I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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* * *

Clang!

The bullets, like proof that you won’t die even when shot gently, crumpled and rolled around on the floor.

Whether this was a bullet or some sort of garbage born from military procurement corruption, I couldn’t tell. But at least those watching this scene were about to witness another miracle.

“O-oh! Truly a saint!”

“Is that really a miracle!”

Even the random citizens who followed me were astonished.

Honestly, to completely turn Yekaterinburg to our side, we’d have to put on a show like this for a while.

Of course, people in other regions would hear rumors and say the princess was just doing publicity stunts, but at least in Yekaterinburg, I needed to create fans for Tsarina Anastasia, blessed by the divine.

“Even with a miracle so intact, they still wish to kill me.”

“What the… what did you do?! You witch!”

“Pathetic. So then, you must be worse than a witch.”

“Comrade Lenin is truly the hope of Mother Russia! You should be the one to be buried in a coffin!”

Of course, there were some fools still spouting nonsense until the end.

But most had no choice but to acknowledge me.

I hadn’t died even after getting shot in the head.

In fact, the bullet crumpled and just fell down.

Whether they were young Bolsheviks fed by propaganda, or the high-ranking Bolsheviks sent to kill me, having seen it firsthand left them with no escape.

They were what you would call weak-minded Reds.

Such flimsy-minded folks would definitely waver again during this civil war.

“Those who can’t even believe me, how pitiful. The Lord has commanded me to save them through death.”

That single command was all it took.

Those who couldn’t acknowledge reality until the very end were ultimately condemned to be executed.

And some Bolsheviks, upon seeing the crumpled bullet, switched sides.

“Do you mean salvation through death?”

“It’s a simple logic.”

“Eh?”

“If the enemy surrenders to us now, they will receive the Lord’s protection. We must inform them.”

Those dull heads will listen to any command given.

Especially since it’s the command of a miracle-working saint.

So, I planned to issue a truly dreadful command.

“Then.”

“Hang the bodies of the Bolsheviks on the cross.”

This would elicit one of two reactions.

An enraged Bolshevik would come rushing.

Or a disheartened Bolshevik would turn tail.

I wanted to bet on the latter.

After all, Trotsky hadn’t personally dealt with the enemy yet. They wouldn’t be able to launch a serious attack here right now.

So even if they were forcefully gathered to this place, they’d likely want to avoid their futures hanging on a cross.

There was originally a way to escape with the citizens, but…

Yekaterinburg was the central point dividing European Russia from Asia.

It absolutely couldn’t fall into enemy hands.

If leaders of the White Army like Pyotr Wrangel were to gain power, connections must be established from this place.

The White Army was already disunited, and losing European Russia would leave them with a Siberia that had too few people and too weak forces against the opposing army.

The Bolsheviks, not blessed by the Lord, would forcibly receive His blessing by being hung on the cross.

After all this, how would the Bolsheviks respond?

* * *

As expected by Anastasia, outside Yekaterinburg, the Bolsheviks were watching the city’s situation.

And they clearly confirmed the cross set up on the outskirts of the city.

Yes, to be precise, it was the body of a comrade hanging on the cross.

“Aren’t those our comrades?”

“What does it say? Traitors of the Empire who defied the will of God?”

“I also see the word ‘Restore the Romanovs!'”

“How long has it been since the Empire fell? How dare they!”

“Comrades, it’s dangerous to go now. What does this mean? It means Yekaterinburg has already fallen into the hands of the princess.”

“Are you suggesting we leave the princess alone?”

“If we go in, we’ll end up like that.”

“No, why are they speaking of defying the liberation of the working class? Are they seriously saying they believe in the Tsar after being trampled by him?”

How can they still believe in the Romanovs without losing their minds?

The Bolsheviks gritted their teeth.

Why were there so many obstacles to the revolution?

“If we had support from the city, we might have a chance, but all communication with our comrades in Yekaterinburg has been completely cut off.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means we can’t breach the city with just us.”

Of course, while it might not be impossible to target the city by sheer force, our army was mostly conscripts.

What kind of reaction would they have upon seeing such a gruesome sight?

Untrained conscripts wouldn’t be able to fight properly.

Adding to that, the Czechoslovak Legion was present. With reactionaries causing chaos from all around, we couldn’t possibly invest all our resources just to catch a single princess in Yekaterinburg.

So now, we could only grit our teeth and plan for the future.

* * *

Soviet People’s Commissar Vladimir Lenin bit down on his lower lip at the news coming from Yekaterinburg.

Yekaterinburg had fallen into the hands of the princess.

What this meant was simple.

It meant there were still fools left longing for the Tsar in Yekaterinburg. And now, reactionaries could gather around the princess to face the Soviets.

“Perhaps we shouldn’t have let the Romanovs go from the start.”

“We had to eliminate them eventually, Comrade Lenin,”

Trotsky was a hardliner regarding the Tsar’s family.

Only by sweeping away that royal family could the revolution truly be completed.

“But things are going strangely. Haven’t you heard? Yekaterinburg has fallen into the hands of the princess!”

“They are fools who still believe the Romanovs have a future. Our Red Army must absolutely reclaim it later.”

Lev Trotsky shouted in anger, clenching his fists.

And Stalin, who sensed this bizarre atmosphere, curled his lips upward.

He had hurriedly come from Tsaritsyn.

Truly, things were becoming amusing.

“Maybe it would have been better to convert them.”

“Stalin, what are you talking about?”

“If we couldn’t wipe them all out, we should have spared them and turned them. If not, we should have killed them earlier. How foolish to have executed them while reactionaries were rampaging.”

“Are you already spouting nonsense now?”

“We need to think differently. What do you think the princess will do? What do you think the reactionaries will do? They’ll spread word that the Soviets killed their parents and siblings. No matter how much we’re enemies, imperialist nations with a royal family are all related to the Tsar’s family. It’s obvious how they’ll react, isn’t it?”

The British royal family and the German imperial family were both related to the Tsar.

They might try to intervene in some way.

“The imperialist dogs’ war isn’t over yet! They absolutely cannot intervene!”

“Well, who knows about that.”

While direct military intervention might be uncertain…

At least as long as the princess survived, this civil war would drag on.

And the longer the civil war continued, the more the unity of the Soviets might crumble.

“What are you saying?!”

“It means a long war exhausting the blood of workers has begun.”

“Enough! Are we in a position to fight among ourselves right now? Get the enemy troops organized quickly. If Yekaterinburg looks like that, who knows what might be happening in other cities under our influence!”

This was a country of workers built with great effort through all sorts of struggles.

We could not go back to the days of the Tsar.

“Yes, Comrade. And we also don’t know how the generals from the imperial era will react. We should persuade them if we can, but if not, we must eliminate them.”

“There’s no choice, then. It must be done. What about Yekaterinburg?”

“We gather the Red Army and attack.”

Gather the Red Army and attack.

That meant they would have to conscript soldiers again.

Stalin was exceptionally adept at reading the situation.

In actual history, he indeed rose to the position of General Secretary and could solidify his dictatorial power through mass purges.

Thus, Stalin saw that the battle for Yekaterinburg would not bode well for the future.

“What if we fail?”

“We must attack Yekaterinburg regardless of the risks. If we leave it be, it will become the center of anti-communism!”

We would seize Yekaterinburg at any cost.

Unlike in actual history, the princess was alive and resisting in Yekaterinburg, making this a necessary task no matter how unpleasant.

Left unchecked, it would surely lead to the White Army rallying around Yekaterinburg.

For various reasons, we needed to retake Yekaterinburg even if it meant facing popular discontent for a while.

“Yes, Comrade. And Comrade Stalin must protect Tsaritsyn.”

Following Trotsky’s report, Stalin opened his eyes wide.

This was truly a dead end.

‘Is this brat doing this on purpose?’

At this point, it felt intentional. Stalin thought Trotsky was deliberately trying to cut him out.

Of course, protecting Tsaritsyn was important, but now was the time to gather forces to conquer Yekaterinburg. To send him off to Tsaritsyn instead…

As he headed to Tsaritsyn, Stalin contemplated.

Lenin and Trotsky had been stimulated by the princess’s actions.

No matter how one looked at it, the attack on Yekaterinburg seemed destined to fail.

Even if they desperately aimed to strengthen their hold on Yekaterinburg, occupation was another matter entirely.

It was said the Czechoslovak Legion was aiding the princess.

Victory seemed assured.

‘Oh, if so.’

If played well, he might be able to position himself above Trotsky.

Yeah. Tsaritsyn was probably a better choice than Yekaterinburg.

As long as he could only hold a defensive position there, that would suffice.

Trotsky. That ruthless fellow would surely collapse on his own if left to his own devices.

Stalin headed toward Tsaritsyn with such vile ambitions in his heart.

* * *

The ex-Bolsheviks spreading tales everywhere also spread the news of the execution of the Tsar’s family and the survival of the princess.

And one of those who heard this news, Anton Denikin, was extremely furious and summoned the one spreading the rumors.

“The Bolsheviks really killed Tsar Nicholas and his family?”

“But only the princess survived.”

“What? The princess is still alive?”

“Yes. The princess is the Saint of Russia. She survived countless bullets from the Bolsheviks and remains unharmed.”

Even as a former Bolshevik saying this sounds ridiculous.

This ex-Cheka agent informed Anton Denikin about the misfortunes of the Tsar’s family and the survival of Princess Anastasia.

“So, she’s alive, then?”

“Yes. By now, she must have a firm grasp on Yekaterinburg and has insisted that we must inform every country of this matter.”

The man, once a Cheka agent, didn’t mention that they had killed the imperial family.

After all, in the situation where the princess had already forgiven them, saying that would only get him killed by the man before him.

Upon hearing this news, Anton Denikin briefly suspected it might be a trap by the Bolsheviks, but soon dismissed that thought.

It clearly seemed something had happened in Yekaterinburg. The Bolsheviks wouldn’t publicly admit they had killed the Tsar’s family unless they had completely lost their minds.

Anton Denikin decided to inform the warring European powers of this news.

Surely, the fact that the Bolsheviks had killed the entire imperial family leaving only the princess would evoke concern in royalist states.

“The Tsar’s family has been killed and only the princess survives?”

Of course, even the Czechoslovak Legion, who were watching the situation near Yekaterinburg, were able to hear the news of the princess’s survival.

At this time, the Czechoslovak Legion was acting as an independent force roaming the railways in Siberia.

They were a significant threat to the Bolsheviks and had gained control of the Siberian railway, utilizing armored trains like the Orlik.

In actual history, the Bolsheviks had killed the Tsar’s family due to fears that they might join the White Army thanks to these Czechoslovaks, but with the survival of Anastasia, the situation turned strange.

Originally, General Radola Gajda, the commander of the Czechoslovak Legion who could have secured an escape route by handing Kolchak over to the Bolsheviks, found this news to be of great interest.

“The Tsar’s family is dead, and only Princess Anastasia remains the sole survivor. Hmm.”

From a practical standpoint, securing the Tsar’s family and handing them over to the White Army would be beneficial, but the information relayed stated that the princess had supposedly seized control of Yekaterinburg and had even hung the bodies of the Bolsheviks on crosses.

“Well, she couldn’t possibly be merciful toward those who killed her family. Still, that child has some good guts.”

So what should he do?

Should he hand the princess over to the White Army?

Or should he consider another path?

It might be worth trying to make contact with Princess Anastasia directly.

If she’s different from that incompetent Tsar, expanding choices would be beneficial.