In the Twin Empresses' private audience chamber.
Herlinmarte and Lizelotte were already seated at the table. They had shed their parliamentary facades; one's gaze was ice-cold, the other's smile was devoid of any warmth.
Lacey calmly took his seat in the third chair, facing Leithanien's two supreme rulers across the table.
"Viscount Lacey... oh no, I suppose I should call you Elector Lacey now." Herlinmarte spoke first, her voice filled with unconcealed sarcasm and hostility.
"Your performance in the parliament was brilliant. Turning rebellion into an act of loyalty, and usurpation into a restoration of order."
"In all my years, I have never met someone so utterly shameless."
Lacey was not provoked. He simply looked at Herlinmarte calmly. "Your Majesty, everything I said was the truth."
"If you don't believe me, you can send someone to any corner of Wasser Fief and ask any commoner. See what they say about Otto Gladstone, and what they say about me, Lacey."
"I have no interest in the thoughts of that rabble!" Herlinmarte slammed her hand on the table, which let out a dull thud.
"I only know that you are destroying the very foundation of noble rule, and that is a direct challenge to imperial authority!"
Her voice grew increasingly stern, and powerful fluctuations of Originium Arts surged through the room, as if to crush Lacey on the spot.
But Lacey remained as unshakable as a mountain. He knew she was not the one he truly needed to negotiate with.
His gaze shifted to Lizelotte, who had maintained her smile from beginning to end.
"Your Majesty," he said to Lizelotte, "Do you think so as well?"
Lizelotte raised the cup of black tea before her and took a delicate sip, her posture the picture of elegance.
"Herlinmarte is not entirely wrong."
"Lacey, your power has grown too quickly. So quickly that it has unsettled order itself." Her voice was soft, yet it carried more pressure than Herlinmarte's fury.
"A weapon that is too sharp, if not held in the right hands, is no longer a tool. It is a deadly weapon."
She set down her teacup and looked up at Lacey, her gaze profound.
"So, tell me, Lacey, what do you truly wish to become?"
"A deadly weapon thirsting for blood, or... the Empresses' keenest blade?"
Lacey fell silent for a moment, as if seriously contemplating the question.
"Your Majesty," he began slowly, his tone sincere, "my parents died after being framed by remnants of the Witch King, victims of the selfish desires of corrupt nobles."
"I returned from a battlefield of corpses and blood not to glory, but to find my family destroyed."
"From that moment on, I swore an oath to change this country!"
His voice carried just the right amount of pathos, enough to evoke empathy without being overly sentimental.
"Everything I have done stems from this oath."
"The goal of the Workers' Party is not to overthrow anyone, but to build a fairer, stronger Leithanien!"
"A Leithanien where nobles can no longer oppress the common folk at will, where Electors can no longer build private armies and disregard imperial authority!"
His tone shifted, his gaze burning as he looked at the Twin Empresses.
"Your Majesties, can you not see? In today's Leithanien, the Elector system has become a shackle on the nation's progress!"
"Those old noble houses care only for their own family's interests, even colluding in the shadows to oppose the crown!"
"Remnants of the Witch King still lurk in the darkness, waiting for a chance to strike back!"
"You need a blade to excise these cancerous tumors clinging to the empire."
"And I, Lacey, along with the Workers' Party behind me, am your most suitable choice."
Lacey had made his pledge.
The anger on Herlinmarte's face subsided slightly.
And the smile on Lizelotte's face gained a hint of authenticity; she was clearly intrigued by his proposal.
"A blade..." Lizelotte repeated the word thoughtfully. "But blades can grow dull, or even turn on their master."
"Which is why we need a pact," Lacey interjected.
He straightened his back, his expression turning solemn.
"I, Lacey, in my name as the Elector of Wasser Fief, do hereby promise!"
"The Wasser Fief Grand Region will be the last territorial demand I, and the Workers' Party, will make for political standing within Leithanien!"
"From this day forward, any expansion of the Workers' Party will be directed only at local powers who defy imperial authority, the remnants of the Witch King scattered throughout the land, and... Leithanien's external enemies."
"I will become the blade in your hands, clearing your obstacles and consolidating central imperial power!"
He paused, looking directly into Lizelotte's eyes.
"In return, I require Your Majesties' tacit approval to implement my new policies in Wasser Fief, and for you to grant the Workers' Party legal political status."
"We are not a party of rebels. We are the empire's reformers, supporters of Her Majesty the Empress."
It was an incredibly bold, yet tempting, proposition.
Lacey was gambling, betting that the Twin Empresses' fear of the old noble houses was far greater than their fear of him.
Herlinmarte fell into contemplation.
Though she despised Lacey, she had to admit that letting him tear at the other Electors while the imperial family reaped the rewards was indeed a good move.
A complex light glinted in Lizelotte's eyes.
She saw Lacey's ambition, and she also saw his value.
This man was both a risk and an opportunity.
"You mean..." Lizelotte said slowly, "you want us to recognize your Workers' Party and allow you to legally absorb the power of other nobles?"
"To consolidate," Lacey corrected. "To consolidate the disobedient vassals for Your Majesties."
"Ultimately, all power will return to be beneath the Twin Crowns."
A long silence ensued.
Finally, Lizelotte and Herlinmarte exchanged a look, seeming to have reached a consensus.
"Very well."
Lizelotte spoke, her word final. "We accept."
"From this day on, the Workers' Party is no longer a rebellious organization, but a legally recognized political party of the empire."
"You may continue to implement your policies in your Wasser Fief. We will not interfere."
Her tone shifted, taking on a warning edge. "But, Lacey, remember your promise."
"Your blade can only point in the direction we permit. If one day, we find this blade attempting to point where it should not..."
"...it will be broken," Herlinmarte finished coldly, her hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
"I understand," Lacey nodded, his expression calm.
"You may leave, Lord Lacey," Lizelotte said with a wave of her hand. "We hope you will not disappoint us."
Lacey rose, bowed to the two Empresses, then turned and walked out of the audience chamber without a hint of reluctance.
When he was once again bathed in the sunlight of the corridor, he let out a long breath.
His back was soaked with cold sweat.
Upon returning to the carriage, Taylor, Gertrude, and the others crowded around him, their faces filled with worry.
"How did it go?"
Lacey didn't answer, merely leaning back against the seat and closing his eyes.
"Let's go back. Back to Wasser Fief."
"I'm afraid you can't leave just yet."
Just as Lacey's group was preparing to depart, an old but vigorous voice came from outside the carriage.
"Who's there?"
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