The Prince of Burkhai, acting as the proxy of the King, raised his head.
What rotten luck. Truly, today was perfect. Too perfect.
The weather was splendid, crystal clear, not a cloud in the sky. It couldn’t get any better.
Only, this perfection only made his mood darker.
“If only it would rain,” he thought. If it did, he could have blamed his tears on the weather.
Instead, it seems the whole world is celebrating this day of failure.
“Hufffff…”
A heavy stone sits in his chest, crushing him. He wants to throw it all away, but he can’t. If he did, everything would collapse, chaos would ensue, fire would burn it all.
Let’s think positively! Yes, let’s try that. The King himself didn’t have to bow, he sent a proxy. And this proxy won’t offend unnecessarily.
Besides, the person receiving this surrender letter isn’t just a random Legion Commander. It’s the Princess of the Empire, the daughter of the Emperor and Crown Princess. Who better to accept a Prince’s surrender?
“Still, that doesn’t mean this is okay.”
Just thinking about it makes his teeth grind audibly. About the Empire? Of course! But right now, what truly gets under his skin is something else.
Those despicable sc*m—Porland! And Caden! Both of them! If only they’d fulfilled their alliance duties correctly, today wouldn’t be happening. At least if they’d tried to fight once, it could have made a difference.
Let’s start with Porland. They were always the biggest problem. Even when suspicions arose, instead of questioning, they chose silence—but they repaid Burkhai’s silence by stabbing them in the back. They disrupted the rear borders, leaving no troops to defend the royal road.
And Caden was the same. Their alliance duty? Nonexistent. Did they merely sit back as per the Empire’s orders? They could have trusted and fought by our side, as allies should! If they had, who knows how this war could have turned out!
“…Traitors. Filthy, despicable traitors.”
Muttering these words softly, the Prince moved forward. Up ahead loomed the Imperial Legion encampment, with Imperial flags fluttering dramatically in the air. Waiting there was the Princess, ready to accept Burkhai’s surrender.
—
“…Haaaa…”
Isabel exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
Things went better than expected. Better than anyone could have imagined. What a grand success.
First of all, Burkhai, which everyone thought would fight until the bitter end, decided to negotiate surrender. Their resolve collapsed when the 7th Legion advanced and defeated them. The fact that the Empire’s other Legions were closing in from various fronts didn’t hurt either.
There was some debate within the Imperial Army. Should they accept Burkhai’s surrender right away, or play it cool and see what happens?
Just as that debate was ongoing, the commanders turned their eyes towards Isabel. An unspoken plea for her to weigh in.
“…It’s better to accept their surrender.”
That was her immediate decision. In her heart, though, she wondered if she was making the right choice. Shouldn’t they weaken Burkhai more? Crush them so they can never rise again?
But then, doubts entered her mind.
“What would Kael think? What decision would he make?”
Kael, the brilliant strategist, the pure genius. There’s no way Isabel could ever match his intellect. But having been by his side, even if just briefly, she could attempt to predict his thoughts.
Kael would probably argue against further destruction. The costs would outweigh the benefits.
Thinking about her sister and Kael’s strategy made it clear: the Empire’s goal isn’t to annex the Eastern Three Kingdoms but to ensure they lean favorably towards the Empire. These places have deep histories. Their pride and dignity cannot be easily ignored.
Suppressing them by force might only result in an eventual backlash.
Also, destroying Burkhai might send the wrong message to Caden and Porland. How would the situation within those countries change after witnessing such ruthlessness? And the possibility of the kingdoms reuniting under threat would increase.
“Your Highness, the Prince of Burkhai has arrived to formally request surrender.”
Looking ahead, Isabel saw the Prince, accompanied by a contingent from Burkhai, approaching. Despite his efforts to hide it, his face was a mosaic of sorrow and humiliation.
What could you do, though? That’s the responsibility of the defeated, and the victor has the right to observe their suffering.
“Thank you, Kael. This is all thanks to you.”
Thinking about Kael standing quietly behind her (his neck wrapped tightly in a bandage his sister insisted on applying), Isabel stood up and prepared to greet the visitors.
“Welcome.”
Her visitor was none other than the Prince of Burkhai, here to surrender. The Kingdom that dared challenge the Empire’s order directly was now bowing.
She could show enmity here if she wanted, none would fault her. But Isabel resisted. How would Kael handle this? What would benefit the Empire the most? She thought, and thought some more.
“…Your Grace, I come before the Second Princess of the Empire.”
Isabel’s hospitality clearly took the Prince by surprise. He obviously hadn’t expected such warmth.
“Firstly, here is His Majesty’s letter to the Empire.”
Isabel reviewed the letter the Legion Commander had received. Cutting to the chase, its essence read something like this:
[There was misunderstanding, which only deepened, leading to this calamity.]
[The war was started by the alliance, and we accept the Empire’s victory.]
[From now on, Burkhai will not oppose the Empire. Please trust us.]
[In return, we earnestly beg for the Empire’s minimum amount of mercy.]
“Hmm…”
This was predictable.
First off, they claim the war was due to deep misunderstandings, and not their intention. This sentiment likely wasn’t limited to Burkhai, but all the nations. In an official surrender, no one claims they went to war willingly.
This official declaration ensures that the post-war justification holds some merit. Then, the letter clearly specifies the war was started by “the alliance,” not solely Burkhai.
‘If you want to assign blame, it should be on Burkhai, Caden, and Porland… of course, to the Empire’s nobles and higherups, all the Eastern Kingdoms probably seem reprehensible regardless.’
The Eastern Kingdoms weren’t chosen randomly as the central power. They had certainly used their wits. Isabel acknowledged this while considering her next move.
‘They claim they will not oppose the Empire and seek mercy.’
Though not written in the letter, the next logical sentence reads:
[We will comply with the Empire’s demands to the best of our ability.]
No sane person would seek mercy without intending to meet demands. This part was likely omitted in the letter to avoid confrontation, leaving it for negotiation instead.
“Your Majesty’s intent is clear. Does this represent the unified will of Burkhai?”
A way of saying, “Sure, you’re surrendering, but have you all agreed on this internally?” To avoid unnecessary complications.
The Prince nodded confidently. “Yes, Your Highness. Even if some minor dissent arises, our decision won’t change.”
“Good. One time is enough for everyone.”
The Prince’s intentions were established. Now it was Isabel’s turn to respond. The Empire would need some time to consider their demands, so for now, Isabel politely dismissed him to rest.
—
“…”
No need to worry. All Isabel had to do was relay the situation to the Empire truthfully. The Empire would then decide what demands to make of Burkhai.
Still, something nagged Isabel, urging her to summon Kael.
Finally giving into her urge, she had him called in.
“Have I been summoned, Your Highness?”
“Yes. Kael, actually…” Isabel suddenly covered her mouth, stifling a giggle. The thick bandage wrapping Kael’s neck was simply too hilarious. It looked like someone had gone overboard trying to protect him.
“Was this your sister’s doing?”
“…Indeed.”
“She sure loves you a lot.”
“Anyone who sees me thinks I was the one fighting in the battlefield.”
“But your little sister didn’t get a single scratch, did she?”
A miracle. After such an epic battle, not a single wound.
Anyways, Isabel cut to the chase. “The reason I called you, Kael, is because Burkhai has formally requested surrender.”
“Did they make any unusual conditions?”
“No, nothing like that. I just wanted your opinion before passing this to the Empire.”
“…My opinion doesn’t really matter.”
True enough. He wasn’t a high-ranking diplomat or a key military figure. Just some nobleman’s son accompanying the army.
But Isabel shook her head firmly.
“That’s not true. It used to be that way, but not anymore.”
“But Your Highness—”
“You’ve proven yourself deserving. There will be changes when we return no matter what. Consider this a trial for those changes. Tell me what you think, Kael.”
After a brief pause, Kael sighed.
“Fine. Regardless of what I say, the ultimate decision rests with the Imperial council.”
With a shrug, Kael voiced his thoughts.
“Burkhai must be weakened.”
“That’s right. Given their influence, we’d need to significantly affect their territory and population. That’s the idea, right?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“In that sense, Kael, suggest they cede territory and its population to us—oh wait?”
Kael slowly shook his head.
“To Porland.”
“…Pardon?”
“To give part of Burkhai’s territory to Porland.”
—
And so it went.
