Chapter 28: Fate – I Want You All on Your Knees

Historians referred to the death of the young Emperor Edward VII as a sign that fate spared no one.

What made the Empire great was its ability to function normally despite the loss of any individual; what made the Empire great was also its capacity to endure any misfortune.

The former Emperor of the Albion Empire, Edward VI, had broken with the Universal Church in his quest for a son and a divorce from his wife, a princess of the Castilian Empire. He had married four women in succession and spent nearly twenty years before finally having a son.

This had even triggered a thirty-three-year-long war between the Albion Empire, the Kingdom of Fontaine, and the Empire of Castilia.

Yes.

The war had begun simply due to a marital dispute between the royal houses of Albion and Castilia, and then, with religious conflict drawing in Fontaine, it escalated into a total war that would not end until one side was utterly destroyed.

And now, thirty-three years later—

The daughter of the Castilian princess had become Empress of the Albion Empire, as if fate were weaving an unbreakable thread.

When Princess Maria ascended as Empress of the Empire,

She could not tolerate betrayal—either of the Empire or of the Universal Church.

Just like Marshal Asfled, who remembered the Church as the place where, in his poverty-stricken childhood, his mother had taken him to receive charity rations. For Princess Maria, her memories of the Church were of living in a tower with her mother, the Princess of Castilia.

It wasn't just the Empire that had betrayed the Church—it was also Edward VI who had betrayed her mother.

Princess Maria's revenge

Was destined to bring devastating consequences to the Empire’s war efforts.

Albion.

Brittany Fortress.

Office of the Director of the Military Dispatch Division.

Ning Luo raised his right hand to his forehead in pain. After days and nights of drafting combat strategies against Fontaine, he had never expected to be stabbed in the back. Even worse, he now had to consider returning to the capital—but was unable to.

Priscilla spoke up.

"I’ll return to ensure Her Highness’s safety. You can stay here."

"How is their relationship?"

"Princess Maria won’t harm Princess Isabella. Their relationship isn’t as bad as you think. At most, she’ll restrict her freedom of movement for a while. As long as I’m there, there won’t be any problems."

Purely in terms of physical strength,

Ning Luo had no real concept of how strong he was—but he was sure that ten of him wouldn't be able to take on Priscilla. As for who was stronger between Priscilla and Lieutenant Colonel Stewart, that remained unknown.

His concern about this matter

Was purely because, had Edward VII—Isabella’s younger brother—still been alive, the succession wouldn’t have fallen to either Princess Maria or Isabella.

Now that Edward VII was dead, and Maria had neither a husband nor any children, Isabella had become the first in line to the throne.

She was, in fact, the sole heir.

…

But Ning Luo couldn’t return.

As Director of the Empire’s Military Dispatch Division and Chief Logistics Officer of the Imperial Army, he was responsible for the lives and coordination of hundreds of thousands of troops.

Princess Isabella’s fiancé?

That identity paled in comparison to his other roles.

And—

When bad news came, it rarely arrived in drips and drabs. It usually flooded in all at once.

Right after the death of Edward VI,

The Kingdom of Fontaine launched its offensive.

The newly appointed Chief of Staff of Fontaine’s Army, General Henri Jacques Champetier de Cournan, had restructured the logistics system. Previously, Fontaine had simply copied the one Ning Luo had tailored specifically for Albion, so when Fontaine tried to replicate it, countless issues naturally arose.

But after nearly half a year, General Cournan had fully optimized the system, making it far more suitable for Fontaine’s needs.

General Cournan was a conservative officer.

He did not seek swift and decisive breakthroughs. Instead, he launched probing offensives across the front, forcing Albion to stretch its forces thin across defensive lines. Once he made a small breakthrough, he would immediately focus on rebuilding the logistical supply line—never taking a step beyond what he could control.

At the same time, he spread a message deep into Albion territory: the Empire had reached its breaking point, and its defeat was only a matter of time.

Indeed.

It mirrored Albion’s own war of attrition strategy to the letter.

A transparent stratagem—clear to both sides—where the only contest was endurance, and where neither side would offer the other a single opportunity.

For Ning Luo, this was a deadly threat.

The front-line situation demanded his constant presence, yet he couldn’t solve the crisis from there. He had to return to the capital—not just to see Isabella, but also to meet the new Empress, Princess Maria.

Fortunately, the situation hadn’t spiraled beyond control.

In one small stroke of luck,

There was no need for Ning Luo to return to the capital—Princess Maria had arrived at Brittany Fortress.

Ning Luo had to admit something to himself:

He found it difficult to harbor any hostility toward Princess Maria.

She looked far too much like Isabella.

The woman standing before the office window wore a long black nun’s robe, which did nothing to hide her graceful figure. Her long white hair fluttered in the breeze, and her violet eyes were fixed on Ning Luo.

She looked like an older version of Isabella.

Princess Maria stepped up to Ning Luo, her purple gaze unwavering.

"I’ve always been curious. What sort of man could make Isabella so… I suppose I should use the word ‘love.’ And perhaps I shouldn’t even call him a man—he still seems like a boy."

Ning Luo remained unmoved.

"Have your people stand down. We should speak in private."

Princess Maria smiled.

"Oh? Do you think that killing me would solve all your problems?"

Ning Luo waved his hand,

signaling Lieutenant Colonel Stewart to withdraw.

Stewart pulled his gaze away from Princess Maria and left the office. The stifling heat in the room finally began to dissipate.

With just one command from Ning Luo,

Stewart would have incinerated the new Empress without hesitation.

And Ning Luo had indeed considered it.

He had already slain nearly all the Empire’s great nobles—what difference would one more Empress make? In the face of this war, even a sovereign’s life could become insignificant.

But—

For Princess Maria to dare show up here in person,

She clearly believed Ning Luo wouldn’t lay a finger on her. And even if he did kill her now, things would only spiral into a worse disaster. Restarting the war bonds wouldn’t fix that. Not even the Emperor could decide everything anymore.

Especially since it had been Princess Maria who had unilaterally suspended the war bonds in the first place.

It wasn’t just the Church that supported her—there were many more factions behind her as well.

And—

She was Isabella’s sister. Ning Luo couldn’t harm her.

She seemed entirely indifferent to all of it.

Princess Maria spoke to herself, almost absently.

"I would never harm Isabella. Rather than calling her my sister, it’s more accurate to say she’s half my daughter. I watched her grow up. Sometimes I envy her. Even without the throne, she has you. But for me—without this position, I can’t do anything at all."

"What is it that you’re trying to say?!"

Ning Luo snapped back, questioning her in return.

The longer one stayed on the front lines, the easier it was to lose patience, to become irritable and harsh.

"Young men are always impatient. I’m a nun. I can’t lie. I’ll be honest with you—I have no interest in this throne. Albion has brought me nothing but suffering. If I could, I would return to Castilia… Mr. Ning Luo, if you win this war, I’ll give everything to Isabella."

"You think this war—dragged out to this point—is just some kind of game?!"

"I know what I’m asking is difficult for you."

Princess Maria looked at Ning Luo with something close to affection. She reached out with her slender fingers and gently brushed his cheek—just like Isabella.

But the very next moment, her expression turned cold.

"But… I will never allow the Empire to betray the Church!"

…

Human emotions were far too complicated.

Princess Maria truly despised Albion—despised her father. After her mother, the Princess of Castilia, had died, all that Albion had brought her was pain. But in the end, she was an Albionian. She was the Empress of Albion, and she couldn’t just stand by and watch the Empire fall into ruin.

She didn’t want to pass her misfortune on to others. All she wanted was for the Empire to return to the embrace of the Church—for everything her father, Edward VI, had once hoped for to crumble into dust.

However—

Stories like this, when laid upon the people of this era, became an unbearable weight.

Even Ning Luo couldn’t bear it.

But he had no choice.

He had to carry it.