The finance minister came to the Emperor with the documents. When Carson just looked at them and didn’t take them, he carefully placed them on the desk. The constant sound of tapping on the desk heightened the tension around them.
“The details are in there.”
Carson had a different sense when it came to money. However, the term currency reform was new to him, and there were too many variables to understand its contents. Furthermore, he couldn’t figure out their intentions.
“If you take a look...”
“No, no. I don’t know right now whether you’re finally going to do something proper... or whether you’re going to do something else.”
The ministers cleared their throats at the blatant words. They all thought that they were all in cahoots to hide their feelings and treat him.
It was easier for the former Empress.
She had always harbored ill will toward Carson.
Carson shook his head and stood up from his seat.
When he stood up, everyone in the conference room followed suit. Carson stared at the papers for a moment, then lifted them up.
“I’ll look into it.”
With that, he left the conference room. Noah, who had been following Carson, felt that he had moved away from the crowd and approached him.
“What are you trying to do again?”
“Well, this time I don’t really have anything to say.”
“But you wouldn’t have come up with this idea for no reason, would you?”
“Maybe not. They wouldn’t be so stupid as to not know that they can’t live the life of a noble without a country, so maybe they really want to do something.”
“That’s true. Everyone except the high-ranking nobles and the wealthy are indeed having a hard time right now.”
“They could be trying to solidify their positions by doing this right...”
Noah nodded.
“We’ll have to wait and see.”
“Yes, if you don’t have anything else to do, I’ll look into the law on the right of appointment.”
The five most important rights in the imperial court of the Keynes Empire were military power, financial power, judicial power, diplomatic power, and investiture power. In addition, what gave the Emperor the greatest power was the support of the imperial people.
However, it was not easy to gather the support of the imperial people, and the nobles always gathered together like insects.
“It will be difficult to find a proper one. Since investiture was practically meaningless.”
Among them, the judicial power had its own independent system, so there was no reason for the imperial family and the nobles to fight over it.
However, the law had always maintained a close relationship with the temple. For that reason, it was right to see that the judicial power was on Carson’s side. However, it was impossible to know when they would act according to their own interests.
Of these, the military power that Carson could completely control was the military power. That was precisely why the nobles could not easily refute his decisions.
However, under the feudal system, any noble could have a private army, and that military power was always a shield for the imperial family, but at times it was a sharp blade pointing inward.
Manisut had the most private soldiers among them. Of course, that didn’t mean he could raise an army at will. To put it simply, unless he was really crazy, he wouldn’t risk his life and try to move his knights.
“Ugh...”
Once again, Carson entered the stagnant state that was the hardest to endure.
“I hate this feeling the most.”
“What do you mean?”
“I feel like I want to end it right now.”
Noah was the subject who knew best what was causing his frustration.
“Wouldn’t the imperial faction and the noble faction gradually reveal their outlines?”
“Well... What would change if they did?”
In fact, the diplomatic power was in Carson’s hands.
The country that was actively trading with Keynes was the small country of Yamanta, which was adjacent to the east. And to the northeast was Emhane.
The small country of Emhane was almost subordinate to Keynes, so it was a bit difficult to discuss diplomacy.
All of Yamanta’s direct trading rights were in Landhill, and the new King of Puldufin was friendly to Carson.
So diplomacy was not a problem.
The problem was the power over finances and appointments.
Finances and appointments were so closely related that they could not be considered separately, and all procedural issues were decided by the imperial council made up of nobles.
“It may be insufficient, but we will soon be able to increase our power.”
“What difference would it make if we dropped a few drops of clean water into a dirty puddle?”
Officials were treated like servants of the nobles, and high-ranking officials were hereditary and even sold. It was virtually impossible to hire capable people.
Because it was an environment where proper education was impossible, it was difficult for ordinary citizens to become government officials.
So currently, all practical administrative processing was done by the priests of the temple.
“What do you mean?”
“No, no. First, I need to properly look into the currency reform.”
“Yes, I understand. Then I will go to the imperial library.”
“Yes, I will do so. Oh, by the way.”
“Do you have any orders?”
“I need to go to Aone.”
Noah tilted his head at the unexpected order.
“If it’s Aone, isn’t it the sacred forest?”
“Yes. It was called the sacred forest.”
According to legend, it was a sacred forest that only those who inherited the blood of the first Emperor could enter, but at present, it was literally just a legend.
“Go and dig up some wood.”
“What do you mean...?”
“A beautiful tree. If possible, it should be the biggest tree in the forest. Something with a very strong trunk.”
If it had been in the past, it would have been unimaginable, but now it was no big deal.
The newly crowned Emperor was decorating the palace with the largest tree from the most meaningful forest in the empire. It would also help build his image as a strong Emperor.
“Are you going to plant it in the imperial palace garden?”
Besides, the temple was currently supporting all of Carson’s moves. They wouldn’t have objected even if he had dug up the tree from the house of the goddess Heclesia instead of the Aone Forest.
“Well... I guess you could say that.”
“Yes. I’ll prepare one with a very strong trunk.”
Carson waved his hand to Noah, indicating that he could go, and walked a little more leisurely. He was trying to take his time because his mind was getting more and more anxious.
When he looked out the window, the sun was already slowly setting and finding a place to hide.
Ines Swenden had finally decided to be by his side the way he wanted. If that were the case, he should feel good, but his heart wasn’t like that. He shouted at the woman who clung to him, asking her to be by his side no matter what, not to even think about being by his side unless she was his woman.
He knew best why she was trying to stick to him.
So there was no such threat.
Was he pressuring her with force, was he forcing her to do it?
Once the uncomfortable thoughts started, they kept weighing on his chest as time passed.
Of course, even so, nothing changed, but Carson was a greedy person.
Especially when it came to Ines Swenden.
***
Ines sat on a long bench, looking at the setting sun.
A week had passed since she had knelt before the Emperor and expressed her feelings. In the meantime, Ines had become more anxious than ever.
'Base, base...'
That word had not left Ines' mind since meeting Princess Manisut. What the Emperor absolutely had to have to solidify his position was not just the people and territory. A powerful force that would support him was more important than anything else.
But how could he possibly hold the foundation in his hands?
The sun set earlier than before as if to tell them that it was winter.
Why does the sun turn redder when it sets? Ines stretched out her arms toward the sunset that dyed the entire sky crimson.
Even though she knew she couldn’t cover it all with her small hands, she couldn’t stop her meaningless actions.
She turned her outstretched arms this way and that to measure the size of the sun.
The sunlight streaming through her spread fingers occasionally stung Ines’ eyes.
At that moment, the face of a young man with hair as red as the setting sun appeared and disappeared between her fingers.
“What are you doing?”
“Are you here?”
Ines had come to the place where the disciples of the royal doctors were staying to meet Marcus.
“You’re wearing glasses?”
As if he didn’t realize it, he smiled awkwardly, took off his glasses, and sat down next to her.
“It suits you well.”
“Thank you.”
The two of them stared at the setting sun in silence for a moment. These days, Ines had no choice but to meet Marcus often. The more she investigated the affairs of the assistant maid who had embezzled money at the Crown Princess Palace, the more she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was approaching some invisible force.
Even if she had been appointed as the chief maid of the imperial household, the scale of the embezzlement was too large. To find out about it, she often had to accompany Marcus.
“It’s still cold.”
It was the end of winter. The cold wasn’t so fierce, but Marcus still prepared a blanket for Ines.
A warm cloth was carefully placed on her shoulder. He was a truly affectionate man.
“At first, I was very happy that you came to see me.”
“...”
“I somehow thought you didn’t bring good news.”
When Ines turned her head to look, she saw him smiling gently. He was the man who had expressed his feelings to her just a few days ago. He had told her that it would be okay for her to come to him even if she had feelings for another man.
“I thought I should tell you first.”
So Ines thought she should be the first to let him know that her decision had changed. She thought that was the courtesy she should show to someone who had been watching her for a long time.
“I think I know even if you don’t say anything.”
“...”
“You have to have the right opponent to have hope. He’s too strong of a rival for me. I can’t even dare to say that to you.”
“That’s not true. He’s just... like destiny to me.”
Why does the sun turn redder when it sets? Ines stretched out her arms toward the sunset that dyed the entire sky crimson.
Even though she knew she couldn’t cover it all with her small hands, she couldn’t stop her meaningless actions.
She turned her outstretched arms this way and that to measure the size of the sun.
The sunlight streaming through her spread fingers occasionally stung Ines’ eyes.
At that moment, the face of a young man with hair as red as the setting sun appeared and disappeared between her fingers.
“What are you doing?”
“Are you here?”
Ines had come to the place where the disciples of the royal doctors were staying to meet Marcus.
“You’re wearing glasses?”
As if he didn’t realize it, he smiled awkwardly, took off his glasses, and sat down next to her.
“It suits you well.”
“Thank you.”
The two of them stared at the setting sun in silence for a moment. These days, Ines had no choice but to meet Marcus often. The more she investigated the affairs of the assistant maid who had embezzled money at the Crown Princess Palace, the more she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was approaching some invisible force.
Even if she had been appointed as the chief maid of the imperial household, the scale of the embezzlement was too large. To find out about it, she often had to accompany Marcus.
“It’s still cold.”
It was the end of winter. The cold wasn’t so fierce, but Marcus still prepared a blanket for Ines.
A warm cloth was carefully placed on her shoulder. He was a truly affectionate man.
“At first, I was very happy that you came to see me.”
“...”
“I somehow thought you didn’t bring good news.”
When Ines turned her head to look, she saw him smiling gently. He was the man who had expressed his feelings to her just a few days ago. He had told her that it would be okay for her to come to him even if she had feelings for another man.
“I thought I should tell you first.”
So Ines thought she should be the first to let him know that her decision had changed. She thought that was the courtesy she should show to someone who had been watching her for a long time.
“I think I know even if you don’t say anything.”
“...”
“You have to have the right opponent to have hope. He’s too strong of a rival for me. I can’t even dare to say that to you.”
“That’s not true. He’s just... like destiny to me.”
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