Herlinmarte added, "And command him to come to Trullinczentyr alone to atone for his crimes before us."
"Of course." Lizelotte's expression shifted slightly.
"At the same time, in the name of the supreme rulers, issue a summons to all Electors for a central imperial council."
"The time will be one week from now."
"We will summon Lacey to appear and face questioning from all the Electors."
This was a blatant political maneuver.
If Lacey came, he would be walking into a trap. The Golden Law Guard and the Voice of the Empress would be enough to ensure he never left.
If he did not come, it would be a public act of defiance, confirming all charges against him and giving the Imperial Family just cause to use military force.
"Second."
Lizelotte continued without a pause, "You will immediately dispatch envoys to see Ziegler and those three fence-sitters, as well as Wolner and Meklen."
"Tell them that if they draw a clear line with the traitor, the Imperial Family will grant them more trade privileges, and even open up parts of the capital's market."
"If they remain obstinate and continue to side with Lacey…"
"…they will be considered accomplices and will suffer the wrath of the Imperial Family together." Herlinmarte finished the sentence, a dangerous glint in her eyes.
Lizelotte nodded.
"Third."
"I will announce a complete ban on all trade between the Imperial Family's direct territories, including the capital area around Trullinczentyr, and Wasser Fief, Schtong, and Caplania."
"Especially Originium Arts products, high-end luxury goods, and refined metals."
"We will make that greedy fat man Meklen understand just who bestowed his wealth upon him."
"Then, we will promise the market share freed up by the sanctions to those Electors who remain neutral or are willing to stand with us."
"We will use our capital's economic sphere to counter his economic community."
"One last thing."
"Formally authorize Abraham Rossetti and Hoffmann Herbert to form an Imperial Order Restoration Force and to assemble on the border in the name of 'restoring lawful order to Ruperkan.'"
"We won't let them strike just yet, but that sword must hang constantly over Lacey's head."
Lizelotte smiled and added:
"Also, get the spies moving."
"Go to Wasser Fief, to Ruperkan. Contact all the old nobles, disgruntled merchants, and capitalists who are dissatisfied with the Workers' Party."
"Give them money, give them weapons. Let them create chaos, carry out assassinations."
"I want Lacey's own backyard to be set on fire."
Herlinmarte looked at her sister and felt for the first time that beneath that pure white dress hid a darkness deeper than her own black armor.
"I'll see to it at once." She turned and left with swift efficiency.
…
That afternoon, the "Decree of Deprivation," bearing the seal of the Twin Empresses, spread throughout Leithanien with the utmost speed.
Countless messengers galloped towards the territories of the various Electors, and the Imperial Family's propaganda machine went into overdrive, painting Lacey as an ambitious traitor on the verge of bringing disaster to the empire.
By the time the news reached Eisenwald, the capital of Wasser Fief, it was already dusk.
Gertrude, holding the harshly worded text of the decree, walked briskly into Lacey's throne room.
High in the tower, Lacey sat on his throne, processing documents.
"Lacey!"
Gertrude's voice was somewhat urgent. "News from Trullinczentyr!"
Lacey did not look up, casually saying, "Read."
Gertrude cleared her throat and read the contents of the decree verbatim.
After she finished, the throne room fell silent.
Gertrude awaited Lacey's reaction.
However, Lacey merely turned around calmly. The fading light of the sunset cast a long shadow across his face, obscuring his expression.
He took the parchment from Gertrude's hand, read it over carefully, and then, he smiled.
"A combination attack? Interesting."
He tossed the decree casually onto the table.
"They've finally dropped the pretense."
Lacey walked over to the map, his gaze sweeping across the seven regions that had already allied with him.
"Gertrude, my orders."
"Here."
"Inform the Propaganda Department. All broadcast and printing presses are to be activated tonight. We're sending a gift in return."
"Inform Serafina to prepare for a diplomatic mission. Our allies may be a little confused right now and will need some reassurance."
"Inform Taylor to have the Combat Division enter a state of first-level readiness. Our guests are almost at the door; we should at least prepare a welcoming ceremony."
Finally, he looked at Gertrude.
"Also, have the Intelligence Department bring out that blacklist of the old powers we prepared earlier."
"The Empresses want to help us start a fire? Then we'll use this wind to burn all the trash in the house clean in one go."
Seeing Lacey's calm and composed demeanor, Gertrude's own tension dissipated.
She bowed to accept the orders, a smile appearing on her lips as well.
"Yes."
…
Eisenwald under the night sky, far from being silent, was even more clamorous than during the day.
The machinery in the printing factories roared through the night as thousands upon thousands of flyers with eye-catching headlines were packed and sent out, destined for every corner of Wasser Fief and all allied Grand Regions.
On the radio, a joint statement from the Workers' Party Joint Committee and the Ruperkan People's Provisional Assembly was broadcast repeatedly.
In the throne room, Lacey's core team was gathered.
"...we sternly refute this so-called edict from Trullinczentyr!"
On the radio, the voice of the best announcer handpicked by the Propaganda Department was sonorous and infectious.
"We have reason to believe that their benevolent and majestic Majesties, the Twin Empresses, have been taken hostage by the corrupt clique of court nobles entrenched in the capital!"
"This edict is not the true will of The Empresses, but a counter-attack and conspiracy by the old powers against the people's revolution!"
Taylor grinned as he listened. He glanced at Lacey, who was calmly sipping his tea, and couldn't help but laugh. "My lord, that's a truly vicious move."
"Calling the Empresses puppets under someone else's control... now they won't be able to clear their names even if they jump into the Rhine River."
Serafina, however, wore a worried expression. "By doing this, are we not completely severing ties with the Imperial Family? They are, after all, the nominal supreme rulers of Leithanien."
"Serafina," Lacey said, setting down his cup and explaining with a smile, "political struggles are often not about the facts, but about the right to interpret them."
"They want to define us as traitors, so we must explain their actions as them being 'deceived by treacherous ministers.'"
"This way, the nature of the conflict changes from us opposing imperial authority to us helping the imperial authority purge the court of traitors."
"We are not only not traitors, but we become loyal subjects."
He pointed to Ruperkan's location on the map. "The people of Ruperkan overthrew the tyrannical Erak. This is the right of self-preservation granted to the people by the Leithanien constitution."
"The Empresses have no right to interfere in the internal affairs of the various Elector Grand Regions. This is written in the Cantos of the Golden Law."
"By issuing this edict now, they are proving that they themselves are violating the very order they established."
"And we are the ones upholding that order."
His words brought a sudden clarity to everyone present.
________________________________________
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