Third Foreign Affairs Building, Esthirant, 18th of January, 1640; 3 days later

"Do you really expect my country to accept this trade deal of yours? You must be having a laugh,"

Kaios could not believe it. For the sixth time now, once more another Philadean nation had rejected their proposed trade deal. And it was one of their most generous yet. The man rubbed his forehead before he looked to his counterpart. The Ambassador for Leilith, a fairy woman, fluttered her wings in annoyance.

Kaios spoke up, "Miss Greim, what more can you ask for? Parpaldia is willing to hand over much of our own luxurious goods in exchange for a few workers. I told you we have since outlawed slavery in the empire and we'd make sure they'd all be paid handsomely."

"You and I have a very different definition of 'handsomely', sir Kaios. Not to mention, we still demand the compensation for all the hardship you've brought down upon my people. Making them pick fruits 18 hours a day, much of them have lost their ability to even flutter their wings without pain!" Greim said in anger.

"That's not-"

"Aside from that? You have not even returned at least half of the slaves we were forced to give you. Many of their families continue to wonder where they are. And, Parpaldia has promised that you'd help develop the kingdom. And so far I've seen zero progress," she said in annoyance as she stood up. "It's a no from me, Sir Kaios. The Kingdom of Leilith will not allow this so-called deal to insult the integrity of our nation. Good day." Greim said. Suddenly she then turned into her tiny fairy form and flew off with a micro huff.

Kaios watched her leave before he groaned and sighed deeply. That was another trade deal that was essentially thrown out of the window. Ever since the hasty emancipation of the slaves in Parpaldia, the economy has taken a huge hit. And for what? To keep the wine flowing and the fuel delivered for the nobles.

The man sighed deeply as he stood up and walked to his laptop on his desk. It was once more, time to write another failed trade deal report.

...

Imperial Palace

"... As such, the Kingdom of Leilith will no longer be entering a new trade relationship with Parpaldia. And I've no doubt this is due to them being in a new trade agreement with Italy a few weeks ago," Kaios said with a frown, head bowed down in shame.

In front of him, Ludius clasped his hands in contemplation as Remille had her book settled onto her lap. The two were having their afternoon together, but the news once more soured it. Ludius looked to Kaios with a frown, "This is the sixth time, Sir Kaios. Sixth. That we have lost a trade deal."

"I-I'm sorry, Your Majesty but... The Italians..." Kaios was tired of muttering that word each time. It was always the Italians.

"You don't need to explain yourself any further," Ludius said as he looked to Kaios with... surprisingly, there was no contempt on his face like before. More so exasperated understanding. "Do you at least have any good news on the recent efforts to bolster our economy?"

"Ermm... Well, according to our military heads, so far we've seen relative success in employing new sailors for the navy. No luck for the army nor the wyvern corps... In the industrial side of things, we're slowly returning to a stable rate of manufacturing our muskets and cannons, but not as fast as before either. Ship yards are still at a standstill. The civilian economy however is still in the red. Even our shops here are now struggling to keep supply... As such the Bank of Esthirant had no choice but to raise interest rates since they are not being paid back quickly enough," Kaios said with a frown.

"Oh good. More problems upon more problems," Remille said with a grumble. "First we lost our territorial ambitions, now we're slowly losing our influence and our economic might..."

Kaios adjusted his footing, "It's a tough bump we're going through right now, miss Remille. But I assure you the government is still working hard to return Parpaldia to an acceptable level in our economy... And I will continue to negotiate for new trade deals with other nations soon."

"Who's next on the list?" Ludius asked as he sipped on his teacup.

"Err... That would be Qua-Toyne and Louria, Your Majesty. Along with that are the newly independent kingdoms that were once under Louria," Kaios said.

"That's the thing!" Remille said in frustration, "We're here negotiating with mere barbarians to try and get on their good side. Back then all we needed to do was show our military might and we'd have them under our thumb! Now..."

"It... it is regrettable, miss Remille. But Parpaldia will come out of this as always. Even if our economy has taken a huge hit, this is a good opportunity to revise our policies. And maybe even perhaps industrialise like Mu and Italy. If we could just get through this, Parpaldia will no longer be as dependent on heavy labour and can instead rise through sufficient industry," Kaios said, oddly impassioned.

Ludius and Remille looked at each other. There was skepticism on their faces, but it wasn't much of a bad idea. The emperor looked back to Kaios, "Alright. We'll take your word for it, sir Kaios. See to it and try to negotiate a deal with Italy to have our first factories... We can't keep the economy down any longer."

Kaios nodded. Just as he was about to bow, Remille added, "Would you mind asking a passing aide if they could provide us a detailed report from the minister of economy by the way?"

Kaios looked to her before he nodded. He once more bowed to the both of them before he walked out of the room.

...

"... Duro has seen a 34 percent loss of economic output in the last two months due to lack of manpower. While the local lord has continued to provide incentives for new workers, these efforts have so far been fruitless due to the people's skepticism in light of the lord's tendency to skim over promises," Remille read. "For the northern territories, about 1 in 3 private companies and plantations are still refusing to emancipate their current slave workforce. Despite this, majority of them continue to refuse payment to the throne in protest against the new policy of emancipation."

"What a mess," Ludius complained. "Because of that we haven't been able to get on anyone's good side for new trade deals. They think we're still withholding the slaves."

"When really it's these company families that are doing the harm," Remille said with a sigh as she sipped her tea. She then continued reading, "As a whole, the national effort to hire new manpower has proven lacklustre. General distrust in the peasants in industry leaders have proved a mighty barrier in providing new manpower. New incentives to include are based on Italian basic benefits such as a five day work schedule, basic healthcare, and the concept of women working."

"Don't some women work already?" Ludius asked in confusion.

"Apparently only if they're out on the fields. But it's a man's job in the factory," Remille said with a shrug before she turned the page and continued. "As such, the lack of a sufficient workforce has forced both imperial and private companies to raise prices due to the disappearance of supply. Price of bread has increased by over 45 percent due to slow deliveries of grain from the breadbasket regions of Heford, Daleiw, and Koles for example. Such trends continue with the rise of prices for basic magic crystals by 37 percent, textiles for clothing by 39 percent, and luxurious goods by 67 percent."

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Ludius sighed and rubbed his eyes. One often forgets the economic side in a militaristic country like Parpaldia. They've been so distracted by their recent conquests that they've forgotten to think on what they can do in such an economic crisis, "Well the good news is, us being royalty, we won't have to worry about the lack of supplies."

Remille fidgeted in her seat as she continued on, "The Bank of Esthirant has also slashed its loan giving to any who wishes for one. Due to the slow repayments of parlipos, the BE has since started to accept payments in gold and silver."

"That's-"

Suddenly the doors opened as a servant entered inside. He cleared his throat and spoke to the two, "Your Majesty, Supreme Commander Arde wishes to speak with you. He is currently waiting in the Blue Room."

Ludius and Remille looked to each other in confusion. The emperor then spoke up, "What for?"

"He... simply says it is a private but important matter," the servant said.

Ludius rubbed the back of his neck. He then stood up and motioned for Remille to follow as she rose from the seat.

The servant then turned and started to lead the two towards the Blue Room. That room slowly evolved to be Arde's personal study in the palace. And for Remille, this left a bitter taste with how Arde tends to order Ludius and not the other way around. She then looked to Ludius, "Why do you think he's asking for us?"

"Not sure," Ludius simply said. "Hopefully it's good news. But if Arde's here and not just sending a message... Might be something more important."

That thought made Remille somewhat tense. It wasn't often that Arde would willingly meet with her and Ludius. The older man made no attempt to hide his disdain for them both, he was more loyal to Ludius's father after all.

The servant opened the double doors into the Blue Room. Predominantly decorated with blue, of course, it was one of the most luxurious studies within the palace. And it was under Arde, who was sitting down at the desk, "Ah, Ludius, there you are... And Remille."

Ludius and Remille sat at the room's couch set as Arde stood from his desk with two files. The man looked happy. Too happy. Excitement, Remille realised, as Arde sat across them, "I've been wanting to arrange this meeting for a long time."

Ludius took a more firm stance. Even though he was an emperor, he felt as if he was under Arde. Something he would never admit. With that, he spoke, "Commander Arde... What is the purpose of this visit?"

Arde looked between Ludius and Remille. He then tossed one file onto the centre table as the emperor took it in his hands, "As you know... Italy has hit us. Hard. This economic crisis the empire is facing is affecting not just us, but our loyal soldiers... It has been months since our last expedition. Many of them are sitting in their barracks, not knowing when our next glorious fight could be. Because of this, we've had to slow down our payment for them. Them sitting down doing nothing hardly warrants their monthly salary... They're on edge and have begun to question their loyalty and choices for the empire. And we both know whose fault this is,"

Remille looked to Arde in suspicion before she read the cover of the file. War Plan Pike.

Ludius meanwhile had a look of skepticism. He immediately opened the file and on it was a map of Italy. There were numerous arrows leading from Parpaldia into Italy with regiment labels on them. Ships surrounding Italy and wyvern labels flying around the Alps as beside was a detailed legend for the map. Dread was on Remille's face, but Arde spoke as he opened his copy of the file and read it out loud.

"Due to disagreements on our economic policies, Italy has sought to surround, defang, and make a new effort to turn the Parpaldian Empire into its mere puppet. They have chased foreign policies with the purposeful and deliberate attempt to hold Parpaldia's glory down to the ground. They have taken over much of our spheres of influence in Rodenius, and North and Central Philades, along with the outlying islands of the Rodenius Sea..." Arde said with a frown before he had a proud look.

"War Plan Pike intends on putting Italy in its place and return the status quo. With a mere 300,000 square kilometres in size, and 60 million people, Italy is a challenge to Parpaldia's intent on expanding and taking over the continent. Even with their apparent technological superiority, they lack the spirit and willpower to display their military might. As seen in the Rodenius War and the Second Demon War, Italy is a cautious, emotional nation. They do not want war, as they hold mere peasants dear to their hearts."

Remille gripped her necklace nervously as she looked to Ludius's face. He simply had an observant look, listening to Arde so far with no questions or much of a reaction. Arde continued, "As such, War Plan Pike intends to take advantage of this emotional weakness the Italian government has. It starts with an 80,000 total strong invasion force on the border regions of Piedmont, Aosta Valley, Lombardy, South Tyrol, Veneto, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. This involves invading and taking over the many small towns and villages within the Alps. The mountains are a barrier to the Italians as much as it is a barrier to us. It would provide sufficient protection for our soldiers against any attempt at a counterattack."

Arde was insane, Remille thought. She was about to speak only for him to continue, "While the invasion would hold the city of Bolzano, Parpaldia can utilise psychological warfare. The hostage taking of Italian civilians, and the threat to massacre them, gives Parpaldia a foothold to ensure no Italian attacks are made and force them into negotiations. The Imperial Parpaldia Navy likewise, would take hostage small civilian vessels and keep them close to our ships to prevent the Italian Navy and Coast Guard to intervene, which provides us protection against a naval invasion. And the Imperial Wyvern Corps would act as efficient reconnaissance with quick communication through mana comms, where if they spot any Italian flying machine, they would send a quick message and the Army chain of command can quickly determine a response such as further threats or the order of a massacre."

Remille watched Ludius's eyes scan the document further as Arde continued, "Through emotional tactics, Parpaldia can expect Italy to give into our demands. This includes but is not limited to the reversal of sanctions, the exchange of technology, and compensation for the loss of economic activity... We may expect a week of negotiations with a dagger against the bear's cub's neck."

Arde kept his smirk as he then closed the file. Ludius was a spoiled boy, but he knew that the young emperor had the same territorial ambitions as his father. Arde was prepared for this.

"Commander Arde..." Ludius began only for Arde to cut him off.

"I've already began rounding up our troops. Full preparation shall be achieved by-"

"This is stupid," Ludius said, eyebrows furrowed.

That was the first time Remille saw Ludius openly insult Arde, who sat there in stunned silence. But soon enough, Arde furrowed his eyebrows, "Excuse me?"

"This, this... War Plan Pike. It's foolish, it's reckless... It. Is. Stupid," Ludius said with his own furrowed eyebrows. Despite that, Remille could see that he was tense.

"... I don't think you're quite using your mind fully right now, boy," Arde said as he looked to Ludius with annoyance. "Haven't you realised it, or are you too drunk on Italian wine to do so? The diplomatic meetings, the sanctions, the trade deals; this is an explicit effort by those bastards to surround and subjugate us. The Parpaldian Empire has been struggling. My men haven't had a decent day's wage and are just sitting around doing nothing."

"I- I disagree," Ludius said firmly. "Italy has not explicitly said or even displayed any form of threat to the empire. We still maintain good relations with them and our economy, it's simply hit a bump-"

"Simply hit a bump? Have you been hearing the noble's complaints? I haven't seen a car on the road in days, and that's because even they cannot afford the fuel they need for it!" Arde yelled. "We haven't received any new muskets, swords, even god damn gunpowder!"

"We do NOT have the capabilities to take Italy! Have you even seen their flying machines? They can kill us and leave us in the dust in mere seconds! The Siege of Gim-"

"Is Parpaldia Louria, Ludius? No. We're more than that. We have been a powerful force on Philades for over two hundred years, and you're willing to just, bend the knee over some people who are not even Elysians! Boy, if you-"

"It's not boy, commander. It's Your Majesty. And as your superior, I explicitly DENY any attempts to even try and aggravate Italy. That's my final say," Ludius said, his voice shaking near the end of his words.

Arde stared at Ludius for a moment before his face went dark. He looked to the hanging portrait of Candor above the fire place before he scoffed. Arde grabbed the two files from the table before he stood up and walked out with a slam against the doors.

Ludius then quickly deflated as he gripped his trousers. He shakily sighed. That was insane. He has never said no to Arde like that. He quickly looked to Remille who gently held the emperor, "I- I did what was needed to be done, right? I mean... father would..."

Remille nodded, "Candor would have done the same..." She said before she frowned. "Ludius, I feel... I feel as if Arde may be going overboard. What if he does something behind our backs, or..."

"No, no I... I know Arde. He's stubborn but... He holds the empire as dear as I do. He would never do anything to endanger it."

"Never?" Remille asked nervously.

Ludius gulped. He then nodded, "Never..."