Once the chess pieces were all in place, Elizabeth and I began a game of land picking.
This was an incredibly simple game.
Elizabeth would flee whenever the imperial army appeared. This escaping behavior was referred to as ‘fleeing tactic’ or ‘war of attrition’. If anyone in the Kingdom of Sardinia dared to complain, Elizabeth would quickly silence them by asking if they wanted to start another pitched battle and lose pitifully.
Conversely, if the army from the Frankish nobles or any other army that had gathered like a pack of wolves appeared, Elizabeth would immediately switch gears and go on the assault. She tore into them with ruthless and deadly precision like a shark attacking a wounded fish.
Our imperial army was the same.
Whenever Elizabeth approached, we would skillfully alter our course to evade her. On the other hand, whenever the nobles of Sardinia rallied an army to attack us, we would charge right at them with no hesitation.
It was as if we were seated on opposite sides of a well-prepared banquet table and were slowly reaching out toward the dishes laid out in front of us. There was no reason for us to eat each other since the table was overflowing with food.
The cities of Sardinia fell, the farmlands were razed, and the storehouses were plundered.
A remarkable fact is that Elizabeth and I didn’t exchange a single word during this. No letters were exchanged or any other intermediaries for communication. Outwardly, we were staunchly feuding enemies.
However, we were like a pair of dancers perfectly synchronizing our steps, even though it was our first time meeting on the dance floor. When the opposing side made a military move, I responded with a corresponding movement, subtly guiding them to shift their position. Ultimately, we never stumbled over each other’s feet.The day the royal family of Sardinia had to make a choice quickly approached.
Although Elizabeth was fighting pretty well against everyone else, she still couldn’t deal with the imperial army. Elizabeth herself even went around saying “Trying to fight the Empire head-on is the same as committing suicide luxuriously.”
Even if Elizabeth had the will to fight, the soldiers did not.
By this point, enemy soldiers would tremble in fear whenever they heard the name Laura de Farnese. While they would still go out to battle when ordered, they had an air of defeatism, as if they were ready to run away at the first sign of trouble, fearing that they would be slaughtered if they didn’t.
A ceasefire agreement.
These two words were their only options now.
Furthermore, for Sardinia, a ceasefire was essentially an elaborate way of admitting defeat.
“C-Count Palatine…… These conditions are far too harsh…….”
Sardinia’s minister of foreign affairs spoke with trembling hands. In the minister’s hand was the ceasefire proposal from our side.
“The northern region is where major port cities and industrial areas are concentrated in our Kingdom of Sardinia……. If we give up on this region, then a future for our kingdom would be…….”
“Your kingdom’s future, is it?”
I muttered as if I were amused. The minister shut his mouth.
“Duke, do people not say that those who do not know the past, do not have a future?”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Do you remember the very first proposal offered by our Emperor?”
The foreign minister went quiet. It was clear that his silence was not because he didn’t know what the proposal was.
“Restore the honor of the Farnese family. ‘That’ was it.”
“…….”
“It was not an empty request either. A substantial and abundant amount of tribute was also offered. However, how did your country respond? Not only did they claim that it would be unjust to grant amnesty to traitors, but they even put the Earl of Pavia at the helm to openly insult Duchess de Farnese.”
The foreign minister opened his mouth to argue, but I raised my right hand and stopped him.
“How did our country’s Emperor respond after this slander? He only asked for a sincere apology. Duke, I am asking this because I am truly curious, but is it truly that hard to offer a single apology?”
“…….”
Does he have no excuse to offer? Sorry, but we still have more things we can use against you.
“Do you recall what happened during the second negotiation? We simply asked for the Parma-Piacenza Duchy to be handed over to Duchess de Farnese, as they rightfully belong to her as a birthright. As well as our demand for the Milano Duchy as part of the war indemnity. But in response, your people got the Habsburg Republic involved…….”
“We have no excuse.”
I smiled faintly.
“Of course you do not, Duke. Your nation is rude, bold, shameless, and lacks even the slightest bit of respect.”
“C-Count Palatine…….”
“Do not expect even the slightest bit of mercy from us. Your country has only two options now. Accept the proposal or refuse it.”
I raised my body and brought my face close to the foreign minister.
“However, if the day comes when a fourth round of negotiations must be sought out, oh, I can guarantee you this. We will not negotiate with only the northern region of Sardinia. I can even swear on it. To be honest, I am already looking forward to that day.”
“…….”
“Go and tell your foolish, utterly useless king who only knows how to let his own people be plundered and entrusts the defense of his country to foreign lords. Tell him to look forward to the consequences that will befall those who disregard the Empire’s advice.”
If you do not remember history, then history will remember you.
The words delivered by the Habsburg Emperor before the war must have left quite an impression. They were basically considered as sayings of the Habsburg imperial family. Faced with my stern message, the foreign minister didn’t dare to say another word and withdrew.
During the 11th month of that year, the royal family of Sardinia accepted the overall ceasefire agreement.
Diplomatic representatives from the thirteen nations across the continent gathered in Florence. I, on behalf of the Habsburg Empire, signed the treaty. The ceasefire agreement, named the Florence Accord, had the following provisions:
- Duchess Farnese will be given the right to inscribe the blue fleurs-de-lis, once the symbol of the House of Farnese, into her coat of arms. Henceforth, this shall no longer serve as a cause for war.
- Duchess Farnese will be given sovereignty over Milano, Bergamo, Piacenza, and La Spezia. Duchess Farnese does not owe any obligations to the King of Sardinia.
- The Ruler of Brittany will be given sovereignty over Genova and Nicaea.
- The Emperor of Anatolia will be given sovereignty over Venice and Padua.
- Until the lawful age of maturity by the Grand Duke of Florence, Florence will be governed by Catherine de Medici as regent. However, Catherine de Medici will permanently renounce her claim to succession in favor of the Grand Duke of Florence.
- Authority over the region of Piedmont is to be divided among eight noble families of Frankia, and their authority is recognized. They do not owe any obligations to the King of Sardinia.
- All other territories captured by the Habsburg Empire during the war shall be returned to the Kingdom of Sardinia.
- The merchants of the Batavian Republic, Kingdom of Castile, Kalmar Union, and Habsburg Republic are permitted to engage in duty-free trade in the Piedmont region and Venice.
After stamping my signature on the treaty, I looked at the Sardinian foreign minister. His hand was shaking. I chuckled.
“What are you doing, Duke? Is that stamp perhaps too heavy for your arm?”
“…….”
It isn’t like I didn’t understand how utterly dismal the foreign minister must feel right now. This treaty was basically going to force Sardinia to bleed immensely.
If someone was told to pick out the five wealthiest cities in Sardinia, then Venice, Milano, and Genova would definitely be included in that. These three cities were going to be handed over to foreign nations all at once. It wasn’t like a contract where they would be lending the cities for a decade or two. They would be losing control over them forever.
Their other major city Florence was going to be temporarily handed over to the foreign Empress Dowager of Frankia as well.
Their northwestern region was also going to be segmented by the southern nobles of Frankia.
On the other hand, there was only one thing our Empire was rewarding Sardinia with—stopping the war.
By signing this humiliating ‘surrender document’, it meant that the noble would have to bear this lasting disgrace for generations to come. This was the reason behind the foreign minister’s hesitation. I whispered into his ear as if I were trying to offer him some support.
“We can continue this war for as long as we desire, Duke.”
“…….”
The old foreign minister shuddered as he turned to glare at me. Was it anger in his eyes or fear? Regardless of whatever it was, the foreign minister promptly averted his gaze. This noble’s courage and character were far below that of Marquis Rody.
In the end, the foreign minister pressed down on his stamp.
I then grabbed his right hand and shook it enthusiastically.
“Has a day ever been as blissful as this? The war that brought only sorrow and suffering to both sides has at last concluded. As the envoy of His Excellency the Emperor, I, Count Palatine Dantalian, wish to express my profound gratitude to the envoys of the various nations gathered here today!”
The other envoys around us applauded together. None of them showed the Kingdom of Sardinia any consideration or respect. Oh, the representative from the Habsburg Republic also remained still, but they’re the most malicious anyway, so they don’t count.
That night, a grand ball celebrating the end of the war was held.
Laura had to remain at the base to finish up the miscellaneous work, so I partook in the ball with Saintess Longwy as my partner. Of course, Saintess Longwy threw a fit at first.
“Why is it me again!? How are you incapable of courting even a single woman to take with you to a ball!?”
“Where would I find a lady suitable to take to an event like this? Saintess, please. Have I not kept my promise to give the Kingdom of Brittany a chance at redemption? Can you not attend this ball with me as a gift for my faithfulness?”
“This is this and that is that!”
I have no idea what she’s saying.
However, it was soon revealed that a suitable partner didn’t exist for Saintess Longwy either.
Queen Henrietta had already refused to attend, stating, “I despise balls,” so it would become a diplomatic problem if Saintess Longwy were to refuse as well. Hence, she had no choice but to attend the ball with me.
“This is the last time.”, “Do you know how horrible it is to dance with someone like you?”, “Henrietta is always like this!”, etc., an endless torrent of complaints flowed out from her mouth until we arrived at the venue. I think I know why this woman doesn’t have a lover despite her good looks.
Nothing happened during the ball. It was a normal and extravagant ball.
However, Elizabeth was also in attendance. It appeared that she didn’t bring a partner at all as she was leaning against a pillar by herself. After sharing my first dance with Saintess Longwy, I went over to Elizabeth and extended my hand.
“Would you care for a dance, mademoiselle?”
“Is there a need for us to dance ‘again’?”
“None.”
I smiled.
“But there is also no reason not to, correct?”
Elizabeth chuckled and placed her hand over my right hand.
Like that, the curtains fell over the second Chrysanthemum War.
***
TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. This was a pretty nice way to wrap up this arc. An actual physical interaction between Dantalian and Elizabeth. Wait, is this actually the first time in the WN? The LN does have the Go scene, but this is clearly different. Well, either way, it’s still a nice way to wrap it up.
In any case, I’m still suffering at work with this huge pile-up. They need to distribute some of the work I have to the other TRs because I have way too much right now. I might end up working the weekend next week. Ugh. Well, I’ll see you guys in the next chapter.
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