Finding an Opponent

Where there were those rejoicing, there were those disappointed. While Russia and Austria celebrated their victory, the atmosphere within the London Government was particularly strange.

Being a politician was no easy task. No matter how foul his mood, Prime Minister Gladstone still forced himself to send a telegram of congratulations.

There was no helping it—the British public was watching. Secretly supporting the Ottoman Empire was one thing, but publicly, they could not let their stance appear crooked.

The butterfly effect was growing ever greater. International conflicts were far less intense than in the original timeline, and everyone's moral standards had accordingly risen by the tiniest bit.

Truly, only the tiniest bit—just enough to save face. In the shadows, whether they should be stabbing each other in the back or not, they were all stabbing each other in the back.

Inside the Prime Minister's residence on Downing Street, Foreign Secretary George produced a document and said, "This is the agreement we just reached with the Austrians. It redraws the two countries' respective spheres of influence in the Middle East.

"In exchange for supporting Austria's annexation of the Ottoman Empire, we secured their promise not to expand further into Persia."

Did this agreement have any meaning?

Could a mere piece of paper truly bind Austria?

That depended on how one looked at it. Austria's annexation of the Ottoman Empire had become a foregone conclusion; British Government opposition could no longer change anything.

However, British recognition could lend this expansion greater legal legitimacy. From that perspective, the Vienna Government had reason to compromise.

Looking at it the other way around, though, all of this rested on the premise that the Vienna Government still cared about appearances.

If the Vienna Government suddenly cast aside all moral restraint one day and ceased caring about pressure