
The meeting will be carried out in one hour."
"Then, with your permission, miss, I will take the news to my lord."
With those words, the messenger left the city and headed toward André's camp.
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