She let out a soft hum, her tone laced with a playful mockery, and spoke to the Imperial Chancellor Otto, who stood respectfully beside her with bowed head.
“After we seize these three fortresses, I hereby order the army to cause no harm whatsoever to the surrounding civilians.
“No pillaging, not even a trace. Instead, we’ll dispatch engineers to help them rebuild the homes ruined by war and harsh winters; open the Empire’s granaries to distribute food and warm clothing for the winter; our medics will even treat injured civilians free of charge.”
“Otto, tell me—these border civilians, do they hate us ‘invaders’ more, or do they hate the Kingdom’s nobles and local officials who lord it over them every day but abandon them to save themselves in times of crisis?”
Her gaze swept across the chancellor.
Imperial Chancellor Otto immediately bowed deeply, admiring her insight. “Your Majesty’s wisdom is unparalleled! This is the highest form of psychological warfare! The Kingdom’s nobles exploit their people without restraint, treating the common folk like dirt, and the Church, under the guise of divine authority, indulges in unspeakable debauchery—burning, looting, and slaughtering like bandits. Our actions have won the hearts of the border people! Many now even actively provide intelligence on the Kingdom’s remaining forces!”
Frederica nodded in satisfaction, her finger pointing again to the cluster of blue flags on the war map representing the Kingdom’s border garrisons.
“And the morale of the troops?”
A cold curve curled at the corner of her lips. “These soldiers’ parents, wives, children, brothers, and sisters—they mostly live in border towns now under our control. Their families have food to eat, clothes to wear, and safe homes. They’re even better off than under the rule of those vampiric Kingdom nobles!”
“Do you think these soldiers, earning the Kingdom’s pitiful and often delayed pay, can still fight with any determination against our Imperial forces? Can they even hold their blades steady?”
A smile of admiration crossed Otto’s face. “Your Majesty’s vision is crystal clear! The soldiers’ loyalty is already wavering. According to the ‘Dawn Watch’ intelligence, several squads within the Kingdom’s border forces have secretly contacted us to express their willingness to surrender.”
Frederica’s emerald eyes drifted beyond the map toward the distant Holy Capital, her expression deepening.
“As for the Church, that seemingly aloof yet parasitic cancer on the Kingdom’s body…”
Her voice turned icy. “Once the Imperial army ‘cleans house’, eliminates that lunatic Jelora, and installs a new, obedient Pope, tell me—who will the new Holy Capital leadership favor in the rivalry between the Kingdom and the Empire? Whose side will they speak for?”
She paused, her smile edged with cruelty. “And those fanatics and zealots once loyal to Jelora—how deep will their hatred run for the Kingdom, which watched them fall and even opened the gates for our armies? That grudge will make the Church a permanent thorn in the Kingdom’s side, impossible to uproot!”
Her fingers lightly tapped the edge of the map, the soft rhythm sounding like a death knell.
“Without the Church as a spiritual pillar and potential ally, those three fortresses the Kingdom clings to have long lost the hearts of the people and the loyalty of their troops. They’re riddled with internal strife—like castles built on quicksand, all facade and no foundation. When that time comes…”
Absolute confidence and dominance flickered in her emerald gaze.
“For the Empire, reclaiming them will be but a thought away. This vast, fertile Northern territory will inevitably become the brightest jewel in the Imperial realm.”
Whether the Kingdom chose to obediently cooperate and become a stepping stone for the Empire’s assault on the Holy Capital, or foolishly betray the Empire by stabbing it in the back, the outcome was already mapped out in her calculations.
The difference lay only in whether the frog is boiled slowly in warm water, digested gradually, or cooked in fierce flames all at once, crushing the entire Kingdom in one stroke!
At that moment, a messenger entered silently, kneeling on one knee to present a letter sealed with the Crown Prince’s insignia from Sol City.
Frederica accepted the letter gracefully, a smile of total control playing on her lips.
She used a delicate silver letter opener to break the wax seal and quickly scanned the contents.
As expected, Crown Prince Will had chosen to submit, agreeing to all the conditions.
This “pragmatism” saved her considerable trouble and allowed her to focus on the battle for the Holy Capital and… how to properly settle her beloved “canary.”
However, when her eyes fell upon the last line of the letter—a neat script filled with endless humility and desperate pleading—the Empress’s composed, commanding smile froze instantly.
“…I humbly request Your Majesty’s permission to see Miss Eileen Raven one more time.”
See her again?!
Frederica’s fingers clenched tightly around the letter! The smooth, resilient paper groaned under the strain, her knuckles whitening from the force.
Deep within her eyes, a cold and frenzied flame named “possessiveness” erupted like a wildfire thrown into boiling oil.
Eileen was already hers! She had poured countless efforts and plotted for years, even igniting a war, to finally lock this rare treasure into her golden cage!
She was the only light in Frederica’s dark life—
That shameless Crown Prince, who once hurt Eileen, abandoned her, and had long been completely erased from Eileen’s life as a former fiancé—
That weak, foolish, utterly irresponsible puppet of the Kingdom!
What right did he have?! What qualifications?! How dare he ask to see Eileen again?!
A fierce, almost instinctive sense of crisis and territorial rage gripped Frederica’s heart!
She would never allow it! No one—especially Will—would be permitted to disturb her and Eileen again!
In Eileen’s world, there could only be Frederica! Her gaze, her thoughts, her everything belonged solely to herself!
Anyone who dared approach, spy on, or lay a hand on her would be utterly erased!
The Empress’s face darkened like the sky before a storm. Her earlier calm and scheming vanished, replaced by the icy killing intent of a beast guarding its prey.
She stared fixedly at that line of words, a storm gathering in her violet eyes as she sank into a long, suffocating silence.
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet. Even Chancellor Otto felt a chill and instinctively held his breath, lowering his head further.
He knew that the Empress’s silence in this moment was far more terrifying than any roar.
As her subject, he wisely remained silent, even if asked how to respond—he would feign ignorance.
“…Agree to it.”
Only after a long pause did she finally exhale deeply and speak this sentence.
This was also what Eileen needed to sever her past completely.