Lady Unlike Any

1. Crashing Reality

"It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane."― Philip K. Dick, VALIS

The stone building was standing for more than a hundred years, making and breaking the dreams of many, witnessing the flow of time and watching over the world as it changed outside from the chaos that raved on inside. It was William's second home. 

Since he was a child he was always fascinated by the power this place wields and he wanted to sit on the top of it with the magic wand in its hand. But now these stone walls were closing upon him, trying to crush him as they did for many.

He was sitting in front of the council, all of them gruffly old men looking at him as if he was an ordinary person that they can toss away in a heartbeat. He remembered the first time he sat in front of the council just like this, he was a powerful Kentshire and the men in front of him were quite excited to have him on their side. He knew at that moment he wielded equal power as them even before joining the party and he vowed, that the next time he would be sitting here he will be the one with power over them.

The reality was far more different than his vision. The look in their eyes clearly showed he was on thin ice and he will have to be on his best defence if he wants to salvage what was remaining of his dream.

"Lord Warwick," The head of the councilmen spoke with a smile. It didn't hold any emotion behind it. He always loved this deception game to break through the person's outer appearance and guess what they really felt inside, at the same time not let one's own mask slip.

When he decided to become a politician he mastered the art of appropriate appearances at the perfect times. Despite being known as a cold-hearted beast with a stoic face that didn't let anyone get to him, he was empathic and could guess the person's state of mind fairly easily. It helped him in his play with his opponents, hitting at the weakness and making the opponent lose composure. He won arguments without his stone-cold stoic face ever flinching making him rise up ranks in his party. It was very clear he will become the youngest president of any party the parliament has ever seen. He was praised as a calm and level-headed politician.

But now he was restless and it was getting difficult for him to sit idle waiting for the judgment to pass. This would have been the happiest day of his life but it had been stained by the scandal that sent London into an uproar. His older brother, Oliver, the future heir to the dukedom of one of the oldest families of Great Britain has married a commoner, a woman whose mother had a more colourful past than the entire nobility combined.

Even though his family had accepted them, he couldn't bring himself to be accepting of their marriage when it threatened to break down everything he had built over the years. He didn't know if he would ever be able to forgive his brother and his wife if his dream shatters in this room now. 

Being a Kentshire has always been an advantage for his family. His brother played his cards right, threatening to stop the flow of the wealth into the economy from their banks. The crown Prince and his father backed him up, keeping his position in the King's council intact.

His mother used her position as King's cousin to show the ton they are still the most powerful family on the land. His younger brothers were hardly affected at all, seeming to enjoy all the chaos that has ensued.

The only one whose dream was on the line was his. Even though the nobility were annoyed with their show of power and the commoners were blinded by some sort of fairy tale romance none of them took a liking to a parliament member from the same family that disregarded everything to save their own.

They feared him, the show of power had made many uncomfortable and hence many started to oppose him. They didn't feel he was one of them. His family's power to sway public opinion that trashed their daughter-in-law to turn it into some kind of benevolent story terrified many. He was a prince that had it all.

"Lord Warwick," The council head said, "Many congratulations on the wedding of your brother. I heard the ceremony was quite a spectacle."

"Thank you, Mr Stevenson," William replied with a small smile. His committee head wasn't a high-class nobility and his mother's list of guests didn't include him. Curse his luck. Instead of ignoring and staying away from the wedding preparation, he should have paid some attention.

"I hope you are aware of why the council has requested your presence," He continued.

"I am afraid I am not," William replied calmly. He knew he was supposed to be given the Presidency of the party but he wasn't sure anymore. It was best to play safe.

"Well, we initially planned this meeting to bestow on to you the presidency of the party," Mr Stevenson continued bluntly, "But."

He hated the ominous pause from this man. He was one of the significant politicians of his era. He was the third son of the baron of Dormer making it impossible for him to ever gain any noble title. He rose as a political figure quickly at a young age and resided as a president of the liberal party for over a decade retiring to take over as the council's head.

"The scandal caused by your elder brother has affected your position severely. If we had to go ahead and make you the President with elections on the horizon, the party will be open to attacks from the opposition. Instead of being stronger, we will be left vulnerable. If the opposition plays this right the parliament might lose faith in us and it will be quite difficult to recover. The best course of action will be asking you to resign," Mr Stevenson explained.

William wasn't stupid, he knew this all along and yet he hoped for all that he had done for the party they will put their faith in him and give him the chance to prove him being a Kentshire won't affect the work he had done and will continue to do so.

He stayed silent, not wanting to open his mouth afraid he will lose his composure.

"But we also understand your position as a Kentshire and considering all the hard work you had done for this party the committee has decided to offer you the Vice-Presidency," Mr Stevenson said.

Vice-presidency!! What utter nonsense! They were mocking him. There was no one else that was more suited than him to be the president. But he didn't have any other option, he will have to accept being a shadow to someone else or leave the party entirely.

He wasn't ready to give everything up when he had come so far. He didn't like being overstepped, but for now, he will have to endure and bid his time. No matter the setbacks he promised to fulfil his dream.

"I understand," William said smiling, he had to be grateful he was still at the party and show that genuine happiness on his face, "I respect the committee's decision and accept it. I promise this won't affect my dedication to the party and give my best for the greater good."

"Well, congratulations, you made the right choice. We will soon declare the new president and the vice president. Thank you for your time, Lord Warwick," Stevenson said standing up and extending his hand for him to shake on it signalling he is dismissed.

William thanked everyone and left the committee hall with a broken dream and crashed reality.

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