Of course, it would work because I already knew how things would turn out. In the future, I would defeat Emperor Taijian and force him to pay 50,000 gold to ransom his youngest son and liberate the Gratels Plains.

  But this time, I figured I could go slightly off-route from the game and make him pay 100,000 gold for his son instead.

  That night, all the spoils of war had returned to our camp. I ordered the logistics troops to transport all luxury goods, anything that could be traded for money or gold, back to the capital.

  As for the enemy banners, I planned to ask Lord Verzhina to display them in the capital’s museum. Either as part of a collection, or if the enemy ever wanted them back. I would make them pay a steep price.

  A regimental banner was the very soul of a unit. Losing it meant the end of one’s military career. I had gained two more as trophies of victory.

  “What are you thinking about, Your Majesty?” Nate asked as she straightened my clothes.

  Her voice snapped me out of my thoughts. I shook my head lightly. In the game, I never felt nervous but experiencing this in reality made my heart race.

  Reflected in the mirror of the royal chamber was my figure, now clad in formal royal attire. It resembled the white vestments of a priest, but emblazoned on the back were the symbols of the three races that inhabited my kingdom.

  A flaming horse—the symbol of the Gratels people.

  A hammer and harpoon—the symbol of my own people, the Minuet.

  A merchant’s scale—the symbol of the Filaten people.

  “I actually look pretty handsome,” I said confidently while admiring myself.

  “Of course,” Nate replied as she neatly combed my hair. “All done!”

  Verzhina—Nate’s father—entered the room and clicked his tongue in admiration.

  “To think that at nearly eighty years old, I would witness four great kings. First your great-grandfather, then your grandfather, then your father… and now you.”

  His praise made me feel like I was floating.

  I was now in Skalu, the capital of my kingdom more precisely, inside the White Palace, the center of government. This four-story building stood at the heart of the capital, close to the residential districts.

  A sign that the king ruled close to his people.

  I had granted my army a week-long rest and was now waiting for Emperor Taijian’s response to my proposal. Who knew perhaps he would accept it without further bloodshed.

  After all, this was no longer a game. Some characters would inevitably move off-scenario. The realization made my mood sink. This was no longer a game world there was no respawn for me if I reached a bad ending.

  “Come on,” Nate said, taking my hand and leading me out of the room.

  She wore a long traditional gown of her people, patterned with flora and fauna. Draped over it was a purple cloak covering her exposed shoulders and arms, giving her an elegant, graceful appearance.

  “I almost feel like I’m already a queen,” Nate whispered to me.

  Just wait, Nate. Your time will come.

  When I reached the first floor, specifically the public meeting hall where the ceremony was to be held, my eyes were drawn to a woman with long red hair. Her bangs covered her left eye, and her gloomy appearance sent a slight chill down my spine.

  She sat among the guests representing our allied nations.

  She was Bertha Aurora, daughter of Emperor Arius III. Slightly short in stature, flat-chested, with long dark-red hair and bangs covering her left eye.

  For some reason, many players considered her the ultimate waifu. Not me. For me, Nate was number one without question. She stayed with the MC from beginning to end. Even though the situation is dire, Nate is the one who is always with the MC.

  What I hated about Bertha was that she was a yandere, obsessed with the MC.

  In the canon route, she was supposed to appear before the civil war and should not have been present at this ceremony. In that same route, she would eventually conspire with Bao to kidnap Nate and force the MC to submit to her—leading to a bad ending if Nate wasn’t rescued in time.

  She waved at me. Her smile was terrifying like the difference between heaven and hell when compared to Nate.

  I stepped outside the building and stood at the front of the government hall. Citizens had gathered, filling the streets; some even watched from their windows.

  “Please allow the citizens to approach if they wish,” I requested of the soldiers maintaining security. “I believe none of my beloved people wish to harm me.”

  I slowly descended the steps and entered the crowd. My soldiers allowed it, and I asked Nate to remain by the entrance.

  “Good morning, my people,” I greeted them. “If you wish to come closer, please do.”

  All my ancestors had delivered speeches from a distance but I chose to do the opposite. I wanted them to feel close to their new king.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Though, truthfully, it might have been pointless. The literacy rate of my kingdom was only 15% of the population.

  That was also why I planned to slowly introduce democracy. In time, I would transform this kingdom from an absolute monarchy into a parliamentary monarchy.

  So they wouldn’t fall into a false democracy where people voted only for popular figures skilled at image-making, rather than competent individuals who lacked time or resources for campaigning.

  Democracy could only work when voters possessed reason and higher education. Earth had already shown countless examples of democracy failing in countries with low education levels, where governments were filled either with celebrities who know nothing or with clever manipulators.

  I had once considered becoming a dictator, but I couldn’t guarantee that my successors would rule wisely. That was why a parliamentary monarchy was the better choice, allowing my dynasty to endure. Also, giving my people a taste of freedom.

  “Your Majesty?” a citizen called out, noticing my daze.

  “Ah, forgive me,” I replied, shaking my head. “I’m just nervous being this close to all of you. Throughout my life, I rarely had the chance to meet you.”

  “I can’t give a long speech like my father or my predecessors. But I promise you this—there will be change under my rule. Not just words, but real action.”

  The crowd erupted in cheers.

  They rushed to shake my hand, and I accepted each one. I no longer cared if my clothes got dirty—what mattered was that they felt close to their king.

  Three hours later, the citizens’ excitement finally subsided. I was utterly exhausted from standing among them and listening to their grievances.

  “It’s time to proceed with the next ceremony,” I said to Verzhina, Bari, and Illian.

  Once again, I stood before the grand doors of the government hall.

  Verzhina—representative of the Minuet people—approached and handed me my father’s command staff. Made of ordinary wood and carved with nets, sickles, and plants, this centuries-old staff was now in my hands.

  Lord Bari smiled as he stepped forward, presenting me with a necklace made of hanging roots, grass, flowers, and animal fangs—the symbol of the Gratels people.

  Next came Lord Illian, leader of the Filaten. He handed me a shield bearing the symbol of the merchant’s scale, then embraced me and kissed both my cheeks.

  Nate approached with a tray bearing my father’s crown. I took it with both hands and placed it upon my own head.

  “Long live King Ezia!” the citizens shouted.

  “No—long live our kingdom!” I shouted back.

  The ceremony ended, followed by a grand public festival.

  Wait… who was paying for all this?

  I slowly approached Verzhina and whispered, “Who’s paying for this festival?”

  “Princess Bertha,” Verzhina whispered back. “She arrived after hearing of your father’s passing. Even though you wanted a modest ceremony, she insisted on funding a grand public celebration with her own money.”

  I let out a sigh and headed toward Princess Bertha, who sat among the honored guests. This was completely off the game’s scenario.

  I could feel Nate’s slightly jealous gaze following me from behind.

  “I wanted to thank you personally, Princess Bertha,” I said gently, taking her hand.

  Even though I disliked her, it would have been rude not to.

  “Would you like to dance with me?” I offered.

  “I-I’d love to!” Princess Bertha replied, standing up.

  I took her hand and danced with her, waiting for the rhythm to settle before stepping onto the dance floor. Nate had no choice but to wait until I finished.

  I glanced toward the seats of the old nobles. They looked pleased seeing me grow closer to Princess Bertha.

  After two songs, the red-haired woman excused herself to rest.

  [Bertha Aurora]

  Affection Lv: 1 → 5

  Aggressiveness: 100 → 35

  That should be enough to raise her affection and lower her jealousy.

  “Come on, Nate,” I said, taking her hand.

  She looked clearly upset.

  [Nate]

  Affection Lv: 100 → 95

  Aggressiveness: 0 → 100

  Uh-oh. She was really jealous.

  Instead of pulling me onto the dance floor, she dragged me straight to the royal chamber. Without warning, she kissed me passionately, as if marking me as hers.

  “Wait…” I said, breaking away.

  “Talk to me first—don’t make this one-sided,” I said, guiding her to sit on the edge of the bed.

  “I was annoyed seeing you dance with her first,” Nate huffed, puffing out her cheeks. It made me want to pinch them.

  “Don’t be like that,” I said, pinching her cheeks before taking her right hand and kissing it.

  “In the end, there will be a wedding ring for us right here.”

  “Really?” Nate’s eyes widened in disbelief.

  “Yes,” I said firmly. “I’ll always love you. I don’t care about Princess Bertha. You’re the only one I want.”

  Nate became even more aggressive, pushing me onto the bed. “Then spend your time with me here until I’m satisfied.”

  I smiled and gave in to her wishes. Seeing her this jealous was oddly adorable. Among the four heroines in the game, she was the most caring and understanding toward the MC.

  By late afternoon, Nate had finally calmed down.

  [Nate]

  Affection Lv: 100

  Aggressiveness: 0

  I received a notifications.

  Several features unlocked. I could now view the development levels of education, technology, culture, economy, and military.

  [Education Lv 5/100]

  [Technology Lv 11/100]

  [Culture Lv 25/100]

  [Military Lv 18/100]

  [Economy Lv 11/100]

  I kissed Nate’s cheek once more before heading back downstairs to observe the festival still in full swing. I gently stroked her cheek, listening to her peaceful breathing as she slept.

  I put my clothes back on and went downstairs.

  On the second floor, Princess Bertha stopped me.

  “King Ezia, may we speak in private for a moment?”

  I nodded and followed her. She led me to an empty table on the first floor. I placed my hands on the table as she spoke, her hand tightly gripping mine.

  “I don’t know if Lord Verzhina told you, but I’ll be staying here until my vacation ends.”

  Wait—that wasn’t in the game’s scenario.

  “I’ll help you fight the Rajian Empire too,” she said enthusiastically.

  “You brought your troops here?” I asked, surprised. Well… this was new, but not necessarily bad.

  “Yes! After hearing about your victory, I was inspired. If my future husband is a warrior king, then I’ll become a battle-savvy queen too!” she said with shining eyes.

  “War isn’t what you imagine,” I replied, trying to discourage her. “You could be traumatized—seeing corpses everywhere. You could get hurt.”

  I opened my shirt and showed her my bandaged shoulder. “I got hit by an arrow. It hurt like hell when they pulled it out.”

  Princess Bertha stood up without moving her chair. She leaned forward, her hand touching my chest—not my shoulder. Her eyes locked onto my body.

  “Hey—the wound’s on my shoulder,” I said, removing her hand.

  “So I should return home with General Vidin?” she said, sitting back down. Disappointment was clear on her face.

  Her breathing had already grown heavy just from touching my chest—but my ears perked up at the name General Vidin.

  One of the Alestrian Empire’s veteran generals—extremely difficult to defeat. Known for his discipline and defensive expertise. I once spent 18 hours trying to figure out how to break his defensive strategy.

  “No, it’s fine if you come along,” I said cheerfully. “Who knows—my troops might gain valuable experience fighting alongside yours.”

  “Okay!” Princess Bertha smiled to herself, then muttered something I couldn’t hear.

  I checked my army management UI.

  The 2nd Regiment of the Imperial Guard had joined my allied forces.

  2nd Regiment of Imperial Guard (Alestrian Empire, Ally)

  Infantry (Elite Melee): 500

  Archer (Ranged): 0

  Cavalry (Heavy Cav): 500

  Artillery Crew: 0

  Cannon: 0

  Not bad. At least I had an ally now.

  But I was also uneasy—because this had completely deviated from the original game scenario.

  I no longer knew what awaited me ahead.