Chapter 13: A Princess and her Conqueror


    It has been two days since Rosa''s broadcast, and surprisingly for her, the response from the Prime Minister was slower than anticipated. It just goes to say how the current regime is riped with bureaucracy that they failed to censor her quickly enough. And if she trusts the words of the Belkan Colonel, arge portion of Ustian citizens are now supporting her cause to reform the government and stop the war. Though many are on the fence and choose to stay out of everything, she can''t me them as life is already hard enough, and her faction is outnumbering the Prime Minister in terms of manpower. Sadly, she couldn''t pull much of the military over to her side. Only some veterans that served under her father answered the call and are now heading over to Arash as she''s thinking.


    She snickers to herself as such moves by them can be considered open-revolt. Yet, they face no opposition as they pulled out shabbily made excuses to get the deployment orders to Arash. Whether it was a training order or a reinforcement order, she admires the resourcefulness of these old dogs. If the military still had more men like them, things would have been very different. Unfortunately, those loyal to her father are either relegated to a position with no significance or forced into early retirement, and those are the fortunate ones. Many lost faith in the country and decided to set out for greener pastures, with Belka as the greenest of all.


    Due to their immigration policy and open-mindednesspared to countries like Ustio, a surprising amount of ex-militaries and their families traverse the border in search of better living conditions. As such, Belka has in-depth knowledge about Ustio when the Second War broke out and managed to stabilize the front after the sudden invasion. Ustio was lucky during the first phase of the war, Rosa thinks to herself, and now they have to pay the price by stepping on the tail of a literal dragon. Oh well, that''s the matter the Minister has to deal with, not her as she is now the dragon''s ward.


    Rosa''s shaken out of her reverie when Mary grabs her attention. "Princess, the convoy has arrived."


    "Umu."


    She gives Mary a nod and then scans the city gate, where she and a weing party are waiting for her Belkan peer. Behind them are curious yet excited civilians, lining up two sides of the street leading to the city square. Security is extra tight with soldiers, wearing both blue and grey overcoats, working alongside to bring peace and order. And if the city''s fervor didn''t give it away yet, then Rosa will say that Arash is hosting another fiesta. This city loves their damn fiesta...


    Back to the main topic today, the first to appear on the horizon is the flying Night Witches, who are acting as the Princess of Belka''s personal guards today. They use their great eyesight to scan the surroundings and see that everything is in order. They then signal the convoy to move up to the city. With them acting as perimeter guards in the sky, the ground convoy is led by tanks and half-tracks.


    It''s a surprise for Rosa when the first thing she spots is a Panzer 38 rolling down toward the main gate, followed by a couple of half-tracks and a few Panzer IIIs. Rosa''s surprise turns to shock when she sees that her counterpart forgo the usual formalities and opts to be sitting on a tank instead of a personal ride. Not to mention the fact that there are bands on the half-tracks performing marching music for the entire convoy to hear. Yes, for such an asion, Yuki employs the musicians in her division to demonstrate their talent for the Ustians to admire. Performing their craft on war machines is sure to grasp the attention of the Ustian citizens, famous for their artistic traits.


    Yuki is now sitting on themander seat of Tank 1 of the 27th Armored toon, the one Lieutenant Strauss Henriken has been using. The poor Lieutenant is now sitting at the loader seat so that Yuki can have her fun riding a tank into a captured city. And with themander hatch open, Yuki can see the gathering of the leading officials of the Ustio Reformist faction and her subordinates. Yuki turns on the inte and orders. "Driver, get to a stop near the weingmittee at the gate. Convoy prepares to stop."


    With that, the convoy slowly grinds to a halt under the watchful and expectant eyes of Ustian citizens. Yuki, still seated on themander''s elevated seat, speaks down to the girl she identifies as Princess Rosa Bonaparte with a jovial tone.


    "Ah! Princess Bonaparte, I would like you to excuse my rudeness for arriving on such short notice and with such amotion." Yuki performs a noble bow. She''s wearing a ceremonial version of her General attire today with the added touch of a few tanker''s equipment and medals. Strangely, they fit her very well considering the circumstance. "It has been one of my childhood dreams to march into a city with such beasts of steel at my fingertips."


    Yuki pats the hood of her Panzer III to emphasize her words. "But where are my manner." She jumps out of the tank and with a few steps,nds softly in front of Rosa. "I am Princess Yukia Rossetta de Venusia, the one and only Imperial Princess of the Belkan Reich, and Major General of the 404th Ironblood Division." This time, Yuki performs a salute. " At your service, Princess Bonaparte."


    Rosa struggles to hide her wry smile at Yuki''s one-of-a-kind entrance. Even though she is aiming for a cooperative rtionship with the Belkan Princess, it didn''t stop her to n and see if she could one-up her with a grand wee. Aiming to showcase the world-renown hospitality of her people, even to their former enemy, Rosa was put in ce as the weaker party in the uing negotiation at the get-go. The Belkan Princess breaks the norms by arriving in such a gant and militaristic style that grasp the attention of her people as a power figure, yet very charismatic. Her attire, and the medals she''s sporting, show that she is not a wallflower but a leading figure through and through. The bright aura she''s exuding gives the illusion to themon popce that she''s an approachable person but if you pay attention to her words before, you would find that she is very cunning, even though she only spoke a few lines.


    For starter: ''It has been one of my childhood dreams to march into a city with such beasts of steel at my fingertips.'' It''s no different than saying ''I have many ns, marching the mightiest of German armors in this city is but one of them.''


    And her self-introduction: ''I am Princess Yukia Rossetta de Venusia, the one and only Imperial Princess of the Belkan Reich, and Major General of the 404th Ironblood Division.'' By stating and emphasizing her title, she signifies that her words represent the entirety of Belka on the diplomatic level. Yet, she presents herself not as a Reich Princess but as a General of the Belka Army by saluting Rosa. This goes to say that she arrives at the city as a conqueror, not a diplomat. The fact that she is the mind behind the most dangerous division of Belka right now only nails it down further. She has both the status and the merit to make Rosa takes the backseat, even though they are both princesses.


    So, Rosa has to bite back many of her words and finally settles down with a standard curtsy. "It''s an honor to finally meet you, Princess of Belka, I am Rosa Bonaparte. I hope that your first impression of this city and its people is favorable."


    Yuki smiles and replies cordially. "It''s a very good first impression, you need not worry about me finding your hospitalitycking. In fact, I''m pleasantly surprised to see the citizens of this country have been very friendly toward us, time and time again."


    Rosa is a bit surprised at Yuki''s words, she''s about toment on it but Yuki beats her to the punch and addresses the denizens of Arash. "So don''t worry about me not responding in kind. As a wise person used to say: Requite resentment with justice; requite kindness with kindness. You can trust me and my subordinates to uphold the words." Ending it with a bright smile. Yuki captures the heart of the onlookers as they cheer her name. If Yuki''s words are to be trusted, there''s hope for peace between their countries after all.


    Seeing the sight, Rosa lets out a muted sigh. She needed a damn speech to get the people to follow her but Yuki needs only a few words and a tank. What''s this unfairness!? The carrot and the stick? It''s from this point onward that Rosa finally decided to treat Yuki seriously and with the respect she deserves. A decision that would save her life in the future.


    Yuki nods to herself as she sessfully riled up the crowd. Turning back to Rosa who''s wondering who''s the real princess here, she says. "While meeting you here sure is an interesting experience, I reckon we should relocate to a more suitable location for our discussion no?"


    Rosa, being pulled out of her reverie, nods. "That''s correct, Princess Venusia."


    Yuki cut in. "Please, call me Yuki, or if you still want to be formal, either Princess or General only should suffice."


    "In that case, I would intrude on you and call you Yuki then. Sigh, being too uptight is also not my cup of tea, to be honest."


    "I see, d to see we have something inmon. Now then, would you like to lead the way?"


    "It will be my pleasure." Rosa stops for a bit, she looks to the tank, and then says. "I guess you will stick with this?"


    Yuki smirks. "Imandeer it for the entire day so..."


    Seeing her counterpart''s cheeky attitude, Rosa sighs for the umpteenth time. "Fine, just make sure not to hit anything. And my uncle will have someone direct your troops to their quarterter."


    "That would be great."


    They then nod to each other before mounting their respective vehicle and with that, the convoy rumble along the Ustian street with no bullet flying for the first time in the history of this war. Instead, music and flowers are what decorate their journey, all the way till they reach their destination, the La Riverie Hotel. This hotel is a high-ss one reserved only for government officials and foreign dignitaries, it goes to say that the design is no less grand than a small castle amidst the bustling city.


    Stepping out of the tank, Yuki relinquishes hermand of the motorcade to Lieutenant Strauss. "Lieutenant, the tank is now back in your care, it was a very pleasant drive."


    Strauss smiles and with a scratch of his head, replies. "You tter us, Princess. I wish you the best of oue in the uing negotiation."


    Yuki nods. "Um, you can go and lead the vehicle to the staging point now."


    "Yes, Princess General."


    It''s at this moment that Brynnds next to Yuki with a flurry of wings. Rosa, who is nearby at the time, takes a step back in surprise, she still hasn''t used to the other races yet, but she will get there.


    Bryn proceeds to report to Yuki. "General, the premise is secured and the guards are ready to perform their duty."


    Yuki nods in affirmation as she looks at the dismounted Grenadiers and Stormtroopers securing the outer perimeter, while a few Night Witches stay close to her as security details. Among them are familiar faces of Brigadier General Alexa, Major Muller, the orc Corporal Jirou, Sergeant Erika Hartmann the former cadet, Sergeant Franka, and Sergeant Alisa... No doubt there are also some guards posted in the shadow in case things go wrong.


    "I''m pleased that everything seems to be in order. It seems like the training you cramped into them is being put to good use."


    While Yuki''s words are meant as apliment, she can''t help but snicker at a few paled faces among her guards. Clearly, Bryn has been putting them through the wringer.


    Sticking to Yuki''s right. Bryn says in a serious tone. "In my opinion, they''re still a bit subpar but they are ok for now. Though I will be putting in additional training if they mishandle today''s situation."


    Yuki wrily smiles. "I can''t help but pity my soldiers after hearing that." Though such a reminder from Bryn surely kicks everyone into overdrive.


    Rosa, after a bit of hesitation, moves up to lead Yuki inside. "Yuki, we have prepared a feast for you and your entourage. Perhaps after a hot meal, we can discuss more important matters then."


    Looking at Rosa with a small smile, Yuki replies. "Sure, lead the way, Rosa. I''m sure we''re all a bit famished by now."


    Letting out a mental sigh of relief, Rosa waves her hand to wee Yuki inside the La Riverie. Stepping up the flight of stairs, nked by two rows of maids and butlers, Yuki can''t help but examine the architecture of the hotel. The building is in the French Baroque style, featuring borate ornate decoration, ceiling frescoes, and dramatic use of light. It''s actually a refreshing sight when all you have seen so far are war-torn regions or just in natural fauna.


    The short trek continues for a bit longer with Yuki curiously checking out the plethora of works of art decorating the grand hotel. Rosa, noticing Yuki''s action, has a small smile on her face. She''s d that Yuki can appreciate her people''s culture. Rosa wonders whether she can earn Yuki''s goodwill by showing Yuki around the city, she seems to be very approachable as long as you treat her cordially.


    Their thoughts are cut short once they reach the entrance to the hotel''s dining area. Already there in waiting are Colonel Rommel, Colonel Francis, and Francis''s wife, Alia. They all greet the two Princesses with their best behaviors.


    "Colonel Rommel, it''s good to see you again." Checking the state of her subordinate, Yuki jests. "It seems that the few days here have treated you well. You found a girl to chase or something?"


    Rommel sputters at his General''s words,pletely putting off his serious facade. "Princess General, you surprise me there. I do admit that the days here were spent veryfortably... and ady did catch my eyes."


    Yuki didn''t expect the joke she made actually hit true. Raising an eyebrow, she adds. "Ok then, you really need to ry your tale to the rest of the officers'' club otherwise we won''t leave you alone."


    Sighing, Rommel nods to Yuki.


    Smiling at the unwillingness of her Colonel, Yuki then turns to Francis and Alia. Seeing that, Rosa steps in to introduce them. The process goes on smoothly with Yuki being grateful for the service Francis and his family have done for the Reich. She promises them their due reward once the official negotiation has started. But now, they have to get their fill first. After all, you can''t fight with an empty stomach.


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