“Someone you love… you say?”
“I heard from my sister. Recently, there’s been this little whispering going on.”
“And what might that be?”
“To marry Kael off to Charlotte of Nobogorod in a purely strategic marriage.”
……
Wait. What? Hold on. WHAT?!
“A strategic marriage, you say?”
“Yes, Kael.”
“First time I’m hearing of it.”
“Exactly, only a slight murmur so far.”
I’m flustered. No, my father never mentioned anything about this—especially not something this important.
There’s no way he’d keep something this critical hidden from me, particularly anything involving the family.
So, it seems the princess is correct: the idea of a strategic marriage is merely a recent and subtle suggestion.
“Quite unsettling. The one it concerns didn’t even know about it.”
“To be honest, it’s not worth worrying about. Such a marriage won’t happen.”
And how exactly are you so sure about that?
“Kael’s been instrumental in establishing our empire’s dominance lately. To expend someone like him for a mere strategic alliance? Would the Emperor really do that? Absolutely not.”
“But an alliance with Nobogorod—through marriage—would certainly benefit the empire…”
“Does Kael even like Miss Charlotte?”
Wait, what? Where did THAT come from?!
There’s some kind of disconnect in our conversation, but I need to answer anyway.
“I think Kael could be beneficial to both our empire and Nobogorod…”
“…and?”
“But regarding if she catches my fancy? No, I would say not.”
Definitely a good soul, she’s certainly intelligent and politically sharp.
Especially, being the daughter of the chairman of the council—her quick thinking is really impressive.
But do I personally like her? I don’t know about that yet.
It’s not dislike, just… it’s not romantic either.
Therefore, this… yeah, I’d say it’s more like an appreciation for a kindred spirit, I reckon.
Our conversations click, and we share similar mindsets. Honestly, talking with her is kind of fun.
“Well, you see…”
“Speak up, Kael.”
“If I were to find someone I liked, she might resemble Her Highness—no no no! Not HER Highness, obviously.”
Should I even say this? Am I just ruining the mood here?
But the Emperor wants it, and the situation seems to push this along…
Honestly, how can I NOT like Her Highness? She’s wonderful, compassionate, and always striving for self-improvement.
Not to mention, she’s… well… beautiful.
“…”
“…”
d*mn. I shouldn’t have said anything. How do I fix this awkward silence?
Both of us just avoid eye contact, unable to say anything.
How long did this excruciating pause last?
“…So, let’s discuss other matters.”
“Agreed, Highness.”
Just wanting to get out of this awkward tension, I enthusiastically launched into a passionate discussion about the situation at hand.
“Nobogorod is said to be sending at least 30,000 troops.”
“That’s a lot.”
“Yes. The three eastern kingdoms combined will also send about 30,000.”
“Aren’t they suffering from floods? How can they send so many?”
“Perhaps because of the floods. Losing so many soldiers would help ease their burden.”
Since the great victory, veterans were left jobless, and then came the flood, destabilizing the country.
Now if they’re drafted under the guise of support, at least provisions could be covered by the empire.
Thus, it’s a good deal for the eastern kingdoms: maintaining their army and getting paid for it.
“As far as southern reinforcements go…”
“To be blunt, we shouldn’t count on them much.”
“Indeed, realistically speaking.”
Benito is the strongest among the southern kingdoms. That says it all.
Even if the other southern kingdoms send troops to help the empire, they’d still be worse than our reserves.
Still, having something is better than nothing, and they might suffice as auxiliary guards.
“So, we’d have around 70,000 reinforcements.”
“The critical part is that these 70,000 must stay under the empire’s command.”
“Can they really cooperate that way? Command authority is always a touchy topic.”
“They’re probably concerned we’ll send them to certain d*ath.”
Nobogorod has clearly stated its intent to cooperate with the empire.
Burgkhai, Caden, and Porland have no choice but to stick with the empire.
Southern kingdoms are already estranged from Benito and have no other options besides the empire.
Still, giving up command isn’t easy for them.
There’s national pride and public sentiment to consider. Who’d willingly hand over command to a foreign country?
“Still, will they give up command?”
“Of course not. Since they’ve submitted to the empire’s order, it’s only natural for reinforcements to be under imperial control.”
Through Charlotte with Nobogorod, the eastern kingdoms based on the empire’s past mercy, and borrowing the name of the Holy Kingdom, we could manage it.
Honestly, all other considerations aside, we absolutely need Nobogorod.
Their manpower and combat capabilities far exceed what we’d get from the south or the east.
Even in comparison to our own Imperial Legion, they don’t lag behind in combat effectiveness.
In my past life, demons were just brute-force attackers, horned beasts with no brains.
But here, they are quite different.
For one, the horns? That legend in the empire stems from the helmets they wear.
Moreover, while they are indeed combative, they don’t blindly charge. They actually favor high-quality armor similar to ours.
“Hmm… how should I describe it? Armored Vikings? That’s probably the best comparison.”
With their superhuman physical abilities and heavy armor, these units are what any commanding officer would salivate over.
Who would pass up the chance to lead such a division?
“…Or maybe this strategic marriage could work after all.”
“What?”
“Was that? Uh, never mind, Highness, just talking to myself…”
“Self-talk doesn’t sound this significant.”
And under the princess’s pressure, I had no choice but to speak again.
“Well, regardless of other aspects, Nobogorod’s troop composition is certainly impressive. Particularly their heavy infantry units, who have often shown great resilience against the Imperial Legion.”
“I won’t deny it. But without them, we’d still manage fine. Kael’s more important anyway.”
Indeed. Truly the royal family of the empire, always valuing talent.
So moving. If I were heartless, I’d say, “Oh, what a gain from this marriage,” but no—our princess truly is a remarkable person!
“…Still, if you’re sad about it, why not try asking for a favor?”
“Highness?”
“Charlotte might just listen to Kael’s requests. After all, she’s already taken our advice, and since they’ve already allied closely with the empire, they’d know compromise is necessary.”
I almost blurted out, “Great idea!” but then Emperor’s face came to mind, and I decided on something else.
“Hmm. It’s quite tempting, but I see no reason for it.”
“Why?”
“As you said, if such a strategic marriage talk spreads, it could complicate things. If I were to meet with Charlotte alone and rumors arise, it could spiral into gossip.”
In high society and politics, whispers often spread uncontrollably. They may not spread just as they are but grow wings of their own, becoming exaggerated.
And eventually, these rumors tend to be believed by people and sometimes even come true.
“…If that’s what Kael thinks…”
The princess’s expression is somewhat strange—indifferent, or perhaps smiling slightly. I can’t tell.
Knock, knock.
Just as I was about to continue the conversation with the princess, the palace maid interrupts.
“Your Highness, Chief of the Imperial Staff, both of you are summoned to the main hall immediately on the Emperor’s orders.”
“The Emperor? What for?”
“His Majesty is about to officially declare the empire’s stance based on the current state of the continent.”
In this crisis, if the Emperor himself is stepping forward to declare the empire’s intentions…
It’s pretty clear what the ‘intention’ is going to be.
“It’s starting, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Highness. It appears the empire, under its name, is about to declare war.”
The Emperor’s verdict had arrived.
War had been declared.
