Chương 6: Chapter Five: The Little Ghost

A year of being alive here has taught me a lot about my current world. It's not Earth, that's for sure. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. The fact that I'm not freaking out about it concerns me like a rash. I mean. I went to another world. All of my suspicions about cosplayers or psychos crashed down the moment I got used to this. The nervous rock in my chest drops a little as I reassure myself that none of this is a bad thing.

Sure people have tails, I have fangs, and apparently magic is a way of life. But at their core they're all people and people are the same everywhere. Struggling over some answer I don't have is pointless, so I would much rather focus on the answers I do have. Dust notes stick to my skin and I scratch the itchiest part. I'm sure I look like the dirty kitten Sarabse's always comparing me too. It's not my fault no one cleans this library and I can't reach the chairs. No matter.

Fierce determination cools over with satisfaction. All my days have not been wasted. For starters, this kingdom that I live in is called Allere. The flipping of pages is heard by me and me alone as I tap on the squiggles of learned to attach meaning too. I could've guessed from all the lord and my lady stuff earlier on that I was living in some monarchy. However, it's always nice to confirm before you run with something bizarre. Forgive me if I'm not completely familiar with the madness of such a thing.

Back to the topic. It's a matriarchal-biased kingdom with an aristocratic, religious, and people's representative system in place. The different books all seemed to archive different perspectives on power. But they all converge into that theory I compiled. So, a mixed oligarchy republic? It's a strange system at first glance, I'll give it that. How does it even function? I'm guessing since it's fairly new everyone's giving it the benefit of the doubt. And by fairly new I mean almost three hundred years old.

It helps me to think of this world, or government, as a pyramid. I traced the outline of the image on the book in a daze. At the very top is the Queen. She's actually my grandmother on my mom's side. Flipping to the beginning of a page describing her numerous feats I refreshed my memory. She's at the center of religious, political, militant, and social circles. She's been the reigning monarch for over two hundred years, if you can believe that. Two hundred years. The things she must have seen.

Do they have climate change or ice caps here?

"Focus." She shares power with the elected government, but it's clear from the history archived that the current administration would have no choice but to hand it over if they disobey. They may be a voice for the people but she's ultimately the one wearing the pants. The next page is a complete genealogy of the detailed banners of the top one percent of society. The aristocracy. Which kind of includes me, the biggest supporter and is made up of three ducal houses, two marquises, four counts, and eight barons.

So in total, seventeen houses of aristocrats and a large party of stuck-up vassals are doing their bidding. All set to inherit the biggest wealth transfers in the kingdom. I'm the runt of the litter but I should be able to dredge up some scraps for myself. A secret smile tugs the corner of my lips. It's not like I want him to die an early death.

"Ahem." I coughed and blocked my mouth with my elbow. Seriously, who is going to clean all of this dust. Blegh. It's all over me. At least I won't have to visit much after this. I've read almost all of the bottommost shelves and I can't reach any higher until I'm older. Where was I? Nobles. Including me. Most of them have a hand in legislation and government affairs. Some dabble in economic development. It's really up in the air what they're supposed to do but they have great reviews. 10/10 Will recommend!

That's not suspicious. The only real supporters of the monarchy are concentrated in theee houses. Can you guess how? I grinned easily showing off the newest teeth poking through my gums. Only three of those noble houses have any military power. The ones with guns are the ones you can't slight. [The Duccanes Duchy.] [The Meng Marquisate.] [The Solomon Duchy.] The Marquis Meng has one of the strongest armies in the realm, and his medals almost fly off the pages. The Black Knights are a war-bound force.

Assembled from all four corners of the world into one huge multi-cultural force to be reckoned with. It doesn't matter who you are or what kind of status you have. Strength is the only factor in getting a foot in. After that, who knows? Most of their ranks are comprised of commoners or people from afar with something to prove. They must go through hell and back to earn a place. My tiny voice stammers even though I sound perfectly fine in my head.

"I? could always ask a c-certain s-someone about them." The recurrent blush I'd come to hate bloomed under think skin at my blunder. I hated the reminder of my youth but talking more is necessary to perfect the language. Momentary discomfort is better than chronic pain. This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. After them in terms of military feats is my father's army. Imagine my surprise.

That weak spring chicken, barely in his thirties the commander of a large force. Mercenaries are a unique force and have an even more unique status. Most could even bear the name of a criminal if you looked hard enough into their pasts. Such people work strictly for money, and very rarely are they loyal to anything else. Something I can agree with. As a wise woman once said.

"Cash rules me, and everything around me follows suit." However, most of them were in a great deal of debt and dire straits when my father recruited them. A bargain bin deal during a recession and famine. He promised wealth to those who followed him and actually provided it. Don't be fooled by the size of a rich person's wallet. Wealthy people are some of the biggest scammers of all. It doesn't matter how much they already have. Money is money.

And when you have guards, high walls, and a title to back you up, it's hard to look at your own conscience behind the veil of privilege. All of this was in exchange for exclusive service, of course. He's not that generous. His ragtag army has quite a few accolades under its belt and a couple of notable talents. The Hare. Sovench the Countess. A secret task force that's not so secret anymore. The recent war. Even the thinnest lips are pried open in desperation. We as a nation are at war with another state.

Can you guess which? Strangely well-trained guards donning red masks like they're late for a masquerade are his pocket card. Strangely, I've never seen them around here, though. They must be off doing important things on the frontline. Once I'm done with this book I'll move it over and get the big map. Glancing at the doorway, I careened my head to see any shadows or hear any noise indicating my time was up. The books rustled as I moved them every which way.

Last but not least is the imperial army—the Crimson Knights. Most of their ranks are made up of nobles, illegitimate noble children, and a few great fighters. They used to be quite a powerful force, but the history books I read note their decline in power. They typically only accept those of noble birth or a special bloodline into their ranks. Otherwise, they ignore commoner children entirely in recruitment.

There are only so many noble houses; it's just not possible to have a proper army made up of only rich kids who want something to do. Anyway, because of these armies, these specific houses are especially regarded by the Queen and the masses. Enjoying special allowances, infamy, and immunity in some cases. Below them in terms of power or popularity are the other houses, various temples to the gods, their followers, and their apostles. The people are heavily influenced and reliant on the temples.

A big deal around here. Everyone prays regularly in their own way. Even mother. I've chanced upon the bowl filled with a mysterious substance and backed away just as quickly. Sarabse finds it funny but I'm just not very religious unless I'm in danger. The primary function of Temples is to act as social workers. Distributing alms during wartimes, healthcare for the needy, and emergency shelter for those with no roof over their head.

So, they receive a great deal of respect from all parties and donations from every side of the aisle. Who wouldn't respect such charitable deeds. I'm supposed to be baptized by one of these temples soon. It'll probably be my mom's temple that does the baptism. She might rip out her hair or mine if I don't. Everything about me ticks her off these days, and I suspect she's just going through something unrelated to me. Perhaps her appointment was cancelled at the salon, I sniggered.

Anyway, on to the next rung on the ladder. The People's Representatives. Individuals who are elected to speak up for their people by the people. There are three representatives for each common race and three representatives for each gender. Every year, they hold a public meeting during a festival. They vote, bring up issues that occurred prior, and address matters of importance. Kind of like a union. They then draft petitions for anything beyond their capabilities and send them to the palace for review.

The palace reviews these petitions and then makes changes to the kingdom accordingly. During wartimes they also issue draft notices and collect all those capable to join the army. For the past century that's been their priority. How does it take a hundred years to fight a war? Technically, they don't have any real authority beyond organizing the people. But they're in charge of making the people feel heard. Below them is the largest rung on the ladder in this country. The commoners.

There's not much on them in the books. Just a bunch of quotes that say how happy they are. I'm starting to get suspicious because of how biased this book seems. A Queen with supreme power, and everyone is supposedly loyal to her. There are only two living princesses to date and one prince of this kingdom. My mother is the youngest child and the youngest daughter of that Queen. She's also supposedly second in line to the throne and a religious figure among our people.

graceful depictions of her holding a curved blade before an altar are even present here.

"Don't match." I spit out. Eyeing the serene facade with disdain. The Goddess Nyx chose her as her champion. A great honor. Specifically, the great honor of the dark elves. They really believe in Gods. Really believe. Not an if or a I'm on the fence. They really believe in imaginary figures presiding over the sky and filling lakes with their diamond tears. According to the books I've read, this kingdom is the strongest in this realm and, therefore, the center of religion.

After all, the temples migrate to where it's most comfortable. Comfortable pockets mean more blessings to share. The Lower Realm is one large melting pot of all of these temples. But they all differ by region. There are three other large kingdoms besides the one I live in. Which is where our conversation gets juicy. The Kelpie Nation is comprised of multiple islands and a small country that hosts mermaids, sirens, nymphs, naiads, and krakens.

From this map I found, I can assume that they're mostly based along the East Coast. So sea gods who bless their nets with fish and their travels with ample wind are the norm. Nuetral or Peaceful relations. The Adronic Empire is a jungle region that consists mostly of demi-humans, spider people called the Adonai, giants, orcs, centaurs, satyrs, and dryads. This empire is located almost directly south of Allere.

The wine flows like water, silk is sold like it's every thread is gold, and fertile lands mean trade is a given. If not for the questionable leadership of her majesty, more people would flock there permanently. Neutral Relations. Now the moment we've been waiting for. The Sand Kingdom. Our closest neighbor who sits on the most uninhabitable region in the world, but it is the second-largest kingdom in this realm. This means tensions have always been high between these two. Not many fae live over there due to this.

It's almost entirely a human and light-elven kingdom. They're located in the northwest. Protected by an ocean, harsh climates, and a strong will to survive carved into them by the harsh conditions they live in.

"A hundred year war." What could possibly be worth it? The Kelpie Nation, The Adronic Empire, and The Sand Kingdom. Each one is different and has its unique history and strengths. Allere is sort of in the middle of all of the kingdoms. Making it the natural target for divvying it up.

"At the moment, under the Queen and the Crown Princess's leadership, we live in an era of peace, progress, and prosperity." I throw my head back and count. That's the seventh time I've seen that sentence in a book. My head is about to explode. I'm done. Time to go exercise. I threw the big leather-bound stack of paper on the pile I'd amassed and scurried out of the library. Shortly after my seven-month anniversary of being alive, I started to explore the huge mansion that I live in. I mean, why not?

I live here, right? My explorations are limited to the east wing, though. Any attempts to go further than that have not ended well. So my regular hang-out spots are limited to the kitchen, library, laundry room, etc. My crawling skills have upgraded, and I can now walk. Not for a very long time, but I can do it all on my own. My adventures have led me all over the house, and I was often caught in the beginning. Until I started learning how to avoid prying eyes.

Stealth has become second nature, and now even the guards can't spot me. I'm a tiny ghost. A ghost who enjoys listening in on people's stories. AKA Intelligence gathering. AKA Gossip. Let me tell you. The tea is piping hot here. Wanna see?