Endless Silver Machine

The communications officer of the Military Affairs Office immediately sent this information back to the Senate after losing contact with the pursuing aviation magic fleet.

"Things seem to be getting troublesome, Lord Aemilius."

Philip Iela, who was waiting for the progress of the intelligence at Aemilius's house, put down his crossed legs, still with a refreshing smile on his face.

Aemilius, who was sitting at the standing table, ignored Philip Iela's innocuous sarcasm and asked the communications officer without raising his head.

"The other party should only have one civilian airship. Has the identity of the organization that helped them escape been found?"

"Not yet. The aviation magic fleet was shot down in the sea. According to the last information sent back... they did not find any enemy shadow."

Hearing this, Aemilius put down the quill he was using to write the document.

Philippe Iera crossed his fingers and sat on the parlor sofa. He is only interested in the results and has no intention of interfering with the process.

"Immediately organize a comprehensive search of the sea area and prepare a press conference."

"Do you want to spread the information about the third princess's escape? If you are so impatient, be careful that some guys who are watching this period will take advantage of you."

"It doesn't matter. Since that little girl escaped into Shuoyue Academy, we can't do anything to her. As long as she stays there honestly, I won't embarrass her."

"Since the third princess cannot be publicly executed now, are you planning to blame the Tebiri Kingdom?"

The original public execution was to establish the threat status of the Tebiri Kingdom to the Bis Empire as a legitimate reason to launch a war.

Regardless of the means, the annexation of the Tebiri Kingdom is already an established matter included in the Bisi Empire's military plan.

"Your Highness, do you have any suggestions?"

"No, I think this is good. This way the third princess cannot ask for help from the Tebiri Kingdom, otherwise it will really become a fact of collusion."

Philip Iela just spread his hands indifferently and said the answer Aemilius wanted to hear.

The Senate simply needed a royal spokesman. Although Zi Ming Yiela is also under control, it is difficult to guarantee that she will cooperate obediently.

Philippe Iera, who has no right to inherit the throne, is a different matter. He would only be interested in more attractive interests, just like most nobles.

Aemilius sneered at him in his heart, but it didn't matter as long as it was convenient to use.

"The situation at home and abroad is already so turbulent, and His Highness the First Prince still doesn't ask questions?"

"As long as the war does not touch the border, it will not be the emperor's turn to take action. There was no news about the emperor when he was assassinated."

Philip Iela waved his hand indifferently.

Aemilius remained calm on the surface, but he was actually relieved in his heart.

The First Prince is one of the unsettling factors beyond the control of the Senate. The Imperial Relics Exploration Team he leads has been away all year round and there has been no news.

After analyzing the first prince, the Senate came to the conclusion that it is very likely that he will not stand in the same position as Philip Iela, but accordingly, he will not pay special attention to the position of the royal family.

Even though he was known as "the strongest in the empire", after he gave up control of key institutions of the empire, the direct knights alone could not shake the empire's military plan, so the Imperial Intelligence Agency no longer spent extra energy tracking him. trend.

"Can I just go on stage and say a few words like I usually do?"

"His Royal Highness is the agent of Her Majesty the Princess. The Kingdom of Tebiri assisted the country's felon Lan Ming Yiela in escaping from prison, which is enough to become the trigger of the country's war. Your responsibility is to make this justice known to the public."

Aemilius takes it for granted that "righteousness" is full of lies.

This was just a scene with a set procedure, and the man in front of him with a frivolous smile had long been accustomed to dealing with it.

On Philip Iela's upright face, the corners of his mouth were still slightly raised as usual.

…………

"... Lan Ming Yiala, who is awaiting trial, was assisted by the Tebiri Kingdom to escape from prison early this morning. This clearly shows that there is collusion between himself and the Tebiri Kingdom. Rosenberg Prison has made it clear that Lan Ming Yiala Aila’s crime has caused her and the Tebiri Kingdom to be regarded as enemies, and our country’s cavalry will surely trample the land where His Excellency the Emperor shed his blood!”

At a press conference that day, August announced to all citizens that the imperial troops that had assembled at the border of the Tebiri Kingdom were officially at war with it.

After the press conference, Philippe Hiera visited this suburban castle where violets in full bloom in late spring covered the walls.

For Philippe Hiera, who was attached to the radical faction of the Senate, the castle was entirely filled with his own men and he could move through the castle unimpeded.

Zi Ming Yiela still needs maids to take care of her daily life, but the dozens of maids arranged in the castle are restricted from having close contact with Zi Ming Yiela, and they will only take turns to complete the minimum work.

On the way to Zi Ming's residence, Philip met several such maids one after another.

They are not like the little country girl who was sent back to Rosenberg. They never leave Zi Ming's side for a moment.

Compared with the past, imperial soldiers were guarded at intervals along the corridor.

After all, this castle is the residence of the current "ruler" of the Bis Empire. In addition, the attackers infiltrated last night, so it is reasonable that it will be strictly guarded.

"No prison guard in Rosenberg can compare to this place."

Philip walked in front of the imperial soldiers, and the imperial soldiers gave him a military salute.

"How is Your Majesty the Princess doing today?"

"Report, Your Majesty the Princess has not left her bedroom today, and a maid has entered twice to deliver meals."

"Thank you for your hard work. Next, I have to meet with Your Majesty the Princess. There is no need to guard this place before I leave."

"yes."

The imperial soldiers once again paid military salutes to Philip and left the place.

Phillip knocked on the door of his bedroom twice and pushed in without waiting for a response.

Because he knew that no one would respond even if he waited. If the door was unlocked, it meant he could enter.

The furnishings in the bedroom had not changed much, and Zi Ming was not seen at first glance.

The curtains on the balcony swayed gently with the breeze, and Philip turned and walked towards the open outdoor balcony.

"It's rare that the weather has cleared up today. Has Your Majesty's mood improved as a result?"

On the balcony made of pure white marble, Zi Ming, who was sitting in a wheelchair, was still looking at the sky that was gradually turning from gray to blue from a height.

Although you are high up in the castle, you still can't see the other side of the city wall from this position.

Hearing a tone from behind that was different from the coldness of the maid, but also disgusting from the bottom of his heart, Zi Ming controlled the wheelchair and turned around to face the uninvited man.

Today, she was also wearing a light white shawl, her knees were covered with gauze to resist the cold wind on the high platform, and her long violet curly hair was styled in a manner that was completely in line with her noble status.

At first glance, the successive changes did not bring too much change to Zi Ming.

"Your Excellency, the Acting Governor, is here in person. What are you doing?"

Probably only I will know to what extent the continuous changes have destroyed her spirit.

Philip didn't care that she called him tit for tat, and just showed the declaration of war issued by the Senate not long ago in front of her.

This signature was stamped with a document representing the heraldry of "Zi Ming Yiela". When Philip showed it in front of Zi Ming, this was the first time she knew about it.

"Your Majesty, the war has already begun. But don't worry, everything sent back to August must be good news. This war... It only takes a month to see the results."

She lost all the people she could trust around her and lived deep in the castle all day without receiving any information from the outside world.

On the day when he inherited the throne, the seal representing himself and the "Iela" family was also taken away by the acting Senate and Philip.

The successor princess of the Bisi Empire, Ziming Yiela, left nothing behind except her own name.

"...How much of this is fabricated?"

"All of them, right? To be honest, I don't know. The only person who really knows clearly is the person who wrote this document. But as far as I know, the organization that robbed the prison should be Shuoyue Academy, so at least she is very safe now."

"Brother, I don't understand. What will you get after this war is over?"

"It's probably the money and fame that ordinary people want."

Philip rolled up the document as he spoke. This declaration of war will not be handed over to Zi Ming. To be precise, all political documents will not pass through her hands.

What the Senate needs is not Zi Ming herself, and everyone in the royal family holds the coat of arms of the "Iela" family. They only need to take away the coat of arms symbolizing themselves, and they can initiate various proposals in her name. .

The too straightforward admission made Zi Ming feel that even condemnation was a waste of energy.

"The approval of this document needs to go through the Holy See, but there is no Holy See's seal on it."

"The Senate also has a handle on the Holy See, you know. Shuangyue Academy wants to enter the Bes Empire to rob the prison, and the Holy See also provides assistance."

"Doesn't anyone on either side want to defeat the enemy... to sacrifice a country like this? This was the case with the Principality of Setia in the past."

"Human beings always repeat the same tragedies. That's why they are called 'human beings'. Human beings only need one country to rule. After unifying the country, we can also consider unifying the continent."

From the unity within a race to the unity of different races, this idea is really too crazy.

A similar idea appeared somewhere a hundred years ago, and a "cross-border war" broke out that destroyed all continental civilizations.

Zi Ming's exploration of history is better than that of any other royal family, and even Lan Ming's achievements in history cannot surpass her.

After Philip publicly proposed the idea of ​​the Bis Empire, Zi Ming said nothing.

Phillip put away his smile and looked into eyes burning with silent anger.

"Zi Ming, you have changed."

"..."

"Is it because there is nothing left around you that you don't want to think about anything?"

"...You are not qualified to preach to me."

After a long time, Zi Ming, who had a tense expression, said this sentence coldly.

Rather than defending, it felt more like he had to admit Philip's accusation.

"I'm sorry, I accidentally forgot that you are now Your Majesty the Princess, and you are no longer the Imperial Sister you used to be."

Philip bowed respectfully and apologized to Zi Ming, and in Zi Ming's ears, every word was ridiculing himself.

As Philip said, he had lost everything, and even this name was just a symbol of humiliation.

Her imperial sister, Lan Ming Yiela, was the object of Zi Ming's admiration since she was a child. In her childhood, she aspired to become a member of the royal family who could change the country and care for the people like her imperial sister.

But reality made her see the difference between herself and the imperial sister. At this moment, Lan Ming was still fighting on the front line, but he couldn't even leave the castle.

"I came here today just to inform Your Majesty the Princess that our country has declared war on the Kingdom of Tebiri..."

"What are you going to do with the imperial sister?"

Before Philip was about to resign, Zi Ming endured the humiliation and tried his best to control his strong expression that was about to collapse.

Philip was the only one who could possibly tell her what was going on outside the castle, and she could only grasp at straws.

Philip, who had his back turned to him, did not turn around, just as he had come to the castle to tell himself and Lan Ming the day when the plaque was unveiled.

Zi Ming was unwilling to accept such hypocritical tenderness at this time, and her tears were not cheap enough.

"The Senate believes that Lan Ming will not have an impact on the plan in the short term. The Bis Empire also signed a post-war contract after the cross-border war. Attacking neutral areas violates the contract, not to mention that the Bis Empire does not have enough strength to fight Shuangyue. There is a head-on conflict in the academy. So for now, we won’t do anything to her. If she can stay in Shigetsuki Academy peacefully... However, she probably won’t let her go forever.”

"Sister Huang will never succumb to that kind of place..."

"Even if Lan Ming did something, it has nothing to do with you, Your Majesty the Princess, right?" Philip interrupted Zi Ming's murmuring without politeness, "You will never become another her, and you will be comfortable if you accept the reality obediently. Live comfortably."

"I will never become someone like you. You are no longer the imperial brother you used to be."

"Yes, we have all changed. At least, every time we met in the past, it would not end like this."

This sentence, which did not contain any expectations and only made the listener look back on the past, finally touched Zi Ming's tear ducts, and Philip, who had his back to her, tilted his head intentionally or unintentionally.

However, his sideburns obscured his view of the side of his face. Zi Ming, who was so convinced, immediately adjusted the direction of his wheelchair.

The two of them had their backs to each other, and Zi Ming didn't even raise his hand to wipe away the tears falling down his cheeks until the sound of opening and closing the dormitory door behind him sounded.

…………