Oriana’s population didn’t unilaterally hate their government, most of the time, but to call them ‘happy’ with their current status would be too much.
In fact, even if the government had been doing much better than it was, having remained in power for so long, the dissatisfaction was bound to pile up and accumulate.
Perhaps it was time for a change.
Under such circumstances, the response that Amos received for his rigid stance varied from mild disgust to utter loathing, with very few people believing the points he had raised to be ‘valid’.
Of course, regardless of how they disagreed with his stance, they still had to admit that he was both eloquent and sharp, as expected of the Black Tiger’s heir.
Even the students at the Imperial Academy, most of whom had long since started thinking of the silver-haired boy as a ‘delinquent’, felt their perceptions subtly change.
However, the momentum of this type of thought wasn’t actually as high as Amos expected, as there were many people smearing him for ‘cheating’ and ‘fixing’ the debate for himself.
When he caught wind of this, the silver-haired boy almost screamed in rage. “What a joke! Where were these people when that bitch was shown doing absurd crap on TV? Do they really believe she can pull all those stunts for real?”
Naturally, he hadn’t been there in person that day, but anyone sane could tell that most of what they showed on TV must have been special effects that were added in later, along with the extensive use of props on stage.
What was the difference between that and being a little more prepared for a debate? How dare these people try to undermine his efforts?!
Of course, the situation on the international stage was much, much worse.
People were already cutting clips and making memes of some of his more radical statements, sharing them on social media, and throwing all kinds of ridicule his way.
The ‘mixed’ response that Emilia’s show had received seemed almost overwhelmingly positive in comparison.
What made Emilia grin from ear to ear, however, was the fact that all the ridicule being thrown the hero’s way actually ended up drastically improving her own image.
After all, compared to Amos, she could practically be considered an ‘angel’.
Of course, the hero’s side wasn’t unaware of this situation either, but as far as they were concerned, their primary goal had still been achieved perfectly.
Amos was now established as an eloquent and intelligent leader, and the President also made a call personally to show his appreciation on the matter, clearly a lot more emotional than usual.
Even if the silver-haired boy was considered arrogant by many, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. After all, the Black Tiger’s image was naturally domineering, and its leader couldn’t possibly be a pushover.
With both of these matters settled, what else did they have to be dissatisfied with?
Mr. Black nodded in satisfaction. “Let Amos know that he must now show his face on all major public occasions to solidify his image. And he can’t miss the next few days of this event, either.”
For both the Black Tiger and the White Deer, no matter how far their limbs extended overseas, the domestic market remained their lifeline and root.
Mr. Black knew that there was a certain risk involved, but since the situation was already deteriorating, the longer they waited before taking this risk, the worse their chances would be.
He couldn’t wait till he was no longer in control of the organization. His opponent’s daughters were both smarter and more patient than his son, and he had to take care of this threat before anything else.
Thinking about how things could have been so much easier if his son hadn’t messed things up and waited for the official engagement, or better yet, marriage, he couldn’t help but sigh.
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While Mr. Black was catering to the current government, however, there was something he completely forgot to take into account.
Emilia knew that as long as she used the Black Tiger’s ‘stance’ properly, their previous ‘close friends’ on the political front who were still ‘tentative’ about cooperation would end up completely siding with them.
After all, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the Black Tiger and White Deer each controlled half of the country’s economy, and whoever they sided with would automatically end up in an extremely advantageous position.
It was still alright before, but with the Black Tiger siding with the current government so openly, wouldn’t they lose all hope of ever turning their fate around if they didn’t obtain the White Deer’s support?
None of these ambitious men and women were willing to submit to this ‘tyrant’ who almost believed himself to be a dictator after winning the elections over and over, not even realizing that the margin with which he won kept shrinking more and more each consecutive term.
At the very front of this group was Bianca’s father, who was extremely popular amongst the public thanks to his kind and caring image, which was in complete contrast to their current president.
Of course, these people didn’t dare to make their stance clear too early, and only pretended to aim for other ministerial positions instead.
Emilia decided to make some time on the very next day of the ‘debate’ to meet him in person, since she would be busy with her own preparations later, and she didn’t want to miss the events that her ‘knights’ were going to participate in either.
Of course, when she got there, the one to greet her first wasn’t Mr. Fionn, but his daughter, Bianca. Her father could only stand behind her helplessly.
Bianca seemed to have grown a lot taller than the last time Emilia saw her on the girl’s ninth birthday, but she still only came up to Emilia’s chest, even though her current form was a little shorter than her original.
Of course, the little girl with her chin tilted up in pride clearly didn’t think so.
Emilia smiled, deciding to indulge her for a while. “Bianca sure has grown taller, huh?”
Her eyes brightened immediately. “The tallest in my class!” Almost immediately, however, her tone changed to aggrieved. “Big sis, daddy wouldn’t let me skip school to go see your event.”
Mr. Fionn sighed. “This kid…”
Emilia gave her a gentle smile. “Don’t you want to study hard and be at the top of your school, just like your big sis?”
”I-I do!”
The crimson-haired girl patted her head. “Then don’t skip school too much, okay? You can always watch the recording of the events at home later.”
The twintailed girl could only pout pitifully. “O-Okay.”
Emilia couldn’t help but smile. “Bianca is such a cute kid.”
The little girl stomped her feet in frustration. “Big sis, I’m an adult now!”
Emilia blinked.
Mr. Fionn smiled helplessly. “Don’t listen to her. She keeps insisting that now that she’s no longer a nine-year-old, her age has the same number of digits as most adults.”
The crimson-haired girl couldn’t help but pat the little girl’s head in amusement. “Bianca must really like maths, huh?”
Bianca, who hated anything to do with the subject, nodded enthusiastically. “It’s my favorite?”
Mr. Fionn was stunned. “I-Is it?”
The young girl glared at her father for dismantling her in front of her ‘idol’. “It is now!”
”O-Oh.”
Bianca continued to express her dissatisfaction with her father for quite a while, but Mr. Fionn soon showed his ‘ingenuity’ by weaving a mix of lies and deceit to fool his daughter back to her room.
Even as she left, the little girl seemed to believe that she was the one who decided to do so on her own initiative to express her dissatisfaction with her father while improving her ‘proud and charming’ image in her idol’s eyes.
Emilia’s soft expression dissolved the moment Bianca left, and she quickly made her intentions clear. Since Mr. Fionn stood to benefit so much from this deal, there was no need for her to beat around the bush. He wouldn’t reject it unless he was stupid.
Of course, as a politician, how could Mr. Fionn agree to her so easily?
”Ah, Emilia dear, I don’t quite understand what you mean to say, really? Mr. Black and I might have been friends in the past, but we don’t really talk much these days. After the previous disagreements, we already parted ways, didn’t we? I don’t think you’re unaware.”
He paused, and then smiled. “Not to mention, Mr. President and I don’t really have any irreconcilable conflicts.”
Emilia hummed. “Mr. Fionn seems to have become a lot more confident after Mr. Sullivan’s prestige declined?”
The rotund politician felt his lips twitch, but still maintained his expression. “It’s not like that. I’m very grateful to your parents, and their good intentions are definitely appreciated. But I don’t think there is any need for miss Emilia to worry too much about these things?”
Emilia smiled. “Ahh… you must think I’m just a child, huh? Well, it’s true that I wouldn’t have come if my parents and big sister were able to make the time, but they’re still dealing with some matters in the capital, as you may know.”
Mr. Fionn couldn’t help but be stunned when he realized he had missed a crucial point. How could Emilia come to him without her parents being aware of it?
Clearly, they must have sent her here under the guise of meeting Bianca to express their intentions!
Emilia hummed in satisfaction as she saw the ‘realization’ dawn on his face. “I’ll be blunt, Mr. Fionn. Right now, there are two choices in front of you. You accept our support… or we go support someone else.”
”Accept, o-of course I accept.” He laughed nervously. “But miss Emilia, you must know that although my popularity has greatly improved… the chances of my victory in the next election are still abysmal, right?”
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