The cheers of the people drowned the voices of every man in Alexa’s carriage. Her friends and attendant, all with smiles on their faces, watched as Alexa took a step out of her ornate royal carriage. Flowers and confetti of all kinds fell from the skies on the Boulevard of Heroes, where lines of soldiers and officers, now in their ceremonial dresses, marched through the Arc of Triumph—once dedicated to the blistering victory of mankind over the elder race that Phoebe was a part of.

  She looked to the side. The new flag of the Imperium, which she had requested be made earlier during the early days of the civil war, originally because she wanted to give her soldiers a new symbol to easily identify themselves from their enemies while they were fighting, was now being flown for the first time as it was unveiled to the public.

  It was a simple tricolor design, similar to the modern flags she saw in her original world, with the addition of the Imperial family’s coat of arms in the middle. She imagined Henry would find it quite familiar. She simply used the colors gold, white, and red, left to right, as their symbol. It was actually a flag already in use by merchant vessels of the Empire, though it wasn’t used anywhere near as much as the Imperial standard.

  The gold color simply represented the Imperial family, the white was the goddess, and the red was the dragon. Now though, Alexa changed the ‘official’ meaning of it, aiming for something that would instead reflect on the nation she wanted to create. Gold now meant prosperity, white for justice and noble deeds, and red for the hardworking and honest people of Lotharingia.

  Ironic, for a flag that was officially adopted for use during wartime, this new flag wasn’t used in a single battle at all. Instead, it would be used for the first time during a victory parade, now that peace had returned to her country. She thought that it was a good sign, all things considered.

  Hah…it all looks so beautiful.

  “The city sure did recover from the demon horde’s attack fully, huh?” Wilhelm asked, watching as the lines of cavalrymen trotted through the avenue. The people watching from the side all waved at them, some even throwing flowers at the footsoldiers walking on the flanks of the cavalry.

  Alexa even saw one soldier in particular, who was struggling to keep himself in the proper position after being thrown so many flowers. One officer on horseback even removed his tricorne, which now featured a cockade of similar colors to Lotharingia’s new flag. He waved it at a group of ladies on the side, who all swooned at him. Alexa found the scene quite funny, so she placed her gloved hand on her mouth as she giggled.

  “It’s all because of you, Wilhelm,” Alexa said. “And the team.”

  “You don’t need to be so humble, you know,” Wilhelm said. “You’ve led us. We may be the executioners of many policies you wanted done, but you were the one who gave us direction. Without you, we wouldn’t be in this destination.”

  Alexa looked to her side, seeing Phoebe, Adele, and even Alfred enjoying the parade in front of them. Alfred in particular seemed to be in good spirits, lightly munching on some skewers while bickering with Adele. He didn’t seem quite knightly today, probably because they were somewhat out of sight for the celebrations.

  The ones who were at the balcony of the Court of Justices building, which overlooked much of the avenue, were the members of the current Regency Council, led by Grand Regent Philip von Ludendorf and a group of various military men. Strangely enough, they just stood at the balcony, watching, sometimes saluting, but never really giving any speech whatsoever.

  The people largely had neutral opinions on them. While they have governed effectively and efficiently so far, they have instituted many policies that were both popular and unpopular. For the people, the regency council was just another group of faceless men acting tough as they led the nation through a crisis before Alexa’s inevitable coronation.

  For the nobility, though, the regency council was deeply unpopular. Many termed them the ‘Philip Junta’ or the ‘military regime.’ Even the press largely called them a ‘regime’ instead of a ‘regency’ in their daily newspapers. The elites of the country saw them as autocrats to be opposed, which wasn’t exactly inaccurate because Wilhelm and his friends did in fact establish an honest-to-god military dictatorship in Alexa’s back.

  Hopefully, when I’m the Empress, I can at least pay them back a bit.

  They, after all, would have a very difficult year or two ahead, depending on when Alexa would be crowned. According to Wilhelm, Philip and his team would have to institute many more reformist policies, all while trying to stay under the radar as a neutral managerial transitional government, which meant they wouldn’t be defending themselves from narratives attacking them.

  The opposition in the nobility, largely, who correctly identified that they wouldn’t be able to sway the people from Alexa by attacking her, was now directing their attacks at Philip. She felt a bit of pity as she looked at them from the side because of that. They were essentially going to be used as meat shields and scapegoats as they did the difficult job of surgically cutting the rotting flesh of the Empire.

  As the day continued, Alexa, Phoebe, Wilhelm, and Alfred were soon called to the Court of Justices building. Even Adele was called, as she had apparently been recognized for her actions protecting Alexa during the demon horde’s attack in the Imperial Capital. Philip, earlier, gave a dry, milquetoast speech about honoring the heroes, the fallen, and the soldiers who participated in the war. He also gave a speech detailing the heroic actions of multiple high-ranking individuals, who would be receiving the highest honors of the Empire today.

  It was a carefully calibrated speech. Unlike Alexa’s often bombastic and populist messages, Philip was given orders by Wilhelm to appear and remain painfully neutral and professional in front of the public. As a result, the attention wasn’t given to him, with the people below barely even listening to his words.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  At least, until Alexa finally stepped forward, first to be called. At once, the people and the soldiers below locked eyes on her, many of them cheering. The voice of the people quickly overtook the avenue, as many of them pointed and talked about her. Alexa, for her part, kept herself composed as she faced the Grand Regent.

  “Crown Princess Alexa Theresa von Wolgast,” Philip spoke, as he held a medal resembling that of a cross on his gloved hand. “You’ve been an invaluable individual in this conflict. While you are not a part of the Imperial Army or of any martial arms of the Imperium, you have conducted yourself honorably and graciously. From your heroic actions in the Battle of Perlenstadt to the Battle of Helsdorf, you have valiantly defended this nation and its people.”

  Alexa took a deep breath, steeling herself.

  “This award is a new and special one,” Philip said. “Never before had Lotharingia witnessed royalty who achieved so much in so little time and at such a young age.”

  “I…wait…”

  Alexa nearly sputtered.

  For real?!

  “It’s a great shame that there’s no sovereign in Lotharingia while that happened, that no one of royal rank will grant this to you. But know this: the people, the goddess, and even the sun dragon recognize you. You, Your Highness, are a hero worthy of receiving the first Hero of Lotharingia Cross.”

  Philip attached the cross on Alexa, with her staring at him with wide eyes. He continued speaking as he did that. “This isn’t an award from merely a group of nobles or prestigious people, Your Highness. Not even of the Empire or the state. This is an award from the nation itself.”

  “W-will anyone else receive this too?”

  “Of course not. You’re the only one who qualified for it after all, the only one who truly embodies the whole good and noble acts of the Lotharingian soul. One might even say that you’re an icon of the nation now, Your Highness.”

  Philip stepped back before allowing Alexa to walk to the edge of the balcony and face the people. The cheers and applause only grew as she did that. It’s like I have some kind of cult following me. She cringed at that thought, shaking her head before smiling at them.

  Then, she waved her hands.

  +++

  And two years later, she did the same.

  From the balcony of the Imperial Diet, Alexa watched as nearly four hundred thousand people swarmed the Imperial Diet’s square and the boulevards and avenues leading up to it. There were even people who had climbed on top of the statue depicting the first emperor on horseback at the center of the square, cheering at her.

  The coronation ceremony had ended earlier. Thousands of nobles, foreign dignitaries, and leaders of the biggest merchant houses attended the grand event. The pope himself attended too, as he was the one who placed the crown on Alexa’s head earlier. After two years of work, grind, and the rush of trying her best to cram and pass the requirements of the academy, Alexa graduated and found herself on the path to this day.

  She was now the regnant empress of the Holy Lotharingian Empire. Philip’s military government would soon be dissolved, and Alexa would have to soon appoint her first Prime Minister to form the first government of her reign. Below, the people seemed to be in absolutely good spirits. She did give them a speech early in the morning before she was crowned.

  Now, they seemed like they were clamoring for more. She soon stopped waving her hand, took a deep breath, and with a smile, activated her [Rose Eyes] skill.

  “People of Lotharingia,” she started, and the square immediately went silent. “It is I, your new Empress. I must say, I have no words about how proud and happy I am that I now have the honor to stand before you as your leader.”

  The square remained silent. In the two years since the beginning of reforms by Philip’s government, the Empire’s society started to shift. The threat of the demon horde up north remained a major nightmare for the continent, its dark specter casting a shadow on all of mankind as the Defense Forces and the Imperial Army struggled to hold the line.

  Over here, after the Imperial Diet was reinstated when Lotharingia held its first election a year ago—where every adult above the age of eighteen voted—Alexa noticed that her country finally started to show its first signs of being a modern nation. No more were politics decided by factions of aristocrats and their families scheming with each other.

  Down on the streets, factions of the people formed for the first time. The larger faction was the people who supported Alexa and the monarchy. They were the vast majority of the Empire, and in fact, when she would pick her people in the first government, she would have to pick them from the group of Imperial Diet representatives who were a part of the royalist faction.

  On the other hand, the radicals of the revolution remained. While less popular, they were far more organized, directed by a group of former leaders of the Free Republic who didn’t participate in the conflict up north. They called for more rights of the people, the removal of the monarchy, and other radical proposals to change the nation.

  And so, the people she was speaking to now were divided between two camps. The royalists and the radicals, to be specific. As Empress, it was clear that she would be on one side, as she should. But, even when she saw the customary red flags being flown by the radicals below, she decided that she would, from now on, be a proper stateswoman.

  Oppose me if you want; I will love you all.

  “I know that the past few years have been a slew of changes for all of you,” Alexa continued. “I know that all of us, from all walks of life, have many differences with each other. We have different needs, situations, and even visions about what Lotharingia should be. But we shouldn’t let that be a reason to block us from our united goal of universal good.”

  She watched as those who held red flags remained still and silent, listening to her.

  “As your Empress, I have a simple promise to all of you. I wish, and I will work, to ensure that my reign will give you, Lotharingia, the three things I value the most.”

  She raised her fingers, one at a time. “Hope, peace, and prosperity. That is what I want for all of us. And I will work tirelessly, to my last breath, until all those three are present in our lives!”

  And the crowd erupted in cheers. Even those of the radical faction clapped in approval. Enemies they were still, but for now, Alexa would be entering as an empress of a largely united nation. She soon turned around, ready to face the next chapters of this world she reincarnated into.

  It’s time to enact my mandate at last.