Remember when we went to the Kraton in Yogyakarta, my darling? The Palace of the Sultan, in which every detail has a reason of protocol behind it? In the Throne Room we had to take our shoes off, and the guide demanded silence when I laughed. The Sultan was sacred I learned that day, but only while he behaved as a Sultan should. Many Sultans were put to the sword when they were found unfit for the mission. More important than them was the country. Mistake after mistake, with nothing to stop them and lots of scapegoats to pay for their mistakes, they would drag the country to the mud. Power should only be in the hands of those who respected the codes and cared for the reputation of the throne and the country, that is, those who lived by statesmanship. I knew what that meant in the West, but I never thought it would be so important in an ancient Eastern culture.
I'm always guided by statesmanship, even when my life is in danger and the world pushes me brutally to behave like a crook, therefore I also expect that those who aren't will find themselves far from the power they're are unworthy of. Wishful thinking perhaps, because that's not the way of the world. But it's my way. The same way that makes me love till death. But that's why you love me, Sultan of my heart and soul. I miss you so much.
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