Azur Lane: Kaiserin (Book 2)

Ch12: I Have Faith In You

The second I enter my palace, I'm immediately caught off guard by the chaos I find. Our trip back had been surprisingly pleasant. I'd thought they would have attacked me given I had just declared war on their nation but I suppose they are more honourable than I thought.

Roselyn: Your Majesty!

Everyone stops and salutes as I walk through the doors. Once I acknowledge them, they return to the utter chaos that I'd seen prior. It's almost as if I'd stumbled into an ant colony.

Me: What's going on, Roselyn?

Roselyn: Your Majesty, with all due respect, why must you torture us so?

Me: Huh?

Roselyn: Might I speak freely?

Me: Sure?

Roselyn: You've declared war against the Rumelia Empire while our army is mostly demobilised to allow the troops to rest and recover with their families. It would be one thing if all we were doing was defend since the border troops can hold out long enough for the army to be mobilised but then you also went ahead and had the navy seize control of Alexandria and the surrounding Nile region!

Me: Mhmm?

Roselyn: We don't have the men to hold such territory! We're already stretched thin as it is with garrison forces busy manning the land procured from the Royal Navy and Northern Parliament! We are literally incapable of marshalling even a single man more until the army is remobilised, which by the way, no one was prepared for and as a result, none of our supply networks are in place to support such a campaign even if we were to somehow mobilise in time!

Me: I-

Roselyn: To top it off, we've already received reports that Rumelia's main army has already mobilised, likely having planned to go to war with some other power, and have thus turned their attention to the south to retake Alexandria before likely pushing North through Istanbul to attack us! 

I watch as the poor thing all but has a mental breakdown before me. She's so overworked and distraught by the situation I've supposedly put us in. I almost find it hard not to laugh.

Roselyn: Lest you forget, we are still at war with the Eagle Union and while we have treaties with the Northern Parliament there's nothing stopping them from breaking them and invading us the same way we did them! We cannot afford to put ourselves in another position where we're fighting enemies on all sides!

Out of breath, she finally stops talking and after she manages to calm down, I reply.

Me: I have faith in your abilities.

Behind me, unable to contain her laughter, Jean bursts out laughing. 

Jean: I'd give up if I were you, Roselyn. She's hopeless.

Me: What's that supposed to mean?

Jean: My point exactly.

Pouting, I decide to terminate the conversation immediately and instead refocus on Roselyn.

Me: Fine. We won't push further into Rumelia. They aren't the main goal anyway. However, we'll still deploy our forces to maintain control of the Suez long enough for the rest of our forces to drive Iris Libre out of the Mediterranean. If you have trouble with supply lines and manpower, simply have the Sardegna Empire fill the gaps. That's what they are there for, after all.

Roselyn: I...I understand.

Me: Good. While we're on the topic of the Northern Parliament, which would you prefer being friendly with? The Sakura Empire or the Northern Parliament?

Roselyn: I don't think I-

Me: Just answer the question.

Roselyn: If I had to choose, the Sakura Empire as they are unlikely to betray us in the future since our interests don't overlap.

Hmmm...perhaps she's right. It's not something worth thinking about right now though. We can do that at another time.

Me: Roselyn, don't mobilise the entire army. Just use the special forces and one army group from our main forces. That should take care of your supply concerns.

Roselyn: We won't be able to win against Rumelia with those numbers.

Me: As I said, we'll forego a full-scale war with Rumelia for now. 

Roselyn: Thank you, Your Majesty.

She salutes before hurrying away, likely to relay my words to the rest of Strategic Command. She's really my little helper, isn't she? What would I ever do without such a capable subordinate?

Jean: What are you planning to do now, Your Majesty?

Me: I think I'll have a bath. Care to join?

Jean: I-

Me: Relax, it'll be a public bath.

Jean: In that case, I must join you. 

Me: For work?

Jean: For work.

Me: Whatever makes you sleep better at night. Can invite the other guards and the maids as well then. Consider it my treat.

Jean tries to hide it but I can see the relief that washes over her when she hears others will be joining us though for a brief moment, there was an entirely different expression flashing across her features.