Princess Bertha and her attendant tried to lift me up, but I kept resisting and insisted on standing on my own. I grabbed the chair and pushed myself up. Damn it, my head was spinning, and my vision kept swirling.

  “What did you give me?” I snapped, raising my voice.

  Pull yourself together, Ezia.

  I refused to accept being poisoned or drugged with whatever this was.

  I shook my head and closed my eyes for a moment.

  “Do not go to the assembly or to the battlefield, please spend time with me!” Princess Bertha pleaded as she held my arm to help me stand.

  “If you deliberately put something in my food or drink just to keep me with you, you are insane,” I replied as I tried to stand on my own. “Even without doing this, I would have spent time with you if you had just asked me directly!”

  I staggered toward the exit of the restaurant. Princess Bertha chased after me and grabbed my arm.

  “Spend time with me!” she pleaded once more, almost in tears.

  “Erh…”

  “Please! If you do not, my father will punish me!” she begged again, but I did not hear her anymore. If she truly loved me, she would support me, right? Not blindly obey and submit to her father’s orders.

  I did not respond to her request and continued staggering back toward the White Palace. There were still thirty minutes left before the assembly began. In front of the assembly members, I tried not to look unsteady as I made my way to the second floor of the White Palace.

  When I reached the second floor, I found Verzhina and Nate looking anxious. My lover ran up to me and checked my condition.

  “My God, what happened to you? Were you poisoned?”

  “I do not know…”

  Lord Verzhina pulled over a chair and told me to sit and rest.

  “Princess Bertha… I do not know what she did. After breakfast with her, I ended up like this,” I said as I leaned back in the chair.

  “Call the physician!” Lord Verzhina ordered one of the government staff.

  “No need, later. The assembly is about to begin, right? There must be someone who wants me gone from this assembly,” I replied, waving my hand dismissively.

  “Are you sure?” Nate looked at me weakly, worried. “Urgh, that damn woman…”

  “I feel like I might pass out. Is there any trick to make me stay conscious during the assembly?” I asked the two of them. “I am not sure I can stay awake through it. I am afraid the Old Nobles will take over the discussion and influence the other factions into making agreements that harm our nation for their personal interests.”

  “Because the Old Nobles are blinded by money and often do not listen to the people,” Lord Verzhina said.

  “Yes, that is exactly it. Fortunately, my father already abolished the rule that allowed nobles to maintain private armies and centralized all troops to be loyal only to the crown,” I replied while glancing at the wall clock.

  It was almost nine. With Nate’s help, I walked down to the first floor toward my seat. All attendees stood as they watched me descend the stairs. Nate then went back to retrieve my leader’s staff.

  Lord Verzhina followed me and stood at my left side.

  After Nate returned with my staff, I officially opened the assembly. “With this, I declare the monthly assembly open.”

  Damn, Princess Bertha, my head still hurts.

  The sound of our national anthem began to play. Members of the orchestra from Skalu University were fully immersed in playing their instruments, creating a harmonious rendition of our anthem.

  Rise for your homeland, O my people.

  Hundreds of poems and songs we have dedicated.

  To nurture our homeland.

  Our love for you is boundless.

  O our homeland.

  From the shores to the mountains of Zaradina.

  Our nation stretches wide.

  Fall in line and answer your homeland’s call.

  When dark clouds cover the horizon.

  They are not clouds, but dust from our ranks.

  And if it is for our homeland.

  Call upon us.

  We will march to defend our homeland.

  After the national anthem ended, I handed my leadership staff to Verzhina, symbolizing that he would lead the proceedings from then on. I struggled to stay awake and not collapse right there.

  I asked Nate to keep pinching me if I started to look drowsy.

  Socioeconomic issues were discussed first. Only when foreign affairs were addressed were diplomats from other nations invited inside. Since we were discussing diplomacy with Alestria, Princess Bertha and her diplomat were present.

  Her expression looked slightly disappointed when she saw that I was still here.

  When the issue of reintegration into the Alestrian Empire arose, a major debate finally erupted. I merely observed and listened as the factions argued fiercely with one another.

  The most passionate opposition came from the nationalist faction, dominated by students, scholars from former military backgrounds who had retired and received scholarships, and veterans of the war forty years ago who still remembered how brutally Alestria had oppressed and attempted to subjugate our nation.

  “Even without Alestrian aid, our nation can surely recover from this crisis!” shouted a short male student with thick glasses.

  “Have you all forgotten that forty-five thousand of our people died when Alestria attempted to forcibly occupy us?”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  [Belial]

  Affection: Lvl 0

  I was shocked when I saw him. Wait, that is Belial, right?

  “What that student said is correct!” I said, defending the nationalist faction. “Have you all forgotten how our people suffered in the past?”

  Our true enemy here was the same, the Old Nobles, who I knew desired a return to the old feudal system. At present, nobles were merely overseers appointed by the king to manage regions. Their rights were limited to administration only. They owned no land.

  All land in our country belonged to the state, with citizens only leasing it for decades at a time.

  Belial then delivered a fiery speech before the entire audience. He jumped out of his faction’s seating and moved to the center of the first floor. He reminded me of a mustached man from Austria. The difference was that he did not harbor hatred toward any particular group, and he was pro-royalist.

  I ordered the soldiers to let him speak. I enjoyed listening to him. Belial looked at me in shock, realizing that I had allowed him to continue.

  At exactly one in the afternoon, no conclusion had been reached. I suspended the council for a break. Lunch boxes were brought in by restaurant vendors we had ordered from. I took my portion and ate together with the nationalist faction.

  The nationalist members were surprised to see me approach them.

  “A fine speech,” I said to Belial, who fell silent for a moment upon seeing me up close. “We truly need young people like you.”

  “Thank you, Your Majesty,” Belial replied with a smile.

  I sat beside him. “In your opinion, what is the best way to save our nation? With such massive debt and a stagnant economy, I need insight from bright young minds.”

  “We sell government bonds, then with the remaining funds we implement efficiency measures...”

  Belial went on at length, speaking like a seasoned economist. I hope he's not only good at theories but in the field too.

  “Forgive me for mentioning the late King Dafonso, but your father’s mistake was that the foreign debt was not used for productive sectors. The military is only productive when it is constantly fighting and gaining the spoils of war. But what happens when the war ends?”

  “It is fine. Speak freely. I am not against criticism. In fact, I need it to know where I have failed as the leader of this nation,” I replied.

  I spent my break listening to Belial and the other nationalist members. It was refreshing to hear their discussions and suggestions directly.

  “Besides, we also sympathize with Your Majesty. You deserve to choose your own partner, not marry for political interests,” Belial said.

  I smiled. “Gentlemen, I shall excuse myself now.”

  When I returned to resume the council, I saw the sour expressions of the Old Noble faction and the Alestrian diplomats. Hmm, it seemed I would need to conspire with the nationalist faction to eliminate the Old Nobles.

  Princess Bertha looked slightly disappointed upon seeing me.

  “Let us begin again,” I instructed Verzhina.

  The council resumed. This time, Verzhina and the nationalist faction began discussing renegotiations regarding the debt agreements. By evening, no resolution had been reached, and the discussion was postponed until the next day.

  I was utterly exhausted. I leaned back against my throne while watching the council members leave.

  “Thank you for your hard work,” Nate whispered as she approached me.

  I accepted a glass of water from her and drank it.

  “Still dizzy?” Nate asked worriedly, her hand gently caressing my cheek.

  “Hmm,” I replied, enjoying the sensation.

  Nate hugged me and rested my head against her chest. Her hand slowly stroked my hair.

  “A long day, was it not? What would you like for dinner?”

  “Something simple,” I replied as I pulled away from her embrace.

  I saw Belial and several nationalist members approach me. They bowed respectfully.

  “Thank you, Your Majesty, for standing with us. If it pleases you, we would like Your Majesty to attend our political meeting next Tuesday.”

  “Of course I will attend,” I replied to Belial.

  Hearing my answer, the nationalist members looked delighted. They excused themselves and left, leaving only Princess Bertha approaching me.

  She bowed her head. “Please forgive me for what I did today. I did not know what else to do...”

  After uttering those vague words, Princess Bertha stepped closer and handed me a vial.

  “This is the antidote...”

  The red-haired princess bowed once more in farewell.

  “Princess Bertha, how about having some coffee with me for a moment?” I offered. I felt somewhat sorry for her. Perhaps she had been forced to act after being whispered to by her nation’s diplomats, urging her to remove me from today’s council.

  Her face brightened again. “Let's go!”

  “Nate, please prepare it. Make one for yourself as well,” I said as I headed to the second floor.

  My steps were still unsteady. I took the vial Princess Bertha had given me, opened it, and drank it in one big gulp.

  Upon reaching the second floor, I immediately headed to my office. Verzhina was not there yet. He was still busy reviewing and recording the council’s outcomes. Princess Bertha sat across from me, while I remained behind my desk.

  “So, I will give you the benefit of the doubt. Did you take the initiative to poison me?” I asked her directly.

  Princess Bertha fell silent for a moment. She wanted to say something, but held back.

  “Be honest. I will not be angry,” I added, placing my hands over hers on the desk.

  “It was not me. I only wanted to spend time alone with you. But the diplomat my father sent suggested poisoning you so that I could nurse you and keep you from attending today’s council...”

  “I am sorry...”

  “Oh, I see.”

  Nate arrived carrying a tray with three cups of coffee. The aroma of her brew was wonderfully fragrant. With graceful steps, she approached and distributed the cups.

  “Are you not a princess? Why did you let a diplomat who is clearly beneath you control you?” Nate mocked Princess Bertha as she sat beside me.

  “If Ezia had died from that poison, you would have caused an enormous diplomatic disaster,” Nate continued, taunting her.

  “Erm...”

  “It seems that she does not truly love you, Ezia. How could someone who loves you poison you?” Nate provoked further.

  Princess Bertha’s eyes flared as she glared at Nate.

  “I... I...”

  “If you were in my position, what would you do? This is the only way my father ever notices me. You have no idea how invisible my suffering is in his eyes!”

  Oh, that was new. It seemed she did it to gain her father’s attention.

  “Do you live for yourself, or for your father? If you are invisible to him, so be it. You can still live your own life without his attention, can you not?”

  I leaned forward. “You are already an adult, yet you still allow your father to control you?”

  “I am a little disappointed. Did you approach me just so your father would notice you?” I put on a sad expression to encourage her to open up further. “At least Nate, whom you insult as a barbarian unworthy of me, truly loves me without seeking anything in return.”

  Princess Bertha struggled to find an answer.

  “I love you!” Princess Bertha declared again.

  “Not because my father wants it. Truly, when we first met, I fell in love at first sight. But...”

  “Emperor Arius, your father, does not truly care about you. He is only using you for political gain. I am glad to hear that you fell in love with me at first sight. But mixing your father’s political ambitions into your feelings for me is what I cannot accept,” I interrupted her.

  “Please drink your coffee, Princess. Do not worry, there is no poison in it,” Nate said with a smile, clearly mocking her.

  “I am giving you a second chance, Bertha,” I said seriously. “But this time, please do not be influenced by your father or his diplomats. How about informing me and becoming my double agent regarding your father’s agenda toward my nation?”

  “Really?” Princess Bertha looked at me with hope.

  Ouch.

  I felt Nate step on my foot, clearly annoyed that I was giving Bertha a second chance.

  “Yes,” I replied with a stern expression.

  “Alright,” Princess Bertha smiled once more.

  She then openly explained her father’s true agenda. Just like the game’s original scenario, Emperor Arius III intended to use my nation as a military base to expand across the continent and restore the Ancient Alestrian Empire.

  Bertha also spoke of a planned noble uprising led by descendants of the Ancient Alestrian nobility. Nate wrote down all of Princess Bertha’s confessions.

  “I swear everything I said is true. Right now, mercenaries hired by the Old Nobles are gathering in Rusanna Fort,” Princess Bertha stated plainly.

  “At this very moment, a shipment of hand cannons is being prepared for them, giving the mercenaries hired by Lord Aldo and the others an advantage against your soldiers. That shipment will depart at two in the morning.”