THIEM 34

Chapter 34

However, Rakiel didn’t look particularly pleased.

“What I did was insignificant. It wasn’t enough to reach the places that truly needed help.”

Even after the war had ended, he still viewed the issue of poverty as a serious problem.

Disabled veterans and their families, and those who had lost their homes because of the war.

He had even used part of the budget allocated to the Second Prince to help refugees, but it wasn’t enough to fundamentally solve the situation.

“If you call that a small thing, then there is no such thing as a great deed in this country. The fact that no more poor people are being created is entirely thanks to Your Highness.”

“…Even so, that doesn’t make this rumor something I did.”

“That’s true, but what I’m saying is that there’s no need for you to go out of your way to deny it.”

Hagen continued with a firm expression.

“Then shall we return to the capital?”

They had originally come down here both to find the source of the rumor and, as usual, to inspect the refugee villages near the border.

If it truly was the Duke’s doing, as they suspected, then they could simply meet him and ask directly.

But Rakiel shook his head.

“Returning to the capital isn’t a bad idea, but if the Duke did this, there’s no reason he wouldn’t have informed me beforehand.”

“That is true.”

“What’s strange is that it started not in the capital, but in the Rosenthal Territory.”

“Then…?”

Rakiel turned his head and looked out the window.

People were already lining up for today’s distribution.

Watching the scene, he continued.

“We’re going to the Rosenthal Territory. I need to meet the young duke and the young lady.”

More than two weeks had passed since I came down to the territory.

During that time, a bombshell had exploded throughout the Rosenthal Territory.

Kilian had declared that he would personally inspect every single task he had been handling.

Seriously, I knew he was shocked, but I didn’t think he’d go this far…

As a result, everyone connected to our family’s affairs had apparently descended into complete chaos.

I closed my eyes and offered them a brief moment of silence.

“Lady! My Lady!”

At that moment, Jini knocked frantically on the door.

“Come in.”

Now what happened?

I hadn’t realized it before, but Jini was much more excitable than I thought. In previous loops, she had been such a minor extra that I barely remembered her.

Well, she might have resigned long ago after getting fed up with Evelynn’s antics.

Jini burst into the room, practically huffing with excitement.

“Did you hear? People all across the Empire won’t stop praising His Highness the Second Prince!”

“Ah.”

I snorted indifferently.

“So?”

“Oh, come on! He’s your fiancé!”

“What fiancé? It hasn’t even been officially announced.”

…Though inwardly, I was panicking.

The Duke showed no signs of announcing the engagement!

And since I was so far away in the territory, I had no way of knowing what he was thinking.

Did I push him too far? What if the Duke was so shocked he collapsed into bed?

I bit my lip, trying to hide my anxiety.

But Jini, who lacked even the slightest bit of awareness, continued chattering excitedly.

“His Highness the Second Prince must truly love the people. They say he’s personally visiting villages near the border and looking after them.”

“Oh, I see.”

“They even say that when His Highness touched a cripple’s leg, it was healed instantly! And when people drank water he handed them, they were filled with strength and vitality! There are even rumors that flowers bloom wherever he walks, healing people’s hearts!”

“Th—, wait, what? Isn’t that a little much?”

What kind of ridiculous rumors were these?

People were free to imagine whatever they wanted, but the problem was that I was the source of those rumors.

That old man… I told him to spread some rumors, not season them with an entire truckload of MSG.

Frowning, I recalled the bearded middle-aged man I had met two weeks ago.

“You want rumors spread about the Second Prince?”

I nodded.

“That’s right. Everything I’m about to ask you to do was done by the Second Prince.”

“Hmmm. Are you serious?”

The middle-aged man sitting across from me stroked his beard.

He looked like a bandit, but surprisingly, he was the owner of a rather large merchant company.

I fiddled with my hood while studying him sharply.

Definitely not an easy target.

From the merchant’s perspective, this relief project offered nothing but image benefits.

Even if I was funding it, it wasn’t exactly an attractive proposal.

Though victory is already mine.

I had the enormous capital of House Rosenthal behind me.

And more importantly, I possessed a trump card that surpassed all of that.

“Don’t worry. Everything I’ve told you will happen exactly as I said.”

I smiled.

What I handed him was a list of noble families belonging to the Crown Prince’s faction.

After receiving the paper, he examined its contents with a serious expression.

“These are the noble houses that will fall within the next year. Cut off all dealings with them. Instead, I’ll connect you with nobles from the Second Prince’s faction.”

But he frowned.

“Young lady, this isn’t something that can be decided so easily.”

“And why not?”

“It’s common for merchant companies of this size to build political connections, but you’re telling me to bet everything on the Second Prince? My entire company? The one I’ve spent my life building?”

He laughed in disbelief.

“Based on what? The Crown Prince is still alive and well. And you’re telling me to throw everything behind the Second Prince? You might as well tell me to go bankrupt.”

“The future Emperor will be the Second Prince.”

“Ha. Unbelievable…”

After hearing the same claim repeatedly, he slumped back in his chair.

He looked as though he had a headache.

But I merely shrugged.

“I’ve given you a choice. What you do with it is entirely up to you. But there is one thing I’d like you to know.”

“And what’s that?”

“Sometimes a massive wave is coming, and people don’t even realize it. But once they do notice it, they must choose whether to ride it or run away.”

“…”

“And if you fail to seize that opportunity, then perhaps you should stop calling yourself a merchant leader.”

Silence filled the room.

Clink.

The sound of a teacup being set down seemed unusually loud.

A merchant lord would naturally know many things.

He had probably already guessed that the Crown Prince had plenty of skeletons in his closet.

In the end, the deciding factor would be whether he enjoyed taking risks.

After staring at the paper for a long time, he finally let out a deep sigh.

“Every rational part of me is screaming that this is a terrible idea.”

“But?”

He looked directly at me.

“…And yet, I smell something. The smell that tells me I can’t afford to reject your proposal.”

“Is that your judgment as a merchant?”

“I am a merchant. No matter how valuable I’ve become, I move according to profit. And for some reason, that side of me is being drawn to you.”

“Ugh. Sorry, but you’re really not my type, mister…”

I recoiled in disgust.

His face immediately turned red.

“T-That’s not what I meant! Damn it! I mean I smell money coming from your direction!”

“Oh? The famous merchant’s intuition.”

Just as a veteran knight can sense even the faintest killing intent after years on the battlefield, this merchant had discovered the direction in which money would soon begin to flow.

And he knew exactly what action would be most beneficial.

As expected of the owner of a company that had expanded so rapidly over the past few years.

Without a special talent like this, he could never have grown so quickly.

Of course, that’s exactly why I came to him.

There were larger merchant companies.

There were people who seemed more capable.

But what I valued was his courage.

How much could he invest?

How much risk could he bear?

Because otherwise, who would ever help me?

The moment I understood his personality, this negotiation had already been over.

“So? What will it be?”

“…Very well.”

He extended his hand.

“I’ll cooperate.”

“A wise decision.”

Smiling, I shook his hand.

…And that was how things ended up like this.

I had invested not only my personal allowance but had also persuaded Kilian to allocate House Rosenthal’s funds to relief efforts.

Convincing him had been much easier than negotiating with the merchant lord.

All I had to do was casually leave the relief project documents where he could see them.

The moment he read them, Kilian immediately approved the budget.

Honestly, he’s way too soft-hearted…

There was a surprisingly gentle side to him.

In any case, besides the rumors about the Second Prince, occasional rumors about House Rosenthal itself also circulated.

It was probably because people still thought I was merely a servant of the family.

At the edge of my vision, the quest progress window sparkled.

[Progress Rate – 64%]

Considering it had only been two weeks, the speed was remarkable.

Perhaps contacting several merchant companies rather than just one had paid off.

“…So now tons of people want to move to the Rosenthal Territory. Whether they’ll be accepted or not is up to the young duke.”

Jini chatted endlessly while brushing my hair.

Talking was Jini’s specialty, making this the perfect time to gather information from her.

Just then, as she reached toward the front of my hair, I caught a glimpse of purple skin beneath her rolled-up sleeve.

“…Hm?”

Did I imagine it?

Frowning, I reached for Jini’s wrist.

Jini immediately flinched and pulled her hand back.

Then she hurriedly tugged her sleeve down to cover her wrist.

“W-Why?”