The Martial Unity

As the initial months of her life passed, Ria grew at a visibly discernible rate. Her limbs grew bigger and stronger as her daily schedule exited the chaotic stage and became more stable. Rui sensed massive strides in her mental development as the length and breadth of her neural activity exploded exponentially, allowing for new kinds of emotions and experiences every day, nourishing her experience of the world. Rui made sure to spend as much time with her as he possibly could. He would constantly steal glances at his daughter, cooing at her affectionately even in the middle of work. “Who’s a cutie pie~” Rui found himself gazing down at her in a bag-cradle that slung around his body, keeping her right in front of him at all times. “Gagagaga…” Ria babbled at him, vigorously shaking her arms, playing with a shiny sparkly toy that drew her attention. She was draped in a baby attire covered with flowers. Her hair, merely a soft tuft at the top of her head when she was born, had become a full head of soft, golden strands of silk. Her hands and legs had grown bigger and stronger, able to make more movements.

“Yes, that’s right, you’re the cutie pie~”

She would laugh at him boisterously in abandon, guffawing at him. Rui worked hard to earn her laughs, for each of them was like nothing short of shots of heartwarming joy that were even addictive, as far as he was concerned.

“Ahem, Your Majesty.”

Rui suddenly jolted back to the world around him, which may as well have ceased to exist whenever he looked at Ria. He found himself at the head of a table in a conference room with numerous individuals.

The ministers of the Kandrian Empire. Minister Danes had been the one to call out to him, having finally broken him out of the bonding session with his daughter with a hesitant tone. The other ministers eyed the emperor with a dubious gaze, with Minister Ru even shaking her head, heaving a deep sigh.

Rui flashed a glare at Minister Danes. “What is it?”

“Your Majesty… as I explained, we need you to accept one of the two proposals for the expansion of our space-related fixed infrastructure.”

Rui directed a glance of mild disinterest at the two proposals. Contrary to what appeared to be the popular perspective, he actually was listening to what was said; he just threw all of it into his mind palace for later review.

Both proposals had their pros and cons, largely differing in short-term guarantees and long-term success. The reason that there were two instead of one was precisely that both of them were equally attractive for different reasons. He didn’t particularly care either way, and one couldn’t go wrong either way. He might as well have flipped a coin.

But a smile emerged on his face as he thought of an even more fun idea.

“We will let our daughter choose which proposal our empire will adopt.”

“…”

The ministers in the meeting stared at him with perfectly schooled expressions, but Rui could sense a glare in the depths of their eyes. He didn’t particularly care about what they thought. Indeed, Ria was so magnificent in her boundless splendor that she deserved the opportunity to choose the space development trajectory of the Kandrian Empire.

The ministers of the most powerful nation on the continent watched helplessly as the most powerful man in Panama shifted the two proposals to opposite sides of the table, before placing Ria on the table on her belly.

“Now then, Ria, which proposal do you like?” Rui cooed at her, pointing to either proposal. “Feel free to choose whatever you like, ok?”

“Gagaga…” She took the opportunity to babble before the esteemed gathering of government officials, directing a sweeping gaze across all of them.

“Indeed, she has the makings of a wonderful Empress.” Rui nodded with a moved expression. The ministers in the gathered room directed a dubious stare at Rui upon those words, before heaving an exasperated sigh and turning back to the princess.

She babbled some more, ensuring that all the ministers heard her declarations, before shifting her gaze to the proposals on the table, glancing back and forth between them, before scooting across the table on her own with her own hands. The amber eyes she had inherited from her mother glistened with curiosity and lustful wonder.

Four months had passed since her birth, and she had already begun to master the art of pulling herself across a flat surface with her arms. She decisively moved to the proposal to her left, one that prioritized long-term space gains, sacrificing a short-term advantage.

“Gagaga!” she babbled at the gathered ministers as her hand fell on the thick set of sheets comprising the proposal.

“Ah, you’re so wise, Ria!” Rui emphatically praised her as he walked over, picking her up and showering her with kisses that earned laughter from her. “Indeed, long-term development must be prioritized. Only a short-sighted fool would forsake the long-term gains for short-term benefits. Well done, my precious daughter.”

He proceeded to shower her with even more kisses before directing a sweeping gaze across the gathered ministers.

“Are we done here?”

“…Yes, Your Majesty. That was the final agenda on the docket.”

“Very well then, meeting adjourned. Good work, everybody. Good work, Ria. Say bye to all the ministers. ‘Bye bye~’”

CLACK

Once the door closed behind the departing emperor, the ministers in the meeting heaved an exasperated sigh.

“When I heard that brother of mine was fathering a child, I was happy for the future of the empire, but to think that he would be afflicted by this…”

Her sea-green eyes sharpened. “To think he would be afflicted by the Smitten Emperor Syndrome.”

In the political class, the frequency at which rulers grew extremely attached to their children was so frequent that it had even gotten its own name. It happened when emperors grew so attached to their children that it materially started affecting the governance of the state, and most often in highly negative ways.

They would start doing absurd things like allowing their infants and toddlers to ‘decide’ the future of the nation, and in some cases, even abdicate the throne to make their baby heirs the next ruler of the nation.