Lumina Blue was waiting in the grand reception room of the presidential palace.
Though she had attended by special order of Enok Revendale and King Orlando I, such schedules were usually conducted in the form of accompanying Enok.
She couldn’t sit still, pacing around her seat, nibbling on a few reception cookies from the table, or fussing with her hair—a clear sign of her restlessness.
What was this lieutenant rank supposed to mean anyway?
Following the suppression of the coup in the capital city of Kajeif, Lumina had been immediately promoted one rank to become a senior officer. But before she could even fully adjust to the diamonds on her shoulders, their weight grew even heavier.
Moreover, this was a private audience with the president of an entire nation.
She had thoroughly received instructions from Enok, and Lumina herself was confident that she wouldn’t make any mistakes. Yet, there was no helping the unconscious tension that crept over her.
“…Lieutenant Lumina, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. It might help. There’s really no need for you to be so tense.”
“Ah, um… Is it that obvious?”
Finally, unable to bear it anymore, the ambassador interjected, causing Lumina Blue’s face to flush red.
“Anyone would notice if they were as nervous as you are.”
But what could she do? This was all new territory for Lumina. Not to mention, meeting the president of another country! While ambassadors or ministers might be different, the sheer gravity of the title “president” weighed heavily on her mind.
“You should approach confidently during diplomatic negotiations. Didn’t Colonel Enok tell you that?”
“Y-yes…”
Lumina recalled the voice of Enok Revendale who had summoned her separately the night before to give his instructions.
-“I don’t know exactly what the Polania Republic wants, but one thing is certain: they are feeling just as threatened in terms of security as we are in Okhraine right now.”
-“You can say that our countries view continuous cooperation positively, but keep the details vague. No lies—just vagueness.”
Enok Revendale emphasized three key points:
Confident and honest attitude.
Thorough information gathering and control.
Understanding the internal situation of the Polania Republic.
All except the part about being confident and honest felt quite burdensome to Lumina.
Extracting information from the other side while concealing her own, and probing into potentially sensitive internal affairs—all while dealing with the president!
-“Should someone like me really attend such an important meeting?”
-“Only you can do this. You’re the officer I trust most.”
-Ugh…
There was nothing she could do against Enok Revendale who stared at her straight in the eye and dropped these bombshells. She somehow accepted the task, but confusion still lingered. She quickly glanced through the lists Enok had given her, hidden within her coat.
In the last moments before the meeting, like cramming answers the night before a test, her eyes darted frantically across the pages.
“The president is entering.”
As soon as the aide from the President’s office announced this, Lumina hastily shoved the papers back into her coat and stood up.
“Greetings, I am President Joseph Faust of Polania. You must be Lieutenant Lumina Blue.”
“V-very pleased to meet you!”
Lumina snapped off a salute, which Joseph returned with a smile.
“Just as beautiful as the rumors say.”
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
Joseph Faust, President of the Polanian Republic, was a middle-aged man whose deep-set wrinkles exuded wisdom at first glance.
The only twice-elected president of the Polanian Republic, he was entering his second year of his term yet still enjoyed overwhelming support from the republic’s citizens.
Lumina swallowed hard. The pressure was immense. She had felt the same way when she first met King Orlando I of Okhraine.
Back then, at least Bell Meyer and Enok Revendale had been by her side. Now, the unfamiliar Okhraine ambassador provided little comfort to ease her tension.
Still, she had no intention of failing the mission entrusted to her by Enok Revendale. After all, she represented Okhraine here today.
She couldn’t tarnish the dignity of her beloved homeland, so Lumina steeled herself.
“Then… let’s take our seats.”
The Okhraine Kingdom, which declared its independence from the shadow of the Rus Tsar Empire and stood firmly against the Soviev Empire.
And the Polanian Republic, which had earlier escaped the tide of imperialism and built its own house.
Thus began the first unofficial meeting between two nations that shared similar interests.
*
“It’s madness.”
After the unofficial meeting ended, President Joseph Faust sat in the reception hall where the two representatives from Okhraine had just departed, puffing on his pipe.
“Mr. President, this is a very dangerous proposal. Isn’t Okhraine just running wild without knowing its limits?”
Faust’s secretary general shook his head disapprovingly after hearing the story.
The meeting itself proceeded in a relatively relaxed atmosphere.
Lieutenant Lumina Blue clearly showed signs of nervousness but never made a slip-up. Her honesty actually left a good impression on Joseph Faust.
Both Okhraine and the Polanian Republic were nations that officially had clear enemies abroad.
As the long-time aide to Enok Revendale since his days as a colonel, Lumina provided definitive answers about the conflict between Okhraine and the Soviev Empire, which Faust had previously only encountered through intelligence reports.
-Our authorities are certain that the two Quernen Wars were also orchestrated by the Soviev Empire.
-With just a single island under rebel control, it would have been impossible for them to survive for so long without support.
The Republic too was plagued by accidents caused by spies sent by the Soviev Empire.
Moreover, the news that Yegor Ivanov, the Republic’s headache for several years, had died in battle against Enok Revendale was quite welcome.
As Lumina continued speaking, her initial tension visibly eased.
However, the real issue was just beginning.
-What does Okhraine want from our Republic?
It was a direct question. In a way, it was also Joseph Faust’s consideration. The young lieutenant in front of him clearly lacked substantial diplomatic experience.
If she misinterpreted his intentions, it would be quite troublesome to clean up, especially since this was an unofficial meeting.
At this point,
The young officer’s gaze suddenly shifted.
Her amethyst eyes sparkled. Straightening her back, she looked directly at Joseph Faust and spoke.
-We seek stability and peace. Though the coup in our capital has been suppressed, remnants have allied with separatists of the Soviev Empire to establish a puppet government in the east.
-This causes headaches for our Republic as well. Recently, there have been reports among the troops stationed on our western border that Soviev forces are moving towards Okhraine’s eastern region.
-They operate under the guise of maintaining order and voluntary militias, but ultimately, they are still the army of the Soviev Empire.
The Soviev Empire was increasing its troop numbers near the border citing “humanitarian aid” requested by the separatists of Runetsk Republic—meaning the Runetsk separatists.
Given that some units had already been confirmed active near Runetsk,
It was clearly an invasion operation.
-So, President Joseph Faust, what does the Polanian Republic wish for from the Kingdom of Okhraine?
Lumina Blue added, her tone now much bolder than just moments ago.
Was she the type to grow stronger once the main topic was reached?
-We desire even closer cooperation between Okhraine and Polania. And perhaps… we’d like some distance from Reinhardt Empire in the south.
Reinhardt Empire.
Polanian Republic’s security wasn’t just threatened by the Soviev Empire. To the south, Reinhardt was an even more formidable threat based purely on military power.
Still, they maintained some semblance of common sense compared to the Soviev Empire.
But they undoubtedly harbored resentment towards the Polanian Republic, much like the Soviev Empire.
In the worst-case scenario, the Republic might end up divided between the empire alliances from the north and south.
-Colonel Enok Revendale and His Majesty King Orlando I are also mindful of this point. And here…
Lumina Blue pulled out a tightly sealed letter from her coat—the final item on the list Enok Revendale had prepared for her.
Delivering the personal letter from King Orlando I.
Essentially, all the previous conversation served merely as seasoning for the contents of this letter.
And what was written inside—
“Non-alignment? Is this even reasonable?”
“This is a poisoned chalice, Mr. President.”
Third World.
Military alliance between Okhraine and Polania.
The world’s balance of power was shifting.
