I never really gave much thought to who my parents were in this world. What did it matter? They were gone and that was that. Prince, Princess, common soldier and a whore, butcher and baker or candlestick makers… even if I knew, it would have changed nothing. I had asked a bit, out of curiosity, but I couldn’t really care.

Or so I had always thought. I couldn’t even really think of them as parents. I had memories of my own ‘real’ parents in the other world. This one wasn’t really home for me. It was just some nightmare that Being X flung me into to torment me in some sick game.

If the royal family hadn’t died, I likely would never have known the truth, assuming they were telling the truth, assuming they were right, assuming this wasn’t some great big screw up. If war hadn’t broken out and if, before that, tensions hadn’t shot through the roof for years, maybe I would have been found sooner, and drawn into some cozy life of luxury as the secret daughter of a Prince. In the books, people like that often ended up in cozy out of the way positions for years, even decades, to live in relative obscurity and comfort unless they’re needed for something.

“You’re the rightful heir, young Tanya.” He said and actually smiled, from where he knelt in front of me, I could see his expression, he flipped the paper around toward me, he actually seemed ‘sheepish’ if anything.

“It should have been obvious to me right away when I looked at this.” He snorted and tapped a finger over my last name. “Degurechaff, it was the name the Prince used when he wanted to remain anonymous when traveling.”

That clinched it in my mind. “So my… my mother, she used his name thinking he’d come for me, maybe?”

The middle aged man exhaled heavily, “I honestly don’t know the Prince’s mind. You’re too young to know this, My Lady. But he was a passionate young man, full of vigor, energy, and as his mother often said, far too much emotion. It could be that he thought to return, but around the time of your birth, tensions rose considerably.” He put the paper under his arm and held his hat over his heart.

“Had that not happened, I have no doubt that you would have had a far better, far different life than you’ve lived thus far.”

‘Being X… you did this, didn’t you?! You did that on purpose! All this time I could have been on track to have a nice and easy life in an island Empire near its peak. But no, you went and ratcheted up the tensions to make my life hell. You… bastard!’ I thought, and concealed my anger by closing my eyes and holding one hand over my face while I tried to process everything.

Even for me, this was a lot to take in.

But whether it was a little or a lot, it was also an opportunity. As with most opportunities however, I still had to tread lightly.

“Then, what happens now?” I asked.

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General Zettour answered that right away.

“As we’re currently in an armistice and looking to make peace, assuming you don’t object, you will be returned to the Government of the Commonwealth as a joint citizen. A gesture of ‘goodwill’ between our two glorious nations, and, we hope, the foundation for peace between us. If you refuse, I understand, we planned on sending the 203rd to Africa to chase down the ones who refuse to make peace. But I hope you won’t do that.” General Zettour didn’t offer much in the way of choices, and I understood where he was going with this.

Competence is sometimes something of a punishment. If you do really well at something, you get given more of that thing to do. I’d shown my value to the Empire and I was getting a satisfactory life out of it with the promise of a better one as I continued to rise through the ranks.

Naturally they’d send me to North Africa, which definitely didn’t appeal to me, to help bring things to a close as quickly as possible. Alternatively, if the Commonwealth made peace with the Empire, a friendlier peace, and cut off any supplies to the Republic resistance…

“Sir, if I may ask… if I go with you, do the terms of the treaty include cutting off supplies to the Republic Resistance?” It was a bold question, but I also had to balance the fact of this new reality with the fact that my commanding General was not two steps away from me.

The middle aged man’s mouth opened in surprise, he looked up at General Zettour, who gave a small nod.

I often caught adults off their guard, they expected a child, but the reality was that I was still ‘myself’ and so acted like the adult me, hormones and childish impulses be damned.

“I have friends, comrades here. And this country raised me. I’m not unwilling to go with you, but going to a country that is still actively trying to kill the people who trusted me, it wouldn’t be a good start, would it?” I asked.

“I… suppose it wouldn’t. I can’t make guarantees personally for that sort of thing, but it's in nobody’s interest to prolong a war. I’m sure we can negotiate something favorable, and I promise I will bring up your concerns for your fellow soldiers.” He held out his empty hand to me. “Is that good enough?”

“It will have to be.” I said, the truth is I would have gone with him regardless of whether he made it or not, I already had a backup phrase of, ‘I will raise the concern myself from the throne’ to show that I wasn’t forgetting the Empire, but this was better. The backup phrase had potential to cause trouble later when in the Commonwealth, so this was better.

This way I’d seem loyal to my soldiers, and if I spun that right, it would even play well with the Commonwealth military.

“Then, I accept. I will go with you. When do we leave?” I asked.

“Right away. We’re preparing a ship with a small escort of vessels to take you across the channel, you’ll arrive in the Commonwealth tonight and be in Birmingham by morning.” The middle aged man said and then added, “The escorts are from the Empire, by the way, so you should be comfortable. Also, in consideration for your age, you can bring an adult with you as an… attendant. Someone to serve as your Lady in Waiting.”

That was an easy choice, I suppose it would have been harder if I could have chosen anyone, but a competent subordinate who I didn’t have to train, who was also a woman?

“I would like to offer the position to Viktoriya Ivanovna Serebryakov. She’s an adult, she wasn’t born in the Empire so that should make some people relieved, and she’s competent.” I didn’t have to look at General Zettour to know he approved of my choice.

“Then if that’s everything, General, shall we go?” He asked and straightened up.

“Of course, Sir Knollys.” General Zettour responded, and that as they say…

Was that..