“Don’t worry, there won’t be any problems. Trust —and trust His Majesty!”
On the phone, the Minister of Finance reassured Mr. Herbes. Just monts ago, Herbes had called his private, secure line—one that wasn’t monitored—so they could speak freely.
Herbes expressed his concerns: if Lynch managed to convince the Emperor to change his mind, it would be disastrous—for Herbes himself.
To ensure the Minister would side with him, Herbes had also deposited a generous sum into one of the Minister’s foreign accounts. It wasn’t a small amount. Even for soone used to handling staggering figures, Herbes’ gesture moved the Minister ever so slightly.
The Minister repeatedly promised that everything would go according to Herbes’ plan and nothing unexpected would happen. But Herbes still couldn’t fully relax.
Eventually, the Minister invoked the Emperor’s authority. “You need to understand, an Emperor cannot change his position so casually. That would make him seem inconsistent and impulsive. A ruler cannot afford that.”
When people talk about the Gephra Empire, they often focus on its monarchical system and its Emperor—those are the most discussed and most misunderstood aspects.
Foreigners often think the Emperor is everything in Gephra. But that’s not quite accurate.
Gephra’s power structure is more complex than outsiders realize. Native Gephrans understand it better.
Originally, the island was divided among different clans, each controlling its own territory. They fought constantly. Eventually, under the leadership of the strongest clan, they stopped fighting and began calling themselves nobility. The country’s first governing structure wasn’t a monarchy but a noble council.
Nobles would deliberate and make major national decisions, including the election of a “king”—as he was called back then.
Over ti, however, the current royal family—through various ans, good or bad—took control of the noble council and maintained a royal image.
After the so-called Oak Town Reformation, the royal family abolished the noble council and instituted a monarchy. Eventually, the monarchy unified the island and even expanded to the continent’s edge.
From that point on, the monarchy officially began. Though the Emperor represents the highest authority, this doesn’t an the nobles and ministers are re puppets.
They still hold real power and aren’t as fearful of the Emperor as many believe.
The nobles support the current system because it serves their interests. But the recent world war and naval defeat against the Federation have created tensions within the ruling class. So voices are quietly expressing dissatisfaction with the Emperor. They may not act yet, but if things continue to decline during another major crisis, they might.
That’s why the Minister had no hesitation in invoking the Emperor’s na when trying to reassure Herbes.
Ministers respect the monarchy—as long as it keeps winning.
If it doesn’t, that respect fades.
With the Minister’s guarantee, Herbes finally relaxed. After hesitating a mont, he decided to co clean.
Keeping secrets now would be stupid. Misinformation would only lead the Minister to focus on the wrong things. He had to be honest. “There’s sothing I’ve kept from you…”
“No need. I already know what you’re going to say. It’s Lynch, right?” the Minister interrupted, unsurprised.
Judging by his tone, he wasn’t angry—there was even a touch of smugness. Herbes suddenly felt like a fool. He hadn’t fooled the Minister at all.
“Your bet with Lynch is public knowledge, Herbes. You can’t hide it from anyone.”
“But I don’t care that you lied. Your request causes no harm to or to the Empire. That’s why I agreed. Not because of how much you gave . Understand?”
This wasn’t just lip service. He wasn’t making excuses—it was the truth.
Gephra’s current financial situation made it unwise to redeem large volus of war bonds. The national budget was in chaos, largely due to the crisis in the Allia region.
The sudden deterioration there forced the Empire to spend several tis its original budget, leaving the treasury nearly empty. Redeeming the bonds now would be a fatal blow to an already weak fiscal system.
Delaying repaynt and using those funds as ergency reserves was the wiser choice.
Since the Minister already planned to do this, and Herbes’ request aligned with that plan—while offering handso rewards—why would he refuse?
Of course, in his conversations with Herbes, the Minister never made things sound so pragmatic. He always claid it was out of personal friendship. This earned him even more benefits.
Now, he simply reminded Herbes not to waste his ti by calling about this again. If he had free ti, he’d rather sleep.
“I’m sorry!” Herbes apologized, even knowing the Minister saw through everything.
“I accept your apology. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”
Herbes ended the call and began arranging the evening’s party.
As an international banker, he had connections with many people involved in global trade and finance. He quickly compiled a guest list.
A few were celebrities, while others were simply there to fill space. The party’s true purpose was to lull Lynch into complacency.
The guests weren’t ant to impress—they were chosen to flatter Lynch, to inflate his ego, to make him drop his guard and misjudge the threat.
Everything went smoothly.
During the day, Lynch and Jania went out together. As royalty, Jania could take Lynch anywhere he wanted to go—even the royal palace.
But they didn’t waste ti on that. First, they visited the Royal Academy of Sciences’ exhibition hall, which showcased non-military, non-classified technologies. It felt like a futuristic tech museum.
Then they watched two films—both starring Jania. Watching the woman on the big screen, while she lay in his arms, was an oddly surreal experience for Lynch.
After a brief rest, they headed to the party Herbes had prepared.
When their luxury car pulled up in front of a club, the host greeted them personally, along with several distinguished guests he had invited.
This ti it wasn’t just Lynch—Jania was with him. One had wealth, the other status. People had to show proper respect.
“Welco, my friend!” Herbes greeted Lynch warmly, shaking his hand, then turned to Jania.
“I didn’t expect you to bring Lady Jania to the party,” he said jokingly. “I prepared a lot of ladies… but I guess the others will enjoy them instead.”
Lynch’s face lit up with a smile. “Really? You should’ve told earlier. I just realized I did sothing stupid.”
Jania stood to the side with a pleasant smile, showing no displeasure at the conversation between the two n. A mature woman’s first lesson is how to conceal her true feelings.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, they entered the club.
As Mr. Herbes had said at the door, the purpose of the party was simple—nothing complicated. It was all about pleasure, to let Lynch enjoy himself.
The club was set up like a strip bar, with dance floors, poles, and dancers dressed in minimal leather outfits moving sensually under dim, suggestive lighting.
Given the current situation, the scene was awkward—Lynch had unexpectedly brought a female companion. The setup was wildly inappropriate and borderline disrespectful.
“Sorry…” Mr. Herbes paused for a few seconds, then quickly apologized. “I’ll have them change the program.”
“No need,” Jania interjected, stopping him. She looked around the room with a smile. “I’m an adult, sir.”
Mr. Herbes was a bit embarrassed but ultimately complied with her request and didn’t remove the dancers. However, this decision also made the party dull and awkward.
Jania’s status spoke for itself, and as Lynch’s companion, no one wanted to cause trouble.
The wild celebration originally planned fell flat. The entire event turned into small talk and suppressed frustration.
Through this party, Mr. Herbes seed to realize sothing.
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