As flexible as she was, Alice had limits as well. If an order contradicted her personal beliefs, she would not obey it, even if the order had came from Anfey. Reorganizing the noble class was necessary, and she was confident in her abilities, which was why she did not care how she approached the matter.
Anfey placed her in charge of the city because he was confident in her ability, and she wasn't about to let him down. In her original plan, she only wanted to punish the heads of the noble households. However, because of the actions of some of the noble families, she decided to punish all those that decided to disobey her.
The entire province was seized by fear, but there were still noble families that sided with Alice. When she first began imprisoning the nobility, she spared the families that had ties with the military. She did not want to upset any important military officials.
Unlike the nobility, the commoners did not care what Alice was doing. Alice had been trying hard to improve the living conditions of commoners, and so she gave some power back to them. This made her very popular and well-respected. This was why the rumors that the noble families invented about her did not travel far.
Inside a small tavern in Moonlight City, two men were sitting in the corner drinking. One of the men was Ozzic. Sitting across from him was a man in his mid-fifties, with peppered hair and a long beard.
"Heard Anfey gave you a hard time today," Batusimon said.
Ozzic sighed. "Bad luck, I guess," he said. "Lord Anfey's been in a bad mood lately."
"I know," Batusimon said. "Don't you think he's getting overbearing?"
Ozzic frowned and put his mug on the table. "Don't say anything like that."
"No?" Batusimon said with a smile. "What you said to other people is even worse than that."
"What did I say?" Ozzic asked with wide eyes.
"I heard that you said he is dictatorial, and that he forgot all the things you did for him and the League. Didn't you also say that you should have worked with Manlyn instead?"
Ozzic's eyes widened and he shot up from his seat.
"Calm down," Batusimon said. "Do you think I would be telling you this if I wanted you dead?"
"How did you know?"
"Someone told me, of course."
"Who?"
"I can't tell you, but don't worry. He won't betray you."
Ozzic frowned. Clearly, he did not believe Batusimon and his promise.
"Fine. Here. I will say something as well," Batusimon said. He cleared his throat a few times and said, "Anfey is an ungrateful man, who did not deserve our aid. Now, are we even?"
Ozzic narrowed his eyes, then sat down slowly. "Fine," he said. "No more of this."
"Are you scared of him?"
"Of course I am," Ozzic said. "And you're not? If you're so brave, why don't you say that to his face?"
"That day will come."
Ozzic pursed his lips. He understood the underlying meaning of Batusimon's words, and that made him very uncomfortable. "What exactly do you want?" he lowered his voice and asked.
"I…"
"Wait," Ozzic said, shaking his head. "I don't want to know. Whatever you want to do, leave me out of it, do you hear me? If you try to push me, I will go to Anfey and tell him everything. Trust me. He will take my word over yours."
"Working for him has turned you into a coward," Batusimon said with a sigh.
"Maybe I am," Ozzic said. "I value my life more than anything." He finished the beer in his mug and stood. "I think it's better for both of us if we stop meeting," he said curtly, then turned to leave.
"He has a weakness, you know," Batusimon said.
Ozzic stopped, but did not turn to look at Batusimon. Batusimon did not appear bothered. He took another sip of his beer and said, "Suzanna."
"You're mad!" Ozzic said. "She's a top level power. You can't take her on."
"But she has a weakness as well." Batusimon smirked. "Shalley."
Ozzic paled. He understood what Batusimon wanted to do, but he could not be a part of it. He turned to leave again.
"Let me ask you one last thing," Batusimon said hurriedly. "If Suzanna and Anfey are both dead, who will you side with?"
"Lord Christian," Ozzic said with a snort. "So we can get rid of traitors like you."
"So you don't have an ounce of faith in me?" Batusimon asked.
"Even if Anfey and Suzanna were dead, Alice and Christian are still here. Baery is Christian's uncle, and he would never turn down Christian's request for aid. I am not about to commit suicide."
"I'm not going to attack anyone," Batusimon said.
"My god, Batusimon," Ozzic said. "Just tell me your plan."
"I'll be honest with you, then," Batusimon said. "I'm working with His Royal Highness Prince Wester. There's no future for you, if you work for Christian, Ozzic. Even if he can take the throne, he won't spare anything for you. He cares about Suzanna and Anfey way more than you. If you work for His Royal Highness… Well, think of all the glory in the world, and ten times more."
"I will do no such thing," Ozzic said, shaking his head. "Christian has support from Saul and Baery. Who does Wester have? He does not stand a chance against Christian."
"You underestimate His Royal Highness," Batusimon said. "Christian only began planning for this a year ago. His Royal Highness has been planning to take the throne more almost a decade. There are people working for His Royal Highness all over the world, including here."
Ozzic's face darkened. Batusimon was right. Wester was older than Christian, and must be more prepared.
"I already told you everything," Batusimon said. "You can make the decision for yourself."
Ozzic sighed and sat back down in front of Batusimon. "Are you sure about this?"
"Of course!"