Atop her steed, Victoria glanced around her army as they made their way for the city of Elgon.
It has only been three months since the first time she entered Drussian soil. This time the only difference was that she had an army of 12,000 men behind her back.
If the reports were correct, then the Drussians should be laying siege at the port city. They were able to achieve this by convincing the nearby towns and villages to embargo the city while blockading the settlements that were still loyal to the Paniards.
Granted, in any other circumstance, this sort of siege would work. But Elgon was a port city and if the message that the Paniards sent to Victoria could be trusted, then another fleet carrying around 15,000 Panish reinforcements should be arriving soon to break the siege.
Even without the fleet, the Paniards within the city should still be able to receive monthly supplies from Panish supply ships. Without a blockade to stop the ships, the Paniards will still be able to maintain their food supplies. Logically, in this scenario, sieging out the enemy should not work.
As such, Victoria was confused by the Drussians' actions. She expected that if she was aware of the problems with this plan, then the Drussians who were capable of a feat such as defeating the Paniards despite being outnumbered should be aware as well.
It was because of how much this siege was an amateurish mistake that made Victoria felt that something was wrong.
Whatever it was, the Drussians have already laid siege to the city for at least two months.
"How much longer until we arrive at Elgon?"
To cleanse her mind of her doubts, Victoria questioned her chief knight who was riding alongside her.
"If we are to continue on our current marching speed, we should at Elgon within a week and a half my lady."
"And how are our food supplies?"
When the knight heard Victoria's next question, he paused for a moment to think before he responded.
"I doubt that we will arrive at the city without expending our food supplies if we continue on full rations. I suggest that if we are to continue on our march, that we switch to half rations for the rest of the trip."
Victoria glanced at the setting sun as she listened to her knight. After he finished speaking, she gave her next order.
"Suggestion denied. We shall make camp here for four days. I believe that the men will be glad to learn that they will finally have a moment of respite."
The knight nodded when he heard Victoria's order. A look of understanding grew on his face as he responded.
"And during these days of 'respite' we will be foraging to resupply our food stocks?"
"Correct."
When Victoria confirmed the knight's suspicions, he then went out to make another suggestion.
"The scouts also reported nearby villages. If you give the order we coul-"
"No pillaging."
Victoria already knowing what the knight was going to say, interrupted him. In response, the knight nodded to Victoria before he spoke up.
"As you wish my lady."
Victoria didn't even pay attention to the knight as he rushed off to complete her orders. Instead she continued to stare at the sun as it set.
Typically, the setting sun symbolised the end of a hard day's work. A moment of comfort and respite. However, for some reason, instead Victoria felt a sort of ominous feeling radiating from the setting sun.
As if the sun was abandoning her.
Abandoning her to the darkness ahead of her.
Minutes, perhaps even hours passed as Victoria sat upon her steed, staring at the sun that has already disappeared.
Sometimes a knight or noble would come to her, suggesting that she return to the camp but she dismissed each and every one of then.
She just could not shake off her bad premonitions.
For some reason she felt that she was making a mistake.
A mistake that could cost her everything.
[Perhaps we should have never travelled north after all...] As thoughts like these ran rampant through Victoria's mind, the sound of hooves trotting broke her out of her train of thought.
"If you're going to suggest that I return to the camp then don't bother. I will return when I want to."
"But my lady."
The knight rode up closer to Victoria as he said this.
"A Drussian delegate has arrived. She has requested an appointment with the leader of our expedition... in other words-"
"Me."
Knowing that she can no longer excuse herself from these duties, Victoria gave her next set of orders.
"Tell her to meet me in the command tent. Ensure that there are at least fourteen guards. Two guarding the outside of the door, another two guarding the inside. The remaining ten will be spread around the tent."
"Yes my lady."
As the knight rushed off to complete Victoria's orders, Victoria found that she still couldn't rid her mind of these ominous feelings.
Perhaps this meeting with the Drussian delegate can help Victoria clear her mind of these thoughts.
With a sigh, Victoria turned around on her horse before returning to the camp.
Soon enough, Victoria found her way to the camp's command tent before she entered it.
Inside she found the Drussian delegate.
A girl donning a purple outfit with white outlines who had silky silver hair and violet-purple eyes.
She leaned back on her seat with a calm faint smile on her face. From a glance, she seemed like a typical noble girl.
"Princess Victoria Grandhart Steiner."
The silver-haired girl bowed her head as she said this.
"It is truly an honour."
Although, the girl spoke politely and graciously, Victoria couldn't help feeling that something was off about the girl. Although Victoria had many encounters with sleazy and immoral nobles who only put up a facade, Victoria felt that even among them, this girl was something else entirely.
Nevertheless the girl continued to introduce herself.
"My name is Sicilia Gella Dunnwal and I've arrived here with the hopes of diplomatically settling your... violation of our borders. "
Victoria didn't even bother with the formalities and went straight to the point.
"I assume that you are the representative of the Drussian Union."
In response to Victoria's curt reply, Sicilia only gave out a short chuckle before she spoke.
"That is half correct. Although I am a representative it is not for the Drussian Union. The Drussian Union is now effectively dissolved and I represent its successor."
[The Drussian Union was dissolved? Does that mean... That the Drussians have united under a single banner?] as Victoria thought this, a sort of prideful smile grew on Sicilia's face as she announced the name of the new Drussian nation.
"Although it's not official yet, I am the representative of the Imperium of Drussia."
[Imperium of Drussia? What an arrogant name.] Although, thoughts like these ran through Victoria's mind, she did not let any of these thoughts show on her face. With a calm face and slight smile, Victoria responded.
"I see. However we have not trespassed on the lands of the 'Imperium of Drussia.'"
A slight look of confusion grew on Sicilia's face when she heard Victoria's reply. However, Victoria did not miss the glint of mockery in Sicilia's eyes. Soon enough, Sicilia responded.
"But you walked a 12,000 strong army into our sovereign lands without our permission. How could you have not trespassed?"
Victoria only shook her head when she heard Sicilia's response.
"As far as we are concerned this 'Imperium of Drussia' is nothing more than a rebel state that should be owing fealty to the Panish Empire. Our forces have arrived on a humanitarian mission to aid the Paniards in reclaiming what is rightfully theirs."
The tent was filled with complete silence once Victoria stopped speaking.
Just before the silence could linger on for too long however, it was broken by Sicilia's condescending laughter.
"Humanitarian?! Is that what you tell yourself to help you sleep at night?"
A look of mixed emotions appeared on Sicilia's face as she continued to speak.
"Through blood, sweat and tears, our ancestors won our independence and freedom from the Paniards and now you're saying that you're here on a 'humanitarian' mission to aid them steal what rightfully belongs to us!"
Although it seemed like Sicilia was unleashing the emotions within her heart, Victoria felt that something off about it.
It felt ingenuine and insincere. And it made Victoria sick.
"Do you have any idea. Any idea! Of what sacrifices we had to make to get to where we are now?!"
Once Sicilia finished her little rant, she quietened down before the silence once again settled in. This time the silence would be broken by Victoria.
"I apologise but I made a promise to the Paniards that us Ostrians will come to their aid. And we will not break our promises on a whim just because you asked us to."
Sicilia's face froze when she heard Victoria's answer. Soon after, she was able to respond.
"What you're doing... is a big mistake. Don't you dare... Don't you even think about crossing the Imperium of Drussia."
Sicilia paused for a short moment before she continued in a deeper, more threatening voice.
"That will be the last mistake you ever make."
Despite Sicilia's threat, Victoria remained unmoved. In fact, after seeing that arrogant display from Sicilia, Victoria now felt even more assured that opposing the Drussians was the right choice.
"We Ostrians will keep our word to the Paniards. No matter how much the circumstances may change, we will never forsake those who we promised our aid."
Victoria paused to stand up before she continued.
"This meeting is over. Begone, Sicilia Gella Dunnwal and return to your so-called 'Imperium of Drussia' before I have my knights hunt you down."
When Sicilia saw Victoria confirm her final answer, she only smiled.
It was cold, heartless smile.
It was the type of smile that one would make when torturing a small animal.
It was the type of smile that made Victoria want to puke.
Without saying a word, with that smile still on her face, Sicilia stood up and went to leave the tent.
Just before she could leave however, Sicilia stopped at the tent's doors before she gazed at Victoria out of the corner of her eyes.
With that cold smile still ever-present on her face, Sicilia gave a single heartless message before she left.
"You just signed your own death warrant."
Even with Sicilia out of sight, Victoria still could not stop herself from gritting her teeth together in anger.
"We'll see about that."