Trullinczentyr, Twin Towers.
The empire's capital was immersed in an atmosphere of exhilaration.
The glorious achievement of conquering Siracusa in a single day made every Leithanien citizen puff out their chest with pride.
Newspapers were filled page after page with frontline photos: tanks rolling through Montelupo's streets, soldiers distributing food to hungry children, and the intimate scene of Emperor Lacey sharing dinner with soldiers in the military camp.
The empire's propaganda machine was operating at peak efficiency, shaping this invasion into a just and honorable war of liberation.
Trullinczentyr Central Station. A national-brand land-vehicle came to a slow stop.
The doors opened, and an elderly woman in a black long dress, standing tall and straight, slowly emerged, supported by several attendants.
She was Signora Sicilia, Siracusa's former ruler.
Her face bore the fatigue of a long journey.
By diplomatic convention, receiving a former head of state like her should have been handled by the Foreign Liaison Minister or an official of equal rank.
However, when Signora Sicilia exited the station, she saw someone entirely unexpected.
Lacey, Emperor of the Third Holy Leithanien Empire, stood quietly outside the station.
He wore a well-tailored military uniform, with Serafina and a handful of guards behind him.
This was an exceedingly high honor, a respect reserved for an equal adversary, not a prisoner.
Signora Sicilia's pupils contracted imperceptibly.
She had seen every kind of power play in her life, but this young man's actions left her somewhat puzzled.
"Welcome to Trullinczentyr, Signora Sicilia."
Lacey took the initiative to step forward, nodding slightly without offering a handshake, maintaining an appropriate distance.
Signora Sicilia was silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
"Your Majesty truly honors me. I thought I would be greeted by a courtroom and shackles."
"Leithanien does not try worthy adversaries," Lacey's response was impeccable.
"You maintained Siracusa's order for decades in your own way. For that alone, you deserve my respect."
He made a 'please' gesture, and several black land-vehicles waited before them.
The convoy headed straight for the Twin Towers.
In the throne room.
Lacey invited Signora Sicilia to sit in the window-side reception area and personally poured her a cup of fragrant tea from Yan.
Only the two of them were in the reception area.
"Does Your Majesty enjoy collecting trophies? Especially outdated relics like me?" Signora Sicilia lifted her teacup, blowing on the steam.
"I prefer learning from history," Lacey said calmly, looking at her.
"Madam, you spent half your life trying to mold a pack of hyenas into a wolf pack, but you failed."
"Because hyenas' nature is infighting and tearing at their own kind, not uniting against external threats."
"You sought to establish order, yet were forced to rely on the very families that thrived on chaos. That was the root of your tragedy."
Signora Sicilia's hand stiffened slightly on her teacup.
This young man had pinpointed the core contradiction of her rule with piercing accuracy.
"Victors always easily write epitaphs for the defeated."
"I have no intention of judging your past. I only want to discuss Siracusa's future with you," Lacey steered the conversation back.
"I invited you here not to humiliate you, but to give you a choice."
He leaned forward slightly.
"First, you can refuse to cooperate."
"Then, you will be sent to a secluded manor to live out your days."
"And Siracusa will be remade in iron and blood."
"Those old families like Alberto Saluzzo who know the times will transform into agents of the new order, continuing to exploit the people under a different guise until I have time to uproot them."
"That process will be long and bloody."
"Second, accept my appointment as 'Imperial Honorary Citizen' and 'Siracusa Cultural Commissioner.'"
"You have indeed annexed all of Siracusa, Your Majesty," Signora Sicilia said with a cold laugh.
"But perhaps you don't know—the fangs of the wilderness won't let you have your way forever."
Lacey was noncommittal. "I assume you're referring to those beastmasters hiding in the shadows?"
Gertrude's intelligence department wasn't for show; he clearly knew already.
"With Herlinmarte, the former Black Empress, there, I'm not worried."
Signora Sicilia's expression flickered for an instant.
She noted that the other seemed unconcerned about the beastmasters.
Lacey waved his hand and continued. "Enough. Let's return to our previous topic."
"You will relocate to Trullinczentyr. I will establish a Siracusa Cultural Center for you, with you as director."
"Your task is to preserve and pass on Siracusa's true culture—its music, art, architecture."
"You will become the symbol of Siracusa's traditions, a living piece of history."
Signora Sicilia fell silent.
She knew this was house arrest, but she still wanted to ask.
"What benefit do I get from this?"
"The benefit is that your presence itself is a deterrent," Lacey lowered his voice.
"With you here, those old families won't dare act rashly. As Siracusa's symbol personally endorsing the new order, you will minimize needless bloodshed and resistance."
"More importantly, your cooperation ensures Siracusa's purge is thorough."
He looked into Signora Sicilia's eyes, speaking word by word. "I can assure you: as long as you agree, opportunists like Saluzzo will never gain the high positions they crave in the new Siracusa."
"Their wealth will be liquidated, and their heirs—like that girl Lappland, and the Bellone boy's—will be brought to Trullinczentyr for the empire's finest education."
"I will raise them as people of the new Siracusa, not heirs to the old families."
These words stirred Signora Sicilia's heart profoundly.
She had spent her life contending with family powers and knew their nature better than anyone.
If she refused, the Leithanians, for ease of rule, might prop up 'new guides' like Saluzzo.
Then Siracusa's suffering would merely change form.
But Lacey's proposal gave her a chance.
A chance to witness the rotten flesh excised thoroughly while preserving a shred of dignity for Siracusa.
Those children... they might truly have a different future.
"The wolf's teeth have all fallen out, Your Majesty," Signora Sicilia sighed deeply after a long pause, setting down her teacup.
"But she at least wants to keep a bit of her dignity."
She raised her head, light reigniting in her turbid eyes.
"I accept your appointment. But I want to see everything you promised."
"I want to see that 'new Siracusa' you speak of."
"You will," Lacey stood, extending his hand to her.
This time, Signora Sicilia did not refuse.
Their hands clasped together.
...
That afternoon, the Imperial News Agency issued an announcement to all of Terra:
Siracusa's former supreme governor, Signora Sicilia, has accepted Emperor Lacey's invitation to serve as Imperial Honorary Citizen and Siracusa Cultural Commissioner.
She will relocate to the capital Trullinczentyr to promote cultural integration between Leithanien and Siracusa.
The announcement included a photo: Atop the Twin Towers, Emperor Lacey shook hands with Signora Sicilia, the thriving vista of Trullinczentyr behind them.
This news caused a stir across Terra's nations.
Victoria's dukes smashed their wine glasses; they had anticipated prolonged guerrilla and street wars, a quagmire to trap Leithanien.
Signora Sicilia's capitulation shattered their plans.
Columbia's arms dealers disappointedly canceled the next batch of orders to Siracusa's black markets.
No one had imagined that Lacey not only conquered a nation militarily in one day, but in the following days, won the hearts of its people without bloodshed.
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