Dion had come to visit Ludwig in his office, which wasn’t a particularly rare occurrence. The two often shared a drink after work to discuss Mia’s mishaps—or “grand achievements” in their words.
Dion stepped in with a knock and grinned at Ludwig, who was standing by the window, reading. “You gotta stay on your toes. If I were a Serpent assassin, I’d easily be able to change the fate of the empire.”
“Sir Dion... Unfortunately, our nation will thrive even without me as long as we still have Her Highness,” he responded with a shrug before walking up to Dion. “She’ll soon be arriving, and she delivered these orders in advance.”
Dion quickly skimmed the papers Ludwig had handed him, breaking out into an exasperated grin. “She’s infiltrating Ganudos? There she goes again...”
“She wishes to put an end to the Visalian Ghetto and the forced labor that’s befallen the Visalians, a minority in Ganudos. Such actions directly contradict the Central Orthodox Church’s tenet that all are born equal. Their actions are worthy of reproach, though I’d personally like to stop her from going there herself,” said Ludwig, pushing up his glasses. “Still, the only ones who can reproach a king are those who are tasked to rule the people themselves.”
“Well, making up grand reasons like that really does sound like our little princess. I’m sure she’s got all her bases covered. But Ganudos, huh? So that’s where she’s sticking her paws next,” said Dion, handing the papers back to Ludwig.
“There really is something suspicious about them, and it’s best we solve those problems now. If she plays her cards right, we may be able to turn Ganudos into one of our territories and gain port access ourselves.”
Dion observed Ludwig with a grin. “You don’t really think our little princess has anything like that in mind, right?”
“As you say, I’m sure Her Highness is only considering rectifying the king’s attitude.”
“She never changes, huh? It’s a pain, but it’s also exactly what I’ve come to expect from her,” said Dion, shaking his head in exasperation.
Ludwig’s tone was quiet. “Does something displease you, Sir Dion?”
“Not really. I just thought it was a little half-baked,” he said. His actions did not share his words’ restraint as he plopped onto the couch.
“Half-baked? What do you mean?” Ludwig picked up two glasses, a bottle of liquor, and sat opposite of Ludwig. The dark-red liquid poured into the glasses with a glug.
Dion picked up his glass, amusedly swished it around, and spoke. “Don’t you think so too? I’d understand trying to expand our territory now that she’s got this grand reason. That strategy would pay off for us, and it’s only natural a princess would think about expanding her empire. Not that we have to copy Sunkland, but having the little princess as a ruler’s gotta make the people happier than having a failure of a king.” He took a sip to wet his throat, savoring the flavor before he resumed. “But instead, she wants to correct the corrupt king and inspire a change of heart in the other nobles? Does she really need to go out of her way to do that? I just don’t think it requires messing up a foreign nation’s stability and peace. I just can’t shake the feeling that she’s doing too much.”
“Peace, you said?”
“Well, maybe it’s a false peace, but for now, there’s no signs of any rebellions in Ganudos, right? But if Princess Mia joins the mix, that’s no longer gonna be true. She’ll stir up some waves—someone might even light a spark. Though, I guess Ganudos Port Country already has plenty of waves!”
Ludwig met Dion’s joke with a grimace. “Indeed... However, let me ask you this. Do you consider peace to simply be the absence of war, Sir Dion?”
“What do you mean?” Dion had lifted his glass to his lips, but this question caused him to pause. Instead, he stared back at Ludwig.
“Let’s say there’s no war, turmoil, or deaths by the sword. Even should there be no blood spilled by the whip, could you truly consider this peace if the weak were threatened and oppressed—forced to suffer?”
“You’re saying that even if a country isn’t at war, that doesn’t mean it’s at peace, huh?”
“Perhaps you could say that the nation was stable, but could you really say it was at peace? Similarly, even if no swords met swords, I’d consider that nation in a state of struggle if there were those who had their swords at the ready.”
“A step before war, I suppose?”
“And if a strong nation threatened a weaker one with military force, I wouldn’t consider that peace either. The state of a nation can be divided into many more categories besides just wartime and peacetime.” Ludwig brought his glass to his lips. “I believe considering simply the absence of war to be peace runs counter to the true meaning of that word. Peace may sound well and good, but it’s often used as an excuse to uphold evil and bar change.”
“So you’re saying the little princess doesn’t want this false peace, right?” confirmed Dion, his words quiet.
“Her Highness is a revolutionary who defies the status quo, similar to the Serpents, but with a different goal.”
“Huh, and I thought all rulers would do whatever it took to keep the current system.”
“Of course they would, but that’s not all it takes to satisfy Her Highness.” Ludwig looked down into his glass, swished the contents around, and muttered, “I’m quite certain a false peace based in the unjust won’t last long anyway.”
“What do you mean?”
“I am a man of only standard faith, morality, and ethics, so I don’t consider myself an authority on peace and justice. In fact, I’d be a bit ashamed to call myself just.”
Dion chuckled. “Same here. I think we’re a bit too warped to debate that topic!”
The two shared a laugh and refilled their glasses as Ludwig continued. “But logically speaking, we must correct the situation in Ganudos. A society based on trampling others may seem stable, but a system that oppresses a class of people is the opposite. It won’t last for long.”
“Sounds about right. With enough time spent trampled and beaten down, they’ll stand up eventually once they find that chance, even without the Serpents’ help. It’s like the waves at the beach. They come and go, and once they’re big enough, they’ll spray seawater onto shore...or maybe more. Huh. I guess it really would be best for us if Ganudos is at peace.” He put on a mischievous grin. “So? How does she plan to get there?”
“I believe she’s planning on borrowing Shalloak Cornrogue, since he has ties to Ganudos.”
“The great merchant, huh? I heard he messed with us in Perujin.”
“He’s now one of Her Highness’s valuable allies. I’m sure his connections will prove a great benefit for us, and that must have been what Her Highness was after as well...”
“I get it. If she eliminated him as an enemy, she wouldn’t be able to use his connections. Aha ha ha! That really does sound like our little princess.”
The two men shared a quiet chuckle.