Claudia’s office was silent with Rufus and Claudia staring at each other. On the floor were papers, documents, and requests from various organizations to renege on the promise that was made to the other countries. Rufus was folding his arms, eyebrows creased as he stares at Claudia.

“Our situation is fragile. Many of our backers have pulled out from supporting us. Princess, your choice was right, I agree with it, but it became a dangerous move that has made all of our work nulled.”

“ 'Your’ work.” She glared. “Do you intend to abandon the Tower? Do you intend to let all of the people around burn? I do what I do for the sake of my people. Court politics can go to hell if it means that I’d save my people.”

“I don’t understand! We can’t get a lead on our opponents if you keep us always at the bottom!”

“Then you expect me to do nothing? My mother agreed to it, and she thought of it as a wise move. I don’t care about the opinion of my brothers and sisters or some fool that thinks of me as someone not worthy of the throne! You can hear the tower’s agony and you expect me to sit down and do nothing?”

“We could have done it in a better way!”

“Tell me then! What way! Schemes and plots? We don’t have time. Sir Wayne said so himself, that the tower wouldn’t hold on for much longer and the Ethereal Being that he calls the Blood Crier would try to break through the floors and break down the doors of our Tower! There are thousands of people around the tower, and a monster that could slaughter hordes of Magus Dragons, Ancient Ones, and Undead Lords is an enemy we must not fight without the help of the Favored Children! We must gather their help and try to suppress this enemy that tries to bring us harm! We must fight despite the hopelessness and we cannot do it alone!”

Rufus stood, “I do not disagree with your solution! I disagree with how things are! We have no one that would treat you as someone that would belong to the throne of Nimrod!”

“What throne? I never wanted the throne for other than it could help my people! Rufus! You should know why I strive to become the ruler of the cities! I strive to become a ruler in order to protect this city! Pride of the Strong? If Pride would be the reason that my people get killed then I would gladly throw it away! I do not need pride! I need my people alive and happily living in this world!”

She smashes her table with both fists, “None of you can understand the will of my father! He built this tower in hopes that the races would unite under one language and never bring war! Instead of spreading that belief we are holding ourselves up and cowering like cowards! My father pacified tribes in hopes that their wars would perish! He gave it all to built a tower that would symbolize the acceptance of all under his tower! That they wouldn’t feel shame living among the other races! Now!? They treat it like as a symbol of arrogance! A symbol of power that they could flaunt! I never wanted this kind of symbol! My father did not want this symbol as well! Now that our tower is in danger they refuse out of this stupid pride of the strong!? I cannot believe that they have forgotten what my dear father stood for! They have forgotten why he’s letting himself be the conduit for the tower!”

“I just wish that we could have done it better,” Rufus said. “Saved or not, we will have no place among the people of the tower. Princess, you do realize that we’ve effectively dragged our people to the hands of the people that would want to use our citizens for their wars. Things aren’t as simple and even if we don’t succeed, these people would want to repay the favor that they have done for us. The central lands are big and fertile, and we are blessed with many mountains filled with ores of metal, gold, and silver. Princess, even if we win, they will find a way to force us to support their wars. If we lost, they would offer help, increased our debts, and we will have to obey some of their demands. Do you understand this?”

“I do,” Claudia said. “I know what I did. But Rufus, do you really think that I would let my people die? I am not that foolish to think that they would not ask for any favors. My brothers and sisters laughed at me, they know that I have made a mistake, and now the people that we called ‘allies’ are disavowing us. Thinking that we have put our people into two sides that will end badly for us.”

“I know. I know that,” Claudia smiled bitterly. “All I want from them is to help my people. I don’t want the cities to be destroyed. At best, they’d think of me as a foolish princess who sold them out to foreigners. What can I do? A monster this strong would destroy our fine city. To save our city, I have no choice but to allow them here. Even if it means they call me names, I will rather be insulted than letting our home be destroyed."

Claudia gave a bitter look. Her eyes were wet, and she was looking down at the floor, not daring to face Rufus. Rufus could only shook his head, and tapped her shoulders, “Don’t worry, I will help you, we just need to survive this problem. Isn’t that what we always do, Princess? We trip ourselves up, and then we get back up, and start doing things again.”

Claudia looked up and smiled thinly, “You are right. The Heretical Princess will never get allies! They always say that, but here we are, back to zero again.”

She pressed her head on his chest, “Forgive me, I really am troubling you.”

“Nonsense,” he wrapped his arms around her. “It is my duty. Please rely on me.”