Perfikot's attitude is quite strange, even to the point of being incomprehensible to people.
For the Empire, it's no secret that Perfikot holds powerful military force, and it's not considered an unforgivable rebellion.
She is the Lord of the North, the legitimate Northern Guardian and Count of Exploration appointed by the Empress herself. In theory, as long as she can afford it, whether it's sixty Knights or even if Perfikot recruits sixty more Knight Orders, it's entirely her prerogative.
From both a legal and other perspectives, the Imperial Center has no grounds to intervene.
This isn't a centrally unified dynasty; it's common for local Lords to have strong armies, and if the center can't suppress the regions, then they must anticipate being replaced.
Of course, with the advent of the industrial age, the power of local Lords is gradually being absorbed by the central authority, transitioning from feudalism to centralization in a way.
