Chapter 3 : Chapter 3
Chapter 3.
“Negotiation?” Sylvia sneered. “Negotiate what? Sign another 《Blackwater River Treaty》 and cede the rest of our territory as well?”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs’ expression changed at once.
“Your Highness the Princess, you cannot say such things carelessly—”
“I am not speaking carelessly.” Sylvia cut him off. “Since the signing of the 《Blackwater River Treaty》, we have already lost three provinces and paid five million Golden Lion Coins in reparations. The Empire’s appetite will only continue to grow. What do you think they will be satisfied with this time? Two provinces? Or will they simply demand that we disband our army altogether?”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs was rendered speechless.
“So Your Highness means that we should go to war with the Empire?” the Minister of Commerce, seated opposite her, spoke up. “Your Highness, do you understand what war means? Trade will be cut off, prices will soar, and the people will be displaced—”
“Of course I know.” Sylvia looked at him. “But do you know what it means to beg for peace in humiliation? It means our land will be devoured inch by inch, our people will be enslaved generation after generation, and in the end, we will not even have the right to ask for peace.”
The Minister of Commerce fell silent.
At that moment, an elderly noble seated in the corner stood up. He wore an old-fashioned formal suit, and his hair was white. His voice trembled as he spoke.
“Your Highness the Princess, you are right. We cannot seek peace through humiliation.” He paused. “But regarding Professor Logaris whom you support, I have heard certain rumors about him. Some of his research is simply too dangerous. The theories he has proposed have already trespassed into the forbidden domain of the gods. As for the Church—”
“And what about the Church?” Sylvia turned to look at him.
The old noble swallowed nervously.
“The Church has already pressured parliament many times, demanding restrictions on Professor Logaris' research. They say that the professor’s theories will lead us into the abyss. Just like Mad King Maxim back then—”
“Maxim.” Sylvia repeated the name. “You mean that madman who used living people for experiments and slaughtered three entire cities?”
The old noble nodded.
“Professor Logaris' research may not have directly killed anyone, but his challenge to divine authority and his destruction of tradition are exactly the same as Maxim’s. The Church fears that he will become a second—”
“That is enough.” Sylvia interrupted him. “Professor Logaris' research exists so that ordinary people can also use magitech, so that farmers can have enough to eat, and so that soldiers can protect their homeland. He has not used living people in experiments, he has not massacred the innocent, and he has certainly not attempted to crown himself king. To compare him to Maxim is the greatest insult that could be made against him.”
The old noble opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he sat back down.
Silence filled the conference table.
At that moment, the Prime Minister seated at the head of the table finally spoke.
“Everyone, there is one final matter for us to discuss today.” His voice broke the silence. “Just last week, the Grand Duke of the Northern Territory became critically ill. The entire Northern Territory is about to be left leaderless. His Majesty’s intention is to dispatch a capable member of the royal family to the Northern Territory to take over its governance.”
Everyone’s gaze turned toward Sylvia.
The Prime Minister opened a document.
“After careful consideration, His Majesty has decided to appoint Princess Sylvia as Acting Governor of the Northern Territory, with full responsibility over all Northern Territory affairs.”
“This is also the will of the Grand Duke of the Northern Territory himself,” the Prime Minister added.
The conference table erupted.
“The Northern Territory? That is the harshest place in the entire kingdom!”
“It is frozen all year round, the land is barren, and even tax revenue can barely be collected—”
Yet the reactions of several members around Sylvia were completely different. In the eyes of one young-looking noble flashed worry, but also expectation.
Meanwhile, a council member from a newly risen capitalist family furrowed his brows and muttered softly, “If it is Her Highness the Princess, she might really be able to turn the Northern Territory around.”
Sylvia said nothing. She simply looked quietly at the document in the Prime Minister’s hand.
The Northern Territory.
The place known as the “Kingdom’s Ice Cellar.”
Poor, freezing, and starved of resources.
But at the same time, it was also the place farthest from the Empire’s center.
The Prime Minister closed the file.
“Your Highness the Princess, do you have any objections?”
Sylvia rose to her feet.
“I accept.”
Sharp intakes of breath sounded around her.
“However.” Sylvia continued. “I require complete autonomy. Personnel appointments and dismissals, tax allocation, and troop movements—I will have the final say in all of them.”
The Prime Minister frowned.
“This—”
“If that cannot be done, then let me remind you that the current Grand Duke of the Northern Territory is my grandfather.” Sylvia looked at him. “I do not think this request of mine is excessive.”
The Prime Minister remained silent for several seconds.
“I will convey your request to His Majesty.”
—
After walking out of the council hall, Sylvia took a deep breath.
In the corridor, a woman in a white robe was leaning against the wall, waiting for her.
“You must be exhausted.” Aurora walked over and handed her a cup of hot tea.
Sylvia accepted the cup but did not drink it. She merely held it in her hands.
Aurora sighed. “You were too forceful. Those old men already dislike you enough as it is. If you confront them like this, be careful that they do not join forces against you.”
“So what if they do?” Sylvia sneered. “What can they do besides wag their tongues?”
Aurora shook her head.
“You, honestly.” She paused. “By the way, there is something I need to remind you about.”
“What is it?”
“Logaris.” Aurora lowered her voice. “The Church has already placed him on an observation list. On the side of the Inquisition Army, some people have proposed directly sending men to arrest him.”
Sylvia frowned.
“Why?”
“Because he is too arrogant.” Aurora sighed. “Those theories of his are completely challenging divine authority. The conservatives inside the Church have already begun comparing him to Mad King Maxim. You know how Maxim ended up.”
Of course Sylvia knew.
More than a thousand years ago, that madman who called himself the “King of Magic” used living people for experiments in an attempt to break through the limits of humanity. He slaughtered three cities, created countless monsters, and was ultimately surrounded and killed by a coalition army in the Dragon Mountain Range.
“Logaris is not the same as Maxim,” Sylvia said.
“I know.” Aurora nodded. “But the Church does not see it that way. They believe that anyone who challenges divine authority is a potential threat.”
Sylvia was silent for a few seconds.
“I will warn him.”
“Are you sure he will listen?” Aurora raised an eyebrow. “That man is as stubborn as a mule.”
“He will listen.” Sylvia said, “As long as I am the one saying it.”
Aurora smiled.
“The two of you, honestly.”
Sylvia did not respond. Instead, she asked, “What do you think of Father’s arrangement this time?”
Aurora put away her smile.
“The Northern Territory.” She pondered for a moment. “On the surface, it looks like he is exiling you. But in reality—”
“In reality, he is giving me an opportunity,” Sylvia finished for her. “He is allowing me to get away from these political constraints and seeing whether I can establish a power base of my own.”
“Exactly.” Aurora nodded. “If you succeed, it will prove that you have the ability to rule the kingdom. If you fail—”
“Then it will prove that I am not worthy of inheriting the throne,” Sylvia said emotionlessly.
Aurora looked at her.
“What are you going to do?”
Sylvia turned her head and looked out the window.
“What else can I do?” she said. “First, I need to start gathering people.”