"Or, become our friend." Lacey's tone softened.
"Your Excellency Wolner, we are not interested in your title and your fief. At least, not right now."
"What we, the Workers' Party, want is not to destroy everything, but to build a fairer, stronger, brand-new Leithanien."
He leaned back in his chair and calmly extended an olive branch.
"Regarding your daughter, that is a problem."
"And since it is a problem, it can be solved."
"We can help you completely erase all traces of Miss Vivianna in Leithanien and forge a clean identity for her."
"We can even send people to Kazimierz to secretly bring her back to Wasser Fief, or to an even safer place."
"Here, she can live an open and honest life, receive the best education, and have everything a normal girl should have."
"No one will know her past. She will be an honorary citizen of Wasser Fief, protected by all of us."
These words pierced through the gloom in Wolner's heart.
Protection?
Letting Vivianna live a normal life?
This was the outcome he had dreamed of, yet never dared to hope for.
He had thought Vivianna's identity would be a curse she carried for life, but he never imagined that Lacey could resolve it so easily.
At that moment, his mental defenses completely crumbled.
"What... what do you want?"
Wolner's voice trembled. He knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.
"I need an ally," Lacey said frankly.
"A voice in the Elector council that will side with the Workers' Party."
"A channel to convey our goodwill to the other wavering moderates."
He held up his fingers and began to list his terms.
"First, in future councils, I need your vote."
"Whether it's regarding institutional reform, or... electing a new emperor."
"Second, I need you to open the markets in the Schtong Grand Region, allowing goods from Wasser Fief to enter unimpeded."
"At the same time, you must allow the Workers' Party to establish labor rights offices in your fief to protect the basic rights of workers."
"Of course, this will in turn stimulate your fief's economy. It's a win-win deal."
"Third, I need you to use your connections and good reputation among the old nobility to convey some things... that are inconvenient for us to say directly."
"You need to become a bridge for us to communicate with the old world."
The terms were clear and explicit, all revolving around political and economic interests.
Wolner was utterly dumbfounded.
He had imagined Lacey would be like a ravenous wolf, devouring him whole, not even leaving the bones.
But he never expected the man to hand him a partnership agreement, inviting him to hunt bigger prey together.
He suddenly felt how ridiculous and shallow his previous perceptions of Lacey as a madman and a butcher were.
The young man before him possessed a political wisdom and skill far beyond his years.
He knew how to wield fear, but he knew even better how to bestow hope. He didn't force his enemy into a corner; instead, he skillfully converted an enemy into an ally, and a threat into a bargaining chip.
This was a true titan!
An existence who saw farther and had a grander vision than the Twin Empresses, or even the Witch King of old!
Wolner's mind was a battlefield.
On one side was his family's foundation and his identity as one of the old nobility; on the other was his daughter's bright future and the blueprint for the powerful, new empire Lacey described.
He realized this was not just a choice to save himself and his daughter, but a wager on the entire future of the Hochberg family.
To resist Lacey was to make an enemy of the rising new era, a path that led only to death.
But to submit to Lacey, though it meant betraying his own class, was to board the ark of the new era, securing a place for his family amidst the coming tempest.
He yearned for freedom, but as the head of a family, he bore a heavy responsibility.
Perhaps true freedom wasn't escaping reality in pastoral poems, but making the bravest choice after recognizing reality for what it was.
"Your Excellency Lacey..."
Wolner took a deep breath. He knew he had no path of retreat, nor did he want one anymore.
He raised his head.
"I need some time to consider... no."
He cut himself off and gave a wry smile.
"Under these circumstances, any hesitation would be an insult to your wisdom, and irresponsible towards my daughter's future."
"Please give me one night to gather my thoughts, and to... say goodbye to my past self."
He knew that when the sun rose tomorrow, he would no longer be the poet Elector who cared only for trifles.
Lacey smiled and nodded. "Of course. There are guest rooms in the tower. They are simple, but very quiet."
"I hope the night in Wasser Fief brings you pleasant dreams."
...
...
Wolner lay awake all night in the tower's guest room.
He thought over Lacey's every word, weighing the pros and cons.
The more he thought, the more clearly he recognized that what Lacey represented was an unstoppable tide.
A tide that would completely demolish Leithanien's rotten old dams.
Lacey had not, like the Twin Empresses, tried to exterminate the Witch King's remnants.
His treatment of Otto's old subordinates, of the merchants, and even of himself—an Elector who held the secret of the Witch King's last followers—demonstrated a pragmatic attitude of reform and utilization.
This magnanimity gave Wolner hope for the continuation of the Hochberg family.
At dawn, the first rays of morning light shone through the window, illuminating the room.
Wolner had made his decision.
He straightened his clothes and walked into the throne room once more.
Lacey was already waiting there, as if he knew he would come.
Without any unnecessary pleasantries, Wolner walked up to Lacey and gave a solemn bow.
"Your Excellency Lacey, I don't think I need to say anything more." He straightened up, his gaze frank.
"From this day forward, the Hochberg family will be the most steadfast ally of the Workers' Party."
"The direction you point is the direction the Schtong Grand Region will follow."
He took the small silver box from his coat and placed it on the table in front of Lacey.
"As for my daughter... I entrust her fate to you."
Lacey opened the box, glanced at the girl with the innocent smile in the photograph, then closed the lid and gently pushed it back.
"Rest assured, Your Excellency Wolner," he said with a smile.
"Soon, you will be able to return this box to its owner with your own hands, right here in Wasser Fief."
"A king must not only know how to wield a sword, but more importantly, how to grant sanctuary," Wolner remarked with sincere admiration.
"In you, I see the hope for Leithanien's future."
"My colleagues, who only know how to protect their own privileges, have no idea what kind of being they are facing."
Lacey gave a noncommittal smile.
The allegiance of the Schtong Grand Region meant that he now held a second key vote, besides his own.
The path to the throne had just extended another great step forward.
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