I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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“Well, there’s nothing we can do about it. They might really not be feeling well right now.”

“Can you take responsibility for that?”

That’s essentially a forbidden statement.

For the Roman Emperor, such an occurrence should never happen.

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just a saying, you know. Honestly, is there anyone here who hasn’t taken a vacation at least once?”

To be honest, there’s no one among us who hasn’t taken a vacation.

The members of the Rome Treaty Headquarters are essentially representatives of various governments, and they don’t really do much work.

Moreover, since Italy is practically falling apart, it’s turned into a tourist destination where the prominent billionaires from all countries vacation.

Naturally, those in this headquarters are no different.

Feeling pricked by those words, everyone just started glancing at each other.

“That’s true.”

“I mean, if it’s a Tsar with a five-day workweek, I’m all for it.”

This is really unavoidable.

Since they say it’s that hard, to be honest, there are people here younger than the Tsar.

What can we do when the Tsar wants to take a break? We have to just put our heads down.

But speaking of the Rome Treaty, what about Russia?

“That’s how we feel. But what about Russia? Isn’t it a much bigger problem?”

“Oh, they’ll figure it out somehow. After all, Grand Duke Vladimir has been handling Duma matters recently.”

Grand Duke Vladimir has often attended meetings at the Rome Treaty Headquarters.

In reality, this is not widely known among the people.

Unless Anastasia shows some strange movement this time, the people won’t react sensitively.

“That’s true.”

So, you only need to show up in broadcasts for five days, right?

If it’s that little, what’s different from before?

***

It’s done now. Maria permitted it, so I headed to the Duma. This time, in a break from tradition, I directly summoned the Duma.

This might be the Tsar’s first and final gathering.

After all, I have no intention of calling for such a thing ever again.

“I hereby declare formally from this seat. I, Tsar Anastasia, will be a Tsar with a five-day workweek.”

At my words, the National Duma erupted into chaos.

Suddenly, I announced a direct summons of the Duma and declared a five-day workweek for the Tsar.

It’s essentially the professionalization of the Tsar! It’s absurd as this may seem, but nevertheless, the Tsar officially stated he would take two days off.

In truth, how many days a week does the Duma actually meet?

Thus, I can officially declare holidays and relieve the psychological burden.

“A Tsar with a five-day workweek? That’s something.”

“Right? To professionalize the monarchy, that’s quite something.”

Come on, when did I ever say I’m professionalizing anything?

I merely said I’d like to take some time off for two days a week.

If this is considered professionalizing, that’s so unfair to me. If word gets out, they might say the Tsar succumbed to the Duma’s pressure and had to implement a five-day workweek.

“Look, it’s only logical for me to abdicate since the Duma handles all the politics anyway, right? Usually, I let you handle things. Isn’t this normal?”

If I say I’ll handle it myself, why do I need permission for this?

But let’s get real. It’s ridiculous.

The powerful advisors who wield their power recklessly are the same ones who replace a ruler that doesn’t listen to them or even stage a coup, right?

The Duma isn’t any different from this country’s people. Now that I want to step down, they’re forcefully holding onto me.

“Well, if you proceed like that, the Duma’s heads will be on the chopping block. Besides, we wouldn’t want that either.”

What do you mean you wouldn’t want that?

Anyone hearing this might think I’m a mama’s boy.

“Ugh, it really bums me out that I’m like this. Everyone here is older and yet they’re too dependent on the Tsar.”

“Your Majesty, of course we can’t make excuses about that—”

Excuses, shmoozes.

“So. Let’s compromise with a five-day workweek. Humanly speaking, everyone sitting here takes time off when they need it, right? Of course, I don’t work as hard as that, but there’s a certain feeling to it. Millions of citizens praising me is quite a burden, so I should have some time to rest.”

A vacation for the Tsar! The Tsar needs a break!

The Tsar needs rest!

I’m shouting this right now. Doesn’t the Duma feel any guilt about this?

I just handed over power, and now I have become someone they can’t do without!

“Well, I understand. Then.”

“With that level, the citizens won’t even notice. Um. If Your Majesty avoids mentioning it, everything should be fine.”

Sure. That level is enough.

It’s important I don’t get caught. In Korea, people protest over the slightest details if they get a whiff of something.

That must be avoided.

If there’s another protest, the protesters might threaten my life if I don’t step down.

Ah, that’s a no-go.

“In a monarchy, if you have this much power, you should pass it down without question, and this needs to be accepted. So the Duma should reflect on this.”

Just accept it already. Stop throwing tantrums.

This is like when you were little, being told the Tsar is the mother of all citizens, and you should live under her—this brainwashing has made the members of the Duma feel like they can’t do without me.

In other words, it’s the result of a misguided education.

All they had to do was do proper anti-communist education; shouldn’t praises about me be written in textbooks too?

“I apologize. Your Majesty. From now on, I’ll strive to get feedback from Grand Duke Vladimir.”

There you go. That’s the spirit.

What they’re saying now is just too formal. It’s something that should have been dealt with ages ago, and these folks should be breaking free from my shadow. Right?

“As a mother, there’s a lot of concern. To be clear, I’m not dying anytime soon, nor do I have any health issues at the moment. I don’t know when I’ll die, but I think I can live for about 50 more years.” My statement chilled the room.

The previously noisy members were just staring at me.

“Fifty years? Then you still have a long way to go.”

A long way? That’s already half.

“To be honest, that’s just the minimum estimate.”

“Minimum estimate?”

I’m not sure how to phrase it but—

“Then, you should just reign as the eternal emperor.”

Reigning as an eternal emperor? That doesn’t sound quite right.

“I’m just too burdened carrying the weight of millions of citizens.”

“You’re saying your children are a burden?”

No, it’s not that the children are a burden.

“Not like that. From my perspective, it feels like my grown children aren’t gaining their independence, which makes me worry. At this age, they should be supporting themselves. We need to talk openly. Of course, I have companies under the Romanov name, so I’m not worried financially. Still, I can’t help but worry about how my citizens feel they can’t do without me.”

This should be approached from a different angle.

Regardless of the facts, if they treat me with emotion, I should also approach it emotionally.

If it were my father, Nicholas II’s age, the Duma would have long tried to take everything for themselves. I’m so different from that.

“I understand for now.”

“For now, and nonsense aside, what are Your Majesty’s plans moving forward?”

“I’ll make sure the Rome Treaty is functioning properly and travel around.”

“Simply put, aren’t you talking about a vacation?”

Sure. There’s a bit of a trip involved. But unfortunately, it won’t purely be a vacation.

It’ll have to be presented as a tour.

“There’ll be travel, and I need to see France once.”

“France?”

“Well, I’ve heard it’s improved a lot recently.”

Originally, I was going to try going to France directly.

I’d only ever heard things, like it being reconstructed in Paris, but I’ve never been there before.

I heard Vichy is currently the capital of France. The funny thing is that Vichy has become a vacation spot now.

With the days of a grand military gone, France is now practically left with just the Rome Treaty’s ‘Self-Defense Forces’ as its military presence.

Their numbers are merely in the thousands and even that feels quite formal.

France has abandoned military budgets to focus completely on internal welfare and is maximizing efforts to restore the population dispersed during the Commune period.

So, I’m curious.

What is currently going on in that region?

Despite the military budget effectively vanishing, they’re still benefitting off the Roman Treaty’s military strength.

Those with backgrounds in the Commune are a bit suspicious, though.

“Isn’t it still two days? You should be planning to stay for at least a week, right?”

That’s a valid point. I might have to stay for at least a week.

“Yes. So I plan to go see for myself,”

“Doing this at this time might stir up some chaos.”

This time? What am I doing exactly?

This much should be fine. My esteemed citizens won’t immediately protest over something like this. What kind of children would stop their mother from taking a trip?

If, by some chance, they do protest,

Then, it’d mean they’re ungrateful children trying to stop me from having a vacation—and it’s not even on their dime.

That’s how I’m going to think from here on out.

“That said, the Duma needs to handle it on their end. Just say the Tsar is heading for a tour in France.”

To begin with, if I say it’s a tour, then that’s all that’s needed. I won’t look like I’m just going to France for a vacation.

“If we put it that way, it still doesn’t change anything, right?”

Come on now, saying it doesn’t change it?

This time, it’s a trip, not just a plain tour.

This time, it’s genuinely a time for rest. Surely I won’t be bombed while traversing my own land.

Just let La Roche treat me like a guest.

“This time, I’m truly going on a journey. I plan to check out Paris, Vichy, and Burgundy.”

I aim to visit many places.

I want to see how the newly transformed France is evolving; that’s what I’m longing for.

Isn’t that the thrill of historical alternatives? Who knows, maybe the 21st-century France will be perceived completely differently from the France I know.

It’ll be perceived as part of Rome, and there won’t be any Algerian massacre.

With that alone, France will have cleaned up its act. If we think about history, shouldn’t France be grateful?

“Even so, won’t the situation in France be dangerous?”

“True. But they dropped a nuke on their own people.”

Alisa Rosenbaum seems unduly worried.

With the nuke there’s some discontent, I heard. For that, they seem oddly composed though.

“The Roman Treaty members and the security in France are pretty good. So, it should be fine. To reiterate, the nuke was decreed by General Pétain, and at that time, a radio broadcast fit that justification.”

I didn’t launch the nuke myself; it was a grand-scale decision handed over to Pétain.

If anyone dares to fault me for that, I’d say that’s quite foolish.

“Still, it wouldn’t hurt to be cautious, right?”

“Of course, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful.”

I mean, what else can I do if I don’t take precautions? I’m not going to die.

“Churchill sees it as a given that I won’t die, and almost monthly, he expresses envy over my not aging.”

That guy has come to accept me as a matter of course.

If anything, he’s the only ‘foreigner’ among the historical figures I know who has taken it so calmly.

“Isn’t that old man indirectly cursing your Majesty?”

Churchill cursing me? That’s unlikely.

Thanks to me, he’s managed to survive after being trapped at Number 10 Downing Street.

Mr. Dunkirk won’t leave a legacy with that nickname.

“Relax. Don’t worry. I know I’m stronger and won’t die. God has granted me plenty of time for a reason; it means I need to strive for humanity’s peace even more, doesn’t it?”

Logically speaking, it’s hard to believe something would happen to me in France.

It doesn’t seem likely.

Although there’s a lot of talk about uniting with Burgundy, who cares?

As long as there’s no terrorism, I’m good.