The following morning, at exactly 10:00 AM, the Prime Minister appeared in the press room for another conference. Cameras flashed, reporters sat ready in their seats, and everyone waited to hear him speak.
"Good morning, people of Dilrik," he began.
"Before I address the urgent matter of the ongoing conflict, I must begin with a profound sadness that sits heavy on my heart.
Yesterday, we lost a voice. A member of the opposition party, Wesley Jerome, passed away. He was, by every account, a man who believed fervently in this country's future. He and I did not share a political vision. But in the harsh arithmetic of this world, we share the same essence. Which is life."
He bowed his head slightly.
"On behalf of the government, I offer our sincere condolences to his family and his loved ones. In another world, across a negotiating table, I would have shaken his hand. Today, I can only bow my head. May his memory find peace, even as our nation finds none."
