In the Emerald Palace, the Five Nations Alliance negotiations had once again reached an impasse, and Caesar IV felt nothing but a pounding headache.
The Franks' little maneuver of lobbying the kingdom's senior ministers everywhere had not escaped his notice. Such interference in the kingdom's internal affairs was taboo before any monarch.
Worse still, some of the kingdom's great nobles had actually been persuaded by the Franks and kept pressuring the Kingdom government, hoping to form an alliance with the Three Central Continent Kingdoms as soon as possible.
Though filled with rage, Caesar IV still held it in. The Alpha Kingdom could not afford to fall out with the Franks now, nor could it easily abandon the Five Nations Alliance.
As long as the broad framework agreed upon by both sides remained unchanged, he could only pretend not to see the flaws in the details.
"Have you found out whether the Three Central Continent Kingdoms are sincerely willing to ally with us?"
Caesar IV asked with concern.
The decision-makers of every country were human. And since they were human, they could not possibly be one hundred percent rational.
Many times, the most correct choice was not the choice ultimately made. Any snowflake could trigger an avalanche. The factor that ultimately affected a decision might very well be a tiny snowflake.
Needing an alliance and being willing to show sincerity in forming one seemed inseparable, but often they ran in opposite directions.
Where there were many people, there were many disputes.
With so many people in the Three Central Continent Kingdoms, there were bound to be those opposed to an alliance. Though they could not sway the kingdoms' decisions, they could still drag things down.
Unless the three governments made up their minds and pushed the alliance forward at all costs,