Two weeks had passed since the bloody landing in Kendal. While Julian and Adrian led the guerrilla resistance in the forests of Java, Anne Marie's letter had traveled thousands of miles across the ocean, piercing the heart of power in Europe.
Two weeks later, a morning mist enveloped the cold city of The Hague. Inside a small palace serving as the colonial administration hub, Baroness van de Berg—Julian's paternal aunt known for her rigid integrity—sat before the fireplace. In her hand, a parchment that still smelled of sea salt trembled.
Anne Marie's letter was not a mere plea; it was a devastating indictment.
"Treason..." the Baroness whispered. Her eyes scanned the evidence of tax fund embezzlement and reports of ethnic cleansing carried out secretly by Friedrich. "He is not just stealing my nephew's rights; he is building a demonic empire in our family's name."
Within hours, the calm of the Dutch bureaucracy shattered. The Baroness wasted no time. Using Anne's letter as a weapon, she summoned the Royal Advisory Council. The authentic evidence attached by Kartika—the official seals stolen from Friedrich's safe—was irrefutable. Friedrich was declared a traitor to the crown.
Meanwhile, back in the Dutch East Indies, the situation had shifted completely.
For the past two weeks, Julian and Adrian were no longer hiding. They had captured three cavalry posts on the route to Batavia. Julian was now often seen wearing traditional Javanese attire paired with officer boots, symbolizing the union of two worlds.
"In these two weeks, we have won the hearts of the people," Adrian said as they camped on the slopes of Mount Slamet. "But Friedrich is cornered. He is pulling all his troops back to Batavia. He knows his time is running out."
Kartika arrived with the latest news from her intelligence network. "A ship from the Netherlands will arrive in ten days, Julian. If Anne's letter succeeded, they will bring an arrest warrant for Friedrich. But ten days is a long time for a man who no longer carries a moral burden."
Julian looked westward, where the Batavia sky appeared dark red from factory smoke and tension. "He will try to destroy everything before help arrives. We cannot wait ten days. We must strike his heart now."