A week had passed since Viator became the new ideal for the rebels. Now their name was "The Past Monarchy." During that time Viator, Agnes, Ludwig, and Romul had become the most important figures in the hierarchy of the Past Monarchy.
Viator — the leader who makes the decisions.
Agnes and Romul — responsible for the army and the fighters' training.
Ludwig — volunteer work and managing finances... This small circle of people knows all the plans for the future; they haven't revealed them to anyone yet.
Viator sat at a round dark-oak table, his dark hair falling over the back of the chair and his eyes closed.
"Ludwig, how's your idea about volunteering coming along?"
The man stood, straightened his clothes, slicked his hair back and cleared his throat; his gaze was focused and his voice steady and calm.
"So far nothing major. We've only secured ourselves in the Ibitsu province, west of the capital, handing out provisions to those who need them and trying to earn their trust."
Agnes nodded and replied.
"That's right — it's better to have the people's support when we stage the coup."
Romul stayed silent. Viator finally opened his eyes and sighed.
"We still have to survive until the coup, and it's not guaranteed there aren't traitors among us."
Ludwig cleared his throat again to draw attention.
"Then we'll pick a few more people for politics, for example — we need experts. Let it be one person who's willing to die for the people. After that we'll think about what to do once we've organized our 'government,' if I may put it that way."
Viator stroked his chin as if thinking, then smiled.
"You're thinking correctly."
Morning came; the air smelled of breakfasts and drinks. Marcus was cooking as usual; Akito, Atticus, and Sophia were serving the people.
"Someone ordered another steak with mashed potatoes."
Sophia sighed, wiping her hands on a towel.
"Akito, will you take that order instead of me?"
At that moment Akito had just finished delivering the orders he had; people were constantly talking about something. Akito silently approached the bar counter; Marcus had just finished preparing the dish and Akito took it before returning to Sophia.
"Alright."
After delivering the last plate, all the chaos stopped — as always, there are days when many people come and everyone waits for their food. Finally Akito could rest; now he sat with Atticus at the bar counter.
"Good job, Akito," Atticus said as he tied his tail back.
"You did well too — we've earned a right to rest," Akito answered, glancing at Sophia and adding, "unlike some people."
The red-haired girl just shrugged and smiled slyly, as if teasing.
"Well, I'm in charge here — aside from my grandfather — so I certainly have the right to rest whenever I want."
The two boys shot her displeased looks, and suddenly Akito spoke.
"Later in the evening I made plans with some acquaintances to go out, so I won't be here tonight."
That evening Akito was at a gathering of the Past Monarchy; all the rebels assembled at one point, and Viator came out accompanied by Agnes, Romul, and Ludwig. Approaching the crowd, Viator seemed to scan everyone, then began his speech.
"We are rebels who want the death of the tyrant. Some of us want this to take power away from the usurper; some seek revenge for those close to them. But the death of the bastard will not be our victory! People who have grown used to living under the bastard's rule, greedy aristocrats, and ordinary fanatics — these are our future enemies."
Pausing to catch his breath, Viator continued, moving through the crowd and looking each person in the eye. "After the king's death, chaos will begin... We must stop it. As I said, we have a year before Ikar gives his speech again. In that year we must get at least some support from ordinary people. We don't have enough hands; we need people in our circle — preferably those ready to give their lives for the people, and masters of their craft, namely politics. Whether we like it or not, when we kill the bastard the state will fall, but we can prevent that by taking power into our own hands. For that we need people who understand politics. That's all I wanted to tell you."
Most of the crowd began to applaud loudly. When finally the noise died down, some volunteers started to step forward. One of them was a fairly young man with dark-chestnut hair and jade-colored eyes; his gaze was sharp but confident, his hair framed his face, emphasizing his look.
"You can call me Lewis or Lewis Westwood, whichever you prefer. I'm a court official, and I know something about politics. I think I can be useful to you."
Viator glanced at Lewis; looking him directly in the eye, Viator asked,
"And why do you want to help so much?"
Before a second had passed, Lewis blurted out,
"There's always an advantage in everything — and also, I'm simply curious. We're all going to work and work on enthusiasm! Well, at least I will."
A few hours passed; nearly everyone had left. Only those Viator had asked to stay remained — Ludwig, Romul, Agnes, Lewis — and two more: Lucius, a forty-year-old man with white curly hair and a beard, and Gnei — slightly tanned, black-haired with gray eyes. Lucius would do similar work to Ludwig, and Gnei had some knowledge of the royal court.
Viator leaned back in his chair and sighed.
"I think we need to find a new headquarters, just in case — for those who will truly be ready to follow us to the end and who will do the work."
Everyone nodded, thinking about this idea, and Viator continued. "Also, I already have a plan: after we kill the king — say I do it — you will arrest me, because the bastard has no children, and no one will inherit the throne. You will have the people's support and will choose a candidate to govern the state. I am not suitable for that role."
Gnei ran his hand through his hair and bared his white teeth.
"Maybe I know a candidate."
Everyone turned toward where Gnei sat and he continued. "We could even make this more legitimate, not be direct usurpers. We remember that before the king Ikar's tyranny, the Kirstein family ruled, but after Ikar seized power the Kirsteins split into three different houses: the Gross, the Stuards, and the Greiss. Ikar executed almost all of them, except the Greiss, who sided with him. Now the head of the Greiss family, William Greiss, serves at the royal court, but it's no secret that he has an illegitimate son, Friedrich. Friedrich Greiss is a decent boy, so I think we could make him our candidate for the throne."
Ludwig stood up and cleared his throat.
"Are you sure he's really Greiss's son? And how will the people believe him?"
Gnei shrugged before collapsing back into his chair.
"Well, he's definitely William Greiss's son — believe me. And as for proving it..."
Lewis put a hand on Gnei's shoulder, shifting attention to himself.
"People in despair are willing to believe anything you say if you speak confidently and have at least some evidence. If your Friedrich looks a lot like his father, that's even better — then the plan is already decided, isn't it?"