Potentates

## Prologue

The bell's ringings ruptured through the building. Students got up from their seats in almost perfect uniformity. The class president, Ouyang Haoguan, looked just like any other male student, with a two block haircut and a blue and white jumpsuit that's one of the school's uniforms. He stood up and led the class in thanking the teacher. They gave a slight bow towards the teacher.

Haoguan: "Thank you, Miss Lin."

Classmates: "Thank you, Miss Lin."

Miss Lin: "Remember that there's a test tomorrow on integrals of inverse functions."

As the students departed from the classroom for their lunch break, Haoguan resumed sitting on his chair and started flipping through his mathematics textbook. He was approached by Charles Chong, a good friend of his. Charles, also known as Chuck by his friends, was perhaps one of the most attractive students in the class, with a quiff hairstyle and the school's more formal uniform of suit, vest and tie.

Chuck: "Aren't you going for lunch?"

Haoguan: "No man, I have to study for tomorrow's test."

Chuck: "Come on, you won't have any energy to study if you don't eat."

Haoguan: "True, but I don't have much money to afford lunch."

Chuck: "It's on me."

Haoguan: "Again?"

Chuck: "It's not costly for me, so I don't mind."

Haoguan: "Alright, thanks man."

Chuck: "Just remember to tutor me for the test tomorrow."

Haoguan: "No problem, but I can only do so for 1 hour since I have to work at the convenience store again."

At the age of 6, Haoguan was forced to live with his uncle after his parents perished in an unfortunate mishap. While they didn't live in poverty, their living conditions barely constituted middle-class in the Golden Coast Republic. Ever since he became aware of his surroundings, Haoguan was determined to excel in his academics in order to lead a better life.

## Chapter 1

After driving for nearly 2 hours, Ouyang Haoguan had finally made it to the green-roofed bungalow in the province of Hoiyi. Hoiyi, which used to be leased to the Puffish government, was a living testament to the Golden Coast's colonial legacy. Numerous examples of colonial architecture, such as the house that Haoguan arrived at, dotted the island. A female penguin with brown feathers waddled out to the door to greet him as Haoguan parked his classic sports car in front of the bungalow.

Penguin: "That's rather quick of you."

Haoguan: "Yeah, I might or might not have broken some traffic rules along the way."

Haoguan, smartly dressed in a white shirt, black chinos and white sneakers, glanced at his cousin Madeline's pink short-sleeved floral dress. It complimented her beauty and the atmosphere they were in. She also happened to be wearing a lock and key necklace that he bought for her.

Haoguan: "You look absolutely stunning."

The two embraced and kissed each other on the lips. They walked into the house and to the veranda, where Madeline had prepared some scones and Darjeeling tea for them. As they enjoyed the tea, they continued chatting.

Haoguan: "Seems like you're free today."

Madeline: "Yeah, I just hired a pharmacist to manage the chemist's full-time. She'll probably leave soon to open up her own business, but at least it buys me some time to hang out with you."

For the previous 8 years, Madeline had been operating the only pharmacy in the town of Green Water Bay, also known as Ceng Seui Waan. Prior to that, residents had to go to Hoiyi's capital, Hoidou, in order to get prescription drugs. Due to the monopolistic nature of her business, Madeline became rather wealthy in her own right, in addition to receiving monthly allowances from Haoguan.

Haoguan: "That's fantastic. You essentially have an ATM that is on autopilot mode at the moment. I honestly wish I'm in your position."

Madeline: "I get it, it's not an easy job to be the head of state of the Golden Coast Republic."

Haoguan: "It pays really well though."

As the president of the republic, Haoguan was paid roughly 4,600,000 Club Penguin Coins per annum. Even before that, he was already a decamillionaire as he was a very successful M&A (mergers and acquisitions) lawyer. This was mostly helped by his main client, Charles Chong. Being the vice-chairman of Chong Inc at the time, he embarked on an acquisition spree in order to increase the conglomerate’s market share in the industries its subsidiaries were involved in. In that matter, he hired Ouyang Haoguan to provide the company with legal advice. As Chong Inc grew to become the country’s largest conglomerate, so did Haoguan’s bank account. He was made a partner in his firm at the age of 25 and was appointed to serve as a director (and in some cases, the chairman) of some of the subsidiaries’ boards after he left his employer at the age of 28. This enabled him to not only purchase the Hoiyi bungalow Madeline resided in, but also to contribute the capital she needed to start her chemist business.

In comparison, Madeline made a net profit of 120,000 CPC per annum from her pharmacy. While this made her really wealthy in the town, she was barely in the top 1% of earners in the country. Haoguan further boosted her income by paying her an annual allowance of 200,000 CPC (which was 110,000 CPC per annum prior to him becoming the president).

Madeline: “Yeah no shit, you’re the highest paid person in government.”

Haoguan: “I still think that your job balances income and happiness really well though.”

Madeline: “How so?”

Haoguan: “For one, you don’t have to deal with foreign leaders or local politicians.”

Madeline: “True, but sometimes my job is too boring because nobody would actually consult me for my expertise.”

Haoguan: “That’s the beauty of your job in my opinion. You rarely have to deal with complicated problems, yet you get to enjoy one of the highest spending powers in this town, if not the island.”

Madeline: “That’s not true.”

Haoguan: “It is. You earn the same amount as many dentists do in the capital of Luojin. If you factor in my allowance, you have more money than many neurosurgeons do.”

Madeline: “I guess.”

Haoguan: “Where are the kids, by the way?”

Madeline: “I sent Julius and Lydia for private tutoring. As you know, Julius will be sitting for the Advanced Secondary Examination this year, whereas Lydia will be sitting for it next year. Scarlett is taking her piano lesson today.”

The Ordinary Secondary Examination (OSE) is a secondary school examination that students in Golden Coast Republic sit for at the age of 14-16. Upon passing it, they could then take the Advanced Secondary Examination (ASE) at the age of 15-18. The Advanced Secondary Examination is the primary (and often the sole) criteria that determines the university a student goes to. For that reason, in order to ensure their children have an edge in university admission, parents often sent them for private tutoring, which had boomed as an industry in the past decade.

Despite being only 37 years old, Haoguan’s oldest son with Madeline is already 17 years old. Meanwhile, his eldest daughter Lydia is 16 years old. For Madeline, who hatched Julius when she was still studying for her pharmacist degree at the age of 19, raising the children was a difficult endeavour. Because of that, they were initially taken care of by her parents, who weren’t aware that their nephew was the children’s true father. After beginning his career as a lawyer, Haoguan started paying her a hefty allowance to raise them, which acted as a form of child support.

Haoguan panted heavily as Madeline stopped moving on top of him. She gripped his arms tightly.

Madeline: “That was too intense.”

Haoguan: “That’s the way I like it.”

She climbed off him and snuggled right next to him, before kissing him repeatedly.

Haoguan: “I’m supposed to meet the Democrat party chairman of Hoiyi tonight for a dinner, but I’m hungry at the moment. Do you know any good spot for a quick meal?”

Madeline: “There’s this place that serves really good beef brisket noodles-“

Haoguan: “C’mon, that’s too filling.”

Madeline: “Oh, there’s this stall that serves congee with raw fish slices.”

Haoguan: “Sure, let’s go.”

The cousins entered Haoguan’s car. Following Madeline’s instructions, he entered the “town square” of Green Water Bay. It primarily consisted of 9 rows of shophouses, many of which looked dilapidated due to age. The wet market was closed as it was the evening. He parked his car near Madeline’s pharmacy, as per her instruction.

Haoguan: “Okay, now what?”

Madeline: “Turn left, keep walking until the end of the row. You’ll see an alley on the right. Enter it and you’ll see several stalls. The second one is the congee stall.”

Haoguan: “Wait, aren’t you joining me?”

Madeline: “I need to take care of something in the store. I’ll join you later.”

Following his cousin’s instructions, Haoguan soon found himself at the stall. He approached the proprietor, a balding man who appeared to be in his late fifties. The latter talked to his prospective customer in Cantonese.

Stall owner: “What would you like, young man?”

Haoguan: “A bowl of congee with raw fish slices, please.”

Stall owner: “That will be 28 Luna.”

The president paid the proprietor the equivalent of 2.80 CPC for some comfort food. Having grown up in relative poverty, Haoguan would often have congee instead of rice for meals as the former was more economical. He sat at one of the plastic tables laid across the alley. Several minutes later, a bowl of piping hot and smooth porridge was placed on the table, alongside a plate of raw fish slices.

Haoguan: “Do you sell beverages?”

Stall owner: “I don’t, but there is a stall nearby that sells Hoiyi-style milk tea.”

Haoguan: “Alright, thanks.”

Milk tea, such as the one he was about to order, was a culturally important beverage to the Golden Coasters. Although tea had been drank ever since hundreds of years ago, it was usually consumed standalone. The Puffish were the first to introduce the practice of adding milk to tea in the country. The Golden Coasters adapted this by adding evaporated or condensed milk to tea instead. The president waddled to the milk tea store, which was managed by a female penguin in her late thirties. She stared intently at Haoguan.

Haoguan: "Hey, I'd like to buy a glass of iced milk tea."

Stall owner 2: "You look really familiar, have I met you before?"

Haoguan: "I don't think so, I'm not a local."

Stall owner 2: "I know, but you look like someone famous."

Haoguan: "Nah, I'm sure that's just a coincidence."

Stall owner 2: "Okay then, I'll give the tea to you soon. That will be 13 Luna."

As soon as the tea was delivered, Haoguan began eating his meal. Utilising his chopsticks, he dipped one of the raw fish slices into the porridge, which effectively cooked it. He then ate it with a small spoonful of the congee.

After having his meal, Haoguan drove to Hoidou, where he was supposed to meet the Democrat party chairman of Hoiyi, Raymond Mak. The dinner was scheduled in The Teak, which was a five-star hotel built in 1881. He walked to the traditional Golden Coaster restaurant in the hotel, where he was escorted by aides into a private dining room. Raymond, along with other politicians involved in Hoiyi’s local governments, was sitting on a round table with a Lazy Susan on it. There was a glass of pinot noir poured out for each diner.

Raymond: “Mr. President, nice to meet you.”

Haoguan: “Nice to meet you too.”

Wearing a pair of rimless spectacles and a black business suit with black tie, the side-parted Raymond Mak reminded Haoguan of a funeral director. He was formerly the chief minister of Hoiyi and the speaker of the Hoiyi provincial legislature. He had also held his seats as a member of the National Assembly and as a member of the Hoiyi provincial legislature for 24 years, after being first elected to the position at the age of 33. Raymond gestured to the man sitting next to him, a man sporting a crew cut who looked around his age except that he wasn’t wearing any spectacles.

Raymond: “This is Pastor Shen. I’m sure you have heard of him.”

Pastor Shen: “Supreme Governor, it’s an honour to meet you.”

As Haoguan shook the pastor’s flipper, he met the zealot in his eyes. In the Golden Coast Republic, the president was also the Supreme Governor of the National Church, making them the most senior official in the church. Because of that, it was a requirement for all presidents to be members of the church. The incumbent had the power to appoint high-ranking members of the church.

The National Church of the Golden Coast (NCGC) was the official religion of the country, with over 57.4% of the country's population adhering to it in the official census. Its influence was strong, as its adherents had to pay a monthly tithe to the organisation, which made it extremely wealthy. In addition to that. its teachings regularly influenced Golden Coaster legislations and court rulings. The organisation even had its own military, as members of the Golden Coaster armed forces who were registered as believers of the church were also automatically placed in the “Evangelical Armies”. The purpose of this military was to serve the church in the event that a holy conflict arises. In recent years, however, the Golden Coaster state had began to curb the church’s authority, as the government was given the power to audit the organisation’s finances every year or whenever it deemed necessary.

Haoguan: “It’s an honour to meet you too, Pastor Shen. I have heard many things about you.”

Based on what his aides told him, Haoguan knew that Pastor Shen was one of the most ultraconservative clerics in the country. He had successfully lobbied against the passing of any legislation to legalise same-gender marriage. In addition to that, he was also a strong proponent of punishing those who engaged in pornography and prostitution with the death penalty and supported keeping the capital offence for adultery (in Golden Coast, adultery was a capital offence, punishable by a single shot to the back).

A roasted goose dish was first served, followed by a bowl of double-boiled fish maw soup with chicken. Braised abalone with asparagus was then served as the third dish. This is succeeded by Hoiyi-style steamed red groupa, seafood fried rice and chilled mango cream with pomelo, sago and ice cream. Pots after pots of lapsang souchong tea, which was traditionally grown on the more elevated land plots of Hoiyi, were drank.

After the meal had concluded, the politicians began their discussion.

Raymond: "Oh my, that was a fantastic meal. The red grouper was really fresh."

Pastor Shen: "Of course, it was caught this afternoon. I managed to purchase it directly from the fisherman who caught it and then gave it to the chef."

Haoguan: "Ah, that's interesting."

Pastor Shen: "How was the meal, Supreme Governor?"

Haoguan: "It was sumptuous, pastor."

The president was beginning to feel perturbed by how the pastor kept referring to him as the Supreme Governor of the National Church rather than as the president of the republic.

Raymond: "Anyway, Mr. President, what do you think about the rising secularism in Joseon?"

Haoguan: "Pardon me?"

Pastor Shen: "Supreme Governor, as you might be aware of, Joseon used to have a high proportion of Christians in their country. However, as the 21st century approached, their Christian population dwindled from 47% in 1980 to roughly 29% in the present day. As you know, in recent days, they proposed renaming the Christian University of Joseon, which has one of the best medical schools in the country after Hanseong National University's."

Haoguan: "Okay."

Raymond: "Sir, aren't you outraged? These secularists are ruining our heritage."

Haoguan: "I mean if the students and board of directors there approved of it, why not?"

Pastor Shen: "Not *all* of them. Protests have broken out in campus because of the renaming. These protesters, who thankfully are still sane, hold the same view as Raymond and I do."

Haoguan: "Which is that the Christian heritage is under threat?"

Pastor Shen: "Exactly, Supreme Governor. What university did you graduate from?"

Haoguan: "Athena-Luojin University."

The two conservatives kept quiet, as Athena was the name of an ancient goddess of wisdom. Athena-Luojin University was one of the Platinum Tier Universities, which referred to the most competitive universities in the country. The others were the Evangelical Luojin University, Institute of Advanced Studies and St Xavier University. Ranking below it were the Golden Tier Universities.

Pastor Shen: "How about your wife then?"

Haoguan: "Evangelical Luojin."

Haoguan's wife, First Lady Julianna Wen, was an accounting major in Evangelical Luojin. Meanwhile, his cousin Madeline Song, studied pharmacy in Athena-Luojin as well.

Pastor Shen: "After the proposal to rename the Christian Hanseong University, some troublemakers in the Supreme Governess's alma mater and St Xavier here in Hoiyi made the same proposal. Thankfully, the board in both unis rejected the motion and we even had the proposers suspended for a semester in St Xavier. The church was the one that brought these wonderful education institutions to the continent and that's how these ungrateful people return the favour?"

*Jeez, that's rather harsh. After all, isn't this supposed to be a free country?,* Haoguan thought to himself.

Raymond: "That's just one issue. There are also calls here for the National Church to no longer be the official religion of the country and some even *audaciously* suggested that it should pay taxes!"

Pastor Shen: "Who knows what's next, the legalisation of pornography?"

Unbeknownst to the pastor, pornography and prostitution were effectively decriminalised as the police had stopped enforcing its ban since the early 2010's. Despite that, however, the cyber division of the national police continued to keep track of Internet users' porn watching activity so that they could still charge them with it if the need to arrest them arose.

Raymond: "Anyway, we have a brilliant idea to turn the tables against the goddamn atheists of the country."

Haoguan: "What is it?"

Pastor Shen: "You can utilise the Evangelical Armies to conduct an intervention in Joseon."

Haoguan: "Um..."

*What kind of stupid idea is that? This isn't the goddamned medieval age!*, the president rolled his eyes at the ludicrous suggestion.

Raymond: "Yes, that's what we intend to suggest. We can conscript our fine, young men into the Army of Jesus and send them off to fight in his holy war, for a noble cause!"

Pastor Shen: "This will usher a new age of Christian prowess throughout the continent, if not all of Antarctica. Our military is stronger than the Joseoneans' and the Antarcticans will not interfere as they rely more on us than on Joseon."

Haoguan: "Economically speaking, that might be the case, but there are Antarctic troops stationed in Joseon! I'm not going to have our men shoot at Antarctic soldiers just because they're stationed in the country!"

Raymond: "Nobody is saying that we have to engage with Antarctic troops. We can get President Sung to authorise our troops in the country."

Haoguan: "And what if he doesn't?"

Pastor Shen: "We'll then pull a quickie. Our troops will invade the Hanseong Capital Area, which can be accessed via water. They will briefly occupy the capital and punish the atheists and Buddhists before leaving as soon as possible. Teach them a quick but painful lesson, ya know?"

Haoguan realised that Pastor Shen had no idea how flawed his plan sounded. The Antarctic naval and marine commands in Joseon were both located in Hanseong itself and there was no guarantee a conflict won't break out between the Golden Coasters and the Antarcticans. In addition to that, it required roughly 1 hour for Antarctic *and* Joseonean troops, who were primarily based in the province encompassing the Hanseong Capital Area, to reach the capital in case of a military conflict. Short of launching ballistic missiles at the
capital, there was no way the National Church could "teach them a quick but painful lesson".

Haoguan: "I think it's better to leave this to the military strategists in the Chiefs of Staff Committee."

Raymond: "This intervention will be good for our country. It will instill a sense of patriotism among our countrymen and it will also boost the arms manufacturing industry."

It is then that Haoguan realised the duo were completely serious about the idea. He kept looking at the other politicians in the room, almost all of whom appeared as if they backed the motion. *Oh fuck, they are serious about invading Joseon for Jesus.*

Haoguan: "Well such a matter requires really careful consideration and planning."

Pastor Shen: "I understand. We need to plan it in even greater detail so that we can successfully carry out God's work."

Raymond: "By the way, are you staying in this hotel? I asked the receptionist prior to your arrival and they said that you didn't."

Haoguan hesitated to give an answer, as he intended to stay the night in Madeline's bungalow.

Haoguan: "Nah, I'm not."

Raymond: "Where are you staying then? I don't mind paying for a suite in this hotel so that you can stay in it."

Haoguan: "That won't be necessary, thanks. You can donate the money to the church instead."

Raymond: "Hmm, alright then."

Haoguan: "Excuse me gentlemen, I have to step into the restroom."

As the president left, Raymond took a sip of the lapsang suchong. *I've checked every single hotel in the island and he is not checked into any of it. Who could he possibly be staying with then?*

The next morning, Haoguan woke up in the master bedroom of the bungalow. After taking a quick shower, he sat at the table on the veranda, where his children Julius, Lydia and Scarlett were breakfasting on eggs and toasts slathered with marmalade.

Haoguan: "Good morning."

Children: "Good morning, dad."

Haoguan: "So how's your day so far?"

Julius: "Not good. There will be a test later for the fifth period."

Haoguan: "You'll do well, don't worry. What subject is it?"

Julius: "Greek."

Haoguan: "Oh gosh, I used to be bad in that too. Don't worry, it's not like you will be rejected from all of the Platinum Tier Universities just because you do badly in Greek for the ASE."

Julius: "I know, but I'd rather not take any chance."

Traditionally, Evangelical Luojin University and St Xavier University were the first and second most prestigious universities in the country. Despite not using them in the curriculum, both universities gave serious consideration to a student's Latin, Biblical Studies and Greek grades in the ASE when it came to admitting them. Because of that, parents (who tended to be more religious back then) forced their children to get good grades in those 3 subjects. However, as Athena-Luojin and the Institute for Advanced Studies began to seriously compete with the two religious universities for the rankings (Athena-Luojin was first ranked as the top university in the country 2 years prior to Haoguan's admission until 3 years after his graduation, when it fell to the second spot and was replaced by the Institute for Advanced Studies), some parents stopped forcing their children to excel in the 3 units. Despite that, in order to secure their chances, many still sent them for private tutoring.

The children left as the school bus arrived. Haoguan looked at Scarlett, who resembled Madeline more than she resembled the president.

Ouyang Haoguan then drove to Luojin, where he was supposed to meet his wife Julianna Wen for lunch in an upscale hotpot restaurant. By the time he had arrived, the various dishes are already on the table, while there is a spicy and non-spicy broth respectively in the pot. Julianna, who's wearing a pink t-shirt, black jeans and a pony-tail, was dipping a fish fillet into the spicy broth with a pair of chopsticks. She glanced at Haoguan, who's wearing another white shirt and beige chinos.

Julianna: "Haven't you learned from your previous lesson?"

Haoguan: "What lesson?"

Julianna: "You made a mess on your shirt when you accidentally spilled the red spicy broth on your shirt."

The president merely looked at her as she ate the fish fillet with ease.

Haoguan: "I honestly have no idea how you manage to drink the spicy broth."

Julianna: "I'm from the province of Shu. I practically grew up eating spicy food."

The province of Shu, which is located at the southeast of Golden Coast as opposed to Hoiyi's northwestern position, was well-known for its spicy cuisine due to its liberal use of garlic, chili peppers and the notorious Shu pepper, a spice that is known for causing numbness in consumers' mouths. Notable dishes include mapo tofu, laziji
and the hotpot broth that the first couple was eating at the moment. In some restaurants, the hotpot was exclusively served in Shu-style spicy broth, usually with the pot itself separated into nine different compartments. While he was able to eat milder spicy food such as Joseonean instant noodles or kimchi, he could only drink a sip or two of the Shu-style spicy broth.

Haoguan: "Explains why you're so hot."

Julianna blushed at the flirtatious compliment. There is a stereotype that women from Shu are beautiful due to their alluring eyes, slender figures and smooth feathers. Just then, they heard a really loud sound emitting from outside, in spite of being in a private room.

Julianna: "What the fuck was that?"

Haoguan: "Sounds like a car crashed into something. I should go out and check."

Julianna: "Come on, what are the odds that it's your car?"

Haoguan: "My car literally cost me 1.3 million CPC! I need to make sure it's alright."

Julianna: "I know my numbers better than you do. The probability of your car being rammed into by another, especially if you're properly parked, is really low."

Haoguan: "Fine, I suppose you're right."

## Chapter 2

Built in 1765, Chateau de Occitany was located just 11 kilometre outside of the Soinnean capital of Biamont. Her Majesty Queen Suzanne of Soinne resides here occasionally as her private residence, in order to escape the Royal Palace at the city centre. Despite that, the white building was set in a park around 460 acres large (all of which was privately owned by the queen), of which around 280 acres were open to the public and the remaining being closed. The palace is notable for its semi-oval protrusion on its garden facade, which divides the residence into two halves. The 26 year old monarch was feeding one of her rare-breed dark blue puffles with Puffle-O's in one of the bedrooms of the palace, which belongs to the Queen Louise the Queen Mother. Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Suzanne: "Come in."

A bespectacled man in his late sixties, dressed in a grey suit, bowed to the queen, who's dressed in a yellow button down dress. The man is the foreign minister of the Kingdom of Soinne.

Suzanne: "Yes?"

Foreign minister: "Your Majesty, I have received urgent news."

Suzanne: "What is it?"

Foreign minister: "It's Prince Johannes. He got into an automobile collision in Luojin, Golden Coast Republic."

Suzanne: "Oh dear..."

*Earlier in the morning*

Prince Johannes, the Duke of Occitany woke up in his 3,800 square feet suite at the Oriental Hotel, which is one of the most expensive hotels in the Golden Coast Republic. After grooming himself and putting on a navy blue sweater with a white shirt, he flipped through the in-room dining menu as he sat next to the telephone connecting him to room service.

Johannes: “What should I have today?”

Having eating sandwiches or yoghurt with oats for the previous 2 days due to his tight schedule, Johannes decided to go a little crazy and picked up the phone.

Johannes: “Hello, I’d like to have an Eggs Benedict, seasonal fruits with yoghurt, a sourdough toast slathered with avocado, a croissant, a pain au chocolat, a glass of orange juice and a cup of long black.”

Receptionist: “Certainly, Your Royal Highness.”

As soon as the various dishes and beverages were laid on the table, Johannes breathed a sigh of relief and started eating the egg dish. For the previous 2 days, he was involved in meeting with Chuck Chong, the vice chairman of the Chong Inc, to discuss a virtual banking joint venture. As the executive chairman of the Royal Soinne Bank, he represented the company in negotiations with the Golden Coaster conglomerate.

Johannes: “I should also order some booze.”

The prince headed towards the phone again, and ordered 3 glasses of martini.

The Puffish racing green-coloured vintage roadster tore through the streets of Luojin. Johannes, who's behind the wheels, had some trouble controlling the car. He was going at roughly 60 kilometre per hour in the city. He noticed that the avenue he wanted to enter on the right was getting closer to him. Unbeknownst to him, it was still rather far away. As he swerved to the right, he ended up hitting a car.

Johannes: "FUCK!"

An airbag managed to prevent his head from hitting on the steering wheel itself. The car that he crashed into also looked rather vintage. Spectators on both sides of the road started looking at him and snapping pictures of the accident. Unsure of what to do, the duke took off his sunglasses and walked out of his totalled vehicle.

Johannes: "Bloody Christ, that cost me over 1 million CPC..."

Several Golden Coasters flashed him a look of disgust for taking their God's name in vain. Soon after, a police officer approached him.

Police officer: "Is that your vehicle, sir?"

Johannes: "Was. It was mine."

The officer noticed that his speech was slightly slurred and that he looked inebriated.

Police officer: "Are you under the influence?"

Johannes: "That's none of your business!"

Police officer: "On top of destruction of private property, we suspect that you're also driving under the influence. We need to take you back to the station for some questioning."

Johannes: "You can't do that, I have diplomatic immunity."

The police officer took a look at the car plate of the wrecked roadster. It was red in colour and had *Issued by the Government of Soinne* on it. *Fuck, this is harder than I thought it would be.*

Voice: "WHAT THE-"

The two turned their heads around to see the President of the Golden Coast Republic, who looked rather shocked.

Haoguan: "WHAT THE HECK HAPPENED?!"

Police officer: "Automobile accident, Mr. President."

Haoguan: "That's my car!"

Police officer: "...Oh"

The angry president began approaching the duke, who was surprisingly nonchalant about the incident.

Vice chairman Chuck Chong was taking care of some paperwork in his office when there was a knock on the door.

Chuck: "Come in."

His secretary approached him with a look of concern on her face.

Chuck: "What is it?"

Secretary: "The Duke of Occitany crashed into the president's car while driving under the influence."

Chuck: "The fuck?!"

Secretary: "Yes, sources told me that they nearly came to blows in front of hundreds of people."

Chuck: "That does sound terrible. Where are they now?"

Secretary: "Both men have left the site of the accident. Apparently the president is talking about banning the duke from ever entering the country again."

Chuck: "WHAT?! That can never happen. We just concluded our business deal yesterday!"

Secretary: "Shall we try to negotiate with the president?"

Chuck: "Of course, I've known him for so long."

Haoguan felt dejected after his favourite car was damaged. While his insurance provider allowed him to claim compensation, it would take a while before another car like his would appear on the market again. By then, the compensation would not be enough to afford the car due to its value appreciation. As he sat motionlessly on the couch in his presidential residence's drawing room, his phone rang. The president answered the incoming call.

Haoguan: "What's up, Chuck?"

Chuck: "Hey, how are you feeling?"

Haoguan: "Not good. I'm sure you have heard of it by now."

Chuck: "I'll be straightforward. What can I do to change your mind on branding the Duke of Occitany as a persona non grata?"

Haoguan: "Nothing short of me miraculously getting the same car model, which I doubt you could do."

Chuck: "Well luckily for you, I do in fact have the same model. You can have it."

Haoguan: "Wait, seriously?"

Chuck: "Yes, for the small price of 1 CPC."

Haoguan: "Are you taking the piss?"

Chuck: "No, I'm serious."

Haoguan: "Come on, at least accept the insurance compensation that I received."

Chuck: "Alright fine."

Haoguan: "What's in it for you though?"

Chuck: "Let's just say that the Duke and I are now partners in a venture and I don't want our newly established partnership to be jeopardized."

Haoguan: "Fair enough, I'll find out for myself what is this venture soon."

Chuck: "Oh, I'm sure you will."

After the conglomerate chief hung up the call, Haoguan received another call, this time from an unknown number. The person on the other end of the line had a polished, aristocratic accent.

Voice: "Is this Mr. Ouyang?"

Haoguan: "Who is this?"

Voice: "In light of my husband's mishap today, I'd like to negotiate a settlement that is favourable for both parties."

The president froze. *Is this the Queen of Soinne?*

Haoguan: "Your Majesty."

Suzanne: "You can spare the formalities over the phone, Mr. President. First of all, on behalf of my husband, I'd like to apologise to you and I will do my best to ensure such calamity will not occur in the future. I do hope our countries' relationship is not affected by this, as we've had a great relationship ever since 1912."

Haoguan: "Of course it won't be, Golden Coaster-Soinnean relations are far stronger than that."

Suzanne: "In addition to that, I personally think that an apology based on words alone is not enough to show my sincerity. Therefore, I'd like to know if there's anything I could do to compensate you for the damages caused."

Haoguan: "Well it was a rare, vintage car."

The queen pondered for a moment.

Suzanne: "How about this, I can pay you roughly quadruple the current market value of the car. In addition to that, I will also be transferring some artworks from Soinnean art galleries to your country's museums as a gesture of friendship."

Haoguan: "Wait, you can do that? Last I heard, you're a constitutional monarch."

Suzanne: "Yes, I literally own those artworks."

Despite being a mere constitutional monarch with limited reserve powers, Queen Suzanne's family was in fact the wealthiest royal family in Europe and one of the wealthiest in all of Antarctica. Being adherents of Judaism initially, the family was able to lend money to various royal families, aristocrats and merchants throughout the Ninja Archipelago at lucrative interest rates as Christians at the time were forbidden from charging too high of an interest rate towards each other. While a similar provision applied to adherents of Judaism, nothing prevented the Jews from charging high interest on loans made to the Christian majority in the archipelago. As a result, the Kingdom of Soinne became a banking centre as early as the 17th century. Many of the archipelago's elite also began to store their money in the country, as it was viewed to be rather neutral in the increasingly complex web of alliances among other countries.

In addition, relative to other Archipelagoan countries, Soinne also had a really sunny climate and some pristine beaches on its costs, making it ideal as a tourist destination. As the Archipelagoan (as the demonym for Ninja Archipelago-associated things was called) elite already banked with the Royal Bank of Soinne, they also vacationed in the country. To further capitalise on this, the Soinnean royals built a casino in the 19th century and began to invest in couture houses and jewellers to set up their headquarters in the capital of Biamont. The Soinnean couture houses became so influential that the 3 main firms were all in Francterre's Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, which was a regulatory commission for the haute couture industry.

Aside from owning the Royal Bank of Soinne, the Casino de Biamont, the 3 couture houses, some wine estates and beer breweries across the kingdom, Queen Suzanne also owns vast amounts of properties and land throughout the country and various other countries in Antarctica via the PR Group (Propriétés Royales Group), including the freehold of the entire CBD of Soinne, alongside enormous jewel and art collections (the latter of which had been on display in public art galleries since 1900). In the late 80’s, vast natural gas reserves were also discovered off the coast of the Duchy of Occitany, in waters owned by the royal family, which gave the already wealthy royals an even larger jackpot. Despite transferring 90% of the revenue to a sovereign wealth fund, Queen Suzanne was still able to earn an average of 1.4 billion CPC per annum for the previous 5 years from the net cash flow of the gas industry. It was estimated that the royal family was worth 54 billion CPC, excluding the priceless art collection and palaces that had never been appraised.

Haoguan: "Oh...right..."

Suzanne: "If that's not enough, I can dig around my father's car collection and see if there's anything that you might fancy. Johannes rather fancy a car known as the SLR Stirling Moss or something. Alternatively, we also have another Benz, just like yours, called the 540K roadster. I'm also willing to give several other cars to you, but I've no idea what they're called, so let me just send the pictures to you."

The stunned Haoguan received several images from the queen. The first car was an extremely rare Ferrari racing car that only had 4 units in existence, while the second was another Ferrari racing car. The third was a BMW sports car that held the same stature as Haoguan’s damaged Benz. *Fuck, they cost a total of 36 million CPC*, Haoguan thought to himself after googling the prices of each car based on past auctions.

Haoguan: "I don't think it's a good idea to give them to me, especially if they're rare."

Suzanne: "Oh don't worry, we have at least another unit for each of the cars I offered to you. Obviously, I'm not going to give you any car that we only have one of."

*What the actual fuck?!*, he wondered about her wealth. *Here was a woman who had what was perhaps the most enviable car collection in Antarctica, yet she were so willing to give them to a complete rando because she had no clue how much they were worth.*

Haoguan: "I think the initial cash payment and the artworks alone will do to be honest, Your Majesty. You can keep the cars for your son or your husband."

Suzanne: "I don't have any offspring yet, but sure. As long as the relationship between our countries is still on good grounds."

Haoguan: "I assure you, it is. Thank you."

As Haoguan ended the call, he began to regret not taking the offer. *She literally offered me 5 cars whose values exceed all the money I have. She is either incredibly stupid or has too much money.*

## Chapter 3

Unbeknownst to the Golden Coaster president, upon ending the call with him, Suzanne also had some regrets, albeit different from his. In her drawing room, where she's seated with Prince Johannas, she put the phone back into her casual tracksuit pants.

Suzanne: "I should have pressured him even further and get him to take at least 3 of the cars."

Johannes: "You did a great job though. You managed to remember the names of 2 of the cars."

Suzanne: "That's not enough. I want to bankrupt him from the exorbitant maintenance costs."

Johannes: "Come on, it was I who damaged his car. It's not really his fault."

Suzanne: "Yes, I know it's your fault, but he shouldn't have threatened to deport you like you are a persona non grata."

The Soinnean queen had an ulterior motive for offering to give Haoguan the cars. She wanted to make him pay insurance on the cars to the Royal Bank of Soinne, which also owned an insurance company, and profit to his detriment. It was at that moment when her husband, the Duke of Occitany, began to fear how frightfully ingenious she could be, especially since the queen seemed to be unaware of how brilliant it was in hindsight.

To Killarto's annoyance, when they stepped out of their chauffeured Mercedes-Maybach S650, numerous penguins in the vicinity started taking pictures at him and Park Jo-jo with their mobile phones. Dozens of bodyguards stepped out of the escort cars and surrounded him and the actress. They entered a Joseonean barbecue restaurant, where the owner of the store greeted the Nexonan emperor. The other customers of the restaurant also looked at the duo in surprise. With over 8.3 million followers on PicsGram, Park Jo-jo was considered to be one of the most popular and beautiful actresses in Joseon. In addition to starring in numerous movies, television series and commercial advertisements, she was recently given a new job - namely to guide the Emperor around Hanseong.

Owner: "Your majesty, very nice to meet you."

Killarto: "It's a pleasure to lunch at your place. I hope you can give me some good recommendations."

Owner: "Yes, of course of course."

They were led to a table in the same area as the other customers.

Killarto: "Is there a private room or something?”

Owner: “So sorry, Your Majesty. No private room.”

*What the heck? I paid 10 million CPC and they couldn't even find a restaurant that gives me sufficient privacy?*, the emperor wondered as he reluctantly sat down.

Jo-jo: "Your majesty, you should try the spicy sangyeopgsal and bulgogi here. It's really good."

Killarto: "How do you know?"

Jo-jo: "I eat here often."

Killarto: "Alright then, let's have a plate of that."

Sensing an opportunity to order whatever she could, the actress decides to order dishes that she normally wouldn't have ordered if she's not paying.

Jo-jo: "You can also try the grilled abalone. I heard it's really good."

Killarto: "Sure, give me 2 of that."

The owner smiled at the actress's attempt to get the wealthy foreign monarch to buy the most expensive items on the menu. He decided to chime in.

Owner: "I also recommend the premium makgeolli."

Killarto: "Sure, we'll have a bottle of that."

After they were done ordering, a male penguin approached the duo. He appeared to be a fan of Jo-jo.

Fan: "Hey Miss Park, can I take a selfie with you?"

Jo-jo didn't know how to react, as her agent didn't tell her whether or not she's allowed to interact with other fans while she's effectively 'escorting' for Killarto. She looked at him, who looked rather annoyed.

Killarto: "Umm, yeah of course, take the pic with him."

Fan: "Thank you sir! Can you take the photo for me, please?"

The monarch, visibly annoyed by now, looked at his bodyguards and his private secretary, who were all dining on a separate table. He motioned for the secretary and a bodyguard to come over with his flipper.

Killarto: "Give your phone to the more muscular person. He'll take the pic for you."

The monarch then motioned for his private secretary to come close to him. He spoke to him in French.

Killarto: "What the fuck is this?"

Private secretary: "We did warn you about agreeing to go on this tour with someone as popular as her."

Killarto: "Judging by that fan's look, he'll definitely stalk her around for a few more hours or so. Is there any way we could dispose of these people?"

Private secretary: "This isn't Nexon, your majesty. We can't just confront them, not to mention that if we do it, we will indirectly harm Jo-jo's reputation among her fans, which I'm sure you'd prefer to avoid."

Killarto: "Look, I need some private time with her. Can you ensure that the restaurants we'll be dining in for the rest of the trip will be filled with more refined people at the very least?"

Private secretary: "I'll try my best."

Killarto: "I don't want your best, Michael. I want you to do well."

Private secretary: "Understood, my lord."

The monarch looked at Jo-jo again, who was finished with signing the fan's autograph by now.

Killarto: "Where are we going to after this?"

Jo-jo: "We have this river in the city that's rather scenic and popular with the locals. Would you like to check it out after lunch?"

Killarto nodded. In the meantime, he's also devising for ways he could get her to have sex with him. *This is what I paid 10 million for, not to be asked by someone to take pics of them with their idols.*

After 3 successive nights of sleeping with a popular Joseonean actress, Emperor Killarto flew to the Soinnean capital of Biamont, where he had an informal meeting with Queen Suzanne in Biamont House, which was located in the Biamont Botanic Gardens. They sat in the drawing room as they began their discussion.

Killarto: “I’m going to transfer 15.4 billion CPC to your bank.”

Suzanne: “What for? Is there some sort of crisis?”

Kilarto: “No, but I want to establish Biamont as a base for my family in the event that there is indeed a crisis.”

Suzanne: “Very well then, do you have a residence here?”

Killarto: “Aside from the suites I keep on retainer in the Hotel de Biamont, no.”

The queen took out 2 files from her inventory and gave them to her ally. Killarto flipped through them. The first file showed a three-storied villa, whereas the second one showed a two-storied mansion with a rather substantial garden.

Kilarto: “Are you selling these to me?”

Suzanne: “Yes, the leaseholds for the 2 properties expired at the start of this year.”

Killarto: “No, I want them to be sold as freehold to me.”

Suzanne: “That will cost extra.”

Killarto: “I don’t care, just get it done.”

Suzanne: “Very well then.”

For a moment, there was a brief silence in the room. The queen looked at her Nexonan counterpart, who looked back at her. *Hmm, is she interested in me or something?*, the sex pervert wondered.

Suzanne: “Aren’t you going to inquire about the price or something?”

Killarto: “Nah, I trust you enough to charge me a reasonable price. Just deduct the amount from the assets I’ll be transferring to the RBS.”

*Jesus, he's really wealthy*, Suzanne thought to herself. It was alleged that the autocratic Emperor of Nexon was the wealthiest individual in the world. The Empire of Nexon is a developed country with a population of 280 million. An imperial tax applied to all Nexonans who work, whereby they had to pay 1 CPC to the Emperor for every day of work that they do. As a result, the Nexonan Emperor collected a staggering minimum of 80 billion CPC from this revenue stream alone. In addition to that, the Emperor also owned all mineral rights (including oil and natural gas), which he leased to companies in return for royalties, alongside the freehold of almost all land in the country. To develop land, he would sub-lease lands for a period of 70-170 years to real estate developers, who would then sub-lease them to residents or sell their own leaseholds to them. Nexon was the largest exporter of oil and the second largest exporter of natural gas in all of Antarctica, which gave the Emperor another extremely lucrative revenue stream. He also held substantial shareholdings in numerous notable Nexonan companies, the dividend payments of which formed yet another income source. Queen Suzanne, despite being wealthy in her own right, always felt that she paled in comparison to Emperor Killarto due to the sheer size of his country, which had the largest GDP in the world in terms of purchasing power parity and the second largest in nominal GDP.

Suzanne: "Very well then, is there anything else you'd like?"

*Yeah, fucking you*, Killarto said to himself. The Nexonan emperor first met the princess when she was 17 and joined her first debutante ball. Killarto, who was 6 years older, danced with her. Despite that, he was aware that he could not enter into a relationship with her due to the two countries' relationship. While Soinne and Nexon had been historical allies, he was afraid that if there was a breakdown in the two's relationship if they ever date, then the relationships of both countries would be jeopardised.

Killarto: "I believe that concludes our meeting."

President Ouyang Haoguan was confronted with another problem once again. *State v Li Huarong* was a judicial case that was gaining more national attention as the days passed. Li Huarong, a homosexual male, took legal action against the government of the Golden Coast Republic after the government didn't permit him to marry his lover. Despite being ruled against the plaintiff's favour in the lower courts, the plaintiff kept getting donations to appeal to higher courts. By now, it had reached the Supreme Court. Pastor Shen decided to meet Haoguan in his presidential residence. The two had soy milk, shengjian mantou and scallion pancakes at the veranda as the pastor's visiting him in the morning.

Haoguan: "What would you like to talk about?"

The pastor slowly chewed the pork filling in the shengjian mantou before he sipped some soy milk and gave his reply.

Pastor Shen: "Li Huarong."

Haoguan raised an eyebrow. *Oh gosh, this can't be good. None of this can be good.* Just then, his daughter Ouyang Liuxian entered the veranda.

Liuxian: "I'm going to school now."

Haoguan: "Alright, have a good day."

As the 15 year old left, the president noticed the pastor staring, nay, ogling at her.

Pastor Shen: "She will grow up to be a proper Christian lady, Supreme Governor."

Haoguan: "I'm sure she will grow up to be just fine."

Pastor Shen: "We need more beautiful and smart Christian girls in our country, so that the women of our faith can have a good image."

*That's shallow of you to degrade others who aren't as smart or attractive just because they happen to share our faith*, he thought. It was then that he realised the pastor was ogling at **his** underaged daughter.

Haoguan: "I'm sure those who don't the same traits are also blessed in other ways."

Pastor Shen: "Unfortunately those can't enhance the reputation of our faith."

*What the actual fuck?!*

Haoguan: "You were talking about Li Huarong?"

Pastor Shen: "I think there's a chance the Supreme Court will end up ruling in his favour. After all, it's the same court that ruled in favour of making the National Church more transparent, so they will definitely impose their secular supremacy on the lower courts."

Haoguan: "Well we'll see what happens by then."

Pastor Shen: "I think you should prevent people from going against our teachings, by utilising your power."

Haoguan: "What power?"

Pastor Shen: "Since you're a qualified lawyer, you can sit on the Supreme Court."

Haoguan realised by then what the pastor wanted. He wanted Haoguan to rule against the case decision. According to the Constitution of the Golden Coast Republic, if the President is a qualified lawyer, he is allowed to vote in Supreme Court rulings. Not only that, but the President also gets to have 2 votes, as compared to each of the 9 judges who only had one vote each.

Haoguan: "Do you want me to vote against it or something?"

Pastor Shen: "Of course. It's your role as the Supreme Governor of the National Church to ensure the country adheres to its teachings."

Haoguan: "Alright then, I'll see what I can do."

Haoguan had a lightbulb moment to diffuse the situation at that moment. On one hand, he wanted to ensure the church's teachings were followed. On the other, he was also wary of Pastor Shen's attempt to make the country even more conservative.

Pastor Shen: "Thank you, Supreme Governor. I know I could count on you like I did on Yang Kaiyuan."

The pastor's express support for Yang Kaiyuan merely worsened Haoguan’s opinion towards him. Yang Kaiyuan was a former president of the Golden Coast Republic, whose administration was the most authoritarian in its history. While he presided over a period of economic growth, he also had demonstrators shot by the army, dissidents kidnapped and exiled onto deserted islands. For several years, Kaiyuan also forced every Golden Coaster to be a Christian or risk being unable to vote in elections. After a nationwide protest movement forced him out of office, it was revealed that he had engaged in various graft scandals that netted him over 700 million Luna (70 million CPC). Despite being initially sentenced to death for his murder of protesters and corruption, Kaiyuan was merely forced to serve 7 years in prison and pay only 14 million CPC. As a former president, he was able to live out the rest of his life under the intelligence agency’s protection and in luxury with the money he earned illicitly.

Haoguan: “Yeah…sure…”

In Kalieth High School, Prince Jonathan waited outside his girlfriend Fiona’s classroom as he was dismissed early from class. The teacher teaching her class was the kind that insisted 'the bell doesn't dismiss you, I do'. Jonathan noticed some of the students looking at him, possibly Having waited for almost 20 minutes, the teacher finally concluded the lesson.

Teacher: "Remember that there's an online quiz that you have to complete by Sunday, which is tomorrow, at 3 pm. In addition to that, there will be another quiz on Tuesday.”

As the teacher left the classroom, some of the students cursed him under their breaths. Jonathan walked inside and approached Fiona, who donned a stripped dress.

Jonathan: “That took quite a while.”

Fiona: “Yeah, the teacher was a dick. He often delay letting us go, especially when we have recesses.”

Jonathan: “I’ll see what I can do about it.”

Fiona: “What do you mean?”

Jonathan: “Um, nothing. Here, let me take your bag for you.”

As the prince took her bag, Fiona began to speculate on his identity again. Unbeknownst to everyone else in the school, Jonathan and his twin sisters Caroline and Grace were the offspring of Emperor Killarto. However, there were numerous speculations on their identities as Jonathan drove various luxury cars to school and was often seen with various expensive watches. Despite refraining from ostentatious displays of wealth in other forms, the 3 siblings managed to garner attention based on Jonathan’s cars and watches alone. Further snooping by their classmates made them realise that almost all of their clothes (despite being normal looking) were from obscure brands with expensive price tags, which made them think they were from old-monied families. In Nexon, old money families were less ostentatious in their displays of wealth, often refraining from brands that were “too popular” or “available” for members of other classes.

Fiona: “So where do you wanna go for lunch?”

Jonathan: “How about this café near our school?”

Fiona: “Alright sure, bae.”

She took a closer look at her lover’s wrist. The classic-looking watch on it complemented his blue sweater and white shirt outfit really well, as it gave him an aura of casual elegance. During this week alone, he had sported a different watch for each day. The day before, Jonathan wore a a plain-looking sports watch with a blue dial. Before they left the classroom, Fiona glanced at a seat in the middle of the room that had been unoccupied for a while. Jonathan noticed her looking at it.

Jonathan: “What’s wrong?”

Fiona: “Oh, it’s nothing.”

Jonathan: “Just tell me.”

Fiona: “I wonder if Natalie’s alright.”

Jonathan froze for a second. He quickly answered her to avoid arousing suspicion.

Jonathan: “I think so.”

As they walked to the car park, Fiona looked around at the students who passed by them. While some of them looked posh, others looked more like middle-class Nexonans. Kalieth High School was one of the best secondary schools in the country. Because of that, it was host to a potpourri of students from a wide array of backgrounds. While some students like Fiona hailed from wealthy backgrounds, others were working or middle-class students who excelled in academics or extracurriculars. In Fiona’s class alone, there was a national chess champion and a student who was a member of the team that represented the country in the Antarctic Math Olympiad. Meanwhile, a student from Jonathan’s class was a percussionist in the Imperial Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. There were also students from even more privileged backgrounds, like Jonathan and Natalie. They were suspected to be from old-monied families and political dynasties that held political influence and wealth.

After walking to the car park, they entered Jonathan’s car, which happened to be a middle-class sedan. She was somewhat surprised by his choice of car for the day.

Fiona: “I thought you’d be driving something better, like your Porsche.

Jonathan: “Oh, it’s being repaired today. It should be done by tomorrow.”

As the car drove onto the streets of Nexon City, Fiona looked out of the windows and wondered about the incident 4 months ago involving Natalie.

*4 months earlier*

It was 6:30 am in the morning. After buying a sandwich and a cup of flat white at the school’s canteen, Fiona sat down at one of the chairs to have breakfast. It wasn’t long before the seats around her were occupied by other students. It was then that Natalie, in her white blouse and light blue jeans, approached her. She was holding a ham and cheese sandwich with her left flipper.

Natalie: “Hey Fiona, do you mind if I sit here?”

Natalie was known to be a daughter of the Chancellor of Nexon at the time, who shall not be named. The chancellor hailed from an aristocratic dynasty. His father was a high-ranked official in the air force. After his death, the chancellor succeeded him as a baron. Soon after, he was appointed to the Imperial Senate, which was the upper house of the mostly consultative Nexonan legislature. He then leveraged his connections to become the chancellor and the finance minister. Natalie was also known to be flirting with Jonathan, who Fiona was also interested in at the time but hadn’t started dating yet. Because of that, she was a little hesitant in allowing Natalie to sit with her.

Fiona: “Go ahead.”

Natalie sat opposite of Fiona. She then read through materials that she was supposed to be taught on that day while having her breakfast. Fiona glared at her “love rival”, who was so emerged in her revision that she almost forgot about her. It wasn’t a surprise, as Natalie was a straight A student who scored higher in math exams than their national math olympiad classmate. On the other hand, Fiona was only able to easily score A’s in subjects that required rote memorisation. Natalie was also a member of the school’s tennis team and an equestrian. Jonathan liked her at the time because of the second reason, as he attributed her horse-riding pastime to her skills in the bedroom.

Fiona: “What are you reading, Natalie?”

Natalie: “I’m revising on biology. The teacher said this chapter will be difficult so I thought I should be prepared.”

Fiona: “Hmm, I guess I should as well.”

Taking out her tablet, Fiona started going through the biology notes uploaded to their e-classroom by the teacher. She used the smart pen to jot down additional information and highlight important sections. As the caffeine kicked in, it became even easier for her to absorb and process the materials. After going through all of the summarised bullet points, she looked at Natalie again, who was busy answering questions in her further mathematics textbook.

*Wow, she doesn’t even need a calculator to solve the problems,* Fiona thought to herself with awe and jealousy. *Short of a miracle, it will be hard for me to compete with Natalie to become Jonathan’s girlfriend.*

She put the tablet back in her bag, waved goodbye to her classmate-cum-rival and waddled to the classroom. At 7:30 am, the class began when the homeroom teacher entered the classroom. She looked at the students with a worried look on her face.

Homeroom teacher: “Students, I’d like to inform all of you that Natalie is no longer part of our class and Kalieth High School.”

The students, confused by the unexpected statement, started muttering with one another. Fiona secretly peeked at her phone. The lock screen was filled with dozens of notifications from the classroom’s messaging group. Several students were chatting in it.

*Classmate 1: “Hey Fiona, weren’t you sitting with Natalie this morning at the canteen?”*

*Fiona: “Yeah, but we merely discussed today’s biology topic before I headed back to class.”*

*Classmate 2: “Did she look worried or upset?”*

*Fiona: “Not really, she looked happy like her usual self.”*

*Classmate 3: “I don’t think you know what happened since I saw you leaving at around 7:05 am. 5 minutes after you left, 2 police officers approached her and led her out. It was quite a spectacle.”*

*Fiona: “Wait, she was arrested?”*

*Classmate 3: “That’s what we saw. She wasn’t handcuffed though.”*

*Classmate 4: “When I arrived at 7:00 am, I saw a police APC and 2 police sedans parked just outside the school.”*

*Classmate 1: “What the fuck? That’s insane! Are you sure you aren’t high?”*

*Classmate 4: “No, I haven’t had space cakes for a month now.”*

*Classmate 2: “Yo, remember to hook me up with some later.”*

Fiona stopped looking at her phone. She pondered for a moment before she recalled reading a news article about the chancellor of Nexon, Natalie’s father, being accused by a senior government bureaucrat of “illicitly obtaining money of an unimaginable sum from the Emperor” 2 days ago.

In his brick-lined Neo-Georgian townhouse on one of the most expensive streets in the Puffish capital of Snowdon, the former Chancellor of Nexon was having a cup of earl grey. It was merely an hour after he had arrived at his residence. Last night, he secretly flew on his private jet to his 31 million CPC residence. His lawyer was seated opposite of him in the dining room, which had a bay window that gave diners a good view of the backyard. He looked tensely at the Nexonan military attache of the diplomatic mission in Grand Permatan, who was a colonel in the army. The uniformed officer spoke to someone else on his phone in a hushed tone. After the call ended, he sat at one end of the table, which subtly signalled his dominance over the two men.

Colonel: “The Emperor just issued an official announcement. You are no longer the chancellor. However, the decision was already made by His Majesty soon after you departed from the country.”

Former chancellor: “Is there any way you could get my children out of the country?”

Colonel: “I’m afraid not. They were apparently picked up by the police.”

The Nexonan aristocrat looked even more worried. He looked at his watch before he stared at the ceiling. *I knew I should have brought them along with me,* he regretted at his decision not to wake the children up.

Former chancellor: “Look, I trust you. What should I do?”

The former chancellor and the colonel had known each other ever since they attended the Imperial Military College, No. 1. They lived in the same dormitory and, for a few months, slept on the same bunk bed. After that, the colonel went on to become a commissioned officer in the military while the former chancellor studied quantity surveying in the Imperial Agriculture University. Despite being initially founded as an agricultural college, the university soon became known as a university for aristocrats who failed to enter the empire’s premier universities. It also became known for its real estate-related courses, one of which was taken by the former chancellor.

Colonel: “I think it would be best to return to the country and attempt to get the Emperor to release your children in exchange for the funds you allegedly misappropriated.”

Former chancellor: “I did *not* misappropriate any money.”

Sensing an indignant tone, the colonel looked at the lawyer, who looked anxious. He raised an eyebrow at him. The lawyer then began to take something out of his coat. Swiftly, the former chancellor’s former classmate took out a knife and stabbed his left flipper with it, attaching the knife to the table. The former chancellor screamed in agony.

Former chancellor: “YOU FUCKING BASTARD-“

The officer jumped over the table and proceeded to slash his right flipper with another knife. The lawyer quickly injected a needle on the former chancellor’s neck. The pain quickly subsided for the aristocrat as his vision turned into a blur, before finally morphing into darkness.

## Chapter 4

*Present day*

The Volvo reverse parked at a parking space a block away from the café. Waddling into the café, Jonathan and Fiona were met with an industrial-style décor. A waitress gave the menus to them.

Jonathan: “Eggs Royale and a shot of espresso, please.”

Fiona: “Shakshouka with a cup of cappuccino.”

Waitress: “Alright got it, thank you very much.”

As the server left, the Nexonan prince’s girlfriend looked at him.

Fiona: “Let’s chill at your house after this.”

Jonathan showed some hesitation about the proposal. His dad, Emperor Killarto, explicitly told him not to bring random penguins to the prince’s residence. Jonathan and his twin sisters lived separately from the emperor as the latter wanted more private space for himself and also wanted them to live on their own. This was in spite of the fact that there were over 2 dozen employees in the crown prince’s household.

Jonathan: “Umm…”

Fiona: “Come on, I’ve already brought you over to my house back then. We have been dating for 3 months now.”

Jonathan faked a chuckle before he drank the espresso.

Jonathan: “I’m too embarrassed to show you my house.”

Fiona: “Why not?”

Jonathan: “You live in a 7,000 square feet penthouse on Junxiao Avenue.”

Fiona: “Come on, it can’t be that bad, especially given that you drive posh cars and wear fancy watches.”

Just then, Jonathan saw 2 familiar faces walking into the restaurant, namely Grace and Caroline. They approached their brother and potential sister-in-law. Grace was wearing a silk striped shirt with a mandarin collar and necktie, while Caroline wore a baby blue neck sweater made of baby cashmere. Fiona was unable to recognise the clothes’ brands, but they appeared to be made from materials of the most exquisite quality. They waved at each other as they had already met on previous occasions, although without speaking much to each other.

Jonathan: “What are you two doing here?”

Grace: “Caroline said that she knows a barista who works here.”

Caroline: “Yeah that’s why we know about this place.”

Fiona: “Would you like to join us?”

Jonathan glared daggers at his girlfriend.

Jonathan: “I thought this is a lunch date.”

Fiona: “Nah I’m cool with it.”

Begrudgingly, Jonathan asked his sisters to join him and his lover. Grace ordered smashed avocado on toast with poached eggs, while Caroline ordered squid ink pasta with scallops and shrimps. They also ordered a bottle of pinot blanc to share amongst themselves. While waiting for their orders, Fiona took the opportunity to get to know her potential sisters-in-law. She noticed that Caroline started drawing something on her tablet immediately after ordering.

Fiona: “What are you working on, Caroline.”

Caroline: “I’m drawing something for my PicsGram art account.”

Fiona: “Oh that’s cool, can I look at your account?”

After being told the account’s handle, Fiona searched it up on her phone. She let out an audible gasp when she took a look at the account’s number of followers.

Fiona: “Wow, you have 830,000 followers on your art account.”

Grace: “Yeah, Caroline has 1000 times more followers than I do even though I’m far more extroverted than her.”

Fiona: “I see. You’re in the school’s volleyball team, right?”

Grace: “I was until 2 weeks ago, because I want to focus on my studies. You’re in the cheerleading team, aren’t you?”

Fiona: “Yeah, but like you, I left a while ago to focus on my studies for now.”

After looking at Caroline’s anonymous art account, Fiona realised that even though the 3 siblings were often gossiped about due to their mysterious backgrounds and really attractive physically, none of them had a huge presence on social media. Having stalked the two twins in the past, Fiona found out that Grace only had 400 followers on PicsGram and Caroline had 160. On the other hand, their brother had 210 followers on the social media app. In comparison, Fiona had over 3,700 followers on it. Before it was disabled, Natalie had over 16,000 followers on PicsGram due to her status as the former chancellor’s daughter.

Having finished their brunch, the four made more small talk before it was finally time for them to go.

Jonathan: “Would you gals like me to fetch you home?”

Grace: “Nah, it’s fine. We want to go clothes shopping on Terminus Avenue.”

Jonathan: “Oh cool, can you check our place there while you’re in the area?”

Caroline: “Yeah sure, we intend to drop by anyway since our friends will be coming over to work on a group assignment.”

Fiona was shocked when she heard that the “Munro siblings” (the surname that they use in school) had a residence on Terminus Avenue. The street was one of the most expensive areas in the country. It was known for being filled with graceful townhouses built in the 19th century. The boutique stores on the street tend to be from fashion brands that were so expensive they weren’t in mainstream culture. *This explains why all of their clothes look really good. They could literally buy clothes just vt walking out of their house to buy clothes next door or a few stones’ throw away,* Fiona thought to herself.

As the twin sisters left, the couple walked back to their car.

Fiona: “Jesus, I didn’t know you live on Terminus Avenue.”

Jonathan: “We don’t live there. That’s just our pied-a-terre in the city centre. I often sleep there if I end up staying out too late at night and I happen to be in the city.”

Fiona: “So you only live in it if you end up being too drunk to drive?”

Jonathan: “Yeah, pretty much.”

Fiona: “Are you taking me there then?”

Jonathan: “No, I’m taking you to my main house.”

Fiona: “I thought you are reluctant to show me your house. I know why now. You don’t want to come across as a show off.”

Jonathan: “Actually I wasn’t going to bring you back to my house, but since you’ll just keep asking me to do so, I might as well.”

As the car drove out of the city centre, the skyscrapers and historic buildings of Nexon City were gradually replaced by shorter detached houses. Upon driving past Dufton Gardens, Jonathan saw his father the Emperor’s own townhouse. He was tempted to lie to Fiona about that being his main residence. However, he then remembered that Killarto might be having an orgy with some of his harem members in the house. Because of that, he continued driving towards his destination. They began to see grand residences of various architecture forms, from the art deco, the simple and the classical. Eventually, they arrived at what could be described as plot of elevated land. There were no buildings around it.

Fiona: “Wait, you live up there?”

Jonathan: “Yeah.”

The car ascended up the road. In front of them was a grand gate. There were also 2 guard posts. 10 plain-clothed penguins, all armed with semiautomatic rifles, were in front of the entrance.

Fiona: “What the-“

The guards, who were members of the Praetorian Guards, allowed Jonathan to enter when they identified him as the crown prince. In front of them was a 55,000 square feet Italiante mansion with a tower on each corner of the building. Tall trees surrounded the entire plot of land, obscuring the mini palace from the ground below the small hill. Jonathan drove into the basement car park, where there were various exotic and classical cars. Upon parking it, he started texting something on his phone.

Fiona: “I didn’t realise you live in a palace…”

Jonathan: “It’s not quite the Imperial Palace.”

Fiona: “I know, but still, this place looks so expensive that I doubt anyone who made their fortune in the past decade or so could afford it.”

Jonathan: “Wanna explore the place?”

Fiona: “Of course!”

Jonathan: “Shall we start with my bedroom?”

The island-state of Roanoeke, located south of the Golden Coast Republic, had a peculiar political status. It was under the joint administration of 2 entities, the first of which was the Golden Coast Republic. The second entity was the International Community of Roanoeke (ICR), which consists of the countries of Nexon, Soinne, Grand Permatan/Puffle'and, the United States of Antarctica and Francterre. Each had the ability to send 75 delegates to the Roanoekean regional legislature. Meanwhile, there were also 2 joint heads of state on the island, namely the Golden Coaster President Ouyang Haoguan. The second was the President of the ICR, who was a Soinnean gentleman named Paul Mercier. In reality, executive duties were mostly left to Mercier, with the Golden Coaster President only intervening to veto a deeply unpopular legislation if necessary.

The island was placed under this odd state ever since 1826, when the Golden Coaster monarchy at the time lost a war against a coalition that consisted of Nexon, Grand Permatan and Francterre. The ICR was established at the time as the sole governing body of the island. However, as disputes began to break out over which country actually dominated Roanoeke, the 3 countries agreed to bring in 2 additional members, namely Soinne and the USA. Thanks to the Soinneans, Roanoeke quickly grew to become one of the main financial hubs of Asiapelago. The other ICR members also invested heavily in the island’s infrastructure and economy, making it what was perhaps the most developed city in the region for decades. It was only until 10 years that cities such as Luojin and Hanseong began to seriously compete with Roanoeke.

Thomas Oliveira is one of the most influential individuals on the island. He is the chairman of the Roanoeke Stock Exchange (RSX). He is also one of the three co-CEOs and the sole chairman of the Oliveira Merchant Bank, which invests in the equity of businesses and provides corporate advice to clients. It is perhaps the biggest investment bank in the city-state. Thanks to this, alongside his status as the single largest stakeholder in a conglomerate involved in beverages and real estate, he is one of the wealthiest locals with a fortune of over 6.8 billion CPC. The Oliveira family was mixed Lisboagese-Golden Coaster merchants. However, by Thomas's father's time, their business was declining. It was Thomas who revitalised the family business by getting involved in private equity, effectively using the family business's cash reserves to fund acquisitions. Later on, he started a merchant bank to support his operations in the finance sector.

Therefore, it was no surprise that his family house sat on one of the largest plots of land available on the island. It was a colonial-style bungalow that looked unassuming to most, but in fact it sat on over 56,000 square feet of land in the Hill, which was the most prestigious residential area in Roanoeke.