The Prince and the Parchment

Chapter 5: Cassius

"Why is there practically no budget in military?"

"Huh?"

Father stared down at my parchment: an assignment Mother and him had given me, to create a yearly budget completely from scratch. "Why is there no budget in military?" he repeated.

Must I justify every statement? I sighed and leaned back in my chair, placing my arm on the desk. "Because, we are in a time of peace. A grand standing army is not necessary."

He cocked an eyebrow, setting the parchment back down. "Give me a reason why one would desire a large standing army."

My tongue clicked. "Well, in case of emergency or attack, a large standing army would guarantee preparedness, as you would have a ready, trained army. On the other hand," I spited. "A large standing army in a time of peace takes away potential to grow, and to invest in other sectors. It limits our ability to thrive as a state, when we could be encouraging farmers to increase their profits instead of encouraging them to join a standing army that serves no active purpose except for 'precautionary measures.'" I used finger quotes. "Of course, that is just one of many examples I could use. In short, if we had a vast standing army during a time of peace, it would waste potential that could be put towards bettering our economy." I placed my palm on the parchment for dramatic affect.

Father's eyebrows raised, eyes widening slightly. He nodded and offered a proud smile. "That is good. Very good. An eloquently phrased explanation that could be quite effective in from of an audience."

I smiled and chuckled, sitting up straighter from the praise.

Mother finally spoke for the first time since they'd looked over the plan. "Well," she chided. "You have practically no budget in military, as your father said. There needs to be more, even if it is not large. We would be entirely defenseless otherwise. And what is all of this agrarian trade investment?" She pointed to where she was referencing. "There needs to be more focus in the southern mine expansion, otherwise your precious economy will not grow."

"Well," I retorted, pressing my fingers harder into the wood. "As has been previously proven in our history, that would cause inflation, which—"

"Hush. Fix it, and give it back to me. I will determine your success in this matter." She ripped the parchment from under my hand and handed me a new, blank one. "I expect you to reconsider my words, instead of being so close-minded as to reject them."

I huffed, and opened my mouth to say something more on the matter, but was silenced by her gaze. Close-minded? Me?! She was the one that was close-minded. I had valid points; but no, she always waved her hand and called me ridiculous, dismissing any thoughts that went against her own.

Mother simply turned around and walked away, ignoring my flaring nostrils. "I hope to see that policy again by the end of this week!"

As soon as the door shut behind her, I jumped out of my seat and groaned, gritting my teeth. "Ugh!" I thrashed around in my spot without ever knocking anything over. "Why can she never listen to me?" My voice rose to match that of a mockery. "No, this is wrong! Even though it's based on preference, and you've backed your answer, it's all wrong. Everything is wrong, wrong, wrong!"

"Now, Cassius," Father insisted as he crossed his arms. "She just has a very... her way of doing things."

"I know!" I yelled, putting my hands into my hair. "Why can't she just see that she's wrong? Nothing is ever good enough for her."

Father just shook his head. "I'm sorry, Cass. If it comforts you, I found your plan as perfect as a subjective plan may be. Your argument was impeccable."