ALL NOVEL Chapter 20
Empire Year 178. Sudden news has landed in the system.
[ … Burgai, Kaden, and Polrand. These three kingdoms solemnly swear before the Almighty God to unite as a coalition and face all obstacles together. ]
The three kingdoms in the East, busy bickering among themselves, have joined hands. It was clear what they meant by ‘obstacles.’
Empire. Yes. The obstacles they speak of certainly refer to the Empire.
Some expected that after such declarations, they would soon scatter again. If they could unify, they should have done so from the start.
However, even those who had been chit-chatting soon realized that something was off.
[ The coalition of the three nations will act on anything for unity. If our foundations are shaken, we will consider all but God as enemies. ]
This was different from before. Things were taking a serious turn.
The diplomatic terms now contained an unusual word: ‘enemies.’
First, news spread that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was busily bustling about.
Before long, the atmosphere in the Ministry of War became tense as thin ice.
Day after day, the three-nation coalition in the East continued to launch intense criticism toward the Empire.
With this flow continuing, everyone naturally began to draw one conclusion.
‘War.’
‘This is a declaration of war.’
The East, quiet for nearly ten years, was about to be engulfed in turmoil once again.
Everyone’s attention shifted to ‘who would declare war first?’
Most thought that the Empire would make the declaration.
Surely, this massive nation wouldn’t simply hand over the initiative to them.
But the Empire remained silent. They merely expressed regret over the coalition’s statements.
Those unfamiliar with politics tilted their heads in confusion.
On the other hand, those who had a decent grasp of the situation could roughly guess the reason behind it.
‘It means they don’t plan to wipe out the pro-Imperial faction within the Empire.’
‘Phew. I thought I might be branded a traitor if this continued.’
‘They must have made a minimum setup to keep the pro-war faction from getting too out of control.’
Those who pieced together the situation quietly pushed the argument for a declaration of war to the back.
Instead, they yelled day after day that the three-nation coalition was violating peace on their own.
In the end, it was not the Empire that could no longer stand the situation, but the three-nation coalition.
This was only natural. Their circumstances weren’t all that great either.
‘They did this to crush the pro-Imperial faction first…’
‘The Empire should declare war soon so our cause stands. If the domestic mood cools off, the pro-Imperial faction will raise its head again!’
‘Better to engage in war than to bow down without a fight. If we collapse without even trying after forming this alliance, it would be a total disaster.’
The ones most anxious were indeed the anti-Empire factions within each kingdom.
To sustain this atmosphere somehow, war was an essential element.
The best justification would be the enemy’s declaration of war, but would the Empire hand that over easily?
In the end, they declared war against the Empire in the name of their union.
[ Our three-nation coalition expresses profound regret regarding the current situation… and for the peace of the East, we have now resolved to act decisively… ]
As wordy as it was, when summarized, it came down to this.
“Hey Empire bastards! Let’s have at it! The East’s victor will be us!”
This wasn’t baseless confidence. The Empire, with its massive territory, bordered many nations.
Thus, focusing all its power in one place was nearly impossible.
In contrast, the three-nation coalition only had to deal with the limited military forces of the Empire, making victory seem feasible.
Following the declaration of war from the three-nation coalition, the Empire also expressed its official stance through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Empire stated they had worked for peace but didn’t elaborate further. The three kingdoms were at it, so it was in essence:
“Prepare to die.”
Thus, war broke out between the Empire and the three kingdoms of the East.
*
“Haah.”
Isabelle sat in her private chamber within the Imperial Palace, lost in thought.
The stories she had heard just earlier floated around in her mind.
“No, Your Highness the Crown Princess. I believe that during these times, we should not push aside the pro-Imperial faction even more.”
“The pro-Imperial faction within the Empire has not completely failed. They must remain for the next steps.”
The Kael that Isabelle knew was undoubtedly someone aligned with the pro-war faction.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have had reason to oppose the pro-Imperial faction at the banquet.
So perhaps it was when she heard the news that the three eastern kingdoms formed an alliance.
When she learned that the three kingdoms chose war over dialogue against the Empire.
She was extremely curious about how Kael would pressure the pro-Imperial faction.
But Kael insisted it shouldn’t be done, stating plainly and coolly that the current situation of the three eastern kingdoms uniting against the Empire was a sign that they could pressure their opponent through means other than brute force.
Isabelle herself had never considered such an aspect until now.
Particularly, Kael’s words struck her with a thud in her heart.
“Those in power cannot endure losing the source of their power more than losing the nation. Even when the future is visible, they can only fear the immediate shift in public sentiment.”
This referred to the anti-Empire factions within the three-nation coalition.
But Isabelle felt she was also included in what Kael stated.
Somewhere along the line, she had unconsciously believed that only the pro-war faction was right, thinking of the pro-Imperial faction not merely as those with differing opinions but as ‘enemies.’
In fact, both factions were striving for the Empire in their ways.
She simply felt anxious thinking that if their opinions were adopted, they might be pushed out.
Suddenly—
Tap tap
“Eek?!”
“…You startled me.”
Startled, Isabelle flailed about, and the person who approached her was equally shocked.
The identity was none other than Gnaius, the Crown Prince.
“W-What? When did you come in?!”
“A little while ago. More importantly, what were you thinking so hard about that you didn’t respond even when I called you three times? I thought you were refusing to talk to me now.”
Had he really called her three times? She hadn’t heard anything.
Isabelle looked at Gnaius with her eyes half-open, clearly bewildered.
Was he actually right? Did he call her three times?
But soon she shook her head and loosened her expression.
Gnaius seemed to raise an eyebrow at that reaction.
“Unexpected.”
“What do you mean?”
“I thought you’d tell me to disappear the moment you saw me.”
“Why would I do that?”
“I thought you’d be all over how diplomatic discussions were totally wrecked by what the three kingdoms did.”
Ah, that. Isabelle nodded vaguely in acknowledgment.
That reaction seemed to shock Gnaius quite a bit.
“Bel?”
“Yeah?”
“What’s with that reaction? It’s too calm for my comfort.”
“Calm? What are you talking about?”
“You were supposed to say my opinions are wrong. That the pro-Imperial faction’s views are wrong. I thought you would say that. And I thought you’d have nothing to counter me with.”
Hearing the Crown Prince’s words, Isabelle smiled and replied.
She had recently gotten a major realization while with two specific individuals.
That those two had seen something she hadn’t even thought of until now.
“…Hmm.”
Gnaius quietly listened to his younger sister’s words.
After a while, he suddenly sat beside Isabelle and opened his mouth.
“By two people, one must be your lady-in-waiting, and given your reaction, the other is likely that Prince Kael.”
“…Are you spying on me, Onii-sama?”
“Why on earth would a prince of the Empire spy on his sister?”
Gnaius laughed and explained to Isabelle.
It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it? I know you went to meet your lady-in-waiting recently. I also know that Prince Kael was present.
The two of you, one born of noble blood and the other newly active in the noble circles, would have had plenty to discuss of immense shock.
Isabelle confirmed that thought with a simple nod.
“It’s like I’ve taken a step forward. I see why there’s a saying to be around those better than oneself. You learn at least something from them.”
“That sounds promising.”
“Speaking of which, do you know that Prince Kael told my sister we should leave the pro-Imperial faction alone?”
“That’s news to me.”
As if boasting about herself, Isabelle excitedly talked about Kael.
“Hmm.”
The more Gnaius listened to his sister, the more he marveled.
What on Earth is this Kael doing?
How can someone of a similar age behave as though they’ve lived for decades more?
“This time, my sister ordered Prince Kael to serve in the military.”
“Your sister intends to test him directly, huh?”
“She smiled so brightly. I’ve never seen her smile that brightly before.”
“…Mm.”
Bel. That’s not necessarily a good thing. At least not for Kael, that friend of yours.
Gnaius merely shrugged, unable to say anything more.