It had been two years since Victor had returned from his campaign on the continent of Simbar. His realm was thriving. Trade was booming, and Hannover had turned into a prestigious trading centre for everyone. Kislevians, Asharanians, Zandarians and Simbarnese people all flocked to the packed markets to sell their goods.
The Kingdom of Luxenberg's presence in Simbar was steadily growing to the point where no rebellious elements remained. Victor's trade routes that provided food and other essential supplies made the citizens sing his praises and toast to his good health. With the citizens well fed, Field Marshal Schwarzenberg began multiple continent-wide projects.
Road improvements and village reconstruction were of the utmost importance, especially in the South. Funds and manpower were allocated to Field Marshal Gai Mou to delegate between the villages that had been ravaged by the raiders.
Field Marshal Schwarzenberg had been doing a good job of governing the continent. His council were invaluable to him, and the people were warming up to him. Shi Xhi had also begun to teach the Austrian Field Marshal the native language; if he could learn a few basic phrases, his sincerity would have a lasting impact on the people.
As for Victor, he spent his time working for the betterment of his people, and when he was not doing that, he spent time with his family. Victor had often spared a moment to think about his encounter with King Gu Tian. The mysterious force that pushed the Simabrnese to go to war with him had Victor perplexed. There were a few candidates that could have been the mysterious force; however, there was no evidence to support it.
Looking beyond the Kingdom's borders, the Hakim Sultunate continued to prosper under Sultan Mehmet Hakim. The Tsardom of Mikhailovich was still struggling since the defeat of the Kislevian raiders. With no extra food being transported back to the continent, the Tsar had to open his coffers and purchase an abundance of food. If he did not do this, the threat of rebellion was a possibility.
On the continent of Zandar, the civil war that had lasted 2 decades was still raging on. The two princes were locked in a stalemate. Neither side could gain ground. The church stayed on the sidelines, doing absolutely nothing. The Pope said it would go against the values of the church if he were to intervene, and his cardinals wholeheartedly supported that decision, even the cardinal who resided in Osterbon sided with them.
Victor had sold cannons and weapons to both sides during his time as an emerging Grand Duke. He had thought that the civil war might end shortly after that, but the persistence of either side proved to survive the machinations of war.
The two half-siblings who started this war were Alphonse Visconte and Lorenzo Visconte. Simply put, the civil war started due to the faction around Lorenzo Visconte. Prince Lorenzo was the second son of the king, and his mother was the second wife. She had replaced Alphonse's mother after she died in childbirth.
Alphonse was the eldest son and had the strongest claim, yet the faction supporting Lorenzo made sure to usurp him.
When the king died, Alphonse was 20 and Lorenzo was 18. On the night of his death, soldiers belonging to the queen stormed the capital and began assassinating all who would oppose them. Trusted advisors, military officers, and loyal servants were all taken care of. However, a few of them escaped the capital and with them was Prince Alphonse.
Alphonse and his supporters fled to the northern part of the Zandar continent, this was because Alphonse's maternal uncle was there. Duke Dante Sozzini was one of the most powerful lords of the continent. He was furious when news of the coup happened, but was relieved to see that his nephew was alive.
With Duke Sozzini as his chief advisor, Prince Alphonse began to call his allies to war. The continent was soon split in half. In the north was the faction known as the Green Viscontes, which was a faction dedicated to Alphonse. And in the south was the faction known as the Red Viscontes, which was loyal to Lorenzo.
Their factions had been battling for 20 years, and not one side had gained ground. The Red Viscontes may have held the capital, but they could not hold a true coronation since Alphonse took the crown. As such, no true king was crowned, leaving only two warring princes in its stead.
Since there had been no progress in the war for either side, both princes were desperate to gain the upper hand. They were now 40 and 38; their youth had gone by in an instant. The sooner they sat upon the throne with their crown, the better. With that being said, envoys were sent to try and broker new alliances.
That is what led to Victor's meeting today. A representative of the Green Viscontes came to discuss a matter of importance with Victor.
The representative was one of Alphonse's closest friends, Matteo Vegni, heir to the County of Vegni. He was a scrawny fellow with wavy brown hair that matched the colour of his eyes. His skin was slightly tan, but remained relatively white.
He wore a formal black tailcoat over a cream-colored waistcoat, complemented by a high cravat tied in a precise knot—a fashion typical of the period. In addition, he had a rich green shawl trimmed with gold draped over his shoulder. Speaking in his native language, Zandarian, the representative greeted Victor.
"King Victor, it is an honour to meet you. I am Matteo Vegni, representative sent by the true ruler of Zandar, Alphone Visconte. I hope you will listen to what I have to say."
Matteo spoke elegantly as you would expect from a noble; however, before the translator could get a word in, Victor replied in Zandarian, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Matteo. I hope you are not too surprised that I can speak your language. You will not need to use a translator with me. Let us converse like this."
Matteo was gobsmacked that a foreign king could speak Zandarian just as elegantly as he. With the introductions out of the way, the real discussion could begin.