Xio Voe, you have made progress!
“As for you.” He looked into Prince Xio Dei’s eyes. “You are young, and you like to have fun and play games with your friends. But you are not alone in that. Your sister and brother would enjoy time for fun, as well, but often their busy schedules prevent them from having time enough for leisure activities. A good brother would help to ease their burdens so that all three of you might have time for games. A good citizen would help his princess and princess without prompting.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” Prince Xio Dei’s eyes were wide, but he bowed, looking very earnest.
Satisfied, Xio Voe shook their hands, kissing their foreheads. “Conduct yourselves honestly,” he instructed. “When I return, I shall expect you to greet me with cheerful conversation about how you enjoyed your leisure time.”
They looked utterly baffled at first, then began to smile. “Yes, Your Highness.”
YES!!!!!!!!!! Yes yes yes, this is exactly the kind of thing I want to see. He's still formal, still very uprightly Xio Voe, but he's also being a brother and relating to them as both a sibling and as the Heir. As much as I want to see him begin to be affectionate (in his own way, of course) with his future brothers-in-law, I'm glad he's doing it with his own brothers and sister first. He even kissed them! That's incredible!
Anikira, I just find more and more ways to adore you:
“The Empire’s a woman?” Kudorin asked, considering the idea.
“Mmm. She’s smart, powerful, flexible, modern, and competitive,” Anikira said. “She’s definitely a woman.”
DAMN STRAIGHT.
I missed everyone else, but I liked seeing the Empire through Xio Voe and Kudorin's eyes. As with all things, it's easy to judge it when you hve superficial information, but get a little more in depth and the balck and white start to look like shades of gray. Especially when you read things like this:
“It fascinates me,” Anosukinom said one evening, as Xio Voe sat on a balcony, sketching the view of an ancient religious statue at night. “The different builds and features and colors.”
“Of what?” Xio Voe asked.
“People. Jacaceans. You have the most mixed population in the world. And everyone’s been blending together for so long, there’s such gorgeous variation. Look at them.” Anosukinom sounded amazed. “Cortuic eyes and hands, a Henberesh nose, Fertasiac hair. You’re so purely, perfectly Jacacean, but they’re purely, perfectly Jacacean, too. Because they represent the variety of cultures, the mixing and blending of populations, the unity of our world.”
“Yes, we have a very diverse population.” Xio Voe studied Jacacean demographics on a regular basis, as part of an ongoing effort to ensure a constant degree of movement. The Empire preferred, with a few notable exceptions, not to have people of similar ethnic backgrounds populate too densely together. The exceptions, among other things, served to prove that the Empire didn’t prevent people of similar ethnic backgrounds from settling into one area together.
“But it’s so egalitarian. Ethnic background doesn’t affect economic status. You know how rare that is. You don’t treat people differently based on their heritage. People aren’t given different jobs or shuffled into different neighborhoods or unable to seek help because of their parentage.”
“Once you are a member of the Jacacean Empire, you are one of us. There is no need to differentiate. If we separated according to parentage and origin and nationality, and remained distinct, then there would be no opportunity for flexibility or advancement. There would be despair, and anger, and rebellion. The Eternal Empire lasts because we are one. We spread opportunity, education, medicine. We treat our citizens as citizens, not as chattel.”
This chapter made it hard to judge Jacacean invasion and assimilation so harshly. It makes me wonder what kind of far-reaching effects the marriage will have on how invasions are carried out. Xio Voe has already revolutionized it with the non-violent takeover and we heard of a nation that surrendered "in a friendly manner and therefore had not been forced to assimilate as strenuously as some other groups." With a relationship with Anosukinom bringing new perspective to Jacacean rulers, will the Empire expand with less ruthless means? Will nations eventually see the benefits to joining the Empire? Will the Empire eventually see the benefit to leaving a nation sovereign and merely exporting education and health care to them while importing culture, goods and services?
Great chapter. I'm looking forward to catching up with everyone else next week.
