The document slid back across the table, coming to a halt against Alecia’s fingertips.
Vain didn’t rise from his seat, nor did he raise his voice in a shout. Yet the gaze he leveled at her from across the table was sharper than it had been even when he’d confronted her brother in the royal palace.
"It’s not that I want to let you escape..." Alecia said. "I simply want to reduce any reason for my brother to target House Razgrim after he becomes king."
"And to achieve that, you’re going to frame it as if I only followed your orders because I had no choice?"
Vain tapped a finger against a specific line in the document.
It stated that Count Razgrim, unable to refuse the Second Princess’s forceful demands, had been compelled to lend his strength to the succession struggle. Alecia had added the sentence herself to absolve him of responsibility.
"If I leave a record stating that I commanded you, it will be impossible for him to claim you opposed him of your own volition. Even if it doesn’t erase all suspicion, it weakens his grounds for any public punishment."
"By painting me as a coward?"
Alecia’s brow furrowed. "Stop putting it that way. I am trying to protect your domain and your people."
"A Count who couldn't defy the Princess, and who pushed all the blame on her once the tide turned so he could scurry home with his reward... that’s how the world will see me. If you truly think your brother will look the other way just because you've sullied my reputation, you're incredibly naive!"
"If the choice is between a damaged reputation and the loss of your domain, I will choose the former every time. You aren't the kind of person who would risk his people for the sake of vanity, are you?"
At her retort, Vain’s mouth twisted into a slight grimace.
It seemed she had given this document a great deal of thought. She would play the villain, creating a narrative where Vain had been dragged along by her selfishness. Even if his honor took a hit, it would make it difficult for the First Prince to justify punishment. He understood the logic...
Which was exactly why he was so furious.
"This isn't just about vanity. The people remaining by your side—they're staying despite knowing exactly what they’ll lose if you're defeated, aren't they?"
"Yes... I have offered them a way out many times. They are the ones who insisted on remaining."
"Then don't take it upon yourself to treat their resolve so lightly."
The look in Alecia’s eyes shifted. "I have no intention of treating it lightly! I am the one who desired the throne! When I am defeated, the responsibility to minimize the damage lies solely with me!"
"The responsibility for starting this war is yours," Vain countered. "But the will of those who decided to stay until the bitter end isn't your property. Do you think anyone would be happy to be told 'it's dangerous, go home' and be sent away so you can shoulder everything alone?"
"...It would increase their chances of survival. I don't care if they never thank me."
"Instead, they'll feel as though they were told they were no longer needed!"
For the first time, Vain’s voice echoed forcefully through the room.
Alecia didn't back down. Planting both hands on the desk, she glared right back at him.
"I don't think they're unnecessary! I need you, and I need everyone who stayed! That is exactly why I’m saying I don't want to drag you into the abyss with me when I fall!"
"Then use us to win!"
Vain slammed his palm onto the desk. The wine in the chalice sloshed, and a few red drops stained the white tablecloth.
"There are still three days left! You're the one who claimed you'd fight to the end, so why are you pushing away the very people you can use? It’s fine to prepare for the aftermath of a defeat. But don't offer those terms up front and give us a reason to abandon you!"
"I can't lead people if I only scream about winning without considering the worst-case scenario! I have to carry the weight of every house that remained!"
"Then before you draft any more documents for our surrender, show me everything you've gathered to secure a victory!"
Vain pointed to the stack of papers piled at the edge of the desk.
They were bundled by house with twine, each labeled with the name of a head and the date of their meeting. Over the past five days, Alecia had personally visited various estates to gather this intelligence.
"Who left and why... what Regnard offered them, what they're afraid of... and every detail you noticed during your conversations. Read it all. Only then can you decide whether or not to cut me loose!"
Alecia stared at him for a long moment before finally reaching out, grabbing the top bundle, and thrusting it toward him.
"...Read to your heart's content. I may not have brought them back, but I didn't return empty-handed."
Vain sat back and untied the twine.
The first house was a Count who had withdrawn funding, citing a poor harvest. In reality, the poor harvest was merely the tipping point for debts that had been accumulating since his predecessor's time. The next was a house whose heir's crimes were being held over them by Regnard; the one after that had been promised a favorable ruling in a water dispute with a neighbor. Alecia had recorded everything: the tone of their voices, the shifting of their eyes, and even the specific phrases the heads had repeated.
In another bundle, Vain found the details of how Alecia had convinced two houses to remain instead of retreating into neutrality. She had introduced a merchant from the royal capital to one and proposed a joint-usage plan for disputed land to the other.
"...You investigated all of this?"
"If I don't know what my brother offered first, I can't provide counter-terms, can I? I told those being threatened that I would protect them if they returned. But I couldn't find the words to tell those whose families are in the royal capital to trust me."
"That was the right call. If you bring them back without a way to protect them, they'll just be used as leverage again at the Selection Ceremony."
"I know that... and because I know it, I couldn't win them back so easily."
Though her voice remained sharp with irritation, the tension in Alecia’s shoulders began to dissipate. Seeing Vain dive into the records with such intensity seemed to reveal a path she hadn't seen before.
Vain spread the papers across the available space on the desk.
"Don't try to win them all back the same way. We’ll categorize them: those in financial trouble, those whose secrets are held, those who just want to join the winning side, and those who are still on the fence."
"...And the ones whose families are being held hostage?"
"We won't force them to move for now. First, we find a way to pry Regnard's fingers off them. With only three days, we have to prioritize the houses we can actually flip."
"So you're not abandoning the others."
"It's about the sequence. I'm neither bored enough nor omnipotent enough to save everyone at once."
Vain pulled one specific record from the four piles.
House Calden. A high-ranking noble family with a domain along the main highway connecting the royal capital and the West. They had once been wealthy from caravan taxes, but since the development of a newer trade route, traffic had slowed and their debts had skyrocketed. Regnard had promised to have merchants from the First Prince faction assume those debts.
"I don't have the luxury of outspending my brother," Alecia noted. "If I empty the royal treasury for my own sake, the kingdom will suffer even if I win."
"We don't need to outspend him. My brother is only offering to wipe out their current debt, right?"
"Yes. But for House Calden, that alone is a massive relief."
"Even if the debt vanishes, they’ll be in the same position in a few years if the trade doesn't return. What they need isn't a one-time sum of gold coins. It’s a sustainable annual income."
Vain looked for the records of his newly acquired domain, prompting Alecia to pull a map from a nearby shelf. It showed ruined villages, broken highways, and collapsed warehouses. Repairing them would require massive amounts of stone, timber, and grain.
"We’ll route the reconstruction supplies through the Calden domain. We’ll rent their warehouses, utilize their highways, and hire their local merchants for transport. Instead of just paying off their debt, we’ll provide enough business for them to pay it off themselves."
"That will add days to the transport time compared to direct shipping," Alecia observed.
"Even with the delay, it's cheaper than building our own warehouses and procuring our own wagons from scratch. House Calden gets a steady income, and I get a reliable supply line for the reconstruction. You win back a major house without touching a copper of the royal treasury."
Alecia looked down at the map, tracing the route from the Calden domain to the new territory with her finger.
"...It’s brilliant. The two smaller domains along that highway will also see a profit if the goods pass through. If Count Calden returns to us, those two houses will likely follow."
"One house for the price of three. It’s the obvious first move."
"But my brother's offer is immediate. This will take time to yield results."
"Which is why we’ll pay for the first shipment in advance. We’ll take it from the five hundred gold coins earmarked for the reconstruction. Since it’s money we were going to spend anyway, it’s not an extra cost."
Alecia blinked in surprise, then a small smile tugged at her lips.
"You look remarkably happy for someone who's about to part with his gold coins."
"I'm not losing them... I'm putting them to work. Gold coins are useless if you just keep them in a box. It’s better to throw them onto a path where they’ll return to you in greater numbers."
The man who had been genuinely furious just minutes ago was now leaning over the table with infectious enthusiasm at the mention of money. Alecia let out a soft, weary breath.
"I suppose it was the right decision not to terminate our contract after all."
"I haven't heard you officially retract it yet."
Alecia picked up the document and tossed it into the fireplace. The paper curled and blackened at the edges, the royal seal disappearing into the flames.
"There. Are you satisfied? I have never once thought you were unnecessary, nor have I ever disregarded your will. But I do apologize for making this decision without consulting you."
"Then consult me from the start. If you have time to draft useless papers, use it to visit more houses."
"I will... Next time, I’ll talk to you before you start yelling at me."
"Don't let there be a 'next time'!"
Alecia finally let out a genuine laugh.
For five days, her efforts had yielded nothing. The names on the desk were still aligned with her brother. But the situation felt different now. Vain was taking the pieces of information she had gathered and weaving them together, turning a desperate situation into a viable plan.
Three days until the Selection Ceremony.
Vain began drafting the contract for Count Calden, watching the ink settle on the parchment.
"We leave at dawn. Before my brother can wipe the slate clean, we’ll show them a future that actually pays."
Alecia gathered the maps and records, her nod firm and resolute.
"Right. Let’s start by taking back what's ours!"