Story 2

A cold night breeze whistled down the courtyard behind the Palace Garden. The only illumination came from the soft moonlight filtering in from above the distant palace walls. The old advisor, Vincent, sat on the marbled fountain bench. His eyes staring blankly at the moon above as he enjoyed the moment of solitude.

A sudden snap of a twig from the other side of the trees startled Vincent. His eyes darted around quickly to find the source of the sound, eventually catching a glimpse of his old friend and fellow advisor, Jason, walking down the stone path of the courtyard.

"Vincent," Jason said, stopping to greet his friend, "Long nights of preparation for the court, huh? I hear the emperor is very insistent on his advisor's advice these days, more so even than my dear brother. How have you been handling the stress?"

"More like exhaustion than stress, my friend," Vincent responded with a chuckle, "It's getting tougher and tougher to keep up with all these preparations, especially now that my body has grown old and slow. To be honest, I think I'm thinking of taking an early retirement. I don't know if I can keep this pace much longer."

Jason laughed slightly at his friend's sentiment, "You've been saying that year after year, and yet each time, you've remained steadfast and loyal to the emperor, working late into the night to prepare for the next day. What makes this time any different?"

Vincent looked into Jason's eyes with a tired smile, "I'm just feeling more and more done with it all each time, you know? I'm getting older, and my body is not as able as it used to be. The stresses of running around all day and being there for every consultation and meeting are getting to me. All I really want is to retire and find a peaceful, quiet life somewhere where I can read and relax without the worries of the empire hounding me every moment."