The sun was dazzling as it shone in through the high window. The portion of the flagstones that wasn’t covered in plush red carpet gleamed as it reflected the brilliant rays. Columns of white stone lined both sides of the wide chamber, leading the way to the throne at the far end. The nobles of the empire filled the space between them. This was the throne room of Venezyne, the beating heart of the Grantzian Empire.
Oh, General Rankeel...I was not made for this.
Duke Karl Oruk Lichtein’s face was pale with nerves. The aides behind him quailed beneath the stares of the imperial nobles. The date of Lichtein’s nonaggression treaty with the empire had expired, and he had come with his men to sign a new one, but he had not expected to be confronted with such overwhelming magnificence.
We all look dreadfully out of place...
He and his retinue’s clothes might have been sewn with equally fine cloth, but next to the nobles all dressed in the latest fashions, it was hard not to feel outdone.
This is the difference between a duchy and an empire, I suppose.
Even as he stood, despondent, drums began to beat. An orchestra struck up a stately melody. Karl could hardly even hear it. His nerves were half to blame, certainly, but more than that, he was stunned by the beauty of the woman who had just arrived.
Could that be Lady Celia Estrella? Surely not...
Her sister, perhaps. He cast his mind back to his memories two years prior.
No, there’s no mistake. She carries herself much like she did back then, but with her youthfulness gone...
She had already been fair enough back then, but the two years since had wrought a stunning change. Karl felt less surprise and more fear.
If she’d been born a normal princess and not a Spiritblade’s chosen, I shudder to think how many nations she would have brought low.
Every ruler on the continent would have fought for her hand. They would have piled enough golden grantzes at her feet to bury the Glauzarm Mountains.
He recovered from his shock-induced reverie to find that the performance had ended. The historic beauty was now surveying him and his retinue from her seat on the throne.
Ah...
Karl hurriedly fell to one knee and bowed his head. A flurry of movement issued from behind him as his aides followed suit. They, too, had frozen at the sight of the sixth princess.
“I, Duke Karl Oruk Lichtein of the Duchy of Lichtein, hereby request the signature of a new treaty between our nations. By way of gifts, I bring you the finest delicacies that the Duchy of Lichtein has to offer, as well as our own medicine, which I hope you will convey to His Majesty, Emperor Greiheit, along with my best wishes.”
“Thank you, Duke Lichtein. The skill of Lichtein’s apothecaries is known far and wide. Their work will be certain to hasten His Majesty’s recovery.”
Karl lowered his head again. The sixth princess took the signal to continue.
“Now then, to the matter at hand. What are the terms of this treaty you wish to sign?”
There was a coldness in her voice that suggested rejection. His shoulders began to tremble with terror as his nerves reached their height.
“Forgive my presumptuousness, Your Highness, but I had hoped to ask a boon of you. Two years ago, the Grantzian Empire took possession of the north of our nation. I hereby request its return to the Duchy of Lichtein.”
Karl kept his head firmly bowed. He did not have the courage to see for himself the anger that had surely passed across those beautiful features. Still, he could sense the change in the air. It was subtle, but as the words left his mouth, she grew palpably more hostile.
“We have invested a great deal of coin into that region, and our settlement plan continues apace with the collaboration of its existing residents. Why would you have us throw all that away?”
The north of the duchy had been a wasteland for as long as anybody could remember, but in the past two years, the empire’s irrigation efforts had transformed it completely. That such a feat had been accomplished in such a short time was a testament to imperial engineering and skill. However, it had created discontent in Lichtein. Certain parties had begun to find new fault with Karl and Marquis Rankeel’s unilateral decision to cede the land to the empire. Some nerve to complain about that, Karl thought sourly. If they hadn’t, the nation would have fallen there and then.
“I do not ask you to do this out of the goodness of your heart, Your Highness. The Duchy of Lichtein is willing to offer eighty percent of the tax revenue from the region for the next two years, as well as leasehold rights over the nearby mines for the same period of time.”
Those were not bad terms. The mines alone would recoup the empire’s investments in the region, and the tax revenue would more than compensate them for the effort they had put in. However...
“As I have said, our settlement plan continues apace with the collaboration of the land’s existing residents. Many imperial citizens have already begun to build new lives there. Would you ask me to uproot them and send them back to their old lives? Would you have me be that cruel?”
The sixth princess’s anger swelled fiercely. Sweat beaded on Karl’s brow as her gaze burned into him. He gritted his teeth, realizing too late that he had trodden on the tiger’s tail.
So it’s true, then, what they say... She cares for her people above all else.
As far as dukes of Lichtein went, Karl was comparatively lenient on the people—a rarity in a nation that made its living from the slave trade. But while he could sympathize with the sixth princess’s point of view, hailing from a land that measured lives in gold made it difficult to understand.
“Duke Lichtein, I understand that your nation is facing starvation.”
Karl had made no mention of that, hoping to avoid showing weakness to another nation’s ruler, but it was true. The Duchy of Lichtein was facing its greatest famine in recent memory. More than half of its land was consumed by desert, and no rain had fallen on the rest since the previous year. Its crops were failing, and its nobles had begun feuding with one another over the oases they controlled. The situation had been worsened by the Republic of Steissen, which had dammed the vital water source that was the River Saale, deliberately exacerbating the drought.
“I can understand your need for the water-rich land in the north, but the Grantzian Empire cannot forsake its own people.”
Faced with the sixth princess’s cold gaze, Karl felt no choice but to back down. Her anger was great, and the pressure weighing down on him was immense. Making any further demands would likely lose him his head.
“I... I understand, Your Highness.”
“If you wish, the Grantzian Empire would be pleased to provide you with all the support we can. I will send a civil tribune to you later. You may confer and come to a decision.”
“Y-You have my thanks,” he stammered.
“There will be a humble dinner provided once proceedings have concluded. I invite you to enjoy yourself.” With that, the sixth princess stood up from the throne and left the chamber.
Forgive me, General Rankeel. Truly, I was not made for this.
Karl had come away from the negotiation with nothing. Nothing but a lesson in power from a girl younger than he was.
I was not made to rule. Not like she is.
He bit his lip in shame. Not only had he failed, but throughout the entire conversation, he had not once mustered the courage to raise his head and look her in the eye.
No Comments Yet
Post a new comment
Register or Login