"The pressure from the international community is enormous. Now that the opportunity has come, we should end this damned war as soon as possible!"
"No! Paris is a complete mess right now—whoever gets dragged into it will be buried with it. Just listen closely and you'll know: the city is running out of food.
The rebels can't feed the refugees, and neither can we. We've already resettled three million refugees. If another million come pouring in, the consequences would be unimaginable!"
"Don't make it sound so terrifying. As long as we put our minds to it, there is always a solution. The international community keeps urging us to end the war quickly. This is the best opportunity."
"The prerequisite for ending the war is being able to feed that many refugees! After the rebels' devastation, I'd say every civilian in Paris is about to become a refugee.
We don't have that much food. Even if we purchase it abroad immediately, it will take time. If the rebels burn the grain depots in the city, then we'll have truly hit the jackpot."
The arguments went on without end, leaving Carlos in a miserable position. As king-in-reserve, this was precisely the sort of moment when he could not afford to interfere.
Supporting an attack would only bring trouble upon himself; opposing the assault on the city would invite accusations that he was standing by and watching people die.
The dispute within the noble faction was, at its heart, still about interests. Vienna could persuade the three major royalist factions on the matter of the heir, but it had no way to help them divide the spoils.
When personal interests were involved, everyone had to step forward and fight for a share. The situation was very clear: the Legitimist