Theresa's assumptions weren't wrong.
But rather than assumptions, it might be better to say that Theresa's judgment was correct from the beginning.
When Kazdel's twin rulers decided on peace negotiations, it was inevitable that external forces would intervene.
This was easy enough to understand. Other nations had always preferred to see Kazdel locked in perpetual civil war, too busy fighting among themselves, or ending in mutual destruction, leaving only a crippled victor barely clinging to life.
Even Theresa and Theresis understood this clearly.
No one outside wanted Kazdel's revival. They preferred Kazdel remain broken, unable to recover. So long as Kazdel continued bleeding itself dry, outsiders happily watched from the sidelines, never stepping in to help.
Unfortunately for them, however… the twin rulers suddenly made peace. This was not at all what they wanted.
Anything else was acceptable—just not the peace between the twin rulers.
Any other outcome of the civil war would've been good news for them. But an abrupt peace midway through? Unacceptable.
As for how much of the earlier discontent among Kazdel's lower classes had been stirred up by these outside forces, that remained unclear. But with the twins' peace negotiations now settled, the outsiders had to consider a new question:
—What do we do now?
Only one answer remained.
War.
Ursus and Leithanien, Kazdel's immediate neighbors, quickly met to discuss plans. Soon after, the somewhat distant Victoria also joined the conversation. Despite traditional friction with Leithanien, those differences were set aside for the moment.
Facing Kazdel took precedence.
Of course… they didn't immediately launch a war. The first step involved high-ranking military officers forming a joint task force to discuss how best to handle the Kazdel situation.
After careful deliberation, representatives from the three nations reached a consensus: starting a war outright would lack legitimacy. Instead, they opted for a decapitation strike.
As for the target of their assassination attempt… that was self-evident.
Theresa.
Ursus refrained from deploying the Internal Guard—their movements would have been too conspicuous, and they weren't suited to this kind of delicate operation anyway.
Each country sent operatives instead. Thus began an assassination plot involving several dozen individuals.
The operation progressed smoothly. Days prior, the assassins infiltrated Kazdel city and quietly took their positions. Some drew public attention elsewhere, some ensured security was compromised, and a small group prepared to kill Theresa amid the confusion.
The day they chose was Kazdel's celebration commemorating the end of the civil war—perfect cover for chaos.
Unexpectedly, however, on that afternoon Theresa temporarily stepped away from the festivities accompanied only by a single silver-haired woman. After a brief conversation, even that woman departed.
The assassins couldn't believe their luck.
Seeing such a golden opportunity, they couldn't possibly pass it up.
After Theresa stepped into a small room, four assassins swiftly attacked. Due to their perfect ambush, poisoned daggers pierced Theresa's heart and throat, severing major arteries.
Seeing their attack succeed, the four assassins didn't linger. Certain Theresa had mere moments to live, they quickly fled Kazdel under cover of darkness.
They were absolutely confident—this toxin had no known antidote. Once afflicted, death would occur in under three minutes.
---
When the assassins returned to report their success at the alliance meeting, they presented solid proof and received congratulations. Representatives from the three nations celebrated Theresa's death, completely oblivious to what awaited them.
Their joyous atmosphere lasted less than half an hour.
Soon, a messenger arrived with shocking news: Theresa had been publicly sighted, alive and well. In fact, she'd appeared alongside Theresis at the closing ceremony of the celebration and delivered a joint speech.
The representatives stared at each other, dumbfounded.
What was going on? Theresa survived?
Hadn't someone witnessed her death firsthand?
Was it a body double? Or something else entirely?
"…So what do we do now?" the Victorian representative asked, giving the Ursus representative a skeptical glance.
The Ursus representative fell into a brief silence before gritting his teeth.
"What else can we do? We've already gone this far…"
"Continue the assassination!"
"I refuse to believe it! She can't possibly have nine lives!"
...
Reality soon taught them a harsh lesson: Theresa might not be a Feline, but she truly might have had nine lives—or perhaps even more.
They carried out assassination attempts nearly twenty times. Each time, success seemed certain. Once, the assassins even felt Theresa's breathing cease beneath their blades.
Yet every morning, Theresa would appear again, cheerful and energetic, greeting her people warmly.
From the representatives' viewpoint, Theresa's gentle smile toward the populace was nothing short of blatant mockery.
By the end, the assassins had become completely numb.
Seriously, what's going on here?
Even body doubles can't possibly number more than twenty, right?
They once believed in science—until science whispered back that this world actually had plot armor.
They'd tried everything: direct assaults, poisoning, drug overdoses, assassinations during sleep… every imaginable method.
By now, they could practically hear Theresa saying mockingly, "I'm just playing around, why take it so seriously?"
At this point, only one thought remained in their exhausted minds:
She's cheating! This woman has plot armor!
On this particular day, representatives from the three nations sat in their temporary conference room as usual, staring blankly at each other. Finally, the Ursus representative spoke up first:
"Our suggestion… is to abandon the assassination plan."
"We agree."
"We agree as well. The target must already be on high alert. Continuing the assassination attempts is meaningless."
The other two representatives concurred immediately. The Ursus representative nodded and announced solemnly:
"Therefore… our next recommendation is to immediately begin fabricating justifications, and simultaneously…"
"…Officially declare war on Kazdel."