Four months into his reign, Raymond hadn’t yet done anything significant, no actions beyond Rupert’s funeral, no public declarations, no pronouncements or edicts. The new king was still an unknown quantity in the minds of his people. Here and there pockets of grumbling erupted, almost all of them fueled by agents of Queen Theodora and her allies. Why had Raymond remained shut up in the palace? Did he think the entire nation was a cloister?
So when it was announced the he would address the nation from the steps of the Cathedral of St. Zephyrinus, curiosity was high, and expectations that he would say something significant were even higher.
Archbishop Defilippo balked at letting Raymond use the cathedral for this, but the king was the king, and tradition dictated the he was, after all, the head of the Church of Bulvania. Raymond put his foot down, and there was nothing the archbishop could do.
* * *
On the day of the announcement, thousands crowded the square in front of the cathedral; it was almost as large a crowd as there had been on coronation day. Expectations were… not exactly high, since no one quite knew what to expect of the new king; but the mood was festive and anticipatory.
Raymond took his place, flanked by two rows of Royal Guards in dress uniforms. At his side was Alex, also in dress uniform of course.
There was a general look of puzzlement in the crowd. Who was this astonishingly handsome young man at the head of the steps? And where was King Raymond? Then he spoke. “People of Bulvania, I know my appearance must startle you. I apologize for my former lack of polish. I am your proud, contented king, Raymond XL.”
There was a pause, filled by loud gasps from the crowd. Then, quite spontaneously, they broke into loud applause and cheers. Girls and young men screamed as if they were at a rock concert. It was a miracle! Their scruffy, monkish ugly duckling of a king had become a magnificent swan.
Alex whispered to Raymond, “So far, so good.”
Raymond gestured to Logan and P.T., who were waiting at the foot of the steps. They ascended, stood on either side of him, and he introduced them to the people. “Ambassador Bockwein, in addition to being the representative of the United States, is the chairman of Bockwein Tin & Zinc, Inc. I am pleased to tell you that their engineers, working with our own, have verified an enormous deposit of tin in the Bulvanian Alps—the third largest in the world. This very day we have formalized an agreement with Bockwein Tin & Zinc. They will provide the mining expertise to exploit his natural treasure, and Bulvania will become a much wealthier nation as a result.
“Moreover, building and operating the mines will require some 2,000 workers. Under the terms of our agreement, 90% of them will be native Bulvanians. These jobs will last for many years, perhaps longer than all our lifetimes. Economic stability and a place on the world economic stage are within sight.”
Again, the crowd cheered, even louder and more boisterously than before. Raymond waited patiently for the uproar to die down, then went on. “Part of our agreement with Bockwein, Inc., is cultural in nature. Bulvania’s cultural riches have been kept hidden far too long. In our palace alone we have a treasure trove of great art—works by Vermeer, Rembrandt, Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso, Matisse and a great many more. And Grand Duke Rupert, in his many years in Paris, acquired a large collection of works by twentieth century masters—Picasso, Matisse, Renoir and the others, many of whom he knew personally. As part of our agreement, Bockwein, Inc. has agreed to underwrite the construction of a new, state-of-the-art museum. In addition to our own art masterpieces, the monastery of St. Dymphna is home to a vast store of medieval illuminated manuscripts, which they have agreed to have placed on display in the new museum. Bulvania’s art treasures will be made available to scholars and connoisseurs from around the world. We expect tourism to boom, which will further drive economic growth.
“I am happy to introduce to you Mr. Logan Bockwein, who has generously agreed to curate the museum’s collection.”
The cheers and applause were deafening, and they went on for what seemed hours. If everything went according to plan—and there was no reason to think it wouldn’t—Raymond’s popularity with his people was assured. Queen Theodora and her allies had been rendered quite effectively irrelevant. Now it was just a matter of waiting for everything to ripen.