Reincarnated as an Imperial Prince

A Historic Moment

Alexander worked usually for the past three days, fulfilling his roles and obligations as the Ruthenia Empire's head of state. And now the day has come whether his proposal of Infrastructure Bill will be passed or not.

In the Imperial Council Building, Alexander sauntered towards the far back center of the building, where a gilded throne can be seen. As he walked his way there, his eyes wandered around, seeing the elective representatives of the Imperial Council present in the building.

The atmosphere was tense and the way they looked at Alexander was a bit inquisitive. Yet, Alexander paid no heed as he sat on the throne.

He then glanced once more at them, the ones who will decide the future of the Ruthenia Empire.

Everyone sat in their respective seats as the parliamentary session was about to begin.

The chairman of the Imperial Council, Mikhailov, walked towards the podium to address the audience.

"Honorable Members, Fellow Ruthenians. I now declare that the Imperial Council is now in session. In today's session, you will cast your vote on a proposed bill, the Infrastructure Bill," Mikhailov announced.

Alexander could feel the tension in the air. He can almost hear the murmur of the members of the Imperial Councils.

"I will give a brief explanation about the aforementioned bill. The Infrastructure Bill proposed by the member of the Imperial Council pursues rehabilitation and development on a nationwide scale. This includes the construction and rehabilitation of roads, bridges, railways, power stations, power lines, water plants, pipelines, et cetera. The proposed budget for this bill is 114,477,800,150 Ruthenian Rubles. You can see a detailed breakdown of the budget in your copy," Mikhailov explained.

The members of the Imperial Council opened the file, reading over it and making notes as the minutes passed by. Some began to discuss among themselves how the funds would be allocated to these projects. A few were discussing the potential use for the proposed funds, while others argued about the costs of the infrastructure projects being funded.

At that point, Alexander stood up from his seat and stepped closer to the podium. Everyone's attention turned towards him as he spoke out loud.

"Chairman, may I intervene for a second? I'd like to have a word with the council members here," Alexander asked politely.

Mikhailov nodded his head before addressing him again. "Of course Your Majesty, please."

Alexander took a step forward, looking toward each person present inside.

"Now before we proceed any further, I would like to tell you something about this Bill," Alexander said, speaking through a microphone.

His tone softened, yet his words still carried an authoritative authority. "This bill is very ambitious and it involves an enormous sum of money to pull off. I had noticed a reluctant gaze the moment you flipped the page but I wonder why it is?" He asked, his voice filled with seriousness.

He continued. "With this bill, we can create a lot of jobs for the people in need, we can build ourselves up, catching up with the world powers. With this bill, we can rise up again after our humiliating defeat to the Yamato Empire. Do you know why we lost against them? It's because we are too outdated. It's a shame that an eastern nation we considered weak, pathetic, and inferior, has outpaced us in modernization." Alexander paused for a moment, allowing his audience to think about what he had said. He could feel everyone watching him, their eyes filled with disbelief. He smiles gently.

"We were repulsive to development, leading to our own humiliation. My father didn't embrace industrialization because he feared that the social fabric of the Ruthenia Empire might change. Well, if he was still alive, I could've called him out, telling him that he is too close-minded. Instead of worrying about his own people, he should've focused it on our potential enemy, an enemy that will threaten the sovereignty of the Ruthenia Empire.