The Principality of Darscen is a nation arising out of the ashes of the Roman Empire. Like many of her neighbors at the time, the Principality grew by absorbing the remnants of the old Empire, thus establishing her sovereignty in the European Low Lands. Despite sporting fertile lands and riverways with access to bustling maritime tradings, Darscen had been one of many countries that fell short when the Industrial Era kicked in. Easily left behind in terms of both economic and military power, thus pulling her diplomatic presence down the drain, the Principality had been the one to eye Ustio with envy. The latter was one of the first to industrialize their economy, pulling in untold riches from her overseas colony in the process.

Unable to accept being left behind on the world stage, Darscen committed herself to a period of modernization and to carve out a land of her own overseas. The Principality hoped that given time, the Low Lands country would be a power rivaling that of her neighbors. For a while, Darscen succeeded on the former, but as for the latter? Let's just say that the colonial pie already had its slices distributed back then. Much like Old Belka's failed attempt at establishing a colony pre-WW1, Darscen failed too due to the machination of countries like Ustio. But unlike the Old Belka who had been unable to retaliate and eventually changed into a new regime, Darscen was livid and she had the power to strike back.

Hence, at the turn of the twentieth century, the Principality of Darscen declared war on the Kingdom of Ustio. At the time, Darscen had a small, but modernly equipped and highly trained military. However, the same couldn't fully be applied to Ustio. Much of their military was geared for colonial security and not expecting the smaller country to outright stage a war, Ustio was caught with her skirt down. For three months, Darscen armies steamrolled through the regions around Dunkirk and Nancy in a pincer attack, thus threatening to advance into Paris by the fourth month. Prior to that and in a dastardly move, the Principality's Navy heavily laid down mines along major Ustian harbors, crippling and delaying any fleet response from Ustian command. When the fourth month was almost over, with Darscen armies right on Paris' doorsteps, something changed on the battlefield. The introduction of Ustian machine guns, housed in fortified emplacements around the outskirts of Paris, had effectively halted the advance of swaths of elite but unarmored Darcsen infantries.

With the recent introduction of machine guns in the colonized states a couple of years back, Darscen, despite recent modernization, had elected to ignore the machine guns, having deemed them as only a fluke against uncivilized populations. Apparently, the Principality's top brass failed to get the memo. So, imagine the shock of Darcsen soldiers when the Ustian's Hotchkiss machine guns never stop cutting them down like cutting weed. In just a single day of trying to break into Paris, even with help from towed artillery, the Principality of Darscen lost 10000 men without taking a single mile forward. The loss to the Principality was so staggering that the entire regional command chain was thrown into chaos, effectively halting their offensive. In the end, Ustio had bought enough time to counterattack, and they did so with a righteous fury.

Utilizing the hesitation of the Darcscen military, Ustio breaks their Navy out from the minefields, even going as far as bringing their battle-hardened colonial military back for a large-scale naval invasion of Darscen's homeland. The Darscen Navy amounted to nothing when compared to the old fox that is Ustio. Not stopping there, a major counteroffensive was sprung to recapture lost Ustian territories. In a manner reminiscence of the start of this war, Ustio staged a two-pronged assault, completely overwhelming the Principality's military. From the Northernmost port city of Arash to the forestry gorges of Luxembourg, Ustian army men rolled through the terrains before reconvening for a siege on the capital city of Darcscen, Brussels.

The war was poised to end in its eight-month despite stubborn Dardscen defenders stalwartly keeping their capital standing. Unbelievably, however, this short, but bloody war ended in an abrupt way. The Kingdom of Erusea stepped in, calling for a ceasefire between both parties. It's unknown why Erusea was the one to stand out and negotiate peace between both sides but ultimately, the guns stopped firing, but only at a grave disservice to the Principality of Darscen. All captured Ustian lands were to be returned to their former owner, and the majority of Darscen territories taken by the Ustian military were retained by the Kingdom of Ustio. Notable cities and towns that were transferred to Ustio control were Arash and Luxembourg among many others. In the end, around 1/3rd of Darscen was ceded to Ustio. A major stretch of land to the East of Brussels would be flying the Ustian flag for years. This effectively allowed Ustio to surround the Principality in all three cardinal directions on lands, leaving just the Northern Ocean approach as Darscen's only way to connect with the rest of the world.

In a way, Ustio was the clear victor in this short conflict. Darscen lost everything in the span of eight months, crippling any further expansion effort. And thus, the feud between the two countries' citizens was born, one that lasted till today. Darscens hate Ustians for having everything and Ustians hate Darscens for invading their home. The latter even goes as far as belittling the Darscens as the butt of Europe due to their current geopolitical status.

There will be consequences in doing so, however. But that is a story for another day.

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In the mostly rural, with dense Ardennes forest and nature parks in the north, rocky gorges of the Mullerthal region in the east, and the Moselle river valley in the southeast, lies the city of Luxembourg. In the heart of this fortified city with medieval heritage is the former Principality Grand Ducal Palace, now named Grand Reformist Palace. The Palace, with its prime geological position, serves as both a home and a base of operation for the leader of the Ustian Reformist faction, Princess Rosa Bonaparte. After seizing control of this Palace from the Darscens all those years ago, the Palace and its many quarters currently sport luxurious Ustian furniture, and even Belkan ones thanks to the Princess' close ties with the Reich Marshal. One such well-furnished area of the Palace is the kitchen, which is occupied by the very owner of the building and her love-maid.

"Slowly, Rosa, you don't want to drop those croissants now, do you?" Mary, Rosa Bonaparte's lover and her current teacher in the art of baking, gently advised. The girl is crossing her arms beneath her bust, unintentionally emphasizing her feminine asset and causing Rosa a troubling time concentrating on pulling out a tray of baked croissants. When Rosa lays down the tray on a kitchen table and removes her oven gloves, Mary steps in to take in the smell and test the texture of the baked goodies.

Picking up a croissant, Mary nibbles on it before commenting on its taste. "Impressive. This batch is a clear improvement over the previous ones. Buttery flavor with flaky layered, finely made indeed." Mary smiles before handing over another croissant to Rosa who takes it with a smile.

"Thanks~!"

"You're the one that has been putting in the hard work. Why thank me?" Mary chuckled as the pair started enjoying the fluffy treats. While they're finishing up their second croissant, Rosa can't help but say wistfully.

"If only Yuki was here to taste these, it has been quite a while since we've met face to face."

Mary nods while nibbling on the croissant. "It has been what, 6 months? You have been busied with managing our ever-growing faction and God knows just how bad the workload is on the Marshal's end."

Rosa blanches. "Ugh... Whatever free time I have I either devote it to rest or improving myself, or I learn baking to destress." The Princess then directs a heartwarming smile at Mary. "Thanks for teaching me to bake, by the way. It did wonders for my staunched nerves."

"You're welcome, Rosa. Say, we still have a bit of time left, want to go and boast the fruit of your labor to Yuki? I reckon she is also taking a rest at this point in time."

Rosa is just about to answer yes when a knock is here at the doorway to the kitchen. "Perhaps you can put a hold on that thought for now."

The pair of Princess and maid look over to the door, seeing a woman, draped in a Belkan officer attire with the rank of Brigadier General. Said Brigadier has a killer body, befitting of her race which is that of a succubus. Rosa smiles, recognizing the female. "Alexa, what brings you here? And is there something you want to tell us?"

Alexa steps in, breathing in the aroma of the baked goods. "Smell delicious. May I?"

Rosa nods while Mary pushes the tray closer to Brigadier Alexa. The succubus picks one croissant up for a bite. "Umu, simply scrumptious. And to answer your question, the 404th has done their quota of supervising the training of your recruits. They can use a bit of a touch-up, considering that many of them used to be forced conscripts, but they're improving. I have to admit that despite we used to kill them in droves, they're surprisingly tenacious. Especially so when they now have a cause to believe in, and that is you." Alexa pointed at Rosa with her half-eaten treat, a gesture that could have been considered rude to royalty if not for the friendship they built over the years.

Given their status as a Panzer Elite Division, words about the 404th rarely ever reached the news these days. Despite dropping off the grid for most of the time since the Months of Demons started, the 404th Ironblood Division has taken an active role in testing new weapons, developing new doctrines, and training members of the Ustian Reformists Army in the art of combined arms. So far, Brigadier Alexa has been the acting commander of the 404th for about two years give or take a couple of months. In that duration, Alexa has worked closely with Princess Rosa to get her army up to snuff.

"I take that as a compliment." Rosa smirked before saying. "So? That's not all right?"

"Yup," Alexa nods. "Just got words from Berlin. Yuki is inviting you gals over for some fun, what's with the Hunt for Bismarck fiasco coming to a close and all that... She said something about a pleasant surprise too so you better keep your help on the swivel."

"Wait, an invite? As in an official invitation for me to go there?" Rosa asked back.

"Based on her words, it's both official and unofficial, somewhat leaned toward the latter, in my opinion." Alexa replied with a shrug. "There's already a Condor prepped for your departure."

Hearing the answer, Rosa jumps up in glee. "Yatta!" Before she runs out of the kitchen, presumably going back to her private quarter to prepare for the trip.

Seeing Rosa's sudden hyperactiveness, Alexa raises an eyebrow at Mary. The maid just wryly smile. "As you would have known by now, Rosa desperately needs a break from her work. And it has been a long time since she sees the Marshal in person."

Alexa hums. "I supposed I could understand her glee. Once you get to know the Marshal properly, she's a person that can easily capture your heart. It doesn't take being a succubus to see that Rosa is head over heels for her." The Brigadier then smirks. "But I guess the same can be said for you too, Mary."

The maid smiles before bowing gracefully. "Any person that can bring happiness to my Rosa is a dear friend of mine... Or something more altogether."

Mary then excuses herself, leaving Alexa behind, smiling to herself. "Geez, Yuki sure is a charming lady to enrapture the hearts of these girls so effortlessly." She then finishes the last piece of her croissant. "And here I thought I'm the succubus here."