"I must say, that was a bold, and quite possibly, reckless decision."

Prime Minister Alexa didn't look quite amused at Amelie. The two met this morning at a nice Pavilion near the Palace. It was a nice day, even though it snowed hard yesterday. While it was cold, it wasn't that cold today. Still, Amelie prepared tea for herself and Alexa. There was no weather where tea would not be a good addition during a meeting, after all.

Amelie sipped her tea.

"I had to do it. To appease them, at the very least." She had always reasoned this to everyone who showed reservations about her policies regarding the Armed Forces. Appeasement wasn't perfect, but it served her goals.

"An eight-billion Blanc appeasement scheme."

"Well, we bought the Royal Guard's support with the budget increase last week." She gave her a neutral stare. Alexa was not in a position to judge her when she had suggested and done the same, just to the Royal Guard. "I just did the same. And now look at what I have."

She handed her a letter. Both the Admiralty and PHI corporation were delighted with her decision. Especially the Admiralty. She even laughed at it yesterday, they sure did love ships and the ability to build them.

"It's from the Admiralty. They commended my decision. I know that does not mean that they would be on our side, but it's something."

Alexa looked at it and chuckled. "It's just a piece of paper."

"Yeah, but it's something." She frowned. "The General Staff for one have not even congratulated me for my coronation. Only the Air Force and the Admiralty did. Just a reminder that it could be worse. I'm just happy that I'm now building some goodwill with the Admiralty at least."

Amelie shook her head in frustration at the Army. Alexa also looked frustrated as she spoke.

"Well, the Army's clearly plotting something. Worse, they're not even being subtle about it." Alexa sighed. Indeed, the Army wasn't subtle in its intentions. Almost as if they wanted to make it obvious that they would absolutely start a civil war should they not get what they desired - reforms and power.

She hated those rascals. To threaten women with guns, it was utterly reprehensible.

But if there was anything she would give to the General Staff, it would be the fact that their actions seemed ingenious. The Parliament, the Court, and the general public now seemed terrified at the prospect of civil war.

Even she was, she reminded herself, as she remembered the mess that was the appointment of General Heindhöff as Minister of Defense.

Even Amelie in front of her was the same. No wonder she approved the project. Their threats of terror were clearly working. A civil war was something no one, especially the relatively well-off middle-class women wanted. It was a common argument, especially from the liberal wing of her party that advocated for minor reforms.

"Let them have some of it, or we all won't have it."

So much so that most middle-class women supported the idea of minor reforms. Both were due to their genuine progressive ideals - but mostly fear. Fear of the war that they had watched from the comfort of their homes reaching their doorsteps.

"And of course, they would. They want to leverage their military power and turn it into political power." She continued. She sipped her tea, then placed the teacup down. "And since you conceded to one of their demands, they have just succeeded on that front."

Amelie smiled. True, she conceded to the demands of the military. But, it was a part of her new grand strategy that she formulated after countless nights of research and consultations.

Unlike Alexa who planned only on bringing in as little reform as she could get away with, without starting a civil war - Amelie was different. For her, nothing but full reforms would be acceptable. And, as far as she can see, Alexa was wrong. Only full reforms would stop a Civil War. If it could even stop it.

And to bring in the reforms, the situation in Orland must be engineered. She could not let the Military nor the Corporations grow weak even if they were a direct threat to her, as they were now the Vanguard of men and the male rights movement. To weaken them would mean the movement would be weakened, and then the nobility would just once again repress them.

But also, she would have no means to weaken them in the first place. The government already asked them to demobilize - they didn't. And they would not. To ask them any further, or to block their interests, would mean civil war.

To her goals, that would be unacceptable.

Plus, according to Albert, the reason why the Army was so hostile, was due to the sizeable and growing radical minority in its ranks.

But most importantly, was the apathetic majority that had no choice but to follow the radicals. Most soldiers in the Army could be described as aimless sheep. Tired of the war, they would want nothing more than peaceful reforms, so they could finally get back home to their civilian lives.

Unfortunately, the war and the current political climate had also left them disillusioned and anxious. Even the Navy and the Air Force were the same. As they faced an uncertain future, with their rights still threatened, they naturally chose to hold on to their rifles.

To them, both the Crown and the Parliament were untrustable, which left them with one option - to follow the radicals and their bloodthirsty solutions.

But that was the weak link. They could still be reasoned with, and she aimed to make sure that she could give them a reason to put down their rifles and go home, or join the moderates and leave the cursed radicals. With that, the Army, or some of it, would be on her side - and they would be able to aid her in changing the Kingdom for the better.

But that would only happen once the elections ended, and a new government, preferably a reformist one was in power. One that she could use to bring in her reforms, and finally show them that the Crown and the Parliament could be trusted. For now, she needed to delay. She planned to do this by temporarily conceding whenever the Military asked for something until she gained enough support from the moderates from the planned reforms. Once this was completed, the threat the radicals posed would be neutralized.

"Because I plan on winning over the moderates." She replied to Alexa. "The Orlish Republican Party showed that not all men are radicalized. We can still get them on our side. Had I denied that project, the Redemption Front would have had another propaganda victory. I don't want more moderates flocking to the NRF."

Alexa looked surprised.

"...I'm surprised. Yes, that is indeed correct."

Amelie smiled at her praise. Sometimes she felt like she was now becoming a genuine Queen, as she strategized and navigated the complex web of Orlish politics.

"Well, Albert gave me advice."

"Your brother? I see. Well, it is quite decent advice. Indeed, that is true."

"Yeah...I don't really want more extremists. I think they're the greatest threat to my rule. If I could stamp them out through concessions, so be it."

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Even then, it would be a delicate balancing act. The Army, in every single way, was different from the Navy or the Air Force. Many on the General Staff, especially Heindhöff was still an extremist. Even if she could gain the support of many in the lower ranks (which was questionable), those higher up would still be a problem.

But if she disfavored and cracked down on the Military, she might as well just shoot herself with a fireball. She would absolutely lose whatever goodwill she had with the Navy - and the Army would start a civil war, which would most likely lead to the rest of the Armed Forces joining in. She would be dead in a week.

And then there was the issue of the Royal Guard and the conservatives turning hostile. A limit existed on how much she could favor the Military and men on her policies before the Royal Guard and their aristocratic backers turned against her.

But she could not also favor both in the long term. If a civil war broke out, she would have no allies then. A neutral crown would be a dead crown.

It's just such a mess! Internally, Amelie hated the situation fully. It was almost as if every decision she would take was the equivalent of dipping oneself in a frying pan.

Which was why she went all in with the shipyard project. Again, it would buy her time until the elections and her planned reforms by appeasing the army. But more importantly, was the navy. The Navy was what mattered for her immediate survival. If she failed in this dance of politics, well, those ships would be very useful.

Though of course, she would prefer not to run. Nor would she let her Kingdom fall apart in the first place.

"Still, you're not fully correct. Now, some members of Parliament are angry," Alexa added. "And Dubois was especially dissatisfied by it. The conservatives are protesting this. Some loudly."

"Yeah, she did give me a letter."

Well, it was a mostly generic letter, with the Archduchess informing her of how her decision "was a mistake" except it was filled with the classic aristocratic language of respect. Almost like a warning, that obviously tried to not sound like a warning since the Archduchess was addressing the very Queen.

"How was it."

"It wasn't that bad."

Alexa chuckled in amusement. "Good, Pristina can be quite aggressive at getting what she wants. It's nice to know that she still has lines she would not cross."

"She really wants that position, huh?" Again and again, at every turn that she would meet that woman, the issue of the Ministry of Defense would be bought up.

"Yeah, she does. To be fair, if it weren't for Heindhöff's threats, I would have appointed her instead."

That surprised Amelie. Heindhöff threatened her? That...could be a bit of a tiny problem with her plan.

"Wait...he did?"

"I told you already. It's an open secret. I had no choice that day. There were hundreds of thousands of troops on Halia during the Victory Parade."

Nope, this was ridiculous. The hole in her plan had now just increased. She groaned internally, she would have to make readjustments again.

"So...you appointed him?"

"On the grounds of ensuring national security, yes. Plus, I should remind you, that we still do not know who killed your mother. We blame the Royal Guard or the Army, but for all we know it could have just been a bunch of terrorists - or a foreign plot."

Amelie looked even more downtrodden. The investigations were proceeding at a snail's pace. The question of who did it remained uncertain, which naturally left everyone - including her, anxious and paranoid.

Still...Heindhöff threatened Alexa. The Orlish Government itself was threatened. That meant...no, she would focus on investigating the Army and Heindhöff from now on. For the past weeks, her suspicions pointed to the military. Perhaps, they really did this.

But then again, she was already committed to siding with the Armed Forces.

This headache just keeps getting worse and worse. Did I make a mistake? I just made a mistake, didn't I?

"On the brighter side of things, I've already established the independent investigation team that you asked for," Alexa said, in an attempt to console her. "A trusted Royal Guard knight, Marie Wittfield would lead it."

Immediately, Amelie's eyes widened at the mention of Marie Wittfield - who was her childhood friend and playmate until she was fourteen. It was as if she had just forgotten about her possible blunder.

"Marie? As in, that Marie?"

"She's a prodigy at magic and law, yet for some reason she joined the Royal Guard instead of becoming a lawyer. She's rising in the ranks of the Royal Guard too fast though, so I did a background check on her. As far as I can see, she's just an ambitious and naturally talented young lady, without much ties to any faction or political interest groups. Except for you and your little sister, I suppose. So it shouldn't be cronyism."

That was great news. She remembered that Marie always had this strange sense of idealism in her - which of course also affected her. She wouldn't be speaking about equality nowadays if it wasn't for Marie's ideals.

Now, of course, there came the problem. This incident seemed...a little too big for someone who seemed inexperienced and young. And since she was of the same age as her, she must be new in the Royal Guard too.

"Um...is she really that good?"

"Yes, but competence isn't the only thing that matters Amelie." She reminded her. "You asked for a team that would operate independently, but would still be loyal to you. Marie will be both loyal to you and competent at the job. Plus, your history with her should let you both work together much more smoothly."

"Did she react well to it?"

"Oh yes, she was ecstatic at the prospect of helping you and the Kingdom. You should go meet her."

She nodded and said yes. Indeed, Amelie could not wait to meet her long-time friend. But something was amiss. Alexa seemed to have done something...quite big for her. Not to mention her other actions in service of her. As far as she knew, that would mean Alexa was expecting something in exchange.

What would it be though?

She smiled, she supposed that she could just find out later.

"Thank you very much, Alexa. You have been a big help for me, ever since the coronation."

"No worries, Your Majesty. I am your Prime Minister after all." She stood up and began packing her things. "Though...of course, you know, the election is coming. The word of the Queen would have a big influence on who the people would vote for."

She looked at her with an expectant expression and smiled. "Have a good day, Your Majesty."

Amelie kept her smile. Of course, that was it. She wanted her support for re-election. How great.

+++

Amelie walked through the Palace's greenhouse garden to clear her mind. The Army, the Army, the Army. How would she deal with this problem? Investigate Heindöff? Remove him?

Perhaps, but how would the rest of the Armed Forces react? Wait, had she even had evidence about his connection to the assassination? And Alexa...she hadn't confirmed it with anyone else. How can she be so sure that Alexa was telling the truth about Heindhöff? That he threatened her?

Though...I doubt that Alexa would do that to me.

"Sister!" A cheerful shout emanated from behind her, and immediately, a young girl lunged at her. Princess Alice hugged her older sister enthusiastically, for the two had not been meeting much for the last few days.

The nine-year-old princess wore a frilly pink dress, which complemented her cuteness. Just the sight of her raised Amelie's mood, and her hand uncontrollably ruffled Alice's blonde hair in response.

Alice's face looked up at her with a smile, before the girl frowned.

"Big sis, why are you grumpy today?"

Immediately, Amelie tried to smile.

"Grumpy? You must be seeing things." She chuckled, while Alice frowned further.

"Hmm, you lie."

"Well, if you think so." She laughed, and so did Alice, now convinced that everything was alright.

Soon, the two were eating cake at a table near many colorful flowers. The two chatted on and on about many topics. Pretty clothes, food, magic, and Alice's studies. Amelie tried her best to avoid any topic regarding politics, or their mother.

But then, another touchy topic came to the table. Albert.

"So, when will Albert come back home? That stupid guy always stays away from us. I want to go out with him too!" Alice pouted in frustration. Before the war, the two had a close relationship, as Albert would always amuse her with his silly tricks and games.

"Albert huh?" She smiled. "I don't know. He's too busy fighting awful people."

"Bad guys? Come on, that's such a lame excuse." Alice crossed her tiny arms. "The 'war' thing is long over, right? I bet he's just out there marching 'left right left right' like some doofus on that ugly ship."

"Hey!" She scolded her jokingly. "Don't call the Rebenslof ugly. Our brother's ship is majestic."

"Majestic? Last time it went here, it was smoking and stuff!"

"Well, it was still smoking majestically."

The two giggled softly at Amelie's bad joke for a while, before Alice slowly stopped.

"But seriously, I miss Albert."

Alice looked down at the piece of cake.

"He also doesn't smile anymore. I miss his silly, playful face."

While Amelie could not relate, because Albert never acted the same way with her growing up, she could still sympathize with Alice. While she had only seen glimpses of it, the two were close. Or at least, had a normal sibling relationship, unlike her. Naturally, Alice would be affected by his absence.

A level of animosity had always existed between her and her older brothers. She was the favored daughter, while the two were the disposable hunks of meat. It didn't help that she would act bratty and arrogantly back when she was younger.

Especially whenever she toyed with the two with her magic. Shame...it was too much.

"I'm sure he'll stop being busy with his work soon. And play with you again." She simply smiled again at Alice to reassure her.

Albert was just one of the millions of men still stuck in the military, with no choice but to stay. For so many reasons, her failing Kingdom had forced their hand to stay on the war machine of Orland.

And it clearly affected both men and women negatively.

No, this absolutely would not do.

Don't worry, Alice. I'll find a way to fix all of it. For you and for him.