Andrew, who saw Ines’ expression, continued softly.
“It’s all thanks to the lord. It’s because he protected this land.”
“...”
“Of course, your story resonated with people in many ways. But the fact that the lord himself granted you immunity was the most influential factor.”
The people here were safe from the plague thanks to the lord’s quick judgment. Outside, there were many hungry people, but this place was more prosperous than ever.
Rumors spread that the owner of the estate had not only forgiven her crimes but had personally met with the judge to reduce her punishment.
Ines closed her eyes tightly at Carson’s story. The longing she had been holding back for so long came rushing back to her.
If He forgives your crimes, no one will ever hold you guilty again...
The Bible verse she had buried for a moment came to mind. Soon, her father’s soft voice followed.
“Of course, there are those who dislike our family. But no one openly despises or mocks us. I think that alone is a great favor to your father.”
Ines nodded. For now, that was all she could do.
“So... Of course, it’s not something we should talk about right now, but Father seems to be in a hurry.”
When Andrew hesitated and started to speak, Elena answered him.
“Ines, several families have proposed marriage after hearing that you are coming back to the family.”
“Marriage proposals?”
Ines let out a wry laugh. Not being hostile to the Swendens and getting married were two completely different things.
“I guess those families don’t find me terrible.”
Elena couldn’t answer and kept her mouth shut. The Swendens’ enormous gold mine must have made up for their horror. She smiled gently, even though more poignant thoughts crossed her mind.
“Yes. I’ll think about it. But, Father and Mother. I came today. It’s not too late to tell that story.”
“Yes, I was too impatient and ended up urging you.”
She shook her head and got up from her seat. Of course, she could understand her parents’ feelings. At 23, regardless of whether they were men or women, she should have had at least one child.
“More than that, Father, I want to hear what happened to what I asked of you.”
Andrew followed Ines with a complicated expression on his face.
Of course, Ines knew her parents’ feelings. They wanted Carson, who was a benefactor worth giving her life to, to no longer be involved with such a great person. They also wanted their daughter to return to her normal life.
However, Ines had decided to live the rest of her life for him. So what she would become from now on depended on Carson.
The two soon sat across from each other in Andrew’s office.
Ines had not heard much about the affairs of the system because she had been at the temple. It was a really anxious time.
“How are things going back now?”
“There was a huge incident.”
Ines was greatly nervous at her father’s solemn words and expression.
“The Emperor suddenly declared at the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony that he would make Prince Carson the Crown Prince.”
“That... What do you mean?”
“It’s exactly as I heard. Prince Carson will now become the Crown Prince.”
Ines closed her eyes and remained silent for a moment at the unbelievable words.
“He... Is he safe?”
“He must be safe now because His Majesty the Emperor and the temple are protecting him. However, I just can’t understand this father. Why did His Majesty suddenly make such a decision?”
The Emperor had lost many children in a short time. In this situation, if the Empress’s son were to ascend to the throne again, the bloodshed in the system would never end.
Even if everyone else was keeping quiet, the Empress would not just sit back and watch. In particular, this Landhill would be her first target. Therefore, the Emperor must have had no choice.
The Emperor had risked his life and started his final gamble.
“Then there must have been some movement on the part of Count Grandel.”
Ines stood up, paced around, and bit her fingernails.
“Yes, just four days ago, Count Grandel requested a huge amount of military supplies.”
“How much?”
Andrew soon thrust a thick document in front of her. Sitting down and examining it closely, Ines could easily see that the Empress was preparing for a great war.
“How much grain have you collected?”
Ines had told Andrew to buy not only military supplies but also the grain most commonly used to make bread, the staple food of the empire’s people.
The amount her father had mentioned was enough to control the price of grain in the empire for a while.
“But I can’t live anymore. The grain I have now is hard to store properly. Some of it has already rotted and I’ve thrown it away.”
Ines continued, carefully examining the documents her father had handed her.
“Yes. This is enough.”
Andrew let out a deep breath. Some of it was relief, but most of it was regret. Ines was completely ignorant of the ways of the world. When did that child become like this?
“What should I do now?”
“First, tell Count Grandel that you’ll give him everything he wants and get the money first.”
“Will he just give us the money first?”
“The promised goods are so large that you can tell him that he can’t receive them from the middleman unless he pays in advance.”
The military supplies that Count Grandel wanted were more than all of the supplies he had received so far combined.
Since he had never broken a promise before, if the down payment for the goods was large and he was told to get the money in advance, Grandel would hand it over without much suspicion.
“About 50% of the price of the goods would be appropriate. How much did you say the price of guns has gone up now?”
“Unimaginable. Since guns are impossible to obtain in the first place, they are worth whatever they are asking for.”
The price of weapons and military supplies most needed for the civil war had skyrocketed. So the Empress continued to print money. And all that money was piled up in Ines’ bank.
No fool would know how dangerous that was. However, if they couldn’t buy weapons right away because they didn’t have money, they would lose the war.
There was no way the Empress would lose the Crown Prince’s position so easily.
The Empress, who had lost her mind from fighting countless enemies, couldn’t stop walking even though she knew she was crossing a river from which she could not return.
“Father, it’s time to move now.”
As Ines stood tall and rubbed her chin, Andrew straightened up without realizing it.
“Proceed with the bankruptcy of Mondrey Bank.”
“Bankruptcy?”
“Yes, you shouldn’t do it so openly. But if you dig deep enough, you can just spread the word and get things done.”
“That means...”
“So... Of course, it’s not something we should talk about right now, but Father seems to be in a hurry.”
When Andrew hesitated and started to speak, Elena answered him.
“Ines, several families have proposed marriage after hearing that you are coming back to the family.”
“Marriage proposals?”
Ines let out a wry laugh. Not being hostile to the Swendens and getting married were two completely different things.
“I guess those families don’t find me terrible.”
Elena couldn’t answer and kept her mouth shut. The Swendens’ enormous gold mine must have made up for their horror. She smiled gently, even though more poignant thoughts crossed her mind.
“Yes. I’ll think about it. But, Father and Mother. I came today. It’s not too late to tell that story.”
“Yes, I was too impatient and ended up urging you.”
She shook her head and got up from her seat. Of course, she could understand her parents’ feelings. At 23, regardless of whether they were men or women, she should have had at least one child.
“More than that, Father, I want to hear what happened to what I asked of you.”
Andrew followed Ines with a complicated expression on his face.
Of course, Ines knew her parents’ feelings. They wanted Carson, who was a benefactor worth giving her life to, to no longer be involved with such a great person. They also wanted their daughter to return to her normal life.
However, Ines had decided to live the rest of her life for him. So what she would become from now on depended on Carson.
The two soon sat across from each other in Andrew’s office.
Ines had not heard much about the affairs of the system because she had been at the temple. It was a really anxious time.
“How are things going back now?”
“There was a huge incident.”
Ines was greatly nervous at her father’s solemn words and expression.
“The Emperor suddenly declared at the Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony that he would make Prince Carson the Crown Prince.”
“That... What do you mean?”
“It’s exactly as I heard. Prince Carson will now become the Crown Prince.”
Ines closed her eyes and remained silent for a moment at the unbelievable words.
“He... Is he safe?”
“He must be safe now because His Majesty the Emperor and the temple are protecting him. However, I just can’t understand this father. Why did His Majesty suddenly make such a decision?”
The Emperor had lost many children in a short time. In this situation, if the Empress’s son were to ascend to the throne again, the bloodshed in the system would never end.
Even if everyone else was keeping quiet, the Empress would not just sit back and watch. In particular, this Landhill would be her first target. Therefore, the Emperor must have had no choice.
The Emperor had risked his life and started his final gamble.
“Then there must have been some movement on the part of Count Grandel.”
Ines stood up, paced around, and bit her fingernails.
“Yes, just four days ago, Count Grandel requested a huge amount of military supplies.”
“How much?”
Andrew soon thrust a thick document in front of her. Sitting down and examining it closely, Ines could easily see that the Empress was preparing for a great war.
“How much grain have you collected?”
Ines had told Andrew to buy not only military supplies but also the grain most commonly used to make bread, the staple food of the empire’s people.
The amount her father had mentioned was enough to control the price of grain in the empire for a while.
“But I can’t live anymore. The grain I have now is hard to store properly. Some of it has already rotted and I’ve thrown it away.”
Ines continued, carefully examining the documents her father had handed her.
“Yes. This is enough.”
Andrew let out a deep breath. Some of it was relief, but most of it was regret. Ines was completely ignorant of the ways of the world. When did that child become like this?
“What should I do now?”
“First, tell Count Grandel that you’ll give him everything he wants and get the money first.”
“Will he just give us the money first?”
“The promised goods are so large that you can tell him that he can’t receive them from the middleman unless he pays in advance.”
The military supplies that Count Grandel wanted were more than all of the supplies he had received so far combined.
Since he had never broken a promise before, if the down payment for the goods was large and he was told to get the money in advance, Grandel would hand it over without much suspicion.
“About 50% of the price of the goods would be appropriate. How much did you say the price of guns has gone up now?”
“Unimaginable. Since guns are impossible to obtain in the first place, they are worth whatever they are asking for.”
The price of weapons and military supplies most needed for the civil war had skyrocketed. So the Empress continued to print money. And all that money was piled up in Ines’ bank.
No fool would know how dangerous that was. However, if they couldn’t buy weapons right away because they didn’t have money, they would lose the war.
There was no way the Empress would lose the Crown Prince’s position so easily.
The Empress, who had lost her mind from fighting countless enemies, couldn’t stop walking even though she knew she was crossing a river from which she could not return.
“Father, it’s time to move now.”
As Ines stood tall and rubbed her chin, Andrew straightened up without realizing it.
“Proceed with the bankruptcy of Mondrey Bank.”
“Bankruptcy?”
“Yes, you shouldn’t do it so openly. But if you dig deep enough, you can just spread the word and get things done.”
“That means...”
“Father, you’re right. We received the payment, but we can’t hand over the goods. Count Grandel will try to find out who Mondrae is, but he won’t even see his shadow.”
“And then...?”
Ines smiled faintly. As if it wasn’t the right time to tell him. Although he was doing as his daughter told him, Andrew didn’t know her exact purpose, so he always had to watch himself to make sure he wasn’t making a mistake. But at this moment, he thought that following Ines’s words up until now had been a big mistake.
“My dear...”
“...”
“Are you okay?”
Ines went to sit across from him and sat down quietly. She knew all too well what Andrew was worried about.
“Father, I’m worried. I wonder if there’s going to be a big war...”
“Don’t worry about that. The Emperor has designated Prince Carson as the Crown Prince, so there won’t be a war...”
“But the nobles in the capital don’t seem to think so.”
Ines shook her head slowly. The slightly shy, pink cheeks were the Ines that Andrew knew well. However, the eyes that met him immediately had a completely different color.
“If he must rise to the highest position, he must not do so by stepping on blood. So I will prevent war.”
Andrew would rather close his eyes.
After facing Ines, he realized that he could no longer stop her with his power. Then, as a father who loved his daughter, there was only one thing he had to do.
Carson von Raymond had to become the Emperor. If he could not rise by stepping on blood, he had to help him reach the highest position, even by stepping on Swenden.
If Ines’ blind faith achieved its goal, then the family’s life would be able to return to how it was before.
***
Today, Carson was heading to Harleybin, the furthest from the palace among his townhouses. He had secretly heard that the Empress was purchasing a huge amount of weapons. He did not want war, but he could not remain unprepared.
“Any word from Landhill?”
Noah was tense. There had already been three assassination attempts on Carson. But he insisted on the most vulnerable Harleybin.
Noah looked around continuously while on horseback and answered.
“There’s no new news.”
It had already been two months since he had heard that Ines had already arrived at Landhill.
When she was in Monstera, she had increased the number of soldiers by providing military funds to the duchy and Landhill. Furthermore, she had stocked up on weapons.
“There must be nothing going on, so it’s quiet.”
“If there had been a notable attack, the news would have come right away.”
The Empress did not move rashly.
She must have known that if she did not strike at once and finish it off, she would be counterattacked instead. Public opinion within the system was already leaning toward Carson. Therefore, it was clear that a large-scale battle would not take place for the time being unless they were perfectly prepared.
The Empress simply glared and camped outside their camp. Even in the imperial palace, she could not see his face at all.
“From the spy attached to the Empress?”
“There is no movement.”
Carson had no intention of attacking first either. However, his Crown Prince’s investiture ceremony was scheduled to take place within the next month. It was a little less than two months. The Empress would definitely move before then.
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