Herald of Steel

The unusual situation surrounding Zanzan’s nobles stemmed from Adhania’s traditions regarding oaths of loyalty. All nobles had originally sworn fealty to King Alozmer upon his ascension, and by custom, that loyalty was expected to pass on to his heir- Crown Prince Amenheraft.

However this was only tradition, and there was not exactly any formal law to enforce it. So with the momentous changes that happened in the country in the last five years, many tried to use the technicality that Amenheraft had never been actually officially coronated to sidestep this obligation.

Other more principled nobles however viewed this as mere trickery, one that ran contrary to the spirit of the oath. They thus feared divine retribution, such as even a thunderbolt from Ramuh.

Hence they tried to refrain from openly allying with Ptolomy and instead opted for a more subtle, ’tactful’ approach.

Alexander also let them be for now because they still remained obedient in all the things that mattered. They paid their taxes promptly, enforced his policies without resistance, and even raised no objections to the construction of new Gaia Temples within their territories. The Lord of Zanzan thus feared that pushing them too quickly would only backfire.

"...." The Queen Mother on the other hand was not moved by this reason. And she sneered disdainfully with flared up nostrils, "Hmmp! So you are telling me even you cannot control your retainers. I thought a conqueror like you had everyone under your thumb! Was I expecting too much?"

"...." Alexander responded with only a bland smirk, unwilling to clash over such a weak attempt at blatant provocation.

Similarly he did not feel like going to explain how he was no tyrant and how it was this absolutist monarch style of ruling that got the royal family into this mess in the first place. He doubted the Queen Mother would be receptive to it given she too shared some of the characteristics- she too believed to some extent that her words were beyond reproach and that everyone should just blindly agree.

Alexander felt that trying to make her realize her flaws would be a long, arduous process. So he decided to forgo that attempt for now and completely switched directions for now.

Nodding lightly with pursed lips, he smoothly agreed, "Indeed, perhaps Your Highness is correct. I might be able to force the nobles to accept this if I really tried. I have the strongest army and they make a lot of money from me. So...I guess the real reason is, as you pointed out, ’personal’. I...think the ritual simply does not interest me that much."

The moment Alexander spoke this, he caught a sudden flicker inside the Queen Mother’s eyes, a sharp, blazing fury igniting inside in an instant.

His words were like pouring oil on a fire he had not realized was burning. Although he hadn’t meant it that way- what he said felt like a direct slap to Seelima, dismissing all her sacrifices and beliefs and turning them worthless in his eyes.

The mercurial lady seemed on the edge of throwing an overblown tantrum.

Fortunately Alexander realized his misstep too and moved to quickly elucidate on his position.

Softening his voice slightly, he added in a steady rhythm,

"Your Highness- I mean no specific disrespect... and certainly no ingratitude. But I cannot say I am ashamed of being called a mercenary or even a slave, as many nobles might like to say. To be honest..." He allowed a faint, self assured smile, "I take it as a kind of compliment- because despite that label, here I am. Sitting in this place, and speaking to you... like this."

Alexander flashed both his hands animatedly as he sensually ran them over the pregnant belly of the hot princess sitting on his lap, feeling his heart fill with a rush of unchecked power.

His face glowed with an arrogant, lustful blush, "If I am a slave, what does that make them? Why do they come begging me to bed their daughters and even their mistresses? Hehehe... I do not need any ritual to validate me. My actions are enough to do that already."

Alexander truly meant every word he said here.

Beneath his gentle, composed behaviour, the man always had an innate superiority complex about himself, where he genuinely felt he was ’better’ than everyone here- better in thoughts, in strategy, better in ideas, better in knowledge, better in ethics and even better in morals. And he applied this as a blanket rule to all the people in the world.

This quite condescension was not always apparent but it did have a way of occasionally slipping through the cracks- such as, unfortunately, now.

"...." Thus if Alexander had intended to assuage the Queen Mother’s anger, it did not work.

Rather, her scowl seemed to only get deeper as, on top of feeling dismissed, now Seelima also felt being judged with condescension. As someone who entered the palace as a mere pleasure slave, the regal lady was very experienced in that feeling, having experienced it more times than the loaves of bread she had eaten.

And most of all, what ticked her off was that it came from Alexander, someone who shared very similar roots to her. He had such pride and confidence in his identity that he did not flinch at the slightest at what anyone else said about him, whereas Seelima still had a tiny, hidden complex about it.

Even after she had been conferred the divine ritual boon and became one of the most powerful women in the empire, this insecurity persisted, and she disliked it when others brought it up.

Only three women in the whole kingdom- Lady Inayah, Mikaya and Nanazin were given a nominal pass, while anyone else would invite the full might of her wrath.

In fact, there was once a point in the Queen Mother’s life when if anyone ever wanted to absolutely enrage her- this was the easiest way to flip her switch.

A noble concubine even lost her life in this way.

It had all started rather innocently—a minor disagreement over a dress they both wished to commission. A formal ball was approaching, and the royal tailor only had time to complete one custom order piece. In the end, Seelima managed to secure the coveted spot thanks to Lady Inayah’s favor and a bit of indulgence from Alozmer.

And that should have been the end of it all.

That noble concubine hardly lacked opulent clothing courtesy of her father’s family, nor was the ball of any great historical significance. They happened a few times a year.

Petty rivalries like this were similarly commonplace within the imperial harem- hardly worth remembering.

But this time, things escalated.

That proud lady became enraged that she had lost to someone as low blooded as Seelima and let out a few outbursts of curses, calling her ’tasteful’ names like, ’a common street whore’, ’urchin from the brothels’, and ’harlot of the barracks’, among others.

The poor lady unfortunately only lived five months after that, dying mysteriously when a rusted nail pricked her toe just as she was putting on her slippers. It had been ’accidentally’ put there by her personal maid.

How unlucky!

So, for a woman deeply obsessed with preserving her noble honor, Alexander’s casual indifference to the ritual struck the Queen Mother at the very core of her beliefs.

"Hmph! That’s because you’re shameless, brat!" The regal woman thus snapped almost instinctively, words spilling out with venom. "How can you even call yourself a man when others laugh behind your back at every turn? I thought you were so proud you did not even put ’us’, the queen in your eyes!"

She narrowed her eyes that gleamed with scorn and mockery, "Hmmmp and now! You even dare call yourself a son of god? Snort! What nonsense. Since when did a son of the divine become a doormat for every lowborn creatin to trample on? Please stop! You are dragging ’our’ name through the mud along with it!"

The Queen Mother paused here to lift her limpid eyes and study Alexander’s face- searching for any flicker of reaction. She was slightly disappointed to receive none.

So she finished with a final taunting tilt of her head, "It almost sounds to me like your whole thing is make belief."

"...." That finally got a reaction from the man, as Alxx’s lips perceptibly twitched. There were many things he wanted to say to ’prove’ his authenticity- such as the various miraculous advancements in Zanzan.

However, he ultimately decided to drop it. Alxx very well knew the Queen Mother had a very negative impression of his new religion, seeing it as a threat to her own family’s power.

Which in all fairness she was correct about- his goal was truly to split the people’s belief.

Thus instead of arguing about the truth and falsehood of their respective beliefs, he simply declared in a slow, pious tone,

"The mother is kind and full of glory. She has revealed to me that if I were to be harsh and rude with the people, it would only push them away from ’Her’. So for now, I am commanded to bear patiently!"

Seelima however only smirked at what she saw as a weak excuse, and ruthlessly poked,

"And your women and children? Did ’She’ tell them the same? Hmmp! Even if you do not care about it yourself... at least think about Cambyses and Philip."

"..." Alexander finally gave a surprised upward turn of brow at this sudden mention. He did not expect her to drag those two names.

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