I Don’t Need a Guillotine for My Revolution

Chapter 83: Directory Government - Claimant to the Throne

The following day found us at the National Assembly.

As I anticipated, the Assembly erupted in outrage when I initially proposed restoring the monarchy, even with the justification of supporting the Third Princess to avert war with the Germania Empire. My position as commander-in-chief of the revolutionary army, coupled with Christine's and my own influence over the Assembly, made our proposal appear to be a blatant attempt to install a low-born puppet princess and regress to the old system.

However, the uproar subsided somewhat when the furious Assembly members learned the Third Princess was, in fact, Eris. Though a missing princess, and thus unknown to many of them, Saint Eris already enjoyed immense popularity.

Everyone knew I was her supporter, but her renown was too great for her to be easily written off as a simple puppet.

Furthermore, when Eris declared her intention to have the monarch elected through a national vote with a fixed term, and – most importantly – without diminishing the National Assembly's power, the remaining objectors grew cautious.

With the Assembly members observing intently, Eris calmly fielded their questions.

"...So, Saint – or rather, Your Highness.... You're proposing to restore the monarchy, yet maintain the National Assembly's rule?"

"Yes, that is correct, Deputy Talleyrand."

Hearing Eris' affirmation, Deputy Talleyrand of the Revolutionary Party subtly frowned, his gaze shifting to me.

I simply shrugged in response to his overtly skeptical expression."The concept of a term-limited monarch elected by national vote is certainly novel, but unprecedented. I'm curious, Your Highness, about your reasons for suggesting such a system."

Nicolas Brisseau, leader of the Liberal Party, posed the question, and Eris slowly began her reply.

"I do not desire to reign as Queen of Francia in the traditional sense. My sole aim is to prevent foreign powers from exploiting the vacant throne of Francia as a justification for war."

Eris paused, smoothing her robe, before continuing.

"I understand your commitment to safeguarding the revolution and your apprehensions about reinstating a monarchy, a system that previously failed. Therefore, I propose a safeguard: a throne that can only be maintained through the continued trust of the people."

"Hmm..."

The members of the National Assembly whispered among themselves, but there was no extreme opposition.

If it hadn't been Eris who made this proposal, the National Assembly might have thought it was just a hypocrite's deception to restore the monarchy first.

Indeed, the speaker's own conduct and reputation supported her claim.

Eris's actions—protecting soldiers until she fainted during the battle against King Louis and the Germania Empire, and tirelessly caring for the wounded afterward—were already widely known.

No one in the National Assembly has ever served the people as much as Eris, and Eris did not even reveal that she was a princess during the long civil war and revolution.

To now accuse her of throne-greed would be difficult, given Eris's conduct, worthy of sainthood, and the public's affection.

"Very well, I think I understand Your Highness' noble intentions for now, but there is a point that bothers me, whether the Germania Empire will.... Hmm, will they accept a throne elected by the vote of our 'people'?"

Talleyrand, who said so, subtly twisted the corners of his mouth.

"I am very sorry to say this to Your Highness, but there is a high possibility that they will deny the election by the people itself. They will never equate the traditional rights of the electors to elect the emperor with the unprecedented rights of the people of Francia."

"I also think that the Germania Empire will react negatively to our proposal, Deputy."

Eris answered firmly, and Talleyrand tilted his head.

"Then, what is the meaning of your opinion that foreign royalty should also be given the right to be elected?"

Eris turned her gaze towards me, and I stood up from my seat.

"As Her Highness said, the Germania Empire will naturally not want to recognize the legitimacy of the popular vote."

It's ridiculous to them that mere commoners would elect a king, and they probably know that there is almost no possibility that Empress Cecilia will be enthroned through the election.

"If we propose that the emperor of the Germania Empire be elected by the vote of the commoners, the princes of the Empire will naturally be extremely angry. But the throne of Francia, frankly speaking, is someone else's business to the princes of the Empire."

You can't accept the vote of the commoners? I don't care.

From the beginning, the National Assembly and the Republic of Francia were just a rebellious group and mob to be subjugated by them.

"If we say that we will establish a new king in Francia, which has lost its king, it would at least nominally appear that we are making a compromise with them."

The perception was that there was nowhere to fall further from the beginning, and the important thing is to take the action of putting a legitimate successor to the throne.

"Since there is an alternative to war, an election, even if they cannot accept the proposal as it is, princes who advocate seeking a compromise rather than immediately calling for war will emerge."

"Hmm. They won't recognize the legitimacy of our election itself, will they come out so easily?"

"They will. If they oppose our proposal outright and force a war, and if we enthrone Her Highness as queen, they will bear the burden of waging a full-scale war to deny the legitimacy of Her Highness, supported by the Holy Theocracy, and to remove her from the throne."

From the perspective of the princes of the Empire, it doesn't matter whether our election is legitimate or not, the important thing is that there is an excuse to avoid their own losses.

From the beginning, they were trying to participate in the war because of the vested interest that Empress Cecilia promised to take the throne of Francia, but Cecilia's enthronement itself became uncertain because of Eris.

In the midst of this, rather than fighting a full-scale war while being disliked by the Theocracy, they will try to adjust our election, whether it works or not, to be acceptable by their standards.

Moreover, a foreign-born empress denies the election of a ruler itself, which is familiar to them, and forces a war to take her throne?

The electors of the Empire are not the ones who are dedicated to strengthening the imperial power to the extent that they would support such an empress. If it were the opposite, maybe.

"Our election does not need to be acceptable to their princes immediately. Because they are not the parties involved."

Anyway, Empress Cecilia would not have claimed the right to succeed to the throne of Francia lightly.

Having prepared for a long time and bet everything, the possibility of her backing down easily simply because we put Eris on the throne is low.

Instead, stating that we will enthrone Eris will compel the Empress to decide quickly.

She must decide whether to wage war, even at the cost of losing princes who are withdrawing support due to weak justification and concerns about the Theocracy.

It's more of a hindrance to make the princes vaguely hesitate about leaving, which in turn puts pressure on the Empress.

"The important thing is to give the princes the perception that obtaining the Empress's promised benefits will be difficult, and to provide them with an excuse to withdraw war support by making it seem that the responsibility for forcing war lies with her."

Even if they are unwilling, presenting a nominal solution will compel the Empress to listen to their voices.

The Empire will waste time in sluggish attempts to compromise with us and the princes, uncertain about waging war, and the war preparations will become a burden for the Empress.

Of course, we don't need to accept their demands just because we plan to elect a king.

It is advantageous to buy time by pretending to listen to their opinions and prolonging it as much as possible, thereby dividing Empire's public opinion.

"Besides, this is just my guess."

I grinned.

"Among the electors of the Empire, someone will greatly welcome this situation of divided public opinion."

"......The Great King of Kraft."

Talleyrand replied quietly.

He is an elector who openly rebelled against the Empire and even waged war.

If we set the stage like this, he will step forward not because he likes us, but for his own benefit.

When everyone agreed, Eris, who had been standing calmly, raised her head.

"Honorable members of the National Assembly. Our goal is the same: to protect this land and prevent further suffering for the people of Francia."

The purple eyes, filled with conviction, shone, captivating everyone present.

"I ask you to elect a king for the people of Francia, not to reign and rule, but to protect the people's representatives."

*

The capital of the Germania Empire, Germanburg.

In vain, Empress Cecilia opened her mouth.

"The Saint, was the Third Princess?"

"That's right, Kaiserin."

Cecilia raised her hand at the words of the Foreign Minister and pressed her throbbing forehead.

The revolutionary government of Francia formally sent an unprecedented proposal to elect a king by popular vote, and notified her of the Empire and her younger brother of the Northern Allied Kingdom were also eligible to run.

"Do they dare to let the commoners' vote decide who ascends to the throne?"

Even a National Assembly of commoners would remain intact, and an eight-year term for the king?

Cecilia was so dumbfounded that she let out a hollow laugh.

"Those rioters still don't know their place, but the existence of the Third Princess......"

If they had brought a useless survivor of the royal family, or a low-born princess who was nothing, and made such a ridiculous proposal, Cecilia would have ignored it and invaded.

But the problem is that the Third Princess, who is a saint directly supported by the Holy Theocracy, has agreed to that ridiculous election of the commoners.

Cecilia bit her lip, looking at the endless letters from the princes asking whether to force the war or to reconsider their support for the war.

The princes are also wary of the Theocracy, but she cannot ignore the Theocracy altogether.

Because their child Otto, is a minor and has not yet been recognized as the next emperor.

Three of the seven electors who have the right to elect the emperor are the princes of the bishoprics influenced by the Theocracy. One of the remaining four is the king of Kraft, who openly rebelled against the emperor.

If she ignores the Theocracy and invades, and fails, an unprecedented situation may occur in which the throne of Germania, which has been held for hundreds of years, is passed on to another family.

While Cecilia was biting her lip, another piece of news arrived.

"Kaiserin, this is a letter from King Karl II of the Kingdom of Kraft."

"Ha. That man?"

The Great King of the Kingdom of Kraft, the best commander in the Central Continent, the enlightened despot.

Above all, the most famous nickname is the elector who defeated the emperor.

Cecilia accepted the letter handed to her by the attendant, took a deep breath, and tore it open.

[To the esteemed Kaiserin Cecilia of the Germania Empire,

I commend your remarkable achievements in rebuilding the empire during this crisis, demonstrating extraordinary passion and dedication.

However, as a loyal member of the empire and a prince who holds you in high regard, I must express my concern regarding rumors surrounding the Kaiserin's recent conduct.

Kaiserin, despite your origins in Francia, your tenacity in securing your position within the Empire is admirable. Nevertheless, humility remains a vital virtue.

The Kaiser's health has also been a source of worry lately. Should you succumb to excessive ambition, what fate awaits this Empire?

Naturally, as King of Kraft and an elector of the Empire, I am diligently preparing for any potential turmoil. However, I trust that the wise Kaiserin will render these preparations unnecessary, proving them to be merely the anxieties of an old man.

Sincerely,

Karl II,

Great King of the Kingdom of Kraft, Imperial Margrave.]

Cecilia struggled to suppress the urge to tear up the Great King's letter.

This letter is from The One who drove the Empire into crisis, openly making threats.

The thought of him ruining her mood with this letter and influencing other princes filled her with resentment.

"If only I could get the throne of Francia, a mere Kingdom of Kraft...!"

The Foreign Minister was at a loss in front of Cecilia, who was spewing resentment.

"Ka, Kaiserin......"

With trembling hands, Cecilia gave the order to expel the guests, and the Foreign Minister quickly retreated.

Cecilia's eyes, throwing the letter from the Great King of Kraft roughly onto the desk, turned to Francia on the map.

I've been working towards this moment my entire life, but I never thought a low-born princess, whose existence I had forgotten, would become such a stumbling block.

"Ha."

A cold laugh erupted from Cecilia's mouth.

There was no chance to directly repay those who took everything from her and sold her.

If she stopped here, the life she had tenaciously maintained through pain would lose its meaning, so she wanted to seize even the Native Land that abandoned her.

"Erisliste Lilianne De Francia."

Cecilia mulled over the name of her half-sister she had never met.

While she was carving out her position in this Empire full of enemies, her half-sister, who was said to have received more love and was the daughter of the courtesan favored by her father, became a problem.

That half-sibling was, moreover, a saint praised throughout Francia and her opponent.

Cecilia's eyes became bloodshot.

"There is truly not even a speck of fairness in the one called god."

If god does not allow fairness, if he gives her nothing.

As always, she will seize the inheritance she was not given with her own hands.

They have only been granted a temporary reprieve. She can never, ever end it like this.