In the end, the Nerlians had turned up with two royals, a prince and a princess. Regina approved, although she had to wonder if they deliberately sent a woman along as well, considering who else would be at the conference. Both she and Kiara were female rulers, which had definitely shifted the usual paradigm a bit. Politics were rather male-dominated here, after all. On the other hand, it wasn’t like there were never female nobles ruling in their own right. Even Kiara would have been heir to her father’s march unchallenged as long as she had no brother, and her friend Margaret was in the same position.

Regina turned out with several others, as was polite, to greet the arriving Nerlians, a large delegation with many officials and nobles, at least compared to the rest of the attendees. The Nerlian crown’s prestige and power had taken a hit, she knew, especially considering the war they’d lost. Even the negotiations had been at least as much with the court and important officials than the royal family.

She was aware they were probably hoping for her help to strengthen their position and increase their power, by doing this. While Regina disapproved in principle, she would probably have to actually increase the Nerlian crown’s power accordingly — she needed a strong centralized government and they were the obvious candidate.

At least the greetings and welcome were over quickly, and it didn’t take long for the actual negotiations, the summit proper, to start. That was one of the advantages of hosting this thing, she could schedule everything. Obviously, Regina had also left some space for social functions, but she wanted to get through it at a reasonable pace. They didn’t know how long this summit would last, of course; that would depend on the negotiations. She could only guess and make sure that provisions and supplies were available should it take longer than anticipated.

Regina had let all of her pettiness and snobbery out to play when it came to arranging the smaller details. From the seating arrangements, to the fact that the chair she was using (and only that one) was just a bit grander and more ornate than the others, to the wine and spirits that would be served (all imported, having gold was nice), to the decorations in the room being a bit of a game of how many cultural and religious references she could sneak in without anyone noticing or calling her on it. If Esemen had managed to send observers they would have been seated under a cross hanging on the wall; there was a motif of Pygmalion and Galatea; she’d barely refrained from having a painting of the Last Supper displayed; and in what was probably the only self-deprecating ironic choice she had hung a painting of Icarus close to her own place, directly opposite a modern, abstract impression of Ragnarok. Most of the paintings and decorations were reproductions from work the Delvers had found, or painted by some drones who enjoyed the hobby with Galatea helping them get it right. It was definitely not the usual choice of banners or trophies, but she didn’t want to conform to their expectations anyway. Plus, she enjoyed it. Maybe she could look into commissioning more art in the future to help preserve their cultural heritage.

Maybe a collage of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Or the Trojan War, or Zeus’ victims. Classical Mythology has so many examples of the gods being assholes, after all.

According to the usual power games, she opened the proceedings, speaking first. She had drafted a very short speech, welcoming everyone to this conference and briefly outlining her aims. It was a lot of diplomatic prattle and arguably missing the most important point, but the various attendants still listened intently.

“First of all, let me ask you,” she finished, “are there any outstanding issues you believe should be brought up during this summit?”

They were supposed to have already told her if they had important points for the agenda, but she knew she couldn’t rely on that. Maybe they wanted to be dramatic or there had been a miscommunication. Plus, it wasn’t as easy as just sending an email here, so there very well might have been something coming up without her having been informed of it yet.

One of the delegates from a farther-off country spoke up, but it turned out they just wanted the chance to hold talks with their neighbor. Regina agreed to adjust the schedule and allow them a private diplomatic meeting. She suspected she might also have to provide security for it, but that was the cost of offering to host a diplomatic summit. It wasn’t a bad thing that it provided others the opportunity to negotiate in a safe and impartial setting.

"The war is over,” the Nerlian princess, Adelaide spoke up. “I believe our first order of business is confirming this, acknowledging borders and settling any outstanding issues?”

“That is correct,” Regina agreed.

The Nerlian prince, Raymond, cleared his throat. He stood up and bowed slightly in Kiara’s direction. “In the name of the crown of Nerlia, we state that we acknowledge Kiara of House Lyns, granddaughter of Princess Kiara of Cernlia, daughter of King Nicholas the Second, as the victor of the Cernlian civil war and the rightful queen of Cernlia. Long may she reign.”

Kiara stood up to bow in return. “I thank you, Your Highness. I hope to make the relationship between our two countries stronger than it has ever been.”

Regina mentally took a few notes regarding his phrasing. It was interesting, but not surprising, under the circumstances, that he had skipped any mention of Lyns. Although she wasn’t sure the description of Kiara’s lineage was really necessary, but whatever. More importantly, his words could be read as saying that Kiara was the rightful queen because she had won the war … which was of course true in an objective sense, but not how she would prefer it to be put. Still, Regina appreciated that the Nerlians had officially acknowledged the outcome of the war and the Cernlian succession without fuss.

Not to be outdone, the other countries’ representatives chimed in with their own acknowledgments and assurances. Regina could see Kiara’s smile tighten and her expression looked a bit fixed on her face. It wasn’t like all of these foreign notables had any right to weigh in on the Cernlian ruler’s identity or birthright — at least the Nerlian royals had a family connection and they’d been at war — but getting her rule acknowledged by foreign powers was still a good thing for Kiara. And the people in this room represented pretty much everyone who mattered in that regard, except for the Esemen.

The official acknowledgment of the victory as well as Kiara’s position started the first phase of their talks, and set the tone for what followed. Regina mostly kept quiet, since it didn’t feel like the hive had a lot of demands or concerns to bring up. After all, she’d pretty much taken what she wanted and made agreements with the parties involved, Nerlia and Cernlia.

“As it happens,” the Nerlian prince said after a short lull in the conversation, “the alliance between Nerlia and Cernlia is dear to our heart. It was sealed by the marriage of the Cernlian king and Princess Rosalie, formerly the queen consort. I am given to understand that she is in your custody currently?”

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Kiara smiled a diplomatic smile. “Yes, of course. I can assure you that the princess has not been harmed. She is free to return to Nerlia if she so wishes. I understand that there is little left for her here and she may wish to grieve for her husband in peace in the company of her kin.”

The two Nerlian royals visibly relaxed a bit. They hadn’t let it show much, but Regina supposed that they must have been worried about their — aunt? Yes, their aunt, if she remembered correctly. As the Cernlian king’s widow, Rosalie of Nerlia would properly be the queen dowager now, she supposed, but since the crown had passed to another branch of the royal house, and one that had rebelled against him at that … well, it was probably better for everyone if she went back to Nerlia. Honestly, Regina had barely spared her a thought, but she supposed it was good that Kiara had kept the situation in mind.

“We appreciate Your Majesty’s kindness,” Adelaide said.

“Think nothing of it, I would be glad to see my cousin-in-law well.”

“On that topic, we would be glad to renew the alliance and strengthen our ties again.”

Kiara cocked her head slightly. “I will keep it in mind.”

Regina was pretty sure the Nerlians would be mentioning that Prince Raymond was unbetrothed sometime soon now. Although they might have someone else in mind, but sending him would make sense. But at least they were subtle enough not to outright propose a marriage to Kiara right now. At least not yet.

Considering both sides had fought each other not that long ago, Regina was happy they seemed to get along so well.

At last, this led to more important topics of conversation. The issue of the border between Nerlia and Cernlia came up. Fortunately, both sides quickly acknowledged the hive’s presence and possession of it. They had already agreed to it a while ago, in principle if not in practice. There was still Earl Whitor’s land to consider, but both he and Kiara managed to diplomatically navigate around that topic. It would come up later when the formation of a new polity on the map was discussed, with its internal and external borders.

Which they got to sooner than Regina had expected. She would have thought the diplomatic talk took longer, but maybe everyone was as anxious and eager as the few who knew for a fact it was coming. At this point, she was fairly sure even the uninvolved observers who had no stake in the war could tell something was up.

They took a short break, and Regina watched several of the people leave the room before she moved. The two elven observers were not-so-subtly watching her, but turned away once she caught their gaze. She didn’t know them personally, although Ray had met them before when he was in the forest, and they’d been quiet so far. She decided not to focus on them as long as she had no reason to. There were more than enough others she could worry about, after all.

Finally, Regina went into a side room. Max was the only one who accompanied her. She was pretty sure some of the others were surprised to see him this close to her during the talks, but Max wasn’t just her bodyguard, he was a senior and important member of the hive. Janis slipped in a moment later, and together they waited for Kiara and the Nerlian envoy.

“How do you think things went?” Kiara asked after she arrived.

“As well as expected,” Regina answered shortly.

The door opened to admit a Nerlian official and their princess. Regina greeted them quickly.

“Are we to expect your announcement after this break, then?” Adelaide answered.

Regina hummed thoughtfully, looking at the woman until she lowered her gaze.

“I suppose now is the time, unless you have any objections?”

The others present shook their heads.

“It will be best if we officially swear allegiance to Your Majesty, first,” Princess Adelaide suggested.

Regina blinked, a bit surprised. “Are you sure?”

She nodded. “And perhaps Queen Kiara could do the same? I understand she already has, but repeating it publicly might be wise.”

She looked at Kiara, who nodded in reply. “Of course, I’d be happy to.”

“And then we will announce the founding of the empire,” Regina mused. “With you all by my side, please. I believe we can then handle discussing most of the details tomorrow. Such as the announcement of my chosen heir.”

Regina didn’t look at Janis as she said that, and the Nerlians frowned slightly. She hadn’t told them yet. It wasn’t the most important part right now, though.

“I look forward to seeing their faces,” Kiara smiled.

Then the break was almost over, and they returned to their seats. Regina watched the groups of people talking, Kiara and the Nerlians passing the word.

As soon as the next phase of the talks started, Regina started speaking. She didn’t want her momentum to be stolen by banal questions or discussions on other topics.

“Honored guests and dignitaries,” she began, pausing long enough to enforce quiet in the room.

“In the wake of these wars, and of course the ascendancy of my own hive, much has changed. A great deal is still changing. We have made marvelous progress and are recapturing much that this world has lost in the dark days of the Cataclysm. As such, it is our belief that we must fundamentally reassess certain elements we all take for granted. I have conferred and discussed with our allies, and we have reached a common vision of our path forward. A path that will no longer be separate, but together. Together, so we may all prosper. Once, these lands and some others were part of one country, a great nation that offered much freedom and individuality to its members while still protecting and uniting them in common purpose. It is this spirit we wish to live up to. The challenges ahead of us can best be faced together, under one banner.”

As if on cue, the Nerlian delegates and then Kiara and her followers stood up. Regina rose, and the Nerlian royals stepped away from the table, coming to face her. It was a bit awkward to do it in this conference setting, but on the other hand, she preferred it to some large, open-air spectacle. It felt more real, more genuine.

Prince Raymond and Princess Adelaide knelt a respectable distance from her. Raymond spoke.

“Regina von Woltan of the Starlit Hive, we, Prince Raymond and Princess Adelaide of House Harlon, in the name of our father King Roger second of his name of Nerlia, do swear our allegiance to you. Your enemies will be my enemies, your friends my friends. I give you my sword arm, my life’s breath and the beat of my heart, my mana and my will. We swear to rule the lands and territories bequeathed to us fairly and justly in your name. So I vow, before the gods and those assembled to bear witness here, I will be true and faithful every day of my life. This I solemnly swear.”

Regina took a step closer and gave the appropriate answer. “Raymond, Adelaide and your House Harlon of Nerlia, I, Doctor Regina Louise Elizabeth Aneta von Woltan, Hive Queen of the Starlit Hive, do hear and accept your vow. My enemies shall be your enemies, my friends shall be your friends. You shall have an honored place by my side and at my table, you shall have the protection of my house and my hand. All grievances you bring before me I will judge fairly and justly, and none shall harm you without fearing my wrath. So I vow, before God and those assembled to bear witness here, to you I will be true and faithful as long as you keep to your oaths. This I solemnly swear.”

It was quite reminiscent of the vow Kiara had sworn. The room was totally silent, as the Nerlians rose and Kiara knelt down again to repeat her own vows, with the same wording she’d used before. Regina replied to it again, repeating her words.

As they all stood, her new vassals came to join her and she turned to face the assembled delegates and notables, most of whom had risen to their feet, Regina smiled.

“My lords and ladies,” she stated, voice carrying in the room, “it is my honor to announce the founding of a new nation, carrying on the legacy of the Holy Roman Empire in our time: the Empire of Central Europe.”

The Nerlian and Cernlian delegations started cheering at the signal, along with a few others. Her drones stamped their feet, clicked their blade-arms and banged their weapons on the floor.

“Long live the Empress!” Kiara called, starting a cascade of other cries.

“Hail the Empress!”

“Hail the Central European Empire!”

“Empress Regina!”

“May it last a thousand years!”

Regina swept her gaze over the assembled people, listening as they cheered her and the nation she had just breathed to life. It felt like a weight was growing on her shoulders. Still, she was smiling with relief, breathing in the excitement. It smelled like triumph.