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It was the first time I felt Selvia’s gaze was so burdensome.

Daniel, flustered, fell silent for a moment before managing to speak up.

“…Your Majesty? A speech related to the issuance of war bonds is a matter of national importance. Therefore, it would be wise to seek someone more experienced in speechmaking than I.”

Though he was trying to sound calm, Daniel was burning inside.

Since it was a speech about war bonds, Selvia would undoubtedly gather a large crowd of citizens.

It wouldn’t just be the citizens, though; foreign journalists and politicians from the parliament would surely be clamoring for seats as well.

And that’s not all? A radio broadcast would be conducted to ensure the speaker’s voice could be heard throughout the empire.

This was equivalent to branding Daniel Steiner across the entire empire and even far beyond.

For someone like Daniel, who didn’t want to be any more famous than he already was, this felt like a bolt from the blue.

‘So I need to change Selvia’s mind somehow.’

Swallowing hard, Daniel forced an awkward smile.

“Additionally, I am an operations staff member belonging to the General Staff Headquarters. As Your Majesty knows, the General Staff has a lot on its plate.”

“Mhm. And so?”

“If I were to skip out to prepare for the speech, the staff in the office would have to pick up my heavy workload. I can’t burden them like that in good conscience.”

Selvia leaned back, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at Daniel.

“You can’t burden the staff? While I understand you’re not trying to be inconsiderate, I find that a bit hard to grasp.”

“…What part don’t you understand?”

“It’s just a simple question. Why can Colonel Daniel prioritize the staff over my request as the future ruler of the empire?”

Her soft tone came across to Daniel as a sort of threat.

“Do I need to give you an order to get you to comply?”

It wasn’t just a hint of a threat; it was a full-blown one.

Was she truly born with the blood of a ruler?

Though she said it lightly, a strong pressure radiated from Selvia towards Daniel.

Thinking he couldn’t refuse any longer, Daniel bowed his head slightly.

“I’ve misspoken. I forgot for a moment that the struggles of the office staff pale in comparison to the burdens faced by Your Highness while governing the nation.”

At Daniel’s polite apology, Selvia smiled in satisfaction.

“Then I’ll take that as you accepting my proposal. The public relations officer from the National Propaganda Department will explain the detailed schedule and speech format, so please listen closely.”

“……”

“Oh, I’ll communicate with the General Staff, so no need to worry about your work being disrupted. For now, just focus on preparing your speech.”

Thanks to Selvia’s smoothly delivered statements, Daniel felt a sense of certainty.

‘So she intended to make me a speaker from the start.’

From the moment he stepped into the indoor garden, everything had seemingly been decided.

Understanding that he had been had, Daniel quietly chuckled as he looked at Selvia.

“Your Highness, if it’s not too much trouble, may I ask just one thing?”

“I typically don’t entertain questions, but since it’s Colonel Daniel, I’ll make an exception. What are you curious about?”

“I just… wonder why you called for me. Had you sent someone with orders instead of meeting me directly, I wouldn’t have been able to say no.”

That was a keen observation.

No matter how much of a war hero he was, a mere colonel couldn’t resist a command from the princess.

Yet still, why did she bother to speak to him directly? That’s what Daniel was asking.

This query felt a bit awkward for Selvia.

‘Is he really that slow on the uptake, or is he just pretending to be?’

Selvia had saved Daniel’s life twice.

The first time wasn’t that dangerous, but that didn’t really matter. What mattered was that Daniel had risked his life to save her.

Additionally, this time Daniel had personally taken action to apprehend the prince’s secret organization.

During that process, it was only natural for Selvia to develop feelings for Daniel.

But what did Daniel do? He treated her with the formality of addressing a superior.

‘…Is it possible that Daniel is unaware of my feelings for him?’

Flabbergasted, Selvia stared at Daniel and let out a quiet sigh.

“Think about the reason slowly yourself.”

With that, Selvia stood up from her seat.

As she was about to leave, she suddenly turned back to Daniel as if just remembering something.

“Colonel Daniel? If the speech goes well… I hope we can meet again often in the future.”

With a faint smile, Selvia waved her crimson cloak and walked off.

As Daniel stared blankly at her retreating figure, his expression turned serious as he rubbed his chin.

‘What on earth does that mean? Is she planning to use me as her spokesperson?’

There was a complete mismatch in understanding.

*

The princess’s request for entrusting state affairs was essentially no different from an emperor’s command.

After all, the one who ultimately approved the princess’s governance was Emperor Berthem.

Thus, Daniel faithfully carried out Selvia’s request that wasn’t really a request to “prepare a speech.”

For a whole week, he had collaborated with Hans, the public relations officer from the National Propaganda Department.

Even today, on the day of the speech, Daniel was still discussing things with Hans.

“As I’ve mentioned before, we mustn’t offend the sentiments of anti-war activists. As the war drags on, public fatigue has reached its peak.”

“…Is it really that severe?”

“Yes. This is the latest data. Please take a look, Colonel.”

Behind the stage of the outdoor performance hall, Hans pulled out one of the many document folders he was carrying and handed it to Daniel.

As Daniel took the folder and began scanning the survey statistics, he saw:

────────────

《War Opinion Survey Statistics》

Sample Size: 1,000 citizens from major cities of the empire

Number of Respondents: Approximately 18,000

Question: What do you think about the war currently being conducted by the empire?

• Frequency Analysis

1. The war should continue – 8,208 people (45.6%)

2. The war should be stopped – 8,298 people (46.1%)

3. Not sure / No response – 1,494 people (8.3%)

────────────

Just as Hans had said, the side that wanted the war to stop was slightly ahead.

“As you can see, this time the anti-war activists have managed to surpass those who support the war. Of course, amongst those calling for peace, there may be spies from the United Nations, but this high ratio can be seen as the will of the citizens.”

With a ratio like that, Daniel couldn’t claim that anti-war activists were simply manipulated by spies.

As Daniel nodded, Hans checked the time on his watch and handed him another document.

This one contained the details of what Daniel was supposed to say during the speech.

“So, we need to explain the reasons for continuing the war while ensuring we don’t provoke the anti-war activists. Please keep in mind that we must not stimulate them.”

“Understood. Then…”

Checking his wrist like Hans, Daniel turned his head toward the stage.

“I think it’s time to go up and make the speech.”

Hans nodded.

“Our National Propaganda Department will only trust you, Colonel.”

Upon hearing Hans’s words, Daniel nodded once then made his way to the stage.

As Daniel climbed the stairs and appeared on stage, the lights turned on and cheers erupted from all around.

Overwhelmed by the deafening cheers, Daniel turned to see the audience packed in the seats.

‘That’s an absurdly huge crowd…’

The venue claimed it could hold ten thousand spectators, and it was completely full.

Thanks to the week-long publicity by the National Propaganda Department that advertised Daniel Steiner, the war hero, as a key speaker, crowds had shown up.

Even though this situation felt daunting, given the orders he received, Daniel had no choice but to carry it out.

Amidst the cheers, Daniel walked to the podium and tapped the pre-set microphone.

The sound reverberated through the large speakers, causing the cheers to quell into silence.

Smiling at the massive crowd before him, Daniel opened the documents handed over by Hans.

Having seen the speech several times, he glanced over it before he began.

“Esteemed citizens. I am Colonel Daniel Steiner, affiliated with the General Staff Headquarters.”

Soft cheers arose from the front rows.

After waiting for the crowd to calm down, Daniel continued.

“Before I embark on the serious part of my speech, allow me to clarify my stance to avoid any unnecessary confusion. I, Daniel Steiner, do not support war…”

Stumbling over the next line, Daniel glanced at the speech document.

『I do not support the war. If I were to be categorized, I would be an anti-war activist. However, I understand better than anyone why war is necessary.』

That wording was written from a neutral perspective to satisfy both pro-war and anti-war activists.

If he spoke this way, the speech for bond sales would at least succeed moderately.

‘If that happens…’

It would mean he would continue to be dragged around as Selvia’s closest confidant.

Then, once Selvia became empress, Daniel’s fame would elevate even higher than now.

This meant that without ever standing trial for war crimes, his chances of being assassinated would increase significantly.

That was one of the most dreadful futures Daniel could imagine.

Was there no way out?

Desperately racking his brain, Daniel spotted a group of anti-war activists in the audience.

Seeing them holding placards against the war sparked a brilliant idea in his mind.

‘If I provoke the anti-war activists and completely ruin this speech…’

Then, he would drift away from Selvia and the world’s attentions.

No one would be wary or frightened of someone who couldn’t even deliver a proper speech.

With that decision made, Daniel closed the folder containing his speech.

Then he boldly faced the numerous cameras flashing in front of him.

“I, Daniel Steiner, demand… war at full force once again in history!”

“`

 

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