Enlightened Empire

While much of Saniya had been rebuilt since Corco’s takeover, the public bath was still the same as it had always been. Just like in most of Medala’s cities, the public bath of Saniya was a center of communal activity. The grand construction with its endless closed-off pools and halls of stone had always been the place for all important people to come together and talk business or familial relations – at least all those who were not quite important enough to afford a proper bath in their private homes.

However, sometimes even the high and mighty nobles of the city would come out to enjoy a nice day among the people. On this breezy summer afternoon, two such nobles were leaving the wide front steps of Saniya’s bathhouse, their long hair still damp.

\"Haah, a good bath is so refreshing.\" Antaya sighed while she put her daughter’s hairstyle in order. Although she had come to terms the constant travel her work necessitated, she could never get used to all the dirt and dust she would carry from city to city. Whenever she reached a new city, a bath became her very necessary ritual, right after she had fulfilled her official duties.

\"Mother, we could have used the castle’s bathhouse. There is no need to expose ourselves like this, is there?\"

\"True enough. But I will be spending some time here, so I wanted to experience the city for myself. Either way, spending the day out and about with my children is much nicer than being holed up in the castle, so far removed from the real life on the streets.\"

Although her daughter looked at her with disapproval, eager to refute, she never got the chance. Before she could open her mouth, her brother walked towards the two of them, two bamboo sticks in his hands, both loaded with still steaming pieces of meat and vegetables.

\"Mother, Tama, I brought some skewers. Careful, it’s still hot.\"

\"Aww, thank you, honey.\" Antaya grabbed the food and ruffled Fadelio’s hair. Although she could see the disapproval in her son’s eyes as well, she just couldn’t help herself. Even at that age, he was still her son after all.

\"What is this?\" she asked as she took a closer look at the food her son had brought them.

\"It’s a skewer with fried meat and vegetables,\" Fadelio explained while he fixed his hair. \"Since so many people in Saniya work outside these days, especially the construction people, a lot of commoners earn extra money by offering little snacks like these. They can be held in one hand and eaten on the move, so they are very practical.\"

Once Antaya took a bite, she understood the feelings of the workers.

\"Well, whatever they are called, they sure are delicious.\"

In Saniya’s outer city, the family of three continued walked around uninhibited, though they drew the eyes of the crowd. No wonder, since all three of them were exceptional in both appearance and status among the people of Saniya, and both Fadelio and Tama had quite a reputation already.

\"Over there is the new mansion of Lord Macuy and his family. These days, he as well as his wife and children spend most of their time in Saniya and only return home if an emergency requires their attention,\" Tama explained as she pointed at a newly built mansion towards the city’s north, close to the bridge over to Sillu Island.

\"Oh, quite like the estate mansions in Arguna,\" Antaya replied.

Though unlike the mansions in Arguna, here the lords weren’t separated from the commoners by a wall. After all, the inner city of Saniya was built on top of the three islands in the river’s center, and with all the new industry there was no room for outsiders to set up their homes there. \"Have many of the southern lords have moved here?\"

\"At first it was mostly our close allies from the more remote regions of Sachay, like Lord Macuy and Lord Huaman,\" Fadelio explained. \"But ever since the copper crisis, many lords have followed their footsteps and begun to construct their own mansions. After all, everyone has so many of the crown’s bank notes now, and Saniya is the best place to use them. At this point, I’m not sure if all of this is part of Corco’s plan or if he’s just getting lucky.\"

\"What are you saying, boy!?\" Antaya chided. \"You should not be this casual when you talk about your lord.\"

\"Of course. I’m sorry, mother.\" While he sounded serious, Antaya knew that her son didn’t take her words to heart. After all, Fadelio and Corco had been friends ever since they had been children. With no chance to change her son’s mind, she switched topics instead.

\"If so many lords have come here, what exactly is there to spend all those bank notes on? Their new mansions would not be filled with countless pieces of glassware or soap, would they?\"

\"There is much more to buy here than just glass and soap.\" Tama’s sly smile showed Antaya her daughter’s understanding of Medala’s vain nobility. \"Even if they are in a place without entertainment, the lords always find ways make their own fun.\"

\"That means endless banquets, I presume?\"

\"What else?\" Tama nodded in agreement. \"Although King Corco doesn’t hold a lot of banquets, they always offer something new and unique. New types of food, new methods of preparation and such. Over the past year or so, an entire industry has formed around the recreation foods that the cooks within Rapra Castle have come up with. Some of the more talented cooks outside of Rapra have also come up with their own innovations. After all, with all the ties in and around the city, the cooks have infinite options to try new things. I mean, Master Bombasticus even came up with an entirely new flavor. Imagine that.\"

\"A new flavor? How could that even happen? Did the merchants bring a foreign fruit with them from overseas?\"

\"No, it was made here in Saniya,\" Tama denied. \"They call it vanilla. It is a strange, complex taste. Floral maybe? It seems like the new taste is completely synthesized by the royal laboratory, though production volumes are low for now. Even so, that scarcity only makes the lords more eager for it. Any noble who can present vanilla at his banquet gets to show off his wealth and connections. There have been vanilla-flavored deserts, vanilla-flavored meats, vanilla beverages... all manner of absurd combinations. As a result, vanilla powder has been weighed up with gold these days. All the while, the servants of these lords scour the local markets for old ingredients to mix with the new.\"

\"How strange,\" Antaya mused. \"It seems like the commoners would be doing rather well for themselves then.\"

\"That they are. Right now, Saniya should be the best place for a commoners to develop in the entire empire. Even without all the innovation, the local law enforcement is a lot more lenient with them than anywhere else in Medala. Only here do they have the chance to at least somewhat express themselves in public.\"

As she looked around on the streets, Antaya could see evidence of this free expression everywhere. While commoners were still easy to distinguish from nobility due to the plain colors of their clothes, they still stood out from the ordinary commoners of Arguna. Emboldened by the lax rules, they seemed eager to try all kinds of new and unconventional cuts, all to show off their sophistication or imagination. Maybe due to the many young students in the city, there were also many young couples about who were free to show their affection without inviting scoffs from the grumpy old nobles.

\"By the way, are you considering any suitable partners at the moment?\" Antaya asked towards no one in particular. Even so, both of her children felt personally attacked.

\"Mother, you know-\" Tama began, but Antaya wouldn’t indulge her daughter’s fantasies. Not this time.

\"I only know that we need to be realistic in what can and cannot happen,\" she interrupted Tama. \"You are already close to thirty, far too old to dream of an unrealistic romance. I understand our circumstances were special, and so we had no chance to sift through proper suitors for you, but now times are different. Our lives have stabilized and we should have the chance to look for an appropriate partner for you. You don’t want to die as a spinster, do you?\"

\"Mom!\" a wide-eyed Tama shouted. To deflect, she pointed over at the second culprit. \"What about brother? He’s as late as me.\"

\"Well, your brother is a man, so he has a lot more time than you,\" Antaya insisted. After all, she wouldn’t want her daughter to live with any regrets.

\"That’s right. You should look for a good man already,\" Fadelio teased, but that only made him his mother’s newest target.

\"Although you have more time, you are long overdue a steady partner as well. You need to find a nice girl who can take care of you and continue the family line. You do want a family, or did I think mistaken?\"

\"I don’t know if I do. At least not right now,\" Fadelio sighed. \"There’s always too much work to be done here, and I just don’t think I’d have the time to support a family, and raise children on top of that.\"

\"Who is asking you to raise the children?\" Antaya asked in derision. \"That is what you get a wife for.\"

She could see that both her children still wanted to protest, but Antaya wouldn’t hear another word.

\"Enough of it!\" Once the mother raised her voice a bit, both children calmed down without a single word of complaint. \"When I return north, I will ask around and see if any of our old acquaintances have some nice young men or women in their families. If they do, I will help you arrange a meeting. And if either of you should dislike the idea, you best look for your own partners, and soon.\"

After Antaya had put her foot down, the party of three continued on in a much more somber mood. Although she knew she was right, the prolonged silence made Antaya’s shoulders draw up in discomfort. While the issue of family was important, and it was important to have the discussion of her children’s marriages soon, maybe the start of their short family vacation was the wrong time to get into a fight.

In search of a change in topic, Antaya looked around for something to distract her children. At the same time, she promised herself to not mention marriage again throughout her visit. As she was still looking for a distraction, all of a sudden she felt off somehow. When she followed the strange feeling, her eyes landed on a young man who stood in an alley next to a construction site. As soon as their eyes met, the young man looked away and walked off into the crowd.

\"What are they building over there?\" she asked in the end, and pointed to the large construction site along the Mayura’s waters. The large hall was surrounded by a half-finished wall made of Saniya’s liquid stone, a type of construction she hadn’t seen anywhere before.

\"Ah, this should be one of the new manufactories once it’s done,\" Fadelio replied, always informed about the city’s construction projects. \"Since there is only so much room on Chukru Island, some of the older manufactories are being moved to the mainland instead.\"

\"That seems like a dangerous development. I thought the manufactories contained the secrets of the kingdom and were imperative to protect.\"

\"True, but that’s why they’re building a wall around the property. Also, the manufactories we’re putting up here won’t produce anything that involves core secrets, and we still vet anyone who works in them. We aren’t exactly hiring people off the street here. In fact, we are only hiring apprentices of craftsmen who work for us already. That means they need to have a running contract with the crown to even get a word in. These youngsters usually are bound to this place, since their masters and families live in Saniya as well. Even more, they have already enjoyed many of Saniya’s advantages, like the free education in the royal school. There should be almost no chance of betrayal from them. And even if they were to betray us, they wouldn’t be able to do any damage.\"

\"Hmmm... if you say so.\"

As she listened to her son’s explanation, Antaya observed the construction site and the surrounding streets some more. Maybe it was only out of habit, but the strange feeling from before never quite left her. Once again, some of the people in the side alleys around seemed to be observing the site, but they moved on before she could truly confirm her suspicions. In the end, she decided to let things go and mention them later. For now, Antaya simply wanted to spend her days off with her children, and forgot about her work for once. Even so, as the three continued to stroll down Saniya’s new promenade along the Mayura, the strange look from the young man at the construction site never quite left Antaya’s mind.