204 Chapter 204: Rome

Caesar made his way to the palace and entered through the heavily guarded gates. A few droplets of sweat trailed down his pale skin as he walked. The hot weather coupled with his taxing training caused his normally pale-white skin to darken ever so slightly.

It was still white, but it wasn't an unhealthy pale anymore. It further accentuated his already beautiful appearance, causing the heads of many ladies to turn. Caesar was the current heartthrob in Rahvin kingdom, the prince charming that all of the ladies wished to possess for themselves.

Caesar walked through the long halls and unceremoniously entered his father's office. The smell of ink and a somewhat familiar figure greeted him as he walked in. An old and elegant man stood there with a few pieces of paper in his hands. A silver monocle covered his right eye, and he bowed courteously.

"Welcome back, young master… I apologize for not welcoming you earlier. It was unbefitting of a mere butler such as myself," Sebastian said respectfully, not daring to lift his head. His posture was perfect, and it was clear that he was a very trained servant.

Caesar waved his hand and patted Sebastian on the shoulder, "no need for pleasantries when we are alone, Sebastian," he said, "I missed your great tea, food, and affable appearance. It's hard to live without such an experienced butler."

Sebastian smiled indiscernibly and nodded his head in gratification while sitting down on a nearby chair. "Thank you for your magnanimous attitude, young master," he replied.

Caesar responded with a nod of his head and also sat down, facing his father. Crowley was currently observing both Caesar's and Sebastian's exchange with a smile. However, a pile of important documents were laid out in front of him.

A deep sigh escaped from Crowley's mouth, "my son, have you decided to continue our conversation about the law system?" he asked curiously, to which Caesar nodded his head gravely. He moved his slender arm forward and pulled out a quill pen from god knows where.

"As I said before, our current system could be considered primitive" Caesar explained, "I suggest we use three forms of government; the Assemblies, Senate, and Consuls branches. Each one will be in charge of a different part of the government."

Before Crowley could even react, Caesar stood up and further explained, "The Assemblies will be in charge of waging war or declaring peace, the Senate will have complete control over the treasury, and the Consuls will hold the highest Judicial power. Each separate branch will balance the others out, forming an almost perfect government mold."

As he spoke to here, both Sebastian and Crowley entered into deep contemplation. Their current system was rather crude, and two groups of nobles practically voted on everything necessary. There was no balance, nor sophistication, only imperial rule.

"This is a great idea in theory," Crowley commented, "however, the nobles will never agree to such a thing… it lessens their power and gives the common people more prominence. Those greedy scumbags will not allow this form of law to pass."

The room descended into silence for a few moments, "Father, since when has the king feared the retaliation of mere nobles?" Caesar asked, "you hold the rightful power in this kingdom, and no one can say otherwise."

He paused for a moment as a deep frown was etched onto his face, "you cannot let the nobles run all over you, father," Caesar implored, "you are the king of Rahvin kingdom, as such, you should act the role… never cower in fear due to the threat of the corrupt nobles."

Crowley slammed his desk, "what do suppose I do?" he inquired, "the dukes, counts, and even barons are the blood of our kingdom. We can not persist without them, all of our knights, farms, and even servants are paid for by them!" Crowley roared in protest.

"That's the problem, father!" Caesar snapped back, "you rely on these nobles, giving them a chance to walk all over you. A real king doesn't ask his subordinates to follow him; they should follow their master without question, nor thought."

The room became silent once again, neither side relenting in the argument. Crowley firmly believed that peace was of most importance, even if he had to succumb to the greedy nobles. In contrast, Caesar took a much more aggressive approach. If the nobles didn't follow orders, then they should only be removed.

Both arguments were right in their own way. Thus, Caesar handed Crowley a piece of paper with the system he had modeled after ancient Rome. No words were exchanged as Caesar departed from the room, letting his father cool off a bit.

Nothing irked Caesar more than when people schemed and used the people he cared about. The corrupt nobles could easily manipulate his kind-hearted father while funneling money into their own pockets. Due to the bustling life insurance plan that he had suggested a while ago, the nobles were surely drowning in gold.

The corrupt system would leave the kingdom at stagnating pace, never growing. With a detestable hierarchy, the economy would utterly plummet. No new immigrants would wish to live in Rahvin kingdom, and no merchants would dare sell in their territory.

With these troublesome thoughts in mind, Caesar soon arrived in front of his room. He could hear giggling and stern rebuttals from inside. Both Ahri's and Elizabeths melodious voices entered into Caesar's ears, calming him down ever so slightly.

He truly wanted to set Rahvin kingdom on the right path before he departed, alas, his father was far too stubborn. Peace was an impossible feat. That is why idealistic leaders always failed in history; they tried to accomplish the impracticable.

If you let others use you, then you are going to be sucked dry, until nothing is left. As he thought to here, the door cracked upon and Ahri peaked her head out. She had sensed Caesar at the door for a few minutes now. A weird smile was plastered on her face as she observed his troubled expression.

"Don't come in until you're frown has disappeared," Ahri said cheekily while flashing her tongue in Caesar's direction. She was still bitter about him teasing her all morning. She then slammed the door shut, leaving Caesar alone in the hallway with the corner of his lips twitching.

He massaged his forehead with both his index finger and thumb while sighing deeply. "I truly have bad luck…"