Editing Tytania:Volume 1 Chapter 7 (section)

=== III ===
When he was summoned by Clanner Ajman, the Minister of Military Affairs, Marquis Estrade Tytania, looked at his discoloured expression in the mirror. He distrusted the Clanner, and his own heart was far from innocent. He didn’t recall giving his half-brother any excuse that could be used as a pretext for a purge, but it offered him no comfort.

Clanner Ajman, who had ordered the assassination of the Prime Minister in front of the Emperor, wouldn’t show any more mercy towards the Minister of Military Affairs. They may be brothers, but in Tytania, the greater good always meant sacrificing a member of one’s own family. The second Clanner, Nuri, had caused his father to die from a fit of rage, and since then, Tytania has shown the same ruthlessness to deal with both internal and external enemies. Nevertheless, the internal cohesion and unity within the clan were considered to be of utmost importance, and Estrade himself had never questioned that belief. Until now.

But the fact that he was discarded as a choice to become the Clanner caused a schism in his values. In spite of diligently serving Tytania and all his achievements, he had to stand below the status of his half-brother, Ajman. How absurd was that? His resentment towards Ajman stemmed from his ire towards that injustice. And now, ambition has been thrown in the mix. Ambition that had been fuelled by his son, Balamy. He had only been aware of this ambition for a short period of time. Could it be that Ajman had sensed it already?

As he suppressed his inner turmoil, Estrade presented himself before his half-brother, the Clanner. His son Balamy was being held hostage in Uraniborg under the guise of serving as Duke Jouslain’s senior aide-de-camp. He had no possibility of resistance or defiance. However, it turned out that the Minister of Military Affairs didn’t need to show either resolve or panic. He had been informed that Duke Idris left the capital, that Marquis Estrade would be entrusted with the surveillance of the courtiers, and that Balamy was granted leave and given permission to accompany him. That was all there was to it.

Duke Idris Tytania, commander of the Imperial Guard, was to leave the capital and go to the distant planet Ementhal. During his absence, the command of the Imperial Guard would be entrusted to the Minister of Military Affairs, Marquis Estrade.

When this was proclaimed to the Vardanan court and government, it stirred some people’s hearts like wind rustling the grass. It seemed like a golden opportunity for them. They were never aware that they were dancing to someone’s tune.

Thus, one night, four nobles of the Vardanan court who were staunch anti-Tytanian went to visit the residence of Marquis Estrade. They believed that they had taken enough precautions and had devised a pretext to visit him. They claimed that one of their sons worked for the Ministry of Military Affairs and wanted to petition a promotion for him. It wasn’t particularly unusual in the Vardana Empire, and the son in question did indeed aspire to rise in his career.

Upon receiving them, they attempted to persuade and entice Marquis Estrade. That group of nobles told him that as a Tytanian leader, he should assume the position of Landless Clanner. With devices of their own and concealing their true intentions of overthrowing Tytania, they spoke in this manner:

“Under the rule of the current Clanner, there is no hope for progress. Though we humbly pledge our loyalties to His Majesty the Emperor, it is all in vain. Unless we place our trust in Your Excellency the Marquis Estrade, there is no future for us. For the sake of our common interests, we are willing to do anything.”

After letting them deliver their passionate speech with voices trembling with emotion, Estrade dismissed them without a single word of commitment.

When the uninvited guests took their leave, his son, Balamy, who had been waiting in the room next to where the reception took place, was unable to hide his disappointment and criticised the way his father handled the situation.

“Just sending them away wasn’t enough, Father.”

Balamy’s voice and expression were filled with a sense of overwhelming crisis. Estrade frowned. The Minister of Military Affairs had drunk with his guests and was under the influence of alcohol. After exhaling a large breath laced with alcohol, the Minister of Military Affairs listened with irritation to his son’s words.

“It’s a trap. Can’t you see it, Father? You yourself admitted that the Vardanan courtiers were unreliable. Have you forgotten that?”

It only served to intensify the Minister of Military Affairs’ displeasure.

“I know; you don’t have to tell me. The Clanner drove Idris away from the capital to trap the courtiers into taking reckless actions. That’s why I sent them away, as you saw yourself.”

“And that’s all you did?”

“What more did I need to do?”

“Father, you are so naive!” cried out Balamy. He was so overwhelmed by disappointment that it almost blinded him, and he couldn’t help but shout.

He had never thought that his father was incompetent. He was a man who had achieved remarkable accomplishments, both as a soldier and as an administrator, and he had good faith that he would continue to do so. But maybe he had been wrong about it. Was his father unworthy of the position of Clanner, and that was why he never could become one? As these unpleasant suspicions started to stir Balamy, his father’s actions appeared to prove them.

“Shut up! What do you know? Be careful with what you say,” shouted Estrade in a trembling voice. From his perspective, his son was more ambitious and talented than he, and he had confirmed his son’s intentions to rebel, so being dismissed by him as “naive” left him with no leg to stand on. Not only was his half-brother, the Clanner, looking down on him, as well as the Four Dukes, but also his own son?

At that moment, Estrade’s reason went slightly off-track. As a consequence, his tone became erratic, and he lashed out hysterically at his son:

“Do you think you can order me around? Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’ve been a leading figure in Tytania long before you were born.”

“Father, if things go on like that, you will end up closing the doors to your own future. I request your permission to punish these courtiers.”

Was the father taking issue with the tone in his son’s voice or with the contents of what he said? Perhaps he himself couldn’t quite tell.

“Shut up! I’m not hearing any more of this.”

Seeing his father’s face red with excitement, Viscount Balamy Tytania realised his mistake. While attempting to correct his father’s blunders, he ended up further diverting him from his course. He should have realised that stress had kept building up in his father during all this time, and he should have soothed his emotions and calmed him as one would comfort a small child.

With his keen intuition, Balamy should have been able to realise this, but his own brilliance was unfortunately hindered by his lack of life experience, making him miss his window of opportunity by about 50 seconds. The first time he had enticed his father, it went as planned. Maybe that success made him overconfident.

“Father, I apologise. I have spoken out of turn once again. Could you please just once listen to what I have to say?

With Balamy pleading in a low voice, Estrade, who had been stomping down the stairs with heavy footsteps, realised his own immaturity. But changing his attitude too quickly would put his abilities into question.

“Tomorrow. Let us speak tomorrow. I’ll listen to what you have to say tomorrow.”

Inwardly satisfied with his parental authority being re-established, Estrade forgot his drunkenness and took a long stride. This very act would rob him of a tomorrow. His son, unable to wait for a tomorrow, stretched out his arm to stop his father. Their physical postures were as misaligned as their minds, and the son’s hand ended up poking the father’s body.

The father’s foot stomped on empty air. Around him, the world turned upside down. He heard his son screaming from below. Estrade’s body was defying gravity. A dull shock echoed, a momentary pain pierced through his entire body, and all colour and shine vanished from Estrade’s senses. They were gone, never to return.

After remaining in a daze for some 200 seconds, Balamy barely managed to regain control of his mind and body. He stumbled into a room and sat down in front of the TV phone that was directly connected to Uraniborg.

“I request to talk with Lord Jouslain. I am Viscount Balamy Tytania. I have an important matter to discuss; please connect me to him.”

He was a senior ''aide-de-camp'' who had business to discuss with his commanding officer. He probably didn’t have to stress that point. Balamy was immediately put in contact with Jouslain.