-The Russian-French Expeditionary Force-

For a while, Moltke and Falkenhayn kept their heads down.

"Sorry, I'm going to cause you trouble..."

"home..."

　Just as they are at a loss for words, a messenger arrives with news.

"--Your Excellency, there has been movement in Russia!"

"What do you mean?"

"We have received word that Tsar Nicholas II of Russia has summoned the British and French ambassadors and personally apologized for the delay in mobilizing. He then reiterated his request for cooperation and patience from both countries."

"People can say whatever they want. And those duplicitous English people know that better than anyone."

　Moltke didn't seem particularly interested, but he stopped drinking his wine when the messenger next spoke.

"Apparently, he instructed the General Staff to extract elite troops capable of responding that very same day, name them the REFF (Russian-French Expeditionary Force), and send them to the Western Front. Two brigades will be sent as advance troops, and ultimately, the plan is to send at least 300,000 troops by sea to France."

"300,000, huh… that's not a small number. However, considering the quality of the soldiers and the time of their arrival, it's only fair to see this as a political stunt at best."

　In fact, in real life, the Russian-French Expeditionary Force (REFF) fought overland and in the Baltic Sea, so some troops traveled via the North Sea, or they were sent from Moscow on the Trans-Siberian Railway to the Liaodong Peninsula in Japanese territory, and from there they traveled via Singapore and the Suez Canal to land in Marseille in the south of France.

"However... I have heard that the expeditionary force will include Her Imperial Highness Tatiana, the second princess of Russia, and Her Imperial Highness Maria, the third princess. According to the intelligence agency's investigation, Princess Tatiana will be accompanying the cavalry regiment of which she is the honorary captain, while Princess Maria is meeting with Queen Victoria's great-grandson, Lord Louis Mountbatten."

　The second princess went to France, and the third to England. It goes without saying how significant it was for the emperor to send two of his daughters to an allied country in an era when class society was still firmly established.

"So in other words, they're essentially hostages..."

　It finally dawned on Moltke: this is why Britain and France continue to resist in spite of the odds. They believe that Russia should continue the war.

　Russia, too, has made an irrevocable commitment by showing it through actions and not just words.

　This completely shattered any lingering hopes within Germany of an early peace, that perhaps Russia had no intention of continuing the war and would be willing to make peace if it ceded some of its former Polish territory.

"This is going to be a long war..."

　Anticipating the coming of a winter with no known end in sight, Moltke felt depressed.　

　＊＊＊

"Your Majesty, the British and French ambassadors have indicated that they will gladly accept our offer!"

"Well well. We're making steady progress on the front lines, and we can't have those weaklings in the West coming up with an early peace agreement. There's nothing we can't trust more than the patience of the French."

　It seems that Nicholas was able to convince them for the time being by sending his two daughters as de facto hostages. This ruthless method was opposed by many members of the royal family, including Empress Alexandra, but Nicholas himself was unconcerned.

(This is a war. We will use whatever is available. If we bring personal feelings into the situation, we will lose a winnable battle.)

　Stalin was reminded of Lieutenant Yakov, who lost his life in the Great Patriotic War. When Yakov, who served as a lieutenant in the Red Army, was captured by the German army, Stalin refused the German offer to exchange him for Marshal Paulus.

　--Who would be so stupid as to exchange a lieutenant for a marshal?

　That was Stalin's answer.

　At the time, the Soviet Union had a strict attitude towards prisoners of war and did not give him any special treatment just because he was the son of a leader.

　In the end, Yakov died while trying to escape. Although he was unable to eat anything on the day he heard the news of his death, Stalin still believed that he had done nothing wrong.

　The same thing is true this time. If offering my family as a hostage is in the national interest, I will have no hesitation in doing so.

　The Russian Tsar was the state itself, and serving the state ultimately benefited the imperial family.

　**

"So, Tatiana and Maria, prepare to leave. We'll only wait for three hours."

　Making quick decisions is the model of a dictator. Nikolai barged into his daughters' room without warning and declared in front of the four stunned sisters as if it were the most obvious thing to do.

　Nikolai tells them that he is going to France, and then leaves quickly. He knows that France, an ally of his country, is struggling in the war, so it is easy to guess that the girls also had political reasons for leaving.

"Wait!"

　It was Tatiana, the responsible second daughter, who hastily argued with Nikolai.

　I understand the circumstances, but isn't this too sudden? When her younger sister Maria is suddenly told to go to England, she is close to tears, and Tatiana tries to resist her father's decision out of a sense of duty as an older sister.

"It's troubling if you suddenly tell me that! I'm not even ready yet...!"

"If necessary, I can send as many as I want later. Anyway, I'm heading to France now."

"Please consider our feelings too!"

"We considered it thoroughly during the meal."

"That's what we call a spur of the moment thing! Look, Maria, Anastasia and Alexei are crying!"

"It's your job as a sister to stop him. Especially since Alexei is a man, you have to tell him not to cry. Olga, Tatiana, I'm counting on you. I'm busy."

　After about 30 seconds of staring at each other, Tatiana sighed heavily and gave up.

　Because of the war, my gentle father has changed. Now, no matter what I say to him at times like this, he won't change his opinion until I give in. He's like a man of iron.

"...I understand. So, which ship are you boarding?"

"It's not a ship. It's an airship."

"...fart?"

　**

"3, 2, 1: Airship Novgorod taking off!"

　With a command from the captain, the ropes that had been tying the airship to the ground were released, and the giant body, over 200 meters long, slowly left the earth. A large crowd gathered at the airport, applauding and cheering to see the giant airship "Novgorod" take off into the sky.

　The royal airship carrying the two princesses will now travel for about 48 hours to Britain via neutral Scandinavia.

"Amazing! I'm really flying in the sky...!"

　As the airship gained altitude, Tatiana was overcome with emotion. Although she was still deeply unhappy with her father's decision, her first flight experience was still exciting.

"Hey, look at Maria too! People look so small!"

　Being in the sky for the first time in my life, I forgot my place and got excited. My feet left the ground and my body felt as if I was floating in the air, and I felt an indescribable sense of freedom.

"~~~~!"

　On the other hand, for her younger sister, Maria, the "sky" was nothing but a source of fear. At first, she was excited as she looked out the window at the ground, but halfway through, she seemed to sense her life was in danger, letting out a voiceless shriek of "Ah, ah, ah..." and cowering in the corner.

"Aren't you scared, Tatiana? Don't you worry about what would happen if you fell?"

"Really? But even on land you can get run over by a horse, and even ships can sink in the sea, right?"

"That's true, but..."

　Maria sighed in amazement at Tatiana's carefree talk. It wasn't a bluff or anything, her sister seemed to be genuinely enjoying the sky.

"--It seems like you're having fun. We're very happy that you liked it."

"you...?"

　The one who called out to the princess sisters was an old man with messy white hair and a soot-covered white lab coat. He had the dull appearance of an eccentric old researcher, but the gentle yet sharp gaze of his eyes suggested that he was still active at the forefront of research despite his advanced age.

"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet! My name is Nikolai Zhukovsky..."

　I've probably heard of that name, though I've only vaguely remember it. He's the "father of Russian aviation," who built Russia's first wind tunnel and established the world's first aerodynamics research institute 10 years ago.

"By any chance, you designed this airship?"

"To be precise, they are my students. Ever since I received such generous support from my father, the number of researchers in this field has increased considerably."

"Father...?"

"It was about six months ago… He suddenly dropped by the research institute, looked at our blueprints, and on his way out he gave us a grant contract for 100,000 rubles. Since then, he has continued to support us, and thanks to that we have been able to gather materials and people, and our research that had only remained at the blueprint stage has gradually become a reality."

　Research does not immediately translate into business, so grants are essential. For researchers, having an understanding patron is an old dream, and in that sense Dr. Zhukovsky was lucky to have such a powerful patron as the Russian emperor.

"I've always loved birds, and I've always wanted to one day use the power of science to fly freely like them. Now that dream is getting closer to becoming a reality. Humanity may have entered a new era of evolution..."

　From now on, things that you thought were impossible will come true one after another - and with that, Dr. Zhukovsky leaves.

　Tatiana, left behind, pondered the meaning of the doctor's words.

"A new era of evolution..."

　Before they knew it, the airship carrying Tatiana and her friends was approaching the clouds. Though it was nothing more than a mass of water vapor, its grandeur was beyond compare to any palace they had ever seen, let alone any mountain towering in the Ural Mountains.

(beautiful...!)

　As she gazed upon the majestic scenery that overwhelmed all who saw it, Tatiana felt a sense of freedom she had never felt before. Even though, as Maria had said, if they crashed, their lives would be lost, she even felt a strange sense of peace.

　--I'm sure that's because there is nothing to bind me in the sky.

　For this moment alone, you are freed from status and position and can live as just an individual.

　The sky is such a beautiful place.

　Is scientific progress really so amazing?

(I want to know more... what happens next!)

　Filled with anticipation for a new era, Tatiana gazed out at the magnificent scenery for hours.