"W-What…?" Finé's pupils shake in disbelief as she stares at the sight from her barely opened door with trembling hands.

"Sorry Princess," the Royal Guard wrangling the man huffs, "We'll get rid of them immediately. You can return to bed."

"We are begging you!" many of the cuffed men cry out. "People are going to die!"

"Enough out of you lot!" the guard grunts as she pushes the man against the wall and cuffs him. The other guards tighten their grip on their respective perpetrators, causing them to yelp.

"Wait wait wait!" Finé exclaims as she yanks the door open and steps out. "Who's going to die?!"

"Princess, you don't have to bother with them. They showed up as a group and demanded to speak with you. When we told them to make an appointment officially, they started getting hysterical and wanted to kick the door down to get to you."

"You don't understand!" the man squirms, "We've been trying to get our government to listen for weeks! But they refuse to do anything!"

"We told you to make a request with our side!"

"Who's to say they'll act immediately?! We're really desperate here!"

"Please," Finé intervenes with a breath, "Let them talk. Who's going to die?"

The man looks at Finé for a moment, calming himself down. "Our people back at the outskirts. Our electricity isn't working properly so people are freezing. We're hanging in there, but the situation isn't improving and at this rate… people are going to start dying."

Finé's eyes narrow. "This sounds quite complicated. Let's talk in the room, without all of you pressed against the walls."

"Princess," the Royal Guard interjects, "With all due respect, we are opposed to this. These people kicked your door and started the fight. There's no telling what they'll do in the room."

"We know what we did was wrong," the cuffed man licks his lips. "But please understand that the situation is that dire. Each and every one of us came here prepared to be arrested or even shot, as long as we could get the attention we urgently need. We don't care what happens to us, as long as our people are saved."

Finé quietly gasps as her mind flashes back to how Izetta acted when they were trapped in the elevator. She was willing to throw away her secret identity and risk turning her life upside down. She did not care what happened to her as long as she could keep Finé safe. These people were the same. Finé clenches her hands, then slowly relaxes them.

"Royal Guards," Finé bows slightly, "I am immensely thankful for your service, as I always am. But I believe these people have good intentions and I should hear them out properly." Finé raises her head, looking at the men who have stopped struggling. "Even if they did act inappropriately, they saw no other way to let their cause be known. Please let us properly discuss the topic at least."

The guards look at each other and then back at their respective arrestees. They then nod to the captain.

"Very well, Princess," the guard concedes. "But they are to stay far away from you and still be cuffed with some of us around them. The rest of us will be standing in between you and them as well. If any of them make a move, we are throwing them out immediately."

"Is that acceptable?" Finé asks the men.

"Yes, thank you," the man breathes out in relief. "If you'll listen to us, we promise to be civil. It's all we ever wanted."

"Then let's go in." Finé turns to go back in, before stopping and turning her head around. "Did somebody already tell the hotel that the situation is under control? That was quite a din."

The Royal Guard captain untaps her earpiece, just having finished exchanging some messages. "Yes, our backup squad got in touch with the hotel staff immediately and was ready to call for reinforcements if needed. I've just told them to come back."

"Okay," Finé eyes the men who are seated far away from her, still in cuffs and surrounded by Royal Guards. "First let me get a handle on the situation. What do you mean by your electricity isn't working?"

"It started weeks ago. Our houses suddenly blacked out. We thought that it was just that time of the year again where the country uses a lot of power due to the cold so we tried rationing our power. But we're only getting a trickle now. Even when only the heater's going, it sputters on and off. We've been gathering to share what we have, but the nights are brutal. The elderly and children can't take much more."

Finé puts a hand to her chin, her eyes flickering to the heater in the room and then back. "How many of you are there?"

"A few thousand. It's not just one area, but the outskirts as a whole."

'There goes that plan, I won't be able to get them into hotels, even if I did spread them out. Actually, that wouldn't work anyway, who would look after them when I go back? I have to solve this problem at the root.' Breathing out, Finé brings up, "I understand. But why do you say that your government refuses to help? This sounds very serious."

The man clenches his fist, causing a guard to look at him. He exhales slowly and relaxes his hand. "That's because it's exactly what they're doing. We've brought it up to their hotlines multiple times as soon as we realised that the electricity was not coming back any time soon. But every time they'll just say that this concern is very important to them, all the while doing nothing to help us!"

The man squirms in his seat, realising that the guards are inching closer to him because of his outburst. Taking a moment to swallow, he looks to the ground, "This is why we couldn't trust your side either. We know we're the ones asking for help and we shouldn't be rude, but we could not risk any more delays and so we decided to barge in."

"I understand. But wouldn't it be faster if you went directly to them instead?"

"Their place is like a fortress. We did go, but we made it no further than the outer gate before being told to turn back. Even if we screamed our lungs out from there, they wouldn't hear us."

'Right…' Finé mentally chides herself. 'The palace back at Eylstadt is like that as well. I also should have recognised the tight security at the government house, even if I do bypass it all when I go for conferences.'

"Which is why we came here. By a stroke of luck somebody saw your group coming into this hotel and recognised that you're the Princess of Eylstadt, the country ours was discussing a treaty with. We then decided to come to your room in the middle of the night, hoping that the security would be lax. Of course," he grimaces as he rotates his shoulder, "Your guards stopped us in our tracks. But we managed to get your attention, and that's all we wanted."

"I have one final question," Finé interlocks her fingers. "Do you know why there weren't any news on this? I have been browsing the news every morning and even if I did miss it, surely there would be an uproar in the country itself if people knew the state you were in?"

"…They look down on us…" the group looks at the floor. "The news people say that this is nothing new. Even the police just tell us to tough it out as everybody else is cold as well. Just because we're poor and have no status, people think we're whining although we're at our wits end already."

Finé leans forward, looking at her clasped fingers. 'Now I really know what Father meant when he spoke of those who do not have a voice.' Finé takes a deep breath, recognising the feelings of helplessness she knows all too well as she looks back at the men. "I completely understand. However, since I am just a guest here, I cannot do anything for you immediately. But do know that I will raise this issue first thing in the morning with the government. And I will make sure that they do something about this.

"Please give me a day. Please just hang in there just a little longer," Finé bows to the men.

The men look at each other, rendered speechless by Finé's display of nobility. The leader licks his lips, swallows and opens his mouth but no words come out. Finally, he speaks, "Yes, thank you. We weren't expecting immediate results, we just needed some progress to be made. And I know we said that the situation is very dire, but you don't have to rush it that much. Yes, we do need help urgently, but we don't want a stopgap solution that would break down soon after. Please take the time needed to discuss a solution that will get us through the whole winter. We can wait a few days."

"I understand," Finé raises her head. "I will also be following up with them to ensure that everybody gets through this safe and sound."

The men take a slow, deep bow. "Thank you so much, Princess," they all echo in appreciation, some of them on the verge of tears.

The men rise back up and stand up. Then the leader utters in resignation, "Okay… you can take us away now."

"Wait," Finé interjects. "Release them."

"Huh?" the men gawk.

Meanwhile, the Royal Guards say nothing and do as Finé asks, removing the cuffs from the men. Some of them have a smile, knowing that Finé would have done so after hearing them out.

"Please go back to your families. I'm sure they must be worried sick about you."

"B-But Princess…" the leader gulps. "We attacked your residence in the middle of the night. You have every right to press charges against us, princess or not."

"And I'm choosing not to invoke those rights," Finé smiles as she stands up and walks to the door. "You only did so because the government and its systems failed you. We need to work on rectifying that, instead of punishing you for wanting to save your people." She opens the door and gestures outside, "Please."

Some men rub the tears out of their eyes. "Thank you, Princess Finé…"

The men and the Royal Guards exit, leaving Finé with the original two guards. Finé pokes her head out as they take their positions again. "By the way, were any of you hurt just now? They did attack as one big group and there were only two of you at first."

"No, Princess."

"Nah. We're no White Agent, but fighting off a bunch of amateurs makes us look like him."

Finé stifles a giggle. "Well, if you do get injured, please go to the infirmary instead of putting on a tough front for me. I know you all are still human."

"Lady Izetta," Lotte greets as Izetta opens the door for her.

"Come in Lotte, please," Izetta sidesteps. As Lotte enters, Izetta closes the door after her.

"So you said you wanted help with Princess Finé's birthday present?" Lotte asks as they walk towards the middle.

"Yes…" Izetta rubs her hands, "I have an idea, but I don't know how to go about it…"

Lotte turns around to face Izetta. "Let's hear it then."

"Okay… so I was thinking that Finé would have to go on more business trips in the future… and she'll probably need more winter clothes… so I wanted to make her some gloves…"

"Oh," Lotte raises her head slightly, "You want to make them? Not buy them?"

"Well… I could buy them… but Finé can just buy whatever she wants as well… so I want to… make it special for her…" Then Izetta jerks straight up to look at Lotte, "Unless you think she would prefer something professionally made?"

"No no," Lotte smiles, "I'm sure she'll be delighted to get something handmade from you. But she'll be as happy to get anything from her girlfriend, it's the thought that counts, you know?"

Izetta blushes as her fingers go over each other again. "Yeah… but I still want to try…"

"Alright, I can teach you how to knit some mittens, which are more beginner friendly. Though it may still be tight for you to finish in time for her birthday, since it's in about a week."

Izetta nods eagerly. "Please do. I'll do what I can."

"First things first, we need to pick out the colour and if you want to combine any others. I'll show you the catalogue I like to browse, so come here and look at my phone for a moment," Lotte offers as she taps at her phone.

Izetta comes over quickly, managing to read some of the headline of an article that Lotte was swiping away. 'Heat eating microbots? What does that mean? There's still so much about the world I don't know…'

"Before we begin," Finé clears her throat, "I have a very important topic to bring to your attention." Seeing the governors look at her more directly, she explains, "A group of people visited my room last night. They came from the outskirts and said that their power supply is not working. They have also said that they've reached out to you but there is no response. May I know what is the current status of this issue?"

A few governors' faces turn hard. Others look at each other for a second. Then one speaks up, "First of all, Princess, we are terribly sorry that those ruffians barged into your hotel. We will enforce the security nearby to make sure no more suspicious people come near you."

"That's not what-"

"Please, let me finish," the governor puts up a hand.

Finé closes her mouth, bows her head and gestures for him to continue.

"Second, they complain about the same thing every year. Power shortages are not new here, even throughout the year. But because it is winter, it is much more noticeable. They do raise a lot of reports yes, but the whole country is facing similar issues so they are not the only ones suffering, but they make the most noise."

Finé feels her jaw drop, but takes a breath to compose herself. "Power shortages are not new? Excuse me, but why wouldn't that be a high priority to be looked at? Surely even if Texas itself is low on power, neighbouring states could lend some in times of need."

Another governor sits upright. "Allow me to give some background. Our power grid is decentralized from the other states. This means that we cannot get power from them as our lines are not connected."

"Could you explain why that was decided as such? I feel that being able to reach out in times of need would be very beneficial."

"It allows us to operate by our own regulations, since no other state is involved," the governor leans forward. "It saves us a lot of money in the long run. We can then put those additional resources to help develop the country in areas that are really lacking. Yes, sometimes there's not enough power, but everybody faces that issue together. It's nothing new."

"Are you sure it's nothing new?" Finé clenches her hands under the table. "They said that it's been going on for weeks, surely suffering through harsh weather for so long is unbearable for anybody."

"They're just making it look worse than it actually is. Pardon me Princess, but you are still inexperienced. The lower-class people always want more out of us, so that it is easier for them. They will constantly blame us, although we are thinking of the big picture."

Finé bites her lip. "People could die. Is that normal to you? Is that how little lives matter to you?"

Another governor clears his throat loudly, causing Finé to look at him while the others, who were tensing up, look at him before bringing back their stoic faces. "Like we said, Princess. They are exaggerating. If there is suitable evidence, of course we will follow up with the appropriate investigative effort. But surely you understand that if we investigated every complaint, nothing would get done. Trust us, we've been at this for decades."

'No… you're wrong,' Finé narrows her eyes. 'I saw their desperation. How they pleaded dearly for a chance. How they were willing to sacrifice themselves for others. But I see now. You won't look past your prejudices, just like most others. Even if it is all an elaborate scheme, I will help them. I know how hopeless it feels to cry for help only to get none. If I can save people in dire need, I will forge on ahead. I know Izetta would do the same.'

Finé takes a deep breath. "Okay, say that it doesn't cost you anything. If I can get our allies to send supplies or investigators in, can I get your permission to let them in?"

The governors talk among themselves for a moment. "Why would you want to do that? We're already telling you it's nothing."

"Then let me get tricked," Finé gives a small smile, "Maybe I need the experience so I can grow out of naivety. Like I said, you have nothing to lose."

They discuss some more. "Fine, Princess. We'll humour you. Go ahead."

"Father," Finé scratches her scalp, "Do you think I'm doing the right thing?"

Finé had just recapped the meeting earlier to her father through a video call. She is sitting at her meal table and although the lunch break is almost over, her food is barely touched. Beside her are pieces of paper with various scratched out names of countries.

Finé's father puts a hand to his chin. "I was not there that night, so I can't say for myself how sincere they were." Then he sits up and focuses on the screen. "But I can say that I trust you, Finé. If you think that these people urgently need our help, then I agree that we need to do something."

"Then why won't anybody else help?" Finé sighs. "I've went through the list of allies between us and Texas, but nobody wants to send resources. They all resorted to the same core reasoning, that the Texas government itself does not see it as an issue, so they don't want to either."

"Yes, most countries would actually prefer not to butt in unless they have to. There's no incentive for them either, since it is not a request from the Texas government itself so they would just be sending resources while expecting no return. I'm sure they are perplexed as to why Eylstadt, a small country that is not even officially allied with Texas yet, would seek help on their behalf, so that makes them even more hesitant."

'Forget my promise of a day, can I even get them any help at all…?' Finé rubs her head roughly, closing her eyes as well. Taking a deep breath, she opens her eyes slowly. "Father, if nobody else will help…"

"Then we will," he completes the thought smoothly.

"What?" Finé jumps slightly. "I was considering it, but can we really provide so many resources for them? Even just the outskirts is huge and there are thousands of them. Can our small country really spare that much for no return?"

"If we had to sustain them, then I would have the same worry as you. But you have already done the first step, which is validate their concerns. Now there needs to be a change, to show them that they were not just promised empty words. If we drop off even the bare amount of supplies, they will realise that we are truly working for their sake and it will raise their morale. This way it buys you a few more days to do the next step, commitment. You'll have to get the Texas government to commit to solving the problem, for they are the ones in charge."

Finé covers her mouth with her finger while rubbing her chin with her thumb. "Okay, but can we really go ahead with that? I know our treasury is well stockpiled for emergencies because of you and our ministers, but is it really okay for me to already be asking for a chunk of it that's not even to help our own people?"

"Yes, like I said, I trust you, Finé. If you think this is a real problem, we as a country should stand behind the leader. Even if it doesn't directly help us, we should not abandon others in need, for one day we might be the ones asking them for help." Then with a smirk on his face, he adds, "And I'm pretty sure I can negotiate for Texas to compensate us fairly once this is over, due to the treaty we're about to sign. So, do you know what you need to do?"

Finé nods as she adjusts her hair. "Yeah, I'll gather data across the years to prove to the government that this is a serious issue. There's going to be a lot to collect from many different sites, but I'll have to be thorough to make it clear without room for doubt. I don't have much time either, so I'll have to start once I get back." With a chuckle, she adds, "And then if it comes down to your 'negotiation', I'll be sure to watch closely. I don't get to see your bloodthirsty side often."

"Sure, I'll give you some tips later, as you may need them when going up against these hardheads. But for now, focus on the next meeting and I'll send some instructions to the Royal Guards over there."

A/N: This chapter took longer than usual because it became too long for my liking. So this is like the first part and the next part (chapter) should be up in a few days.