Part 1
It was a beautiful night in the newly proclaimed empire. Just after the celebrations, the "Leader" of the empire was on her mansion's balcony, alone.
"Haah..." She gave out a soundly sigh.
Bored and tired, she could only think of what to do now. Until this point, her goal was clear. To raise her country again, to serve her people. But now that peacetime came to a close, she once again had to build an army, to lead her people to die.
It wasn't something she ever wanted to do, but the situation changed. The Liberation Army and the White Queen once again declared friendship and denounced the Empire. The pact of defense that had been signed between the Southern Resistance needed to be respected, and the Liberation Army could not be left to rise.
"Where did I go wrong...?" She asked herself. Even though she knew that there was no answer to this question, she couldn't help but search for blame in her actions and herself.
In reality, she didn't do anything wrong at all. It was just paranoia, worries of a lone leader.
"Huh? Erika? What are you doing here, isn't it cold?" Just when she, Erika was lost in thought, another person entered the balcony.
"Oh, Sophie... Sorry, I just wanted some fresh air. I will return after a while, so you can go first." A weak-sounding statement, which did not fool Sophie. Not exactly a lie, although it had truth in it.
"...If I am bothering, I wouldn't want to stay for too long, but... Just know that you can talk to me about anything. Out of anyone in the office, I knew you for the longest, and I hope that I gained your trust enough for you to feel comfortable with me."
That was certainly true, but trust wasn't the only criterion for a person to open up. And for a person like Erika, both because of her status and her personality, it was impossible for her to "open up" to anyone at all. At least so Erika thought.
"No, thank you. But I'm afraid I must decline." Said Erika, as Sophie's face soured a little. This wasn't the first time they had this kind of conversation, but she still thought that there might've been a difference this time.
Although disappointed, Sophie did not complain as she excused herself after a goodbye to her leader.
Nation and its people, her personal life, and the government, Erika had to think about lots of things. A lot more than what a normal person would have to. But because of the mistakes, she made in the past, she could not leave any of her responsibilities. She knew that she would never forgive herself if she were to run away.
The only thing she could not predict was that the responsibility alone could hurt someone deeply if not taken care of properly.