“Game’s over, old man.”

  “So it seems.”

  A smile appeared on Wilhelm’s face as he and his men arrived in the office of the Grand Regent in Perlenstadt. He looked back at his men behind him and ordered them to stay outside before closing the door to Ludwig’s office.

  Once done, he removed his gloves and sat in front of Ludwig. The old man was listless, looking down at an empty glass for wine. There were scattered bottles on his ornate table, files haphazardly left on the side as if he completely gave up.

  Of course he gave up. Before Wilhelm arrived at Perlenstadt, the Imperial Diet finally voted to oust Ludwig’s Regency Council. Wilhelm thus placed the document detailing the dissolution of Ludwig’s government, practically gloating with the way he did it.

  “The terms are simple,” Wilhelm said, taking out his flask too to drink from it once. “You will step down at 12:00 hours. All of your staff, your personnel, will be fired, effective immediately—”

  “Then what?”

  “An emergency council made up of officers from all branches of the military will rule the Holy Empire. Handpicked by me, of course,” Wilhelm smiled. “I can’t exactly manage things here myself. You see, our energetic princess just improved our battlefield conditions significantly, and I intend to immediately exploit that.”

  “Huh…”

  Wilhelm then fished out another small piece of paper from his pocket, waving it lazily to Ludwig.

  “The 3rd Group Army will now also be mobilized. Your friends in that unit will be purged by a Royal Guard contingent en route to it.”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “And most of all, the House of Kassel will be placed under extensive investigations.”

  “I see…”

  Wilhelm chuckled a bit.

  “I’m starting to see why Alexa once loved bullying the weak.” Wilhelm stood up, walked behind Ludwig, and patted him on the back. “Look sharp. You’ve still got a few years to live, old man. Wouldn’t want you to get sick before you reunite with your poor old daughter.”

  A laugh finally came from Ludwig as he looked down.

  “...Say, when I defeated your father and your family collapsed, did you yearn for this day?”

  That made Wilhelm pause for a bit.

  “You think I did all of this for revenge?”

  “Of course. You’re going to tell me that this perfectly orchestrated power grab is Her Highness’s design?” Ludwig took one of his wine bottles, popped off the cork without care, and chugged it down. “Piss off. You’re the one in charge.”

  “I suppose you’re right. Partially.”

  Wilhelm walked to the window of Ludwig’s office, admiring the scenery of the Perlenstadt skyline. It had come a long way since the Battle of Perlenstadt, when many parts of the city were destroyed.

  Now though, it was being rebuilt, rapidly, under the image of a young princess attempting to shape the Imperium to her will. That made Wilhelm think for a bit. If he was the one pulling the strings for her…was she really the one shaping the Imperium?

  Was it him? Or was it her?

  He took another drink of his whiskey.

  “But no. When Her Highness knighted me, I simply found myself in conflict with her enemies. That means I will either win or lose with her.” Wilhelm pocketed his whiskey before walking past the defeated Grand Regent. “I love winning, so all I’m doing right now is making moves to make my master win.”

  “Liar. This is the House of Eisen’s return. A man like you wouldn’t have such childish reasons to pull off a stunt like this. I’d bet, once this is all over, you will crown yourself Emperor.”

  Wilhelm opened the door and laughed. He achieved what he needed from this meeting. A show of force and domination, enough that this man was making up paranoid assumptions.

  It was the most important thing for a victor to fully solidify his terms—to make the defeated party see their complete defeat.

  “Sure. Keep telling yourself that. It doesn’t really matter to me.” He looked back at Ludwig and grinned. “I win, you lose.”

  +++

  Wilhelm calmly walked into the Perlenstadt Palace, which had been fully taken over by his troops. Now that all government buildings in the Imperial Capital were now under the strict and watchful eyes of the 2nd Group Army, an ominous atmosphere settled in the center of the Empire.

  The avenues and boulevards outside were patrolled by Imperial Army soldiers. The gate leading to the Perlenstadt Palace was all manned by Wilhelm’s men, and even the lawn, which was once a gathering place for the capital’s noblewomen to chat, drink tea, and socialize in, was now devoid of that atmosphere.

  If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  It was a part of Wilhelm’s policy of enacting total control over the Holy Empire, at least in the interim. While he gave the Imperial Diet ample time to summon themselves and debate whether or not Ludwig should be removed, he still occupied the Imperial Capital itself to send his message loud and clear.

  Obey, or face the wrath of the crown princess’s agents. He knew that Alexa probably wouldn’t like what he was doing, but Wilhelm needed to get everyone in the Empire onboard under her.

  He wouldn’t accept falling short of that aim.

  “Sir Wilhelm,” an officer greeted him on the stairs to the palace with a stiff salute. “The members of the council are now inside.”

  “Good,” Wilhelm nodded, before walking forward. The Perlenstadt Palace was glamorous, almost as glamorous as the Monile Palace itself, to some degree.

  Of course, it was a property of the House of Wolgast. Most of the time though, it was used for various functions by the Imperial Capital’s nobility, as the Imperial Family preferred to reside in the Monile Palace.

  Wilhelm intended to change that. The residence of the Grand Regent was quite tainted after all, as it had been the symbol of the past years of corruption and depravity that ruled the Empire. The citizenry despised it.

  The Perlenstadt Palace, on the other hand, was a benign structure. It was a perfect place to start over. It would be a blank slate for the new Holy Empire that Alexa wanted. So, inside, he ordered his men to renovate it.

  The gold-framed paintings, the grand chandeliers, the ballrooms, the red carpets, and every other ornate and opulent display that dominated the palace were now gone. As he walked through its halls, a new air dominated it.

  It was muted, professional, and militaristic. What was once a place of splendor where the flowers of the capital gathered, alongside their armies of butlers, servants, and what else, was now a place filled with bureaucrats, military officials, and other staffers.

  Room after room was converted into office spaces, with teams of clerks and officials going in and out as they worked tirelessly to get the nation back on track. Even the ballroom was now turned into a simple cafeteria to serve the palace’s workforce.

  It made Wilhelm feel at home. He smiled a bit as a result. It was like he was back in the north, where the Defense Forces, an organization dedicated to the defense of mankind, acted with extreme efficiency and professionalism.

  I can’t wait to show Alexa all of this.

  Wilhelm knew, as he used [Azure Eyes], that Alexa was still in the west, working and talking with the mutineers from the Second Continental Army. As such, he couldn’t exactly show off his work here.

  In fact, even Wilhelm would have to leave soon. He already issued his orders to his second in command, Richard Erhart, to move both the Army of the Leine and the Army of the West in the southern and northern flanks of the FRA, respectively.

  But that wasn’t enough. Wilhelm wanted to lead the battle from the front, where he would be able to effectively micromanage everything. He wanted to crush Henry, definitively and absolutely.

  Alexa deserved nothing less than a total victory, Wilhelm thought. After all, even he felt bad for the girl. She was so young, yet she was dealing with so many things already.

  Yet just like Phoebe, she rose to the occasion. Truly, she was a worthy investment in Wilhelm’s eyes.

  That’s why…

  I’ll make sure everything works out well in the background.

  The doors to the meeting hall were opened by two soldiers. Inside, the gathered officials who would make Wilhelm’s emergency government were all gathered, their discussions loud and nearly chaotic.

  The newly appointed Grand Regent by the Imperial Diet, a former Defense Forces officer who was Wilhelm’s close friend and one of the few high noblemen who personally fought the demon horde at the frontlines—Philip von Ludendorff—stood up in attention.

  “Gentlemen!” Philip called out. “Her Highness’s knight is here!”

  “Greetings, everyone.” Wilhelm stopped at the entrance as everyone turned silent after standing up stiffly.

  With a brief nod, Wilhelm proceeded forward, scanning the men he handpicked for the job to form Ludendorff’s government. Unlike the previous council under Ludwig, Philip’s government was made up of ten officials.

  Four of them would be leading the main ministries of the Imperium—the Ministry of War, Treasury, Trade, and Public Works, respectively. The rest were officials in charge of the remaining regions of the Empire, who would act as appointed military governors, alongside those who would serve in smaller offices, like leading the Royal Guard and the Empire’s secret police network—the Black Hand.

  Each one of them, including Philip, was under Wilhelm. They were his friends and colleagues. He picked them, or his colleagues in the Defense Forces who had ties in the Imperial Army recommended them.

  As such, he was sure that they would act well here in their duties. It was good that the Imperial Diet approved Wilhelm’s picks. He essentially now had control over the Empire to create the best conditions once he handed it over to Alexa.

  “Gentlemen,” Wilhelm went for his seat. “All of you, settle down. Today is the first day of business. I intend to make the most of it.”

  The officials in front of him all began shuffling papers around, muttering to each other about their reports, findings, recommendations, and plans of action. Wilhelm observed it briefly but did not make any comment.

  “It’s quite a stale job, eh?” Philip laughed on the side as he produced a cigar, lighting it up. “Tell us, what’s our agenda then?”

  “We’re going to start by setting our goals,” Wilhelm said. “I won’t be here a lot, so I expect you guys to pull your weight.”

  “Of course. We wouldn’t embarrass you in front of the princess,” Philip said. “And, well, I don’t exactly intend to disappoint her. She’s quite the bright girl, no?”

  “Right, sir.”

  “Quite frankly, even I’m excited. She’s definitely the future of the Empire.”

  “Maybe we’ll be able to get good positions even after she takes over.”

  “Hear, hear!”

  The flurry of celebratory talk from the officials didn’t go unnoticed. Wilhelm continued watching, ever vigilant, ever calculating. While he trusted them, he knew that humans were humans.

  There was a possibility that Philip and his gang would deviate from Wilhelm’s set rules. Not that they would. So long as Wilhelm and Alfred have nominal control over the Royal Guard and Black Hand, from now on, anyone who deviates from their will will be ruined.

  “Our mandate is simple,” Wilhelm said. “Right now, the Empire is torn apart due to an insurrection, all because of an attempt on the rightful heir.”

  Wilhelm stood up, his shadow looming over the council.

  “This government’s aim is to rectify that, and until she sits on the throne. We will impose a clear diktat on the Empire. Law and order will be restored. The thieves, the crooks, and the corrupt parasites will be removed and brought to justice. And we will fix the economy.”

  Wilhelm pointed to the calendar, which was posted on the side of the room.

  “Gentlemen, Her Highness will be crowned soon. I want everything to be laid down perfectly for her. That will be this government’s mandate. I trust that you will produce results aligned to that.”