I Became the Last Princess of the Brown Bear Kingdom

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Unlike Portugal during the imperial era, today’s Portugal is just a country at the edge of the Iberian Peninsula.

“Yeah. I guess that’s possible.”

“Yes, we’re talking about fully crowning as the Iberian Emperor, not just Spain.”

Right, in the grand scheme of things, isn’t Portugal quite insignificant?

It’s like setting up Portugal on a little torn piece of the Iberian Peninsula.

“Hmm. Was Portugal a republic?”

I heard Portugal isn’t a monarchy.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Portugal is currently a republic, making it a bit more convenient than Spain. Well, Spain also became that way relatively easily after their king accepted.”

That’s a relief then.

So who’s in charge in Portugal now?

I hope they don’t have some sort of dictator-like figure over there or something.

Wait a second.

“Is that so? Who is currently holding power in Portugal?”

I’m quite curious about that.

In the end, they have to be pro-Russian figures, right?

“Not exactly pro-Russian, but they are sort of quiet about it. The former dictator Salazar passed away not too long ago, and Marcelo Caetano stepped in.”

Salazar. I’ve seen posts about him in humor communities.

The guy who dumbed down the Portuguese. And he had a relatively good end, right?

He’s somewhat similar to Franco.

Though in his later years, it could be said that Salazar experienced a Truman Show kind of existence.

“Really? Is he pro-Russian then?”

He should be to have any chance.

It wouldn’t be right to say, ‘You guys also bowed down just because Spain did!’ right?

“While it’s not directly pro-Russian, you could say they’re just quietly going along with it. The previous leader, Salazar, had implemented some dumbing down policies, but now that political advisors from the Rome Treaty have been dispatched, it seems like the new prime minister’s situation has changed.”

So, does that mean it wouldn’t be too hard for them?

Things are moving along way too smoothly. It feels like I’m an emperor of the world or something.

“Hmm. Alright then, let’s propose it.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

If Portugal accepts, then it’s all set, and for the Middle Roman Empire, there’s the German Empire, and the donut federation could just fit into the Habsburg territories comfortably.

Then the only remaining matters would be Turkey and Greece.

Once we solve those, we can create the Eastern Roman Empire and unify what was divided in the East and West.

“Does that mean we need to deal with Turkey too?”

“Turkey? Why would that be necessary?”

What has Turkey done wrong to be on the chopping block?

Actually, Turkey has been positioned quite well until now.

“That’s because they were also the center of the Eastern Roman Empire back in the day.”

Right. That part was also the center of the Eastern Roman Empire.

This raises some dilemmas, doesn’t it?

“Will Turkey accept the Romanov Dynasty? It feels a bit odd to ask.”

For starters, the Rome Treaty accepts all religions.

However, let’s not forget that Turkey is, after all, the descendant of those who brought down Byzantium.

If we go to them saying, ‘We’re treating you as Byzantium now, hand over the throne,’ would they accept?

“They already have a Caliph, though. Isn’t it just a matter of appointing a separate emperor? And I doubt Turkey would dare to reject Your Majesty’s proposal.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Turkey can’t withstand the Rome Treaty by brute force.

And we can’t just kick Turkey out of the Rome Treaty either.

So, it seems we need to haggle a bit. After all, most of the countries within the Rome Treaty have already fallen into our hands.

So, it wouldn’t be impossible.

But first, Portugal needs to accept it.

In truth, even if they refuse, it wouldn’t matter for the Rome Treaty, but honestly, I wouldn’t be too upset about it.

It’s just that my direct realm would become a bit smaller.

After all, it’s pretty much the same since we’re all bound by the treaty.

“If Portugal accepts, wouldn’t that lead to Turkey’s acceptance as well?”

“That’s right. We can’t set a precedent of refusal.”

Exactly. If even one country says no, we could end up just settling for a treaty instead of crowning a Roman Emperor.

If I want to keep Portugal under my wing, I need to present something appetizing.

“How’s the modernization situation in Portugal?”

“Apparently, things aren’t looking too good right now. The dumbing down policies of Salazar have put them at a disadvantage in terms of education and modernization.”

“So they’ve just been living off Rome Treaty support, huh?”

They literally relied solely on support from the Rome Treaty without using anything else, simply surviving without starving by pocketing the minimum.

“Yes. I think he aimed to position the country as a rural nation.”

That basically made it easier to maintain a dictatorship.

Uneducated citizens couldn’t dare oppose Salazar’s rule.

“Weren’t advisors sent from the Rome Treaty?”

“He claimed it was interference in internal affairs and merely received funding.”

Oh man, did that mean they could say nothing despite being in the Roman sphere?

The Rome Treaty left it to them to figure it out, but wow, I can’t believe Portugal has come to this.

“Hmm. Is Portugal being quite assertive?”

“Only Salazar was. His aides have apologized and asked for trust, so they’ve backed off for now.”

I never expected such a thing to happen.

The dumbing down policy seems a bit different from the original history.

No, I guess the dumbing down policy itself stayed, but they simply took Rome Treaty funds and failed to modernize while merely spreading some around for the citizens.

The situation seems worse than I thought.

“Does that mean we need to step in and resolve this?”

“Exactly. Who knew that such a country would exist within the Rome Treaty?”

I went to North Africa to hurl insults at Libya and Egypt, and yet here at the far end of Europe, Portugal is in a similar state! This is shocking.

“What about the new prime minister?”

“It seems he’s trying to prepare for modernization while consulting with the Rome Treaty.”

“Consulting, you say?”

“Yes. Since Salazar’s departure, they’ve postponed modernization expenses.”

“All because of Salazar. And what about the Rome Treaty?”

“From the Rome Treaty’s perspective, pouring money into a void wouldn’t really benefit.”

That makes sense. Salazar sure had it easy in some ways.

Honestly, I almost got him but didn’t. I thought the situation would change a bit with the Rome Treaty.

Pity that wasn’t the case.

They have just been using the Rome Treaty to live off resources, becoming like some regions of the Rome Treaty.

Of course, that makes it easier for us to manage.

But still, would we ever spend what we gave to Libya and Egypt on Portugal? It’s frustrating. And now Portugal is in this state as well.

So, that’s the deal.

When I went to douse fire at someone else’s house, I found flames at my own house too.

That’s the kind of feeling that’s got me a bit riled up.

But I can’t just beat up the Rome Treaty members; it’s Salazar who messed up. What crime do his subordinates commit?

Even if they are corrupt, the Rome Treaty will sort it out in due course.

“Hmm. Then, they’ll say they’re going to support the expenses.”

“Under that condition, we can get Portugal to join in.”

Regardless of anything else, it feels a bit off for a European country to be in this state.

At the very least, we need to present it as if we’re providing support.

Even that would be something Portugal could accept.

“And if they still refuse?”

“In the worst-case scenario, we could say they don’t belong among the European nations of the Rome Treaty and expel them.”

Honestly, I don’t see it going that far.

Portugal isn’t dumb; they must realize they need to modernize to some extent.

In the process, our help is essential.

If they were to exit the Rome Treaty and pivot towards pro-American ideals, they’d still have to face the Atlantic Ocean, while we are much closer.

And the U.S. is far more focused on Asia and wouldn’t be particularly interested in Portugal.

As a small nation, they will have no choice but to seek aid.

***

Lisbon, Portugal

The proposal from the Rome Treaty reached Portugal.

The contents urged them to accept the Roman Emperor as a republic.

“Seems like we’re finally in for it.”

“So, they want to elevate the Tsar of Russia to the Iberian Emperor.”

Though Spain also agreed, it didn’t sit well with me.

After all, other countries received all sorts of assistance from the Rome Treaty, but Portugal’s current situation due to pressure from neighboring countries is quite unfortunate.

They even had to give up their colonies.

Even in that process, Salazar used the Rome Treaty’s support to succeed in dumbing down his citizens, despite losing colonies.

However, the pressure to give up those colonies was real.

One silver lining is it seems the current situation won’t affect the governing of the ‘Portuguese region’.

“What’s changing anyway? I mean, it’s all just in name that they’ll be an emperor. It’s just the Roman implication of being an emperor, right?”

Nothing will really change. “That Tsar really loves Rome, doesn’t he?”

It’s hard to blame him for loving Rome.

“After such a long absence of the Roman concept.”

It’s understandable after such a lengthy absence. However, it’s been quite a while since Portugal got rid of its monarchy.

They’ve switched to a republic and have maintained it for quite some time, and now suddenly to revert back to an emperor?

Of course, I understand why that’s happening.

“But still, this is a bit too much. We do have some pride.”

No matter how you slice it, we’re a republic, so isn’t this a little blatant?

Unless they offer something substantial.

“Pride or not, can we afford to care about such matters? In exchange, they promise support for modernization that the former prime minister couldn’t achieve.”

They needed to do what they should have during Salazar’s time.

Given that the territory is minor and the population is small compared to other nations.

And with all of them reduced to being dummied down, what could they do?

Now’s the time to rectify the mess from the previous prime minister.

“So, what seems to be the trouble?”

“Because of the last prime minister, the state of the country is pretty dire. So, if we could get support, wouldn’t it be good whether they’re an emperor or not?”

“Then let’s accept it.”

Portugal accepted the proposal.

With Portugal’s decision, the otherwise barely Roman Rome Treaty saw the restoration of the Western Roman territories spanning France, Spain, and Portugal under the Roman Emperor.

***

How long has it been since I’ve been quietly waiting in Madrid?

“Portugal has accepted.”

They say they’ve agreed on their end.

“Portugal?”

Well, we should take it as a good sign that Portugal has accepted.

At least it shows a willingness toward modernization.

Isn’t it about time we hanged Salazar’s henchmen?

In our situation, Portugal’s acceptance was grounded on the rationale of modernization, which should suffice.

“This officially makes us the Emperor of the Western Roman Empire!”

France, Spain, Portugal; considering Algeria and Morocco merged into France and Spain, everything looks perfect.

“Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

Congratulations, my foot. This seems to be just about enough.

Hearing the title of emperor is starting to get on my nerves. Lately, I’ve even had regrets about not doing that American run when I had the chance.

If I had, Maria and Belka would never have crossed paths, and I wouldn’t have this current glory.

Yet still, becoming a Tsar in America would have been far-fetched.

“It’s just a matter of having gone through confirmations, I suppose. I do feel a bit guilty towards the King of Spain.”

“Not at all. I originally found myself in this position because of Your Majesty’s support. As I said before, I’m fine.”

Right. Right. If I hadn’t supported the phalanx party, you’d have been in a serious bind.

Republican Spain—especially one reeking of reds—would have turned communist, and they wouldn’t have even been able to step foot.

But the phalanx party managed to resurrect monarchism, then handed Spain back a monarchy to appease me.

If we break it down, my contributions are substantial, so I can afford to be a bit bold in this.

I’m just glad there’s a person who appreciates favors.

“Your Majesty, congratulations!”

Maria and Louise clap their hands and cheer.

Franco and Liberato, alternating as prime ministers, also join in applause along with other members of the phalanx party.

Ah, this kind of scene has become quite familiar now.

A sight you could see anywhere—a clear indicator of my status as Tsar.

The cheers from the people of Madrid directed toward me.

Wherever I go, it seems to be a time of peace. It’s not just in my new country but also throughout Europe.

Seeing this makes me feel like I’m truly bringing peace to this world.

If I go to Portugal, it’s probably going to feel similar.

“But you know…”

At this moment, I realized something I should have sensed much earlier.

Basically, Europe is already unified, isn’t it?