Altina pulled a rough piece of cloth from under the lumber as she spoke.
“It really is small.”
“But it’s thick and warm. Use it.”
“Thanks... but I’d like you to use it instead.”
“Oh...?”
“I know I may not seem like one, but I’m still a soldier. Is it not a soldier’s duty to protect the empire’s citizens?”
“That is the official stance, at least...”
“I’m being serious here.”
“Hm. You’re an interesting one, you know that? All right then, how about this?”
Altina returned triumphantly with the cloth, sat on Regis’s left, and huddled up close to him. Her right arm wrapped tightly around his left.
“W-What are you doing!?”
“Voilà! Now one blanket can warm two.”
“Ah... I-I see.”
Her body heat far outweighed the warmth of the blanket, and before he knew it his heartbeat had accelerated something awful. He could even feel droplets of sweat start to form on his back.
Regis negotiated with himself. Calm down, would you? She’s a fourteen-year-old child—a minor by all accounts. She’s definitely pretty, but to become so flustered over our intertwined arms is a disgrace. Are you not an adult?
Altina’s face drew near.
“Are you okay? Your face has turned somewhat red...”
“It’s— It’s nothing.”
“That so...?”
Then came the silence, broken only in part by Altina’s breathing which was almost indistinguishable beneath the harsh howls of the wind.
“...Regis?”
“Yeah?”
“I think you’re a very peculiar person.”
“Ha... I get that a lot.”
“That soldiers should protect citizens is an empty platitude. There are many who believe the soldiers are far more important and valuable.”
“Perhaps... but shouldn’t those with power protect those without? After all, that’s the very reason humans form societies. Just as an adult would protect a child, it’s only natural for the strong to defend the weak. That’s why a soldier should protect their fellow citizens. That’s how I see it.”
“Which means the aristocrats should protect the commoners, and the emperor his populace?”
“In an ideal world. But now pointless wars waged by nobles expend both the commoners’ lives and assets.”
“Is the war with the barbarians really pointless? It’s proven impossible to make peace with them, and to lose would mean the deaths of all of us.”
“...I’ll agree, the barbarians are terrifying. But if we earnestly wanted to protect our land and people, we would pull back to a more defensible position and build a long, sturdy wall.”
“Couldn’t they just scale it?”
“Maybe, but their cavalry and carriages wouldn’t be able to pass through so easily. It’d be enough to deter a large-scale advance.”
“Oh, you have a point... I wonder why the generals haven’t done that. Has the idea never occurred to them?”
“It’s not that. The strategies I propose have long been written about in books propagated through the empire a hundred times over. The elites refuse to take such preventative measures because war is their business. For one, grand victories against the barbarians raise the military’s reputation. Weapons and food are also required for war, both of which can go for a pretty penny. And there’s also the military academies where troops are trained, which are a source of income for aristocrats. While it may burden the nation as a whole, war brings considerable profit to those in power.”
“That’s unforgivable!”
Altina’s face closed in once more, practically snapping at him. Regis was forced to pull his body back, though their linked arms prevented his escape.
“C-Calm down, Altina... I never said everyone in the upper echelon was cut from that same cloth. In fact, Marquis Thénezay was different.”
“...Was he?”
“Yeah. He even sent a report directly to the emperor opposing the continued expansion of the empire’s territory. He wanted to instead focus on stabilizing the land we already have. He proposed the construction of walls during the aristocratic conference.”
“It’s a wonderful idea! If the war ends, both poverty and death should go down by a large margin.” Regis had gotten Altina’s eyes sparkling—
And then she went quiet. Her expression turned grim for an instant.
“...Could it be, that’s why...?”
“Mn? What’s wrong, Altina?”
“No, my mind wandered to something unimportant. Still, I see. There are various sorts among nobles as well.”
“Yeah, which is why we’re in serious hot water unless the emperor gets a grip,” Regis said bitterly.
Altina winced. It was a small motion, but one that was easily noticeable due to her close proximity.
“...Would you say the current emperor is... misguided?”
“I’d rather not be tried for treason on top of everything else that’s happened, but...”
It was possible he had already said too much. That being the case, they were trapped in a blizzard. His only audience was Altina and her horse. Regis loosened his tongue.
“The current emperor has been on the throne for too long. He’s grown too old to maintain his official station. By all accounts, he should have abdicated to the first prince five years ago, but the first prince is of feeble constitution, while the second has shown talent in both governance and warfare. It’s little wonder that the second prince is the one with the stronger backing, too.”
“It really is convoluted...”
While born first, the first prince was the son of the second concubine, whereas the second prince was mothered by the legal wife, the empress. As a noble, the empress enjoyed a much higher status, too. This had led to a problem of succession in the empire.
“A struggle of succession between two princes... is more so a power struggle between their backers. This has extended the withered emperor’s time on the throne, allowing the nobles to do as they please and causing a wash of decay across our nation.”
“What about the other imperial children?”
“There’s a third prince but—well—he’s still a fifteen-year-old student. I doubt he’ll ever rise to rival his brothers.”
“T-There’s one more... isn’t there?”
“Mn? Oh... Come to think of it, the commander at Fort Sierck was royalty, wasn’t she?”
“Right! W-What about her!?”
Altina closed in a third time, causing Regis to retreat to the right. He was now on the verge of falling out of the wagon.
“The Arrow-Sparrow Princess, eh...?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It’s the nickname of the fourth princess, Marie Quatre. Her real name is so long that no one remembers it.”
“Well, I suppose it is a bit long...”
“I think it was Marie Quatre Argentina de Belgaria... I’m good at remembering stories, but I’ve always had trouble when it comes to long names.”
“Don’t push yourself,” Altina muttered somewhat sarcastically. “I want to hear more about the ‘Arrow-Sparrow Princess.’”
“I’m going to be under her command, so I wouldn’t want it to be taken as slander... It’s just what she’s known as in the capital.”
“Yes, but what does it mean?”
“I only know the details second-hand... but I suppose we’ve got plenty of time to spare. This is the tale of a pitiful princess sent off to the furthest border—”
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