Chapter 3 Tybur
In my first life surely a six-year-old girl reporting her parents for political crimes would've raised some eyebrows. Maybe it would've been understandable for crimes of abuse and such that even six-year-olds can understand. But if the crime is that the parents have political ideas deemed as wrong by the government, it is a concept too abstract for six-year-olds. Maybe I'm wearing rose-tinted glasses when looking back to my first life, there were countless horror stories of terrible people abusing their children in one way another even in a peaceful rich modern country such as Japan.
From my personal interest in history, I know that even in my first life without magic or giants, terrible things were happening all over the world. With authoritarian regimes spreading madness among their people. When everyone is insane, when the law itself is twisted, people stop questioning when things get worse. The ones in power would love to see more children selling out their parents for their wrong ideas. Selling out Grisha and Dina only increased my chances for my safety, they could just throw me in there along with my parents to complete the set. So to further increase my chances of safety, I went on further to list every single thing I know about the Restorationists and its operations with any name I can remember, any other groups and businesses sympathetic to their cause just to make sure that all the seats in the boat to paradise were filled, leaving no room for me.
The propaganda department would probably use this story without a doubt. If I've learned anything about propaganda from my previous lives is that people love to eat up any stories about prodigies, or just any young people doing something they agree with.
From the people I've met in the military base, I haven't met one person who would pass up on a chance to further control the Eldian population. They all like to consider themselves as superior rational people after all. After a week of such thoughts repeating in my head, I was released from the military base. The room I was staying in wasn't that awful in itself, it had proper furnishes, a bed with a mattress, and a shelf full of various books related to military activity, mostly history.
If my mind was in a more relaxed state then it probably would have been a nice week to myself. On the last day, as soon as I started to relax commander Theo Magath called me for a meeting and handed me a letter of invitation from the Tybur house, the only Eldian family who are honorary Marleyan Nobles.
It's been a day since then, I went back home. I heard what happened to my family from an officer. As expected Grisha and Dina are shipped to Paradis Island along with hundreds of their followers. But unlike me who was honestly relieved by their absence, my grandparents took the news hard. They were both questioned extensively, after seeing them have a mental breakdown over learning what their son was doing they were deemed innocent, but not mentally stable. Now they are both admitted to a mental ward, not accepting visitors.
That leaves me alone in this haunted house. Apparently, my report sparked a massive arrest of everyone related to the Restorationists. They arrested everyone written in my report, and by asking them nicely they got the names of even more people. So for a week, there had been many knocking on doors, dealing with resisting arrest, and handcuffing. The exact number of arrests isn't disclosed but it's safe to assume it's in the hundreds at least, as I heard there needs to be back to back shipping.
Nothing about this was written in the newspapers, except a notice saying that no one is allowed to leave Liberio until further notice. They haven't released any statement about this yet.
The letter says that they will pick me up tomorrow morning, without giving me that much time alone. With the one evening I have before the meeting, I did my best to prepare. I finally got a proper bath after a week and cleaned up my cadet uniform. It's never a good idea to look slobby in a meeting, appearance says a lot about a person's character so one should always strive to look their best. I woke up early and prepared myself for the person from Tybur estate to pick me up. Simply did all I could to keep proper hygiene in this world, fix my hair, and put on my cadet uniform.
This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! Making a friend in high places never hurts! Furthermore, for an Eldian the Tybur family is as top as it gets! Get yourself together and use this chance well, Tanya!
Then a knock came on my door "Ah you are ms. Tanya I assume. I am here to drive you to the Tybur estate" said an elderly man in a butler uniform standing in front of a car, rarely ever seen in Liberio I followed the butler into the backseat. Looking out the window I noticed few people were interested in why a car was here, and some kids who saw it for the first time in their lives.
This will be the first time I leave Liberio and enter a pure Marleyan zone, as far as I know, the Tybur estate is located in the capital, which is quite a distance from here. I will be seeing how Marleyans live in the capital for the first time.
After leaving the checkpoint of the Liberio internment zone the difference of quality in everything was stark. From the roads to architecture to people's clothes and most importantly the look on people's faces. Everyone seems to be calm with resting smiles on their faces, oblivious to the state of this country. The farther we got from the internment zone and closer to the capital we get, the more happy-go-lucky everyone seemed. It looks like they are not aware that the country is going to war soon. Maybe they are aware of it faintly and just not take it seriously, as they know that none of them will be taking the bullets.
After some time passed we got to the Tybur estate. We passed through a gate with some guards wearing uniforms of what I guess is the Tybur's personal military. The estate itself is similar in design to the few fancy buildings I saw back in my life in the Empire. It's a three-story mansion with a garden in front of it. Just looking from the window I can't gauge how large it is.
Exiting the car I was greeted by the sight of several maids and butlers standing in a line facing me, none of them wearing armbands.
"Mrs. Tanya welcome to the Tybur estate, we hope your ride here was comfortable. Lord Willy Tybur is expecting you in his office." said the woman with the serious face whom I assume is the one in charge of the servants here.
"Please this way" she gestured me to follow her.
I followed her through the corridors and the stairs leading to the second floor. She knocked on the door.
"Excuse me, sir, miss Tanya has arrived." the maid said
"Ah come in come in," said a man with an easygoing manner, and I was let in.
"I'm Tanya Jaeger training as a warrior cadet to serve Marley!" I said with a salute
"Aah, so you are the wonder child I kept hearing about! Thank you for coming all the way here today. I'm Willy the head of the Tybur family. " he said with a very open gesture and smile on his face.
The nobleman looks to be in his early thirties. Average build, clearly not a soldier, well-groomed and well-dressed fitting for a noble. His hair blond and straight long enough to reach his shoulders, though a bit messy right now than usual I assume. His face with dark eyes, thin eyebrows, and pronounced jawline wearing a very mellow expression. Sitting at his office desk with stacked up paperwork he seems to be quite relaxed today.
Putting on my best business face "It's an honor to meet you Lord Tybur," I can't give an immature impression.
"It's fine to take it easy. Have a seat so we can talk properly." Willy said while motioning to the maids
"Thank you sir" I sat on one of the two couches with a coffee table in the middle, after which Willy put down his pen, left his work desk, and joined me, sitting on the couch facing me. A maid brought a set of tea to us.
"Coffee might be too early for your age, so I hope you like our tea," Willy said with a smile, rejecting me of coffee while offering the inferior beverage. After both of our teas were poured the maid left the room. Leaving only the two of us.
"I wanted to meet you today to thank you as a fellow Eldian for doing the right thing and serving Marley," Willy said, his face shifting to look more serious.
"I've been hearing many things from various people about you Tanya. How much your actions have benefited Marley, and how much you've proven the Eldian loyalty towards Marley." Willy said getting straight to the point
This conversation is of utmost importance. He is testing me as a propaganda tool. Judging whether my character is fit either for continued propaganda or one-off news. I have to exceed his expectations with my answers.
"I'm sorry if this is too personal of a question but it's been on the minds of everyone who read your report, including mine. You are very young, you may be a prodigy but you were still raised by a family of Restorationists. One would expect you to be completely brainwashed. How come you would report to your parents? How did loyalty for Marley win over love for your parents?" Willy asked me, looking directly into my eyes, reading my face for any information he can get.
"I learned a love for the Eldian people from my parents and of how desperate the Eldian people are. But I learned about the truth from my grandparents. They taught me of the horrors of the Eldian Empire. I realized that my parents' love for the Eldian people were misguided, warped by hatred and desperation. Their intent was only to satisfy their lust for revenge, against innocent people, at the cost of many Eldian lives." I answered. Trying to find the right balance between love for the Eldian people and loyalty for Marley.
"..." Willy kept his eyes on me, listening intently, seemingly deep in thought. There was a small shift in his expression that I don't know the meaning of. Maybe he finds my answer lacking, is that what the silence means?
"Tanya... my condolences for your loss of family. No matter how evil they were, it must still be terribly hard on you." Willy said, with a sad look on his face. It seems my age and appearance is doing wonders in this meeting.
"Thank you Lord Tybur," I commented briefly
"It seems the high praise of you from Magath was true. Again this is just my curiosity speaking but how would you go about improving the lives of Eldians? Since you are so clearly against your parents' way of doing things, there must be some alternative ideas in your young mind right?" Willy asked another question to test me. Thankfully it was in the range of what I was expecting
"Public perception," I stated, it is important to be sure of your answers and precisely state them without hesitation.
"Improving the public perception of the Eldian population would be the best way to improve the lives of everyone in Marley, not just the Eldians." I take a brief pause to see if he has any comments.
"Everyone in Marley you say?" He wants me to continue.
"The current treatment of Eldians is gross mismanagement of Human Resources and it is bleeding the Marleyan economy. Eldians aren't allowed the same degree of education, the career options are very restricted, most men only have the choice to enlist in the military, women are either unemployed at home or working at sweatshops. The heavy policing in internment zones, gross abuse of power from the police, feeding Eldian prisoners. All of these I imagine cost more than the meager tax the uneducated Eldian population can pay. Many perfectly exploitable able-bodied people get killed or arrested, a complete waste of human resources." I paused after noticing Willy wanted to comment
"Yes, I am aware of these problems. Hearing it from you pains my heart, trust me. The Tybur family has been trying to do precisely what you said for generations, to improve the Eldian image. But the Eldian shadow extends all they down to hell. The sins of our ancestors are far too heavy, too fresh in people's minds', only time can wash it away, time we don't have. Young Tanya, your love for the Eldian people and loyalty to Marley is admirable. But I fear this is a problem that won't be solved in our lifetimes." Willy said with sadness on his face. He gave a strong answer that would be hard to refute, so trying to refute it would be a wasted effort. Is he testing to see if I have the mindset for propaganda? Or simply my guts to keep going after his strong statement.
"I believe we are already on a good track to improve the Eldian image," I told Willy, he glances at me with curiosity.
"And how would that be? I'm sorry to say but your actions alone are not enough." Willy said, his face showing small frustration. Is he acting or?
"The Warrior program. It already promotes the idea that Marleyan Eldians can have a respectable role in society. The promotion of the idea that 'all the bad Eldians being on Paradis island and the Eldians in Marley are repenting' has been picking up steam. We just need a good story to tell people. A story with an individual villain to hate, not something vague as a whole island or a king from a long time ago, an actual monster residing in Paradis. And a Marleyan-Eldian hero to defeat the Evil across the sea, supported by a group of noble friends. It will be our generation's Helos, to save Marley and Eldians within it. If told by someone as loved by the Lord Tybur then it will be a big step for the Marleyan-Eldians I believe." I finished telling my idea when
*Snap*
"You pass!" Said Willy with a grin on his face
"wha-"
"You pass with flying colors Tanya. I honestly had not been expecting this much from you. I was only planning on giving you some awards and media coverage for a small improvement of the Eldian perception but it seems I've underestimated you!"
"T-Thank you Lord Tybur!" Dammit, I stuttered!
"Now I'm sorry but please excuse me for a bit. I need to get some paperwork done. The maids will prepare you for a dinner. You will be meeting for the rest of my family. We need to introduce you properly to everyone else so we can adopt you after all" Willy said while wearing an excited smile. With the words 'gotcha' written all over it, where did the somber attitude go?
"Wait! Adoption!?"
"Oh yes, You'll be Tanya Tybur from now on."
Hey Hey! I'm back! Aaaah took a while huh?
Thanks a lot for the amazing reception! Sorry for disappearing for a few months.
I just got too busy with work in the summer, and art/writer's block took over in September and October.
I do intend to finish the story, got a bunch of ideas on where it's going don't worry. Man, I just wanna keep editing it, start over even. But I swear from now on I'll post the first draft right away after minimal editing! Like I did with this chapter lol.
Thanks again for the great reception! Hope you like reading it! ... well even if you don't I'll keep writing it tho lol
update 12/3/2020
Aaah edited it just a bit. I released it without doing any editing so. It should be slightly better, it still needs to improve cz you know... I'm not a good writer.