The next day, early in the morning, in the throne room…

Cycelia is sitting in her throne with her regalia mantle draped over her shoulders, wearing her jeweled crown on her head, and holding a scepter of solid gold on her lap. Straf stands at one side of the throne, while the young guard captain stands at the other. Sir Vinis is just below, at the steps, and all are staring at a gaggle of diplomats from the empire's neighboring kingdoms. The diplomats are looking up at Cycelia with awkward, tight-lipped grimaces, and holding rolled up documents in their hands.

「Your highness… Our side would like to accept your offer of peace delivered by your diplomats.」「O- Ours too…」「…And ours…」

One of the diplomats breaks the silence, to which the ones at his sides and behind him join in, nodding their heads.

「I see… One moment, please…」

With a serious but lightly confused expression on her face, Cycelia returns a small nod of her chestnut head. She turns to Straf, leaning in.

「…Straf! What offer of peace are they talking about? And why so soon? Is this a trick?」

She asks in a hushed voice, narrowing one eye at him, showing her utter confusion plainly as her serious expression disappears just for Straf.

「Hmm… I'll have to see their actual treaties, but I can clear things up right away…」

With his fists on his hips and a nonchalant grimace on his face, Straf shrugs and returns his bored eyes to the group of men below.

「…Does this mean your entire alliance no longer wants to fight!?」

Straf calls out, nodding up at the man in the front of the group.

「Ahh… Err…」

Lightly taken aback, the man looks around himself, and the diplomats exchange uneasy glances.

「…Any alliance between our kingdoms was strictly informal. Rest assured, we did not plot or plan to attack you.」

The man replies, spreading his hands with an awkward grimace on his face.

「This supposed alliance was formed shortly after King Verdes had been worried terribly about the sudden invasion of Telas Kingdom. It's purely defensive, but…」

Another diplomat chimes in, but stops himself short of saying something. He looks around, and exchanges awkward glances with the rest.

「…Simply put, our side were gravely concerned that after Parnatau Kingdom, we were next, one after another. We simply came to a conclusion that we had to attack when your forces were spent.」

Yet another man chimes in, filling in the thought all of the diplomats had in their mind. They nod along as he explains, and look at the empress with tight-lipped grimaces on their faces.

「And what made you change your mind, instead of pressing on with the attack?」

Cycelia asks, inquisitively raising her hand at the group.

「That is…」

「Err…」

「Well…」

All of the diplomats suddenly shrink and begin glancing at each other for someone else to say something. Straf is struggling to not burst out into laughter, but is keeping it contained so far.

「…As I have said, the alliance is purely defensive. When your diplomat expressed your wish to return to peace between our kingdoms, and maintain this peace… Well…」

The man at the front begins explaining again after a moment of searching for words that reveal just enough, and not too much.

「…We are not warlike people. We only wish for peace, that's why we cannot in good conscience turn down your offer of a new diplomatic channel.」

He adds, shrugging his shoulders. The rest of the men nod along in agreement, still awkward-faced.

「Uhhh… Huuhhh…」

Cycelia nods back, furrowing her brows.

「…Straf! What diplomatic channel?」

She quickly turns to Straf and asks in a hushed voice.

「You'll see, Lia… For now, let's see those peace treaties! You! You first!」

Straf replies with a shrug, then points at the diplomat at the front, calling out to him. He takes a step forward, and Sir Vinis approaches the man, taking the rolled up document from his hand. The magnate's hair floats in the air for a moment when he takes an abrupt turn, and heads back to the throne in a rapid, steady pace.

「Your majesty…」

Sir Vinis climbs the steps to the throne, and holds the document up for Cycelia to take with his head lowered. She takes it, and the long-haired magnate backs away to beneath the throne.

She lets the heavy scepter rest in her lap, and unrolls the treaty. Straf leans in to read it with her.

「See, this is the part about diplomatic channels. Remember that projection slab? I'll give each of those assholes one.」

Straf points his finger at one part of the document subtitled「Diplomatic channels and preserving the peace」roughly in the center of the treaty.

「…To foster instant communication between our kingdoms. Was this your idea, Straf? That's great, cutting down on the wait between diplomatic messages like that.」

Cycelia reads a part of the text, then beams a happy, pleased smile at Straf before returning her emerald eyes to the treaty. The empty-handed diplomat idly fidgets with this thumbs.

「…Are the provisions in this treaty the same, or similar to the rest of your alliance? Were the rest of you also offered a diplomatic channel?」

She reads a little more, and raises her gaze up to the group of the diplomats, asking them a question with a serious, stern expression on her face.

「It seems so, your highness…」「I believe so…」「Yes, your highness…」

The diplomats nod their heads, still grimacing. Cycelia lowers her eyes back down to the treaty for a few moments more, then nods too.

「Very well, I will sign it.」

Cycelia declares, and a frigid-faced, inconspicuous maid approaches the throne from the side with a silver tray in her white-cuffed hands.

「Your majesty…」

She bows her frilled head as she presents Cycelia an ink pot and a pristinely white quill laid out the silver tray, along with a thin block of wood.

Cycelia takes the quill, gives its tip a quick dip in the ink pot, and begins scribbling on the treaty with the block of wood serving as a writing support on her lap.

Fwapffwap…

Paper flutters as she raises the signed treaty and shows its text-filled side to the diplomats, staring at them with serious gaze.

「May the world know that there is now peace between my empire and your kingdom, and let Mercia preserve it… Sir Vinis.」

She declares with a loud, clear voice and a stern face, then turns her emerald eyes to the waiting magnate below, calling out to him in a much softer, quieter voice.

He nods his nearly blond head, takes the treaty off Cycelia's hands, and approaches the diplomat to return the signed treaty to him. When the document is in the man's hands, he visibly lets out a relieved huff, then tugs at his fancy shirt's collar a few times, while the rest remain awkward, grimacing, and nervous.

「Next!…」

Cycelia calls out, and points her hand at one of the diplomats off to his side…

…

A little over ten minutes later…

「…Aaand signed.」

Cycelia quietly mumbles to herself while scribbling her name on another document yet again. A small smile briefly flashes on her face before she looks up from her lap, and realizes that the diplomats are still in fact there. It quickly disappears off to somewhere, and her face becomes stern once more. Sir Vinis approaches the throne without needing to be prompted, and takes the signed treaty off her hands with a small nod of his head.

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Like a drowning man for something buoyant to grab onto, the last diplomat waiting for the treaty greedily stretches his hands out for the sheet of paper. He similarly lets out a relieved exhale when it's finally in his hands, and the diplomats exchange knowing looks, some even suppress smirks.

「And with that, here. The diplomatic channels…」

Straf declares as he walks down the steps of the throne, pulling out projector slabs out of his [Portable Storage], stacking them into his arm like pizza boxes.

「You, you… And you…」

With a nonchalant, lightly disdainful tight-lipped grimace, he hands each of the diplomats one of the slabs. They come pre-installed with a magic gem at the back of their thin body, and the gem is the only indication that there is a front-back orientation to begin with. The men weigh the rather heavy slabs in their hands, and look at them with curious eyes, investigating the carved out runic circle stretching along the flat surface. It glows faintly with pale blue light, barely visible in the sunlight pouring in through the tall windows.

「…Quick explanation of their operation. Number one is for us. There's a small number carved out on the bottom to tell you which one is yours, so figure it out between yourselves…」

Straf walks a few steps in front of the diplomats, then turns to face them with his fists on his hips as he begins explaining. The diplomats look at the underside of the slabs, squinting their eyes.

「…You press the number, and you wait for the other side to press answer. Once you're done talking, if either of you presses over, the call ends…」

He continues, raising his index finger as he speaks. The diplomats listen, nodding to each other and speaking in hushed tones as they look at him, the slabs, and glance at each other.

「…If you press multiple numbers, that means it'll be a conference call… By the way, if you're in a call already and someone else calls, their number will flash…」

After a sigh and audibly growing weary of the explanation, quickly losing the ability to at least feign a neutral tone, Straf waves circles with his hand as he continues explaining.

「…If you want to pick it up, you press answer to- Well, fucking guess what will happen if you press answer when someone is calling!…」

Straf's face winces in anger, and he throws his arms up with a shout, before returning his hands to his hips in fist, staring at the diplomats with with his mouth heavily scrunched to the side.

「…It's just a fucking magic phone! People could figure out regular, electric phones by themselves just fine! I'm sure you can do it! Good luck!」

He exclaims, shrugging his arms, and dismisses the diplomats with a wave of his hand as he turns around to make his way back to Cycelia's side.

「Ahh… Can I ask one question?…」

One of the diplomats meekly raises his hand. Straf stops in his tracks, glaring at him over his shoulder with a scowl on his face.

「…Who has the number zero? If one is Redwing Empire, and none of us has zero…」

After a moment of hesitation, the diplomat asks. The rest of them nod, staring at Straf with nervous grimaces.

「Rankor Kingdom. 'Cause they're fucking losers.」

Straf shrugs, and casually replies as he walks up the steps.

Cycelia smiles at him as he joins her side, then turns her stern face to the diplomats.

「…Is there anything else that your kings wish to tell me?」

She asks the diplomats in a loud, clear voice.

「N- No, your highness… I believe that's everything…」

The diplomat at the front shakes his head and quickly exchanges glances with the rest. They nod their heads in agreement.

「Then this audience is over. You are free to leave.」

With a gentle sweep of her dainty hand, she waves the diplomats off, still speaking with a serious expression on her face.

「Then, thank you, your highness… Peace and prosperity to your empire…」

The diplomat replies, bowing as he bids Cycelia farewell. The rest of the men likewise bow, and back away a few steps before turning for the door. In the hallway, the diplomats' faces break into smirks and grins as soon as they step out of Cycelia's line of sight. They rush for the stairs in a hurried half-jog, patting each other on their shoulders.

「Hehehe… He he… I thought we were done for. King Verdes is going to fund me a mansion for pulling this off.」

One of the diplomats grins as they descend down the stairs. As they pass by a maid in the hallway below, she tilts her frilled head, confused as to why the men are in such a jovial mood.

「No kidding!… I was thinking…「No way! There's no chance they don't know! There's just no way! She'll never sign it! No way!」…Over and over!」

A man at the rear of the group breaks into a cackle, narrating his thoughts for the rest. The rest of the men chuckle briefly.

「…Ahhh. Man, anyone up for drinks, or are you heading straight back to your land? I need a stiff one. If they would find out about the riots and the money situation-」

Plap.

「Ssh!」「Idiot!」「Quiet!」

Another diplomat asks, tugging at his collar with a grin on his face. He is quickly silenced by another, who squeezes his hand over his mouth, and the rest hush him with tight-lipped grimaces.

「…The walls have ears!」

The man whispers through his clenched teeth, and pulls his hand away from the other diplomat's mouth.

「…Alright, alright. So, no drinks?」

The guilty diplomat nods with his palms apologetically raised, and asks again…

…

Around the same time, back in the throne room…

「Hmmmmgghhhh!… Ahhhh…」

With her arms raised and fingers interlocked, Cycelia groans and moans as she stretches on her throne. The buttons on her shirt beg for mercy while Straf stares from the side.

「…I'm glad that's over. I really don't like having to put on the high and mighty act.」

Cycelia smiles up at Straf, while in the background, the inconspicuous maid departs the throne room with the silver tray.

「You are high and mighty, though…」

Straf bluntly replies with his brows lightly raised.

「Eheheh… You know what I mean, Straf. I don't like to showily put myself above others…」

Cycelia giggles quietly, covering her mouth with a loose fist as she turns her face away for a moment.

「…Isn't it implicit? I just don't like all this posturing… But if I don't do it, others in power will get the wrong idea that I'm weak, or incompetent…」

She shrugs her shoulders as she ask with a completely neutral expression, and plucks her crown off her chestnut head. She hands it to the captain of the guard, who waits with a red pillow in his hands. The crown is then joined by the scepter when she rests it on the pillow. She stands up, and smiles a little when Straf unclasps her mantle for her. She returns a grateful nod to Straf as he folds the mantle in an unperceivable instant and lazily drops it onto the pillow in a perfect square.

「Thank you… Ahhh… It's such a bother, Straf. Sometimes I wish I was born somewhere as just a regular girl. I could go on adventures with you again, like last year.」

She lets out a sigh, and turns to face him with her hands held in front of herself, smiling softly at Straf, tilting her chestnut head slightly.

「You know we can still do that, right?…」

Straf quickly looks around the throne room for Sir Vinis, but he, too, departed.

「…That prick is ruling now. Nothing is stopping you from just leaving with me.」

He shrugs with a nod towards the open throne room doors.

「I knoooow… But it feels wrong to just leave it all behind. I was feeling anxious about what was happening back in the capital when we were in the Academy.」

With an awkward smirk, she shrugs her head and shoulders, then returns her emerald eyes up to Straf's bored ones.

「Well… Want to at least have a walk around the city with me? You're kind of cooped up in the palace aren't you, studying magic this whole time?」

Straf asks, quizzically spreading his hands with his brows raised.

「Mhm. That'd be a good change of pace. Want to look around the city for cool places?」

She nods, and takes a step down, intentionally mimicking Straf with a smile on her face.

「Sure… I might even know a few.」

As his hands snake their way back into his pockets, Straf shrugs, descending down the steps to join Cycelia…