***The Imperial Capital City of Mani…***

  At the end of the press conference, the journalists present attempted to get near the Duke of Batangas to ask him more questions. However, the military police and his bodyguards were quick to stop the media throng from reaching him; they eventually made a double-sided ‘human wall,’ just so the nobleman could exit the hallway unimpeded. The duke was also wary of the military police; the statements he told everyone put him in the crosshairs of the people inside the Regent’s government.

  “…”

  Well, the soldiers just ignored him; so, the duke went on his way. Still, his guard was up; the Orients never had a good record in tolerating ‘dissent.’ Only when his car was far from the Imperial University compound could he breathe easy.

  The crowds only disappeared when the Duke of Batangas was at the parking. By then, the military policemen guarded every entrance to the pce, and his men made sure the journalists would have a hard time reaching him there. Nevertheless, the nobleman felt someone tug his barong; looking behind, he was surprised to see a hooded man with a mask standing beside him. Even his close-in security was shocked at the uninvited presence.

  The mystery person, however, kept them quiet by showing his Medal of Valor ribbon. Everyone with the Duke of Batangas understood; they moved to hide their liege and his friend from the prying eyes of the military policemen.

  “The Dragon needs help,” the man whispered, handing the nobleman a note. After that, he disappeared into the dark area of the parking, never to be seen again.

  The duke sighed and opened the paper. On it was a coded message; the symbols of which corresponded to a mobile number he and Lieutenant Spitz agreed to communicate with.

  ***In some mall in Pasay City, south of Mani, a few hours ter…***

  After making sure no one was following him or his convoy, the Duke of Batangas met with the person who gave him the coded message. Marcel Spitz sat in one of the tables near the window of one of the many cafes in that mall, wearing a beard and mustache disguise that obscured his true face. Nevertheless, the guardsman didn’t have to hide his identity, for everyone else’s attention was on the scene nearby, where a Chinese dy was berating an Oriental waitress for serving a wrong coffee.

  “I demand that you refund my money, you brown monkey!”

  “We apologize for the mistake, Ma’am…”

  The nobleman whispered instructions to his guards, and then proceed to sit on the table beside the lieutenant. But Marcel told them, “If you are thinking of intervening to that ugly scene, then I suggest you do not. That dy over there is the daughter of the Chinese ambassador; piss her off, and we’ll be on the front page of the news tomorrow.”

  “As cold as ever, Spitz? That’s your countrymen being abused there.”

  “I’m being practical here, Sir.”

  The Duke of Batangas smirked, and said, “You’re the only commoner who is not allowed to refer to me as ‘Sir.’ I thought we’re clear on this.”

  “Alright, Kerwin,” Marcel sipped on his coffee. “We Orientals brought this upon ourselves anyway. Duterte in 2016 allowed them here, and his successors all pyed by the same rules. And guess what, the Filipinos back then hailed the move as ‘diplomatic sovereignty.’”

  “Yes, yes, Einstein,” the nobleman then lowered his voice and leaned nearer. “Macanang is panicking. They just decred new guidelines on the implementation of martial w, awaiting approval in the Imperial council. Duke Aguinaldo still has his hands tied, but we all know what will happen next. The parliament will surely back his measures, in the name of ‘unity’ in the middle of this goddamn war. With all those things said, I presume your unit have something to do with the anxiety of the regent?”

  The lieutenant nodded. “We found the Dragon. Blondie tried to nip the bud, but is unsuccessful. The chamberin, though, is already dead, killed by the First Regiment boys fooled into thinking we’re committing treason.”

  “They did say you guys are doing some coup d’etat. This is why I called for that press conference.”

  “Right. It’s only a miracle we reached Mani before dawn; my men were either dead, or missing, by now.”

  The Duke of Batangas said nothing. He just ordered some snacks and coffee for his table, while his guards subtly watched for anyone that was a threat to him and Lieutenant Spitz. At that moment, the commotion about the Chinese dy and one of the waiters already died down, as the management brought the matter to their office.

  “The Lord Aguinaldo, Blondie, will do everything in his power to remain at the head of the Imperial government,” Marcel finally said. “I know he has no pns to just be the ‘regent’ and respect the te emperor’s wishes; he’ll soon ask the parliament to install him to the Bamboo throne.”

  “Yes, my friends in the intelligence service already warned me about his pns,” the nobleman confirmed. “We need to get the Dragon on the throne as soon as we can, but…”

  “The Dragon has few supporters.”

  “Yes. It’ll be suicidal to let the Dragon become the emperor with everyone else rooting for the Duke of Cavite. The Lord Aguinaldo, though he may have few friends in the government, is the only one capable of dealing with the Ilocano threat.”

  “I have to agree with that,” Marcel grinned. “The Dragon is still new; untested. And mingling with commoners isn’t the best background you’d want for your ruler to have when it comes to wars and battles.”

  “What do you pn, though, Marcel?”

  “We both are the ones tasked in fulfilling Arthur Valiente’s final wish. It’s no question that we—his guardsmen—will do everything in our power to see it come into fruition. Honestly, I don’t know what His Imperial Majesty saw in the Dragon, but I’ll trust his judgment. And for that, we need supporters.”

  “The 4th Regiment is still loyal to the emperor,” the duke pointed out. “However, they got stationed in the Duchy of Oriental Mindoro; the Lord Axel knew where their loyalties lie, and so kept them off this city.”

  “A reasonable move.”

  “Here’s another thing,” the nobleman gave Marcel a small piece of paper. “That’s a code I got from my secret negotiations with the Archbishop of Mani, and the chairwoman of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce.”

  “H-Huh? I can understand the reason behind contacting the business people, but the Archbishop of Mani? Cardinal Jose is the st person I have in mind to ask for support.”

  “Hey, I thought you’re one history nerd, Marcel? You know how it goes in this archipego since 1980s, right? Cardinal Sin led the Catholic Church and the people cooperating with the rebellious military officers of the first Marcos regime to overthrow their dictator. His influence is also instrumental in the end of the Estrada regime in 2001, too. Our people have always been infatuated with the idea of divine providence, so you might want to get the archbishop’s favor for our pn to work.”

  “Yes, I know the history of the first, and second, People Power Revolutions. But Cardinal Jose is one big Lord Aguinaldo fanatic.”

  “True,” the nobleman chuckled. “But he owed me one, you know? He would love to throw his support to the Dragon, or my tongue might slip for another juicy press conference.”

  “Looks like some nasty stuff.”

  “Yep,” the smile on the Duke of Batangas’ face never sckened. “Benefits of having friends in the intelligence service.”

  The lieutenant could only shake his head in amusement.

  After meeting with his old friend from the army, Marcel said his goodbye, and went on his way. Of course, as the pce where he hid the empress couldn’t be exposed to the enemy should one might be following him, the guardsman took several detours and change of clothes and disguises to ensure he lost the spies. Then, once he was content of his efforts, Marcel got to his motorcycle, and drove to the ‘safe house’—a small second-floor room in one of the old, pre-war apartment buildings in the Sta. Mesa district of Mani…a few kilometers away from the Macanang pace.

  “Oh, Marcel, hijo!” an old, plump dy with grey curly hairs, and a big, friendly, smile greeted the soldier at the door. “Come in! It seems like you’ve gone to lots of pces today, huh?”

  “Just met with an old friend, Aling Naty!” He gave her his motorcycle helmet, as well as some food he bought on the way. “Where’s Pauline?”

  “Ah, she’s pying with Enrico, along with Ayan,” she moved to the side to show Marcel the empress and her step-sister; they were on the rattan sofa with the toddler grandchild of Aling Naty. Pauline and his eyes met, and the former gave the child to Ayan.

  “Can you leave Pauline and I for a bit?” the guardsman requested. “We need to talk about something private.”

  The old dy immediately understood, and so she also called for Ayan to come along with her. They went to the veranda, far from the living area where the empress and Marcel remained.

  “So…” Pauline broke the ice when she determined no one could hear their talk. “What happened with your friend?”

  “He gave me suggestions,” Marcel showed her the paper the Duke of Batangas gave him. “You still remember the Lord Kerwin of the House of Santos-Recto?”

  “Yes, quite an annoying brat,” the empress mused. “You mean, he’s your friend? He’s now in the army?”

  “He followed his father and grandfather, but yes, he’s the reason we’re here. He saved me and your cousin, the te emperor Arthur, on the beaches of Lingayen.”

  “I see…” Opening the paper, Pauline’s eyes widened in surprise. “Wait, what does he mean by the Archbishop of Mani? Is the Lord Santos-Recto talking about Cardinal Jose?”

  “Yep, that guy,” Marcel could only wryly smile. “We can get help from him.”

  “No way!” the empress nearly screamed, which she quickly controlled, lest she worried Ayan. “That guy’s a pedophile!”

  The guardsman only shrugged.

  “Ugh,” the disgust on Pauline’s face grew worse. “That pervert; I can still remember how he looked at me before, when I was still a minor. I’m sure he pyed lots of degenerate fantasies about me.”

  “Your Imperial Majesty, please stop. It’s not like I want to ask help from that viper; he’s a well-known supporter of the Lord Axel.”

  “No,” she reiterated. “I’d rather die than ask for the Archbishop’s support.”

  “But we need all the help we can get.”

  “If it’s help we need, then we can go to Lemery,” Pauline demanded. “I’ve been telling you this since this morning, and yet, you won’t listen!”

  “We can’t possibly go further south, away from Mani! Your Imperial Majesty experienced the dangers yourself, right?”

  “Look, I’m the Baroness of Lemery. My family and our supporters are in Lemery. It’s only natural that we go there, gather strength, then march back to Mani and take the Bamboo throne from the regent, forcefully if we have to.”

  The guardsman fell silent. While the idea of moving far from the capital city again posed risks, the 4th Regiment of the Imperial Army was also stationed a waterway across from Batangas. If they moved to Lemery, they could send messengers to Mindoro to ask for that unit’s support. Add to that the House of de Ramos’ supporters in Lemery and nearby pces, and they could gather formidable forces without conniving with people of questionable character…

  “Alright then, Your Imperial Majesty,” Marcel sighed. “I’ll trust your judgment this time. We leave for Batangas early next day, when the checkpoints will be less strict.”

  Ed.Spain