Friday, June 21, 2019

░ The restaurant le Joyau, Walden, Midona, Empire of Thetia

░ Friday, June 21, 2019

░ At 1:12 pm

ODESSA KESTLE

The restaurant Le Joyau was located on the top three floors of a skyscraper owned by businesswoman Susan Bramer. She was currently the CEO of Youtube, a streaming platform imported from Edios. She was one of the few people who were able to leave the Empire to bring information and technology back to the Empire, so that one day we could reveal ourselves and be ready to deal with any consequences. On Edios, she had worked at Youtube headquarters as Director of Data Sciences. When she came back to Thetia, she had gained in maturity, experience, and knowledge, and it is thanks to these, as well as a team of computer scientists, engineers, web designers and so on, that she managed to recreate this network in 2008. In the beginning, it was not much used. Then, as more and more young people became interested in its existence, it became a hit. Of course, as long as we weren't open to the world, the number of subscribers was limited, but that was all going to change. Susan received a lot of investment and was able to build her own skyscraper where the head office is located. There are currently over 1500 employees. In 2017, she decided to rent out the top three floors that were usually used as a cafeteria. Erwin Brock, our former chef, took this opportunity and opened his sixth restaurant. I was in love with his cuisine, simple yet refined. I ate lunch at Le Joyau at least two or three times a month.

Once I arrived in front of the building, my guard was replaced by bodyguards, six to be precise. We entered through a passage reserved for VIPs to avoid being noticed. We took the reserved elevator which leads us to the last floor that we had privatized. Every time I went to a place, alone or accompanied, members of the Flamboyant Army carefully inspected the place to make sure it was perfectly secure. My mother, Vera Kestle, was sitting at a large table in the middle of the reception room. I signalled to the bodyguards that they were free to go, and despite their reluctance, they left, leaving us both behind.

- "You took a long time to come. I thought I was going to eat alone".

- "I had a Council of Kings and Queens, and with what I told them, it lasted a little longer.”

- "What did you tell them?"

- "The opening of the borders"

At a moment my mother was about to bring a canapé to her mouth, she froze after my answer. During her reign, my mother already had the idea of opening our borders, but because of the conflict between Youmor and Goston, she was forced to stop her project. My mother's reign didn't last long, at least compared to that of my grandmother Octavia Kestle. Indeed, she was not a direct descendant of Thetia, but her husband, my father Clayton was. However, since the creation of this Empire, only women could lead it. Thus, when the descendant Empress had no daughter, it was the wife of the heir who would rule. But it was not to be believed that she would rule everything, all alone. It was a kind of co-governance. Everyone had a precise role.

- " So, the day has finally arrived... "

- "You must have seen it coming, we couldn't escape from it. It was either me or Rila who would have done it".

- "How do you think the people will take it? The fact that their origins have been hidden since the 13th century".

- "I am prepared for any eventuality, and I know the next few months will be intense. Nevertheless, as a mother, I prefer to take the criticism rather than my children. I want Rila to ascend the throne in a favorable atmosphere and for the Empire to have even more means to prosper, and I sincerely believe that revealing the origins of our Creator is the best thing to do".

- "I will not contradict you Odessa, you are the Empress. However, you know me, I'd rather be pessimistic than optimistic like so - ".

- "If the result is negative, you wouldn't be disappointed, and if it was positive you would be delighted".

-"When are you going to send a letter to the King of Edios?”

- "Maybe after the Council of Ministers. However, I think there is no longer a King. According to the latest news from our correspondents on Edios, they now have a Parliamentary Monarchy. But the major royal families: the Angelli family, the Arberel family, the Vassethier family, the Knightford family, the Pellerisey family and the Kestle family do not agree. They want to keep the monarchy. But still, I will send the letter to the King".

- "I find this Empire politically unstable, and it always has been. When Thetia was betrayed and Jane ascended to the throne alongside Harlan VII Vassethier, the political situation got worse and worse, and we both know how it ended.

- "I hope it doesn't happen to us..."

Several waiters arrived with serving carts with plates full of appetizing things. Erwin Brock stood behind the servers, controlling their moves. He came to greet us and gave us a description of what we were going to eat. All the dishes were simple but elegantly presented, just like his chef. Erwin was at our service for more than ten years. He had seen my family grow, all our comings and goings and he was always faithful to his job. He also recommended our current chef, Luca Cooper. He was one of his apprentices and trained by him. According to Erwin, this young man was going to transform the world of cooking. He has been with us since 2015 and I understood from day one why Chef Brock recommended him to us. This young man had a lot of talent. We invited Erwin to have lunch with us, but he politely declined. He explained that his wife was in the hospital and that he had received a message from the doctors, warning him that she would soon give birth. We congratulated him in advance, and he left the restaurant. After this ample meal, my mother left for her activities, and I returned to mine. I now had a Council of Ministers, and I knew it was going to be long. My guard joined me, and we left for the Assembly of Ministers, located in the west of Nearon.

░ The Assembly of Ministers, Nearon, Midona, Thetia Empire

░ Friday, June 21, 2019

░ At 2:36 pm

When I arrived on the esplanade of the Ministers' Assembly, I noticed that another car was pulling up behind mine. A guard opened my door, and as I was heading towards the entrance, a voice beside me called out to me. I recognized it quickly because it was my older brother Ezekiel. He had been Minister of the Army and Public Order for more than ten years now. Before that, as soon as he obtained his IDSE, he joined the army because he wanted to have a great military career ever since he was a child. His role model was Hughes Kestle, Thetia Kestle's father. In the 13th century, he was a great military strategist, the favorite of King Harlan VI Vassethier. These two were very good friends. In fact, he allowed his little sister Mary Vassethier to marry Hughes. This proved the confidence the King had in Hughes. In short, it was thanks to Hughes that the Vassethier Kingdom was able to alienate the kingdoms of the Di Angelli family, the Arberel family, the De Knightford family, and the De Pellerisey family. He was a father who was close to his children and who wanted them to succeed at all costs. Nevertheless, he was in part responsible for the downfall of two of his children, one of whom had a more terrible fate than the other.

- "Your Majesty, how is my little sister on this sunny day? " said my brother in a humorous tone. The two of us were very close, and even though I was the Empress, he always called me "Little Sister" or "Ode" my nickname. But you know what, I preferred it that way. It gave more cachet to my role.

- "I'm fine, my dear, kind big brother! But I didn't expect to see you here. Didn't you have an Army Council? " I decided to play his game to entertain myself, at the same time as we were heading towards the Assembly Hall.

- "I decided to postpone it since you called us all together. Besides, what is the reason?"

- "So we're moving on to the 'you' now" I laughed. "You'll see, but I have other matters to discuss with some ministers, including you. I hope to get some answers, because at the Council of Kings and Queens, I didn't get them".

- "I'll do my best, don't worry" he smiled back. Will he keep smiling when I ask him why the army failed to control the import of chemical weapons into Goston?

- "Anyway, I just came out of lunch with Mom. We were at Le Joyau of Erwin Brock, our former chef".

- "What did she tell you? I haven't seen her for a long time, I should stop by and say hello when I'm not overburdened with work".

- "Not much of a big deal. Nevertheless, I have the feeling that she is still as worried as she was on my coronation day. She often questions my plans and decisions, even though most of them are in continuity with what she had done before. But I'm not going to complain, it means she worries about her children, not like our father". My brother didn't know what to say and just nodded. 

Our Father Clayton was a very mysterious man. He seemed cold and he was, and he didn't care about his children sometimes. He took it badly that he didn't rule the whole Empire, but he was too in love with my mother to turn against her or whatever. It must have been four or five months since I had seen him. As far as my brother was concerned, it must have been much longer since he avoided him at all costs. Their relationship was and still is complicated. It became even more complicated when Ezekiel married June. She was born in Saint Christia De Vanugard in the County of Youmor. She and her family fled the city when it became one of the main combat zones in the conflict between Youmor and Goston. According to my father, I quote, "this good-for-nothing is going to force my son, my blood, to choose a side, her side, which is Goston. She will destroy the Imperial family and all that Thetia Kestle has built". Imagine the family dinners... Then I poured oil on the fire when I married Ernst who was originally from Youmor, and since then he hasn't spoken to us. It's much better that way. At least I think so.

 We walked into the room where all the Ministers were talking in between. When they heard the doors open, they all stood up and greeted us. We took our seats, and I declared the Council meeting open. Very quickly, each Minister passed by one by one to state a project or observations that he had seen in the Empire that he liked or disliked. 95% of the time, the Minister of Ecology Alexis Baxter was arguing with the Minister of Economy and Finance Logan Dean. According to Mr. Baxter, the annual budget for the ecology was not high enough to ensure that the ecological transition would occur. Logan Dean had increased their budget from year to year, but without seeing any improvement. So since 2017, their budget has gone back to the way it was before, and until there is a clear improvement, it will not increase, and Mr. Baxter did not accept that. Of course, there was another dispute today. I didn't really want to hear them argue for an hour, so I asked for silence.

- "Mr. Baxter and Mr. Dean, please behave in a decent and distinguished manner. I've gathered you here to talk about one of my projects. It will change the entire Empire and our lives."

- "What do you intend to do, Your Majesty? "asked Home Secretary Jocelyn Marshall.

- "I have long told you about Thetia Kestle's diary, which lies in a safe place in the treasures of the Imperial family. Inside, is transcribed what Thetia lived from A to Z as well as her dreams. One of them, as you know, was that the Empire should not be revealed, that it should remain hidden. It could reveal itself, when and only when it was sufficiently developed to face other countries and empires. And I think that the time has come".

- "To be honest with you, Your Majesty, we knew about it. Some Kings and Queens did tell us about it by accident" said Evangeline Peletier, Minister of Solidarity and Health.

They all took the time to explain to me what the Kings and Queens had announced to them, and that they had had time to discuss it before my arrival. Contrary to the Council of Kings, there was some reluctance but thanks to solid arguments, we managed to convince them. 

- "So, we will create a new post of minister and a new ministry, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Do you have any candidates in mind that you would like to propose?"

- "I think we should choose one of our correspondents who came back, and who had the opportunity to travel between these countries" proposed the Minister of Culture Gabriel Masson.

- "It's a very good idea, Mr. Masson. In that case, I will send you a list of those who have returned, and then I will organize a meeting with them to confirm which ones will run for the position".

- "how do you plan to choose him?" asked me Dominick Lebeau, Minister of Higher Education, Research, and Innovation

- "I had thought that the people would vote by referendum. I would explain all this on Monday in a speech to reveal it to the people".

I was so excited about the opening of our borders, but I was also terrified. Let's hope everything goes as planned! I am looking forward to meet the different leaders of the countries.