Meanwhile, in the East
The Crown Princess surveyed the current situation alongside the contingent of experts who had accompanied her.
"The three kingdoms of the East — Burkhai, Kaden, and Porland. All of them have suffered catastrophic flood damage. In terms of severity, Burkhai is, as expected, overwhelmingly the worst off."
"Food and medicine are said to be the most urgent needs at present. Beyond that, the chaos is spreading, so they're requesting personnel to maintain public order as well."
"…Then we had best begin by securing clean water."
It was a point that people, surprisingly, tended to overlook in the wake of a flood.
What the stricken needed most was not cozy shelter, or dry clothes, or a warm fire, or food to fill their bellies.
Clean water came first. The right thing to do was secure water safe for people to drink before anything else.
When floodwaters rise, every source turns to muddy filth, and drinking it brings nothing but sickness.
Worse still, the waters fill up with debris from who-knows-where, compounding the danger.
Even the usual sources of drinking water are completely ruined by a flood.
"Before we extend aid to Burkhai, let me confirm the state of the Empire once more. Is it truly the case that the imperial east needs no further support?"
It was a critical question. If it had rained hard enough to devastate the East, there was no way the Empire's own eastern territories had come through unscathed.
One must not go spraying water on a neighbor's house while one's own home is on fire.
At the Crown Princess's question, an official from the Ministry of the Interior bowed his head and spoke.
"Yes, Your Highness. The imperial east also suffered a degree of flood damage from the unprecedented rains, but because countermeasures were set in motion in advance, there should be no significant obstacle to aiding the three kingdoms."
"See to it that this remains true. If we neglect our own people in the name of helping another nation, the backlash will be considerable. Our imperial citizens would come to regard the people of those kingdoms with nothing but resentment and fury."
"We will prepare exhaustively and bear it constantly in mind, so that no such thing ever comes to pass, Your Highness."
Before long, the Crown Princess crossed the border and set foot on Burkhai soil.
Barely half a year ago, this had been the land where the two nations had clashed as enemies.
Now, however, they had become the one who begged for aid, and the one who answered that plea.
And that relationship would cast a long shadow over the new order yet to come.
Then the Crown Princess received confirmation that her predictions had held true.
"We are honored by your presence, Your Highness the Crown Princess."
It was the Crown Prince of Burkhai — the same man who had once come to deliver his kingdom's surrender to the Empire.
This time, he had appeared near the border to receive her.
"A pleasure to meet you here, Crown Prince."
Ordinarily, a certain courtesy might have been extended, but the Crown Princess offered none.
In moments like these, it was necessary to make unmistakably clear which of them held the higher ground.
Mercy, once granted, was enough. And it was they who had swallowed their pride and begged for help.
Then let them endure what they must. Let them show that they could bend for the sake of their people.
Otherwise, we would have no choice but to arrive bearing spears instead of gifts.
"First, we offer our gratitude for the boundless mercy of His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire. His Majesty the King praises that mercy as well."
"What is your King doing at the moment?"
"He is touring the regions struck by the great flood, assessing the situation himself."
If the King himself was out in the field, the situation must be quite serious indeed.
Or perhaps he had no pressing need to go out, but had simply found a convenient excuse to be elsewhere.
'Perhaps he decided it was better to leave this to the Crown Prince than to bow his head to me.'
So he would not bend even his last shred of pride, then.
A hollow laugh rose in her chest, but the Crown Princess soon smiled as if it hardly mattered.
After all, no matter how they squirmed, nothing about the situation would change.
"The first wave of relief supplies will be crossing the border shortly, Crown Prince."
"Thank you, Your Highness. It will be an immense help to us."
"At the same time, two legions will establish temporary camps — one near the imperial border, and one beyond it — in preparation for any eventuality. There is no military intent whatsoever. The aim is simply to ensure the relief supplies are distributed where they are truly needed."
Stationing legions near the border was one thing; driving them into the kingdom's own territory was another entirely.
For Burkhai — a nation whose very soul had been picked clean by the Empire not long ago — it was enough to spark a panic.
But circumstances being what they were, the Crown Prince had no choice but to accept this too.
Burkhai's army had already suffered devastating losses in its war with the Empire.
Then the worst flood in memory had struck, sweeping away a substantial portion of what remained.
The wretched survivors were fighting this new disaster with shovels in hand instead of spears.
Even if the Empire marched its armies in, there was no force left in Burkhai that could stop them.
If anything, the people of the kingdom might well come to prefer annexation by the Empire outright.
Life under the Empire promised to be a good deal better than life under Burkhai.
"…"
Of course, there is a difference between accepting something rationally and accepting it with one's heart.
He was doing his best to appear unfazed, but for the prince of an entire nation, that was no easy thing.
This was, after all, a man who had been forced to personally perform the humiliation of begging for surrender.
'It would be wise to ease the atmosphere here a little.'
The Crown Princess, riding ahead, quietly reined in her horse and slowed her pace.
Then she drew up beside the Crown Prince of Burkhai, riding shoulder to shoulder for all to see.
As if to declare to everyone watching: the Empire and Burkhai stand as equals.
"How are the Crown Prince's two younger siblings faring?"
"…Ah. You honor them with your concern."
"You worry for them?"
"Not in the least. I am well aware that the Empire makes no mistakes in how it treats its guests. If anything, my only concern is whether they might be proving a burden to the imperial household."
At that, the Crown Princess smiled and replied that they were doing quite well for themselves.
In truth, she had met Burkhai's prince and princess since they had come to the Empire as hostages.
Royalty was royalty, after all — it was only proper that a member of the imperial family see to it that they were comforted and looked after.
Naturally, the prince and princess were being treated exceedingly well in the Empire.
So that when they returned to Burkhai one day, they might stand at the heart of a pro-imperial faction.
And with such a splendid opportunity now at hand, the harvest she stood to reap had only grown richer.
The Crown Princess, having established her residence near the Burkhai capital, set to work at once.
Sometimes she toured the devastated regions with imperial personnel; at other times she went with the Crown Prince of Burkhai at her side.
Everywhere she went, she spread word of the Empire's boundless mercy.
Of course, the Crown Princess had not made this journey in person merely to direct relief efforts.
She had planted herself here to receive every last piece of news from the East.
And among that news were the many nobles now seeking to slip beneath the Empire's shadow.
The message reached them all: the Empire takes a deep interest in the East.
Therefore, so long as they did not defy its will, they would enjoy its considerable favors.
They had learned that resistance was futile — and knowing when to bow one's head is itself a form of wisdom.
"Your Highness. Do you intend to remain in Burkhai indefinitely?"
When her escort posed the question one day, she nodded without a moment's hesitation.
Kaden and Porland had suffered flood damage just the same, yet she remained in Burkhai alone.
Everyone wondered at the reason, but the Crown Princess offered no explanation.
'Because that is precisely what will make them misunderstand on their own.'
Burkhai was not the only nation to have been struck. The other two kingdoms of the East had suffered likewise.
Yet the Empire's Crown Princess lingered in Burkhai, and Burkhai alone.
When word of this reached the two kingdoms — Porland above all — anxiety was bound to take root.
They had pressed Burkhai all this time on the strength of imperial favor, and now the wind was shifting in a most unsettling way.
And then they would likely conclude that Burkhai had submitted to the Empire as completely as they themselves had — or perhaps more so.
People pay little mind when some talented stranger far away proves better than they are.
But the moment an acquaintance right beside them starts pulling ahead, the wariness comes out in full.
So it was with Porland. If Burkhai grew close to the Empire, Porland knew its own standing would shrink.
And yet, at this point, it could hardly spurn the Empire's hand and return to the way things were.
So what conclusion would they reach? Simple: they must respond to the Empire's call all the more eagerly.
With even Burkhai bending the knee, clinging to pride now risked ceding this hard-won position to their rival.
Nothing burns in the gut quite like the prospect of coughing up everything one has already swallowed.
Porland would therefore embrace the imperial order more warmly and readily than ever, whether it liked it or not.
'The same goes for Kaden. If Burkhai and Porland race to sing the Empire's praises and claim the seats of first and second place, Kaden will be left floating in the void between them.'
No one wants to be last.
Another may be allowed to surpass you — but no one can abide being the very worst.
"Heh heh heh."
Taking a sip of tea, the Crown Princess recalled a conversation she'd had with someone just before her departure.
"Lord Cael. Which of them do you judge we should press harder?"
"Porland."
"Really? I expected you to say Burkhai."
"Burkhai has already been pushed to the brink. Push a cornered beast at the edge of a cliff any further, and it has nowhere left to go — it will lunge for your throat without fail."
A faint smile had played at the corners of Cael's mouth as he said it.
To the Crown Princess, that smile had looked more chilling than anything else in the world.
"But suppose someone stops the hand that keeps shoving them toward the cliff, and reaches out to them instead. Perhaps not until the far horizon of the future — but for quite a long while yet, they will not forget that debt of gratitude."
"And what if the one doing the shoving grows resentful of that arrangement?"
"Draw a line, and leave them be. Merely intervene before anyone tumbles off the cliff, and that will be more than enough."
He really was consistent, that man. She half wondered if he held some ancient grudge against the East.
Of course, the Crown Princess knew full well that his approach was the optimal play.
Even so, her curiosity had gotten the better of her, and she had decided to ask the reason outright.
"You devote more care to the East than I anticipated. Lord Cael — why is that?"
"Because some extraordinarily troublesome things are growing fat and strong in the Empire's west. Surely that is why Your Highness keeps such careful watch on them — and why you have traveled to the East in person."
To Cael's answer, the Crown Princess said nothing, offering only a silent smile.