"Haha, things are taking quite an amusing turn."

"Father! How can you laugh at a time like this?"

In short, it meant I'd been suffering alone all this time. I gave Bohemond to him as a gift, and he still deceives me? I irritably clutched my head and lowered it.

"Perhaps there was a misunderstanding in communication? Conrad might not speak Greek perfectly."

"That's impossible. He's far too intelligent."

For intellectuals of this era, Greek was a basic requirement. From what I'd heard myself, there was nothing wrong with his vocabulary or tone.

So something must have changed in the ten days since I left... honestly, I couldn't figure out what. At this point, it seemed much more plausible that Conrad had been deceiving me from the beginning.

"How are the Germans reacting?"

"Still quiet. Well, they couldn't possibly know about Venice and Jerusalem before we do."

The Emperor smiled leisurely, rubbing his hands together.

"So, Anna, what do you want to do?"

"...You seem to be in a good mood?"

"Of course I'm in a good mood. I'm seeing my daughter after several days."

The Emperor smoothly deflected my observation.

Right, what more could I say to this man... I sighed deeply and shook my head.

"Honestly, I don't know. I'm not sure how to react."

"Hmm? Weren't you planning to intervene if civil war broke out among the Franks?"

"That was the plan... but now that it's actually happening, I'm hesitant."

Tens of thousands of troops were tied up in Alexandria, and thousands more were needed to stabilize Anatolia, which we had reclaimed with great difficulty. The peacekeeping forces stationed in Bari couldn't be moved easily either.

Now I had to consider not just financial issues but also the practical problem of manpower shortages. Even Rome at its height couldn't handle fighting on four fronts simultaneously.

"Surprising. To see you, Anna, showing such weakness."

"Would you prefer to call it being realistic?"

"Oh, so Anna has finally grown into a proper adult."

"Hmph, think what you like."

If an adult is someone who follows reality rather than ideals, the Emperor wasn't entirely wrong. Even I felt I was becoming increasingly pragmatic these days.

"What would you like to do, Father?"

There was no need to discuss adulthood right now.

The Emperor answered without hesitation.

"Well, providing weapons wouldn't be a problem."

"You mean you won't provide direct military support?"

"At present, it's not a particularly appealing option."

Yet the Emperor added, "Of course, if you want it, that's a different story."

This man is really testing me until the end... I waved my hand dismissively.

"I'll discuss it with John first."

"Hmm? John?"

"Yes, with our Co-emperor."

The Emperor keeps passing the choice to me to avoid responsibility for any potential failure. Though I'm sure he has some faith in his intelligent daughter.

"John is at an age where he should start building achievements, isn't he?"

By bringing my brother into this, I was sending a message that the Emperor himself should seriously consider this matter. After all, John's failure would also be Alexios's failure.

"Isn't this too complex an issue for John to handle?"

A faint look of surprise crossed the Emperor's face. I responded lightly.

"People grow fastest when thrown into harsh environments. I recaptured Nicaea when I was John's age, didn't I?"

Then I bowed politely and turned around.

"I'll come back once we reach a conclusion. With John."

"Ahem."

The Emperor cleared his throat with an expression that could have been discomfort or surprise. Well, he didn't call me back, so I left the audience chamber with light steps.

※※

"Sigh, maybe I should just give up and retire."

After meeting with the Emperor, I headed to my room. It was also the time when John would be deeply focused on his studies.

"Isn't Constantinople your hometown, Princess?"

Nikephoros asked with a gentle smile. "That's just a figure of speech," I replied, straightening up from my relaxed position on the sofa.

"So, Nikephoros, what do you think we should do?"

"I believe we should definitely lead troops to support Conrad."

"My, how decisive of you."

"Your will is my will, Princess."

With a rustling sound, Nikephoros approached with a plate of snacks.

"According to our investigation, Conrad can mobilize approximately 3,000 to 4,000 troops. If the rebellion progresses smoothly, that number will quickly grow as anti-Emperor factions join."

"How many troops can the Kaiser mobilize?"

"That depends on how legitimate Conrad's cause appears."

Nikephoros elaborated:

"If Conrad's cause seems just, most nobles won't want to get involved in the civil war. Conrad has already enhanced his reputation by recapturing Jerusalem."

"True, the Kaiser isn't particularly popular among the nobles either."

"Yes, exactly."

Nikephoros nodded.

"But if Conrad's cause seems weak, the nobles will gladly side with the Kaiser. Above all, Conrad has already been defeated by the Kaiser once, and everyone knows the Kaiser generously rewarded the nobles who supported him then."

"So Conrad becomes a golden goblin."

"Ah... yes, I suppose your expression is appropriate, Princess."

Nikephoros cleared his throat and concluded:

"Anyway, if the nobles don't support the Kaiser, he'll gather around 7,000 to 8,000 troops. If they actively support him, he could amass over 30,000."

"Hmm... I suppose that's about right."

Although the Holy Roman Empire tends to be historically underestimated, under Henry IV it was undoubtedly Europe's dominant power, encompassing eastern France, all of Central Europe, and northern Italy.

Considering that Barbarossa would lead tens of thousands of soldiers on a Crusade just a hundred years later, the full power of the Empire with noble support was comparable to, if not greater than, Rome's.

"Then we'd need to send at least 5,000 troops to have any chance..."

"If we extend the current mobilization order, that wouldn't be impossible."

"But it's not troops we can easily mobilize."

I drummed my fingers on the sofa armrest, organizing my thoughts.

"If we draw elite troops stationed in Bari, recall the marines from Egypt, and mobilize the cavalry from Illyria..."

"That would significantly improve the quality of our forces."

Nikephoros nodded and fell into thought. After contemplating troop deployments for a while, I crossed my arms with a groan.

"The problem is the tremendous backlash we'd face if this fails. Elite troops don't just spring from the ground."

With Croatia now beyond Rome's influence, retreat by land would be nearly impossible. It was a dangerous gamble that could result in the annihilation of our entire support force in German territory.

"You seem unusually worried today."

Nikephoros remarked with a surprised expression. I looked at him with a "got a problem with that?" expression. He cleared his throat awkwardly and continued.

"Anyway, I'll follow your decision, Princess. We still have time, so think it through carefully."

After finishing, he quietly sat down beside me and offered the plate of snacks. I took one and said:

"I'm feeling somewhat tired."

"Are you still fatigued from the auction trip?"

"No, not that... just this whole situation."

How did it come to this? My goal was simply to live peacefully in a world without kebabs...

I munched on the snack, reflecting on the past—from the Egyptian campaign to the Crusade and the recapture of Anatolia. Tracing everything back, I finally reached the source of all these events.

"Wait, this was all because of you!"

I turned to stare at Nikephoros.

Thinking about it, this man was the beginning of everything. The decisive reason I headed to the battlefield when I had been focused on domestic affairs was to avoid marrying him.

"Me?"

Nikephoros looked innocent, as if he knew nothing.

"P-Princess?"

Suddenly, emotions welled up inside me. Without thinking, I smacked his back hard five times. Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack!

Nikephoros, who had obediently offered his back with a confused expression, now lowered his eyebrows as if wronged.

"W-why suddenly..."

"...It's nothing."

In truth, I couldn't blame just Nikephoros anymore. The one truly intoxicated by the sight of Rome's gradually recovering territories was none other than myself.

I sighed deeply and shook my head.

"Nikephoros, you'd better treat me well for the rest of your life."

"...?"

Pretending not to know. I shrugged and let it go. Then I got up from the sofa and gestured to Nikephoros.

"Let's go have lunch. After that, we'll meet with John."

The situation was terrible, but it wasn't the first time I'd faced such difficulties. For the sake of my happy future, I needed to deal with those German fellows decisively while I had the chance.

Nikephoros, still looking bewildered by my emotional changes, finally stood up and asked:

"When you said I should treat you well for life... what exactly did you mean?"

"Well, why don't you think about that yourself?"

I evaded the question and headed to the dining hall.