Empress Yuzui’s morning began early, with the rising of the sun a knock came at her door and stirred her from her dreams. A few moments later, more servants came and helped the young empress dress.

She preferred eating in her room for breakfast as opposed to the vast empty dining hall, so once she was ready, a butler would arrive with her toast and boiled eggs.

A simple meal, but the imperial chef’s refused to treat it as such. Her toast was the best of an entire loaf, and each egg was boiled down to the millisecond to ensure perfect yolk consistency. Her attempts to ease their work with simpler requests, did little but complicate their work further.

“Highness, I’ve brought the first selections.” Consul Binigal said after stepping into her office once her breakfast tray had been taken away.

Setting down her teacup, the Empress retrieved the pile of papers from her advisors outstretched hand.

These would be the first set of responses from the cities and villages nearer the capital. Flipping through, she mostly saw responses within her expectations.

Outright rejections with xenophobic undertones, pollyannish endorsements with little regard to consequences or realism, none presented an opinion she hadn’t considered herself before even composing her proclamation.

“Anything strike you?” Yuzui asked while flipping through and skimming for anything of interest.

“Honestly?” The consul asked with a grimace, “The only one I read more than once was the rejection sent by an elder from Biyulunt Monastery.”

Landing on the paper as soon as he mentions it, Yuzui glanced through it’s bold print with expression morphing to match the Consul’s the more she read.

She underestimated just how much distrust and hatred had formed over the ages. Many would sooner destroy the united fleet than allow it passage in imperial water.

The kings and rulers of the mid-continent intended the Empire’s port to be a neutral location where they could meet and formulate their planned voyage, but as it stood the empire could only be considered neutral due to equal distain across all participants.

If the conference is surrounded by protests on the streets, how would anyone possibly let their guard down around enemy representatives.

The Empress felt increasingly pressured to deny the conference, but that came with its own complications. If a fleet was really formed, it would undoubtably pass imperial ports. One way or another; resupplies would be acquired.

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So, it would be war either way. A winnable one, or an unknown. The winnable one, ought not be fought, but the unknown holds a primal fear as its greatest weapon.

“What would you do Consul?” The empress eventually asked once again after rereading through the Elderly Scholar’s heavy-handed words.

The older advisor cleared his throat into a fist as he arranged his thoughts into a digestible format. “Do you remember watching the birds in the garden when you were young?”

“In the birdbath?” The Yuzui asked with a small smile, not expecting to recall such an old event.

“Mhm,” He confirmed with a small nod, “There were two or three sparrows that would occasionally fight over the bath beside the gèrose shrubs, each would only get a few dunks in the bath before being chased off by the others, and you asked me ‘Why don’t they share? There would be plenty of room.’ It was that moment that I committed to serving you. I didn’t have an answer for you then, same as I don’t have an answer now. But if you approach this in the same way you watched those birds back then, your answer may not be right, but it will be correct.”

“That’s really not helpful.” Yuzui admitted with a hint of frustration after considering it a moment. “But I appreciate the confidence boost.”

“Be patient. This decision doesn’t need to be rushed.” Consul Binigal reminded her with a smirk. “There’s a lot more responses yet to come, perhaps one of those will help your mind clear.”

“Hopefully.” She shrugged, tossing the papers onto her desk, and leaning into her elaborate wicker seat. “Was there anything else?”

“Another three dart attacks were recorded.” The consul quietly stated with lowered head. “Two caused casualties, and the other fortunately crashed before anyone got hurt.”

“How many?” The empress asked, biting her lip to ease the pain.

“At least twenty, as well as a few serious injuries, so the monasteries have already sent aid.”

“I see.” Yuzui nodded, swallowing back the drips of blood she’d drawn from her lip. “You may go.”

“Yes, your highness.” Binigal said gently with a deep bow. He knew better than to argue with the ruler, so he had no choice but to turn around and shut the door on his way out.

Empress Sarataq, Yuzui’s mother, was an incredibly wise woman, and she wouldn’t hesitate to speak her thoughts aloud. This made it extremely easy on her Consul and various advisors, but Yuzui was the opposite.

On the surface she seemed air-headed and distant to those around her, but when she asked questions, her curious gaze would pierce the speaker forcing them to rethink every word they uttered. Half the time, her questions would almost sound rhetorical until thought about further.

Still, many advisors were unsure whether she truly shared her mother’s wisdom, they would constantly challenge her character behind closed doors and nothing Binigal said to them would change the behavior.

The castle grounds maybe large, but voices travel far on cold nights. It’s no wonder Yuzui would rarely call upon any of her advisors aside from Binigal.

A cup clinked lightly in the Empresses’ study as she set down the empty teacup and breathed out the last of its fragrant odor. Hey eyes danced around the various decorative heirlooms left over by her ancestors, as her mind juggled the daze of thoughts and questions she’d gathered over her short reign.

Was the loss of free-will worth uncertain safety? It was hard to rationalize.