Meanwhile, 2,800 kilometers away from St. Petersburg. The City of London has fallen into chaos where gunshots can be heard from street to street, people running amok, hiding for their safety as the Britannian Police Force and the Black Hand forces clashed.
No one still fully understands what kind of an attack this is to the heart of the Britannia Empire. Is this a terrorist attack with the goal of spreading chaos, distress, and fear among the populace or is this a military invasion? Whatever it may be but an attack on London had already reverberated around the world through telegraphs and radios.
Host nations from around the world expressed concerns over the safety of their head of state who attended the crown ceremony of Diana Rosemary Edinburgh. What was supposed to be the most protected event in the world turned out to be the most vulnerable one.
Somewhere in London, Alexander, Rolan, and Sevastian were watching an emergency broadcast reporting the event unfolding in the capital.
"Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. We've asked the residents of London to stay indoors for their own safekeeping while the situation remains fluid. Let there be no doubt that every relevant authority is actively at work regaining control of our streets…That's all, we will inform everyone should we receive a new update on the situation."
"So the strongest empire to have existed in this era is now at the mercy of an infamous terrorist organization," Alexander commented after watching the news on the television.
"This is bad optics for the Britannia Empire, Your Majesty. The trust of the world in the Britannia Empire would plummet faster than a plane can hit the ground. I wouldn't even be surprised where countries like Francois and the Deutschland Empire condemn the vulnerabilities of their security," Sevastian added, chuckling.
"This is no laughing matter, Sevastian," Alexander chided him lightly. "Imagine if this happened to St. Petersburg, would you still find it entertaining?"
The two were wrapped in silence and slowly returned their attention to the television. While all of that was happening, Rolan received a gentle tap on his shoulder, getting his attention.
"What is it, Donovan?"
"Sir, we have successfully connected to the Command Ops and have sent an encrypted message informing them of your situation, especially the status of His Majesty," Donovan replied.
"And have we received their reply or any acknowledgment of some sort?" Rolan asked.
Donovan shook his head. "Not yet, but it's only a matter of time before they respond to our message, especially when it concerns the Emperor of the Ruthenia Empire."
"My wife is the one running the show in the Command Ops right?" Alexander joined their conversation after hearing their exchanges. "She might be super worried about me and won't hesitate to send a team to get us out of here."
"How can you be so certain?" Rolan looked at Alexander expectantly.
"She's my wife," Alexander replied simply. "Anyways, I don't want to stay in this city any longer. So do you have the plan to get us out of here?"
"It's complicated, Your Majesty. As you can see, we have detached ourselves from the Imperial Guards team on the ground. We will have to reconnect with them and hope that one of them has not been bought by the Black Hand," Rolan said wistfully.
Alexander looked down, staring at the ground after hearing his last sentence. There is a possibility that one of the Imperial Guards is a mole who will jeopardize everything. Even though all Imperial Guards have undergone stringent psychological examinations as well as a loyalty test.
"Well if the Black Hand offered them five times the perks and the salary we are giving them, they might switch sides. After all, human greed is the most effective motivator of all. Personal interest outweighs duty, doesn't it?" Alexander rambled and Rolan nodded in agreement.
"It will be a shame if one or two Imperial Guards turn out to be turncoats. It will be a humiliation to the entire Imperial Guards. But I have trust in them. Serving an Emperor who ruled the strongest country in the world, no money would sway their heart filled with patriotism."
Alexander only replied with a chuckle before flickering his gaze to Donovan. "Your name was Donovan, was it? How long have you been gathering intel in the Britannia Empire?"
"Hmm…I have been stationed in this country for over two years, Your Majesty. May I know why you ask?"
"I have my suspicion towards the royal family, specifically the pink-haired princess," Alexander said.
"What's about her, Your Majesty? Did you notice something strange? In what way?"
"Hmm…I can't say for sure but she is giving off this dark vibe behind her innocent veneer. As you know, like she is part of something big," Alexander rambled again.
"Your Majesty, are you insinuating that Her Royal Highness Anne is part of the Black Hand?"
The moment Donovan ended his words, everyone's attention was redirected onto him.
"I didn't say that," Alexander said flatly. "But the possibility is there. I mean think about it, how the mighty empire has fallen in the hands of the Black Hand? There must be a mole in their government that allowed things such as this to happen. Even though the royal family doesn't have power over their parliament, they can still exert their power elsewhere like how Diana is doing to anti-royalist MPs. Look what I'm saying is we can't overlook even the slightest of details."
"I think I'm quite figuring out what you are trying to point out here, Your Majesty. In that case, we will look into Her Royal Highness as well, see if we can dig something up."
"That would be great," Alexander jumped out from the table where he was sitting and headed over to the communication teams. He watched as they tapped onto the knob of the telegraph as they transmitted messages. The sound of intermittent static could be heard coming from it.
Rolan, meanwhile, made his way over to the communications teams and observed the process in silence. He was waiting for a response from the Command Ops, who will then give them instructions as to how they should proceed.
A paper was being printed from the receiver. It seemed that they had replied.
The operator snipped the paper out of the receiver and gave it to Rolan.
Rolan read the paper.
"What did they say?" Alexander stood on his tiptoes, trying to peek over Rolan's shoulders.
"It looks like we are getting out of here, Your Majesty," Rolan said as he folded the paper. "Her Imperial Majesty has issued a direct order of your immediate evacuation. The team will be composed of Imperial Guards that got detached from us in Westminster Abbey and Somerset House. The first squad to arrive will be the one to bring us to the Port of London, the rest will follow."
"Good!" Alexander clapped his hand and turned to everyone. "Okay let's prepare for evacuation everyone. We are getting out of here."
In the distance, Sevastian was covertly staring at Alexander. He muttered under his breath.
"This would be troublesome."
