The Art of War and Love

Two days had passed since Mary's wedding.

A group of noble ladies had gathered at the Grand Duke's Palace. Theodora, Octavia, Joy, and Mary—women of similar ages—were huddled together, chatting away.

Perhaps it was because she was still a fresh, glowing bride?

"So I climbed right on top of Agrippa! But then, just as I was about to pull it out, it went completely limp..."

Mary was casually sharing the details of her first night, leaving the other women blushing furiously as they hung onto her every word.

Ah... who would ever guess that these women were the Empress, the Imperial Princess, and the Queen of the North Sea?

Even the woman speaking was the younger sister of Grand Duke Deviang, the most powerful man in the Empire and the husband of the Empress. In other words, she was a lady of the highest nobility.

"And then? What happened next, Sister Mary?"

Joy's eyes sparkled with intense curiosity as she listened. Mary smirked.

"I used my mouth to get it back up and teased him all night long."

Gulp.

"Agrippa's expression was so incredibly lewd. Joy, you should definitely try it when you get married."

Joy's face flushed bright red, and she mumbled shyly, "But... I heard that the first time... it hurts a lot because of the hymen. Were you okay, Sister?"

Mary nodded casually. "I've been training as a knight since I was a child, so it tore back then. It didn't really hurt at all."

Flinch.

"In fact, it felt so good I thought I'd go crazy."

Theodora and Joy blushed even deeper at her bluntness.

"Was it like that for you too, Sister?" Joy turned to ask Octavia.

Octavia hesitated, her cheeks warming. "I... I don't really remember."

In truth, Octavia had ridden her husband so hard on their wedding night that he had literally fainted, but she didn't have the nerve to share such scandalous details in front of the Empress and the Princess. Her maiden name was Lion, after all—that beastly bloodline didn't lie.

"Really? Is it just me? Anyway, I was going to do it again yesterday, but Agrippa was so exhausted... smack..."

Mary smacked her lips, looking thoroughly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠unsatisfied. Theodora, unable to contain her curiosity, asked hesitantly, "Does... does a man really like it that much when you use your mouth?"

A wicked grin spread across Mary's face. "Oh, absolutely! When it goes all soft, if you just use your mouth a little bit, it gets rock hard again in no time. You should try it on Brother, sister-in-law. His eyes will roll back in his head!"

Finding the conversation a bit too explicit, Octavia stepped in to scold her. "Honestly, Mary... watch your mouth when talking about your brother."

Mary shrugged. "But isn't Brother's fantasy to have a maid wake him up like that in the morning? Besides, I want to see my niece or nephew soon."

While Octavia continued to lecture Mary, who was casually spouting things that would have made Deviang lose his mind, Theodora fell into deep thought.

Come to think of it... there was a scene just like that in the book Deviang had been reading.

Ugh... we haven't even kissed properly yet, and... I'm supposed to do that to him?

Aside from the brief peck at their wedding ceremony, she and Deviang hadn't even shared a proper kiss. The idea of suddenly using her mouth to pleasure his member was practically impossible for her.

But still, he did promise we'd do it together next time...

Recalling Deviang's vague, open-ended promise, Theodora decided she would have to study those books a bit more for his sake.

"Ahhh~ I want to get married too!" Joy wailed, listening to Mary's stories. "When will I ever get married? I want a marriage of love, too."

Theodora offered her a gentle smile. "Then you should start by dating."

"But... I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠can't even leave the Imperial Palace!"

Hearing Joy's dejected voice, Theodora replied in a gentle, comforting tone, "You know he's only doing that because he's worried about us, right? There was even a kidnapping attempt not too long ago."

Joy nodded reluctantly, but she still pouted. "Still, it's so suffocating. Sigh... At this rate, I'll never get married and just grow old and die locked up in the palace."

Theodora knew that would never happen. The idea of her adorable younger sister never marrying was absurd. If Joy ever risked becoming an old maid, both she and the Empress Dowager would personally step in to find her the perfect groom. Besides, objectively speaking, Joy was incredibly pretty and cute. Once she came of age, suitors would surely line up at her door. Looking at her lovely sister, Theodora was certain she had nothing to worry about.

Meanwhile, a regular report had arrived from Roman.

According to the spy dispatched to Nicaea by the Information Department, the situation there was highly unusual.

"Hmm..."

The report stated that Yohanes was actively withdrawing military forces from the Babylon Empire border, and significant troop movements were being detected departing from key fortresses.

"A war is about to break out."

But withdrawing frontline troops? That was incredibly bold.

Deviang knew for a fact that the Babylon Empire's army was currently unable to move, but there was no way Yohanes could know that.

"Philip, Martin, Agrippa. Take a look at this."

Deviang handed the report to Agrippa and Philip. All three men frowned as they read the contents.

"This is highly unusual," Philip muttered.

Speaking on behalf of the silent, contemplating Agrippa, Philip shared his thoughts. "No matter how much he wants to invade neighboring countries, withdrawing troops from the border is a dangerous gamble, is it not? This is tantamount to treason against the Empire."

"One could certainly see it that way," Deviang agreed.

For a kingdom tasked with defending the Empire from the Babylon Empire to abandon its border posts just to attack neighboring lords would undoubtedly cause a massive political scandal.

"A significant force must have been stationed in Epirus and Egypt as well," Martin noted. "The number of troops deployed along the Duopol border is unexpectedly high."

Deviang placed another report he had received a few days prior onto the desk. "The forces deployed in Epirus and Egypt are of a similar scale to those on the Duopol border."

Just a few months ago, Nicaea's total military strength was estimated to be around 70,000. Now, with 50,000 at the Duopol border and another 50,000 in Epirus and Egypt, the total exceeded 100,000. It was highly likely that around 30,000 of those were mercenaries hired to pad the numbers, but still...

"Your Grace," Agrippa said, looking up. "In my opinion, it would be prudent to assume the enemy's mobilizable force is already between 140,000 and 180,000."

Deviang looked at him in surprise. "What? They increased their forces to that extent in less than a year?"

An army of 70,000 was already a massive number that would require sweeping up almost every mercenary group on the continent. Logically, if Yohanes had filled his ranks entirely with mercenaries, it would be as good as publicly advertising his intent to go to war. Such a loud move did not fit Yohanes's need to prepare in secret.

"To maintain an army of that size, he would ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have to scrape together every single mercenary band on the continent. Would Yohanes really do something so reckless?" Deviang questioned.

Philip and Martin both nodded in agreement with Agrippa's assessment.

"Your Grace's point is valid, but I also estimate their numbers to be at least 140,000," Philip said. "Without a force of that scale, it would be difficult to seize the initiative in a war against the great nobles."

"I agree," Martin added. "To station 50,000 in Epirus and Egypt while simultaneously dealing with Duopol and its allies, he would need at least 90,000 troops. Furthermore, defending the border fortresses against the Babylon Empire would require at least another 30,000. Thus, estimating their total force at 170,000 to 180,000 is highly reasonable."

But if the number was truly 180,000, even exhausting all the mercenaries on the continent wouldn't be enough.

Hmm...

Deviang fell into deep thought as he stared at the map.

"I still find it somewhat hard to comprehend," Philip remarked. "Deploying such a massive force for a war with Duopol would inevitably arouse the suspicion of the great nobles. I cannot fathom why he is acting so boldly."

Deviang replied casually, as if it were obvious. "If I were Yohanes, and if I truly possessed an army of that size, I would crush Duopol and..."

He pointed to the kingdoms of Bohemi and Ern, which bordered the Duopol Duchy.

"...swiftly overrun Bohemi and Ern as well."

Both kingdoms were currently focused on internal development. In the military culture of this continent, waging war without a formal declaration was considered highly uncouth and dishonorable for a noble. In fact, if you lost an undeclared war, you had to pay astronomical reparations. Even if you won, you would be shunned, and starting an unprovoked war would earn the scorn of both the nobility and the citizenry.

But... wasn't that a cheap price to pay for conquering half the Empire?

"That... Your Grace..." Philip stammered, carefully watching Deviang's reaction. "That is far too outside the realm of common sense."

"Such actions are utterly intolerable in continental politics and diplomacy," Philip continued.

"As the Grand Duke said, the kingdoms of Bohemi and Ern are no pushovers," Martin chimed in. "Their combined mobilizable force is just under 80,000. If they play defensively, they can easily buy a significant amount of time."

"Of course, that would be the case if he declared war first," Deviang countered.

If Yohanes possessed over 140,000 troops, he could strike Duopol while simultaneously invading Bohemi and Ern. The moment their major cities and castles fell, their mobilizable forces would dwindle. The capitals might have strong defenses, but it all depended on whether the surrounding cities were prepared for a siege. They likely hadn't prepared for such a sudden, undeclared assault. It was a highly winnable fight.

"Philip. When you fought against us, why did you lose?"

Philip had been the commander who faced the Grand Duchy during the previous civil war with the Anti-Emperor Faction. His greatest strengths were his textbook command and his ability to adapt to various situations.

"That was..."

Deviang had feigned defeat several times to lure him into a false sense of security, and crucially, Deviang had mobilized the Emperor's army. Deviang had broken the law stating the Emperor's forces must never intervene in conflicts between domestic lords. To Philip, it was a foul play, but such underhanded tactics are often the most effective.

"Because mobilizing the Emperor's army was abnormal. It was a cowardly, borderline-cheating method, but you couldn't stop it."

If anyone in the opposing faction had predicted Deviang would use the Emperor's army, they would never have crawled out of their fortresses. The war would have dragged on, causing massive losses to Deviang's side, which was short on funds at the time. In the worst-case scenario, it would have been a Pyrrhic victory, leaving them with no strength to face Yohanes. Though he was heavily criticized, he secured a decisive victory and used it to amass a fortune.

"I took a lot of flak, but in the end, I won. Not only did I restore the Anti-Emperor Faction, but I also seized the territories of my opponents."

Deviang noticed the silence in the room and continued. "I believe Yohanes will act similarly to me. After all, the results would be spectacular."

In a war where defeat meant absolute ruin, choosing one's methods was a luxury. Furthermore, seeing him mobilize all his available forces suggested he didn't care if the truth about his control over Epirus and Egypt gets out. Deviang was certain.

"Ahem... But didn't Your Grace station the Golden Knights and the Emperor's army near Duopol to prepare for just such an eventuality?" Philip asked.

Deviang nodded. "Exactly. In fact, the reason I came to the Grand Duchy was to ease Yohanes's mind and show him an opening so he would initiate the war."

He had already requested Sir William to intervene if Nicaea attacked Duopol. Knowing William might ignore him, he had even sent a letter from Theodora. It would surely work.

"As expected of Your Grace. You read the enemy's insidious schemes in advance and prepared for them," Philip praised.

Deviang nodded, his voice trailing off. "The only variable... is the Imperial Parliament."

He didn't have absolute control there. He held the votes of the Anti-Emperor Faction, but the Neutrals and the Emperor's Faction constantly criticized them. Yohanes would surely try to pull some tricks there. Of course, Deviang had the Veto Power, so any such attempts would be easily blocked.

He was being a bit optimistic. The enemy's forces were larger than expected, but if he could buy time for the great nobles and declare Yohanes an Enemy of the State for launching an undeclared war, crushing him would only be a matter of time.

But... things rarely went that smoothly.

With those thoughts in mind, Deviang decided it was about time to return to Roman.