Toppling the Empire (7)
The applause poured in for Sisilia's brilliant theater show. Of course, only Chiron was clapping at first. As frosty glares assaulted him, the people around joined in one by one.
"...A fine play."
Lydia was at a loss for words, gazing at the beaming, proud Sisilia. Framing a scheme to devour an entire nation as some festival sideshow was impressive in its own audacious way.
'She's cute, so it's forgiven.'
Naturally, only Sisilia could pull that off.
"So, how do you want to wrap up this little play of yours?"
"I like our kingdom just fine—petite and dainty, like Your Majesty."
"...!"
As Queen Lydia's eyes narrowed to pinpricks, the Windsors murmured among themselves.
"Petite, sure."
"But not that petite, right? Pretty big compared to other kingdoms."
"True enough."
Lydia leaned on the arm of her throne, her lips twitching.
"Do my subjects hold no value for their own lives?"
"S-Sorry!"
"Spare us with Jerryway's head!"
"Why drag my neck into this, you pricks!"
"Khup."
Lydia could overlook the Windsors—they were always a bit off(?). But the nobles stifling their laughs? That grated more. With a sigh, she spoke.
"Sisilia wants to keep things as they are, it seems. I agree. The Empire's a poisoned apple—looks shiny enough on the outside, but rotten to the core."
Lydia had already grasped Sisilia's intent. Still, she played dumb, drawing the answer from her. Boldly voicing her thoughts before the queen—and getting them affirmed—only bolstered Sisilia's influence.
"But leaving it be hands the Empire straight to the demons. You're truly fine with that?"
"We can't let the demons have the Empire."
Sisilia stated it firmly.
"As I said last meeting, we intervene at the right moment."
"The Maginot Line. The one you drew up."
Lydia asked out of curiosity.
"But didn't you draw two of those lines?"
One tracing the border between the northlands and the Demon King Castle.
And another at the Empire's one-third mark.
Sisilia had dubbed them both Maginot Lines.
Sisilia beamed.
"'Cause I'm greedy."
A Maginot Line was a line you didn't cross. Cross it, and Sisilia would smack you down. (The demons already had, FYI.)
The Empire just needed to bide its time and cross it too.
But Sisilia was dead certain they would.
"Amusing way to put it. The demons aside, won't the Empire just get ravaged? You count that as crossing the line?"
"If one smack ends it but you choose ten? That's on the chooser."
To Sisilia, the demon war was like a group project. Issue was, the cute class rep was stuck doing it solo. Even simple research? Botch that, and she'd snap.
"Y-Your Majesty."
Then Erterion raised a hand, backed by a chorus of nobles and knights begging for support.
"I haven't understood a damn word. Care to translate?"
Truth was, few could parse Sisilia-speak. She thrived on her private lingo, relishing the blank stares.
Only Lydia's near-prophetic intuition—or Edward, fluent in Sisilia-ese—cracked it.
"Well... simply put."
Lydia broke it down for all.
"If the Empire doesn't buckle and beg for aid at the opportune moment, they'll pay back multiples in blood."
Empire fails to request support → Pay several times the price.
"Huh..."
"Such depths in plain words...!"
The nobles marveled, eyes swiveling to Sisilia. What crammed in that tiny skull?
"So—the Empire'll come crawling to the kingdom soon for aid."
Nobles chimed in rotationally.
"We leverage that to squeeze 'em dry?"
A realist from the Tower of Truth piped up.
"But will they play along? It's the Empire. Half the world—no talent in all that land?"
Gazes locked on Sisilia.
She clasped her hands demurely, lips curving up.
"You'll see soon enough."
Proof? One ironclad fact: History's hegemons never bowed. Not till the end.
A few days post-meeting—
The Empire's delegation arrived. No bumbling crown prince this time; a proper diplomat. As if proving their desperation.
"Your Majesty."
Liannen's ministers gaped.
"Impertinent as it is, Liannen shares blame for this mess."
True enough. Even mid-ravaging, the Empire strutted high-handed.
Still deluded on top.
That sheer idiocy sparked not rage, but hollow pity.
'What did we fear?'
Centuries of isolation yielded Liannen's iron stability.
Yet many questioned it. World sped on—this speck kept pace? The globe? Anxiety gnawed.
So they hustled.
Reality? Chasing phantoms.
"The Empire's dispatched 100,000—two full knight divisions included. Fair's fair: your 10,000 with at least one division."
Most shocking? Troop count.
Just hold the demons. Liannen's gig for 500 years.
Siege, even.
Yet 100k couldn't handle 100k demons?
Liannen's 10k plus one knight division? Breeze.
Windsors? Laughable.
Liannen always fought outnumbered.
'Our knights rule!'
'Windsors world's best—for real!'
'Nobles ain't deadweight!'
'Dumb as nobles are, not that dumb.'
Knights nodded along.
Feuding camps swapped trusting glances.
The noble-knight unity Lydia never achieved? Done.
"Henceforth, His Majesty's words."
Diplomat Brain droned flatly. Terror abroad—ruthless ice, snagging impossibles.
Wrong mark this time.
"Choose: Empire's friend—or foe of the great Eldrasion Empire."
Normally? Trembling surrender.
Liannen? Fury at queen's disrespect.
"How dare you!"
"No basic courtesy?"
"Kneel, now!"
"Full authority mine."
"Kneel to me? Same as Emperor. Handle that?"
"Handle—what?"
Loyal fool. Routine.
"Calm. Ponder: small nation's duty to great power."
"You rotten—!"
This? New.
Shoes, junk flying.
"Wh-what is this!"
Unprecedented.
'What is this kingdom?'
"Handle? Laughable! You'd beg!"
"Harsh! Before a queen!"
"Duel! Man enough?"
Chaos peaked; Queen Lydia spoke low.
"Silence."
Icy beyond norm.
"Emperor truly said that?"
"Y-Yes."
Diplomat gulped at her aura.
"Relay to him exactly. Word for word."
"Y-Yes."
Queen Lydia intoned.
"Why I..."
Sisilia's cute; this chilled marrow-deep.
Queen Lydia played the prankster. Friend one day, child the next.
Yet key moments? Authority clamped, steel shown.
True rage? Never. Sinners, fools—no raised voice.
Empire's gall? Lit the fuse.
"Defy this, Empire has no future. Demons or not—I'll end it."
Lydia's wrathful paperwork piled high.
300-year queen speed...!
Sisilia squeed like a kid.
"Review the details."
"Yes!"
Sisilia craned like a meerkat, scanning.
Summary:
1. Sovereignty Restrictions
- Empire delegates partial diplomatic rights to Liannen Kingdom.
- Must consult Liannen prior to treaties with foreign powers.
2. Military Sovereignty Cession
- Permits Liannen garrisons at 3 key Empire military strongholds.
- Liannen gains partial wartime operational command.
3. Territorial Cession
- Permanent handover of Empire's northern frontier (or strategic fortress).
4. Economic Subjugation
- Forced zero-tariff trade pact with Liannen Kingdom.
- Liannen holds tax oversight for "financial stabilization."
5. Throne Succession Interference
- Empire heir designation requires Liannen Kingdom approval.
6. War Reparations
- Empire foots full bill for Liannen's deployed forces.
7. Noble Hostage Exchange
- 10 scions of Empire's elite nobles "educated" (detained) in Liannen.
"Queen's terrifying. Even devils'd shake their heads."
Sisilia shivered.
Then petty greed kicked in.
"Can we slip newbies into 7?"
Absurd stares all around.
Here lurked the real devil.