Without being armed, people will bully you. Verdis might have luck because the territory is supposedly unclaimed. Usually to claim some territory, there has to be bloodshed or prepardness to such, but Verdis will still face many troubles.
As someone who wishes to have own territory, you have to understand that every country around you will take that as a threat... It says that Sebia his been much more okay with it.... but they need to have some agenda, don't they?
I mean let's say you are the president of a country and someone claims either the territory that is next to you and unclaimed (odds of that are almost impossible) or territory you already own. How do you respond? (again "you" in this case being a tyrant bully coz that's all governments are)