You suddenly asked me to help you.
The nobles, who still did not understand the Crown Prince's words, looked at each other in bewilderment.
“As Count Lennon and others have said, it is nearly impossible to recover all the counterfeit gold coins that have already spread throughout the Empire. In that case, it would be more efficient in terms of time to issue new gold coins.”
“Ahem.”
When the Crown Prince once again took the side of the anti-imperial nobles, the Pro-imperial nobles, including the Marquis MacMillan, coughed in vain and showed their discomfort.
Then the Crown Prince smiled as if he had known this would happen, and said to the anti-imperial nobles.
“But as the Marquis of Macmillan has said, it would cost a tremendous amount of money to issue new gold coins, so I would like your help in that regard.”
As the Crown Prince explained in more detail, the crowd became quiet as if they had been doused with cold water.
Count Lennon, a member of the anti-imperial aristocracy who had a vague sense of foreboding, asked on his behalf.
“Are you saying... that you want us to pay for it?”
"You're right."
“...!”
“That, that can’t be.”
The anti-imperial nobles were very flustered and stirred as if they had never expected such an answer.
On the other hand, bright smiles bloomed on the faces of the imperialist nobles.
“That way, we can reduce the burden on the imperial people and solve the problem of counterfeit gold coins!”
“That is a very good idea, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
The imperialist nobles unanimously praised the Crown Prince as if they had never criticized him before.
The Crown Prince then asked the imperialist nobles with a pleased expression.
“So, do you all agree with my opinion?”
“I agree.”
“You have given us a good suggestion, so we have no reason to object.”
“I’m really glad you think so.”
The Crown Prince sighed in relief.
“This is something that everyone here needs to help with, so if even one person had opposed it, it would have been difficult to proceed... I’m really glad.”
The conference room became as quiet as if cold water had been poured over it at the words that included not only the anti-imperial nobles but everyone present.
The anti-imperial and pro-imperial nobles, as well as the neutral nobles who were watching the fire across the river, looked at the Crown Prince in surprise.
I was surprised too.
Since the incident of counterfeit gold coins broke out, countless agendas have been raised, but the Emperor not only did not raise his hand on any of them, but he also did not take the initiative to suggest doing so.
It is unlikely that a serpent-like Emperor would sit idly by without thinking when the empire's economy is in great turmoil.
I thought there must be another ulterior motive, and I thought it would be revealed here today.
But unexpectedly, an hour before the meeting was to begin, the Emperor announced that he would not attend and sent the Crown Prince to attend in his place.
The Crown Prince swayed like a reed throughout the meeting.
I thought it was strange and kept an eye on it, but I never thought it would explode like this.
'What on earth is the Emperor thinking when he does something like this?'
The Crown Prince said it was his opinion, but I didn't believe him.
This must have been the Emperor's idea.
So it was even more incomprehensible. No matter how strong the imperial power was, there was nothing good to be gained by clashing with the nobles.
And if he was going to detonate such a huge bomb, it would have been more effective if the Emperor had been present and said it himself, and there would have been less opposition from the nobles, so it didn't make sense that he had to use the Crown Prince's mouth to say it.
It's almost as if he wants the nobles to rebel and cause trouble against his will.
Just looking at the situation right in front of them, the nobles were confused and in an uproar.
Some dared to tell the Crown Prince that this did not seem right.
Then the Crown Prince tilted his head as if he couldn't understand.
“Just a moment ago, you said my opinion seemed fine. Why are you suddenly opposing it?”
“I’m not against it...”
“If you all help us a little, we can issue new gold coins without having to collect a lot of taxes. So please help us.”
When the Crown Prince even asked for a favor, the nobles groaned and closed their mouths.
However, the Crown Prince, who had been frowning and looking at the nobles without hiding his discomfort, suddenly turned to me.
The eyes were the same color as Perdes, but they felt completely different and the pupils were beautifully curved.
“By the way, I haven’t heard Duke Leopold’s opinion yet. What does the Duke think?”
For a moment, all eyes in the conference room were fixed on me.
That gaze was uncomfortable, but what was most uncomfortable was the Crown Prince's intention to involve me in his ridiculous plan.
That may have been the Emperor's intention, to be exact.
I don't know why they were trying to get me involved, but I had no intention of just giving in.
“Of course, I think it’s a good idea.”
Did they expect me to object? Deep sighs could be heard here and there.
On the other hand, the Crown Prince smiled as if he was satisfied, but looked at me with sharp eyes and said.
“I thought Duke Leopold would say that since you care more about the people of the empire than anyone else.”
“I appreciate your kind words, but I do not agree with His Highness the Crown Prince’s opinion.”
“Oh, so you’re against it?”
“Rather than that, I would like to say that there are a few things to consider.”
“Something to consider. What is it?”
“First of all, as Your Highness the Crown Prince said, if the nobles bear the cost of issuing new gold coins, the common people will be more comfortable, but the nobles will suffer to that extent. There are already countless nobles who have suffered damage from the counterfeit gold coin incident.”
The nobles nodded vigorously and agreed with my opinion.
“If we issue new gold coins in this situation, this will also deal a huge blow to the nobles. Since gold coins are mostly used by the nobles, they will inevitably have a greater impact than the commoners.”
“Hmm.”
“That applies to the Imperial Family as well, and furthermore, it affects other countries as well. The Imperial gold is used not only in the Empire but also in other countries.”
“That’s right. We will face many difficulties, especially in trading with other countries.”
Duke Lucien, who was watching the fire across the river like me, suddenly joined the conversation.
When I looked at him with bewildered eyes, the Duke of Lucien winked at me.
...Are you really crazy?
“So I think issuing new gold coins is something that needs careful consideration. It’s not something that can be decided easily.”
“We agree with Her Excellency the Duke of Leopold, Your Highness.”
The nobles took my side as if they had been waiting for it, so the Crown Prince had no choice but to bend.
“I see. I was short-sighted.”
“No. Rather, I was surprised that Your Highness the Crown Prince gave such a good opinion.”
“That’s right. There are a lot of things to consider, but it’s the best idea we’ve had so far.”
The nobles changed their attitudes as if turning over the palm of their hand and praised the Crown Prince.
So this meeting ended without any significant results.
The Crown Prince left first, and I followed him out of the conference room.
As I was about to leave the outer palace, someone blocked my way.
“I’d like to talk to you for a moment. Could you spare some time?”
It was the Duke of Lucien.
After talking to Marquis Prasis in the corridors earlier, I felt uneasy as I remembered meeting him.
I took a step back from him and asked.
“What's going on?”
“This isn’t a story worth sharing here, so I’d like to move to a quieter place.”
“I refuse.”
Knowing what would happen, I said I would go to a quiet place.
“If it’s a story that can’t be told here, then there’s no need to hear it. I’ll be going now.”
"For a moment."
When the Duke of Lucien reached out as if to grab my wrist, I quickly dodged to the side.
"Ha?"
Then he tilted his head and laughed as if it was absurd.
“Do you hate having a quiet conversation with me like that?”
"Yes."
“Why?”
“If you put your hand on your heart and think about it, the answer will come to you.”
Duke Lucien put his hand on his heart as I said, thought for a moment, and then shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know.”
How shameless.
“By the way, I thought the Duke would be depressed because the wedding was postponed again, but it’s reassuring to see you so energetic.”
The wedding between Perdes and I, which was scheduled to take place in early May as the Duke of Lucien had said, was postponed indefinitely due to the economic chaos caused by counterfeit gold coins.
What's interesting here is that the first person to suggest postponing the wedding was the Emperor.
With the entire empire in turmoil over counterfeit gold, it was only natural that the wedding was postponed.
However, I thought the Emperor would insist on having a wedding like when Chernosser died, but I was quite surprised and incomprehensible that he proposed it first instead.
“I thought this time I would finally get to see you two get married, it’s such a shame.”
I couldn't understand why Duke Lucien was saying such things.
“I didn’t know the Duke was this interested in my wedding. Usually, when someone is interested in someone else’s wedding, it means they want to get married...”
You too?
Let's look at him with that meaning, Duke Lucien smiled, smoothly raising the corners of his lips.
“If you’re interested, what will you do? Will you introduce me to a good young lady?”
“I will decline. I have no interest in that area, and I do not know many young ladies, so I cannot introduce you to someone you like.”
“You don’t have to worry too much about that part.”
Duke Lucien approached me, closing the distance between us, and lightly grabbed the hair that was falling over my shoulder, then kissed it.
“Because you are the one I’m interested in.”
The nobles, who still did not understand the Crown Prince's words, looked at each other in bewilderment.
“As Count Lennon and others have said, it is nearly impossible to recover all the counterfeit gold coins that have already spread throughout the Empire. In that case, it would be more efficient in terms of time to issue new gold coins.”
“Ahem.”
When the Crown Prince once again took the side of the anti-imperial nobles, the Pro-imperial nobles, including the Marquis MacMillan, coughed in vain and showed their discomfort.
Then the Crown Prince smiled as if he had known this would happen, and said to the anti-imperial nobles.
“But as the Marquis of Macmillan has said, it would cost a tremendous amount of money to issue new gold coins, so I would like your help in that regard.”
As the Crown Prince explained in more detail, the crowd became quiet as if they had been doused with cold water.
Count Lennon, a member of the anti-imperial aristocracy who had a vague sense of foreboding, asked on his behalf.
“Are you saying... that you want us to pay for it?”
"You're right."
“...!”
“That, that can’t be.”
The anti-imperial nobles were very flustered and stirred as if they had never expected such an answer.
On the other hand, bright smiles bloomed on the faces of the imperialist nobles.
“That way, we can reduce the burden on the imperial people and solve the problem of counterfeit gold coins!”
“That is a very good idea, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
The imperialist nobles unanimously praised the Crown Prince as if they had never criticized him before.
The Crown Prince then asked the imperialist nobles with a pleased expression.
“So, do you all agree with my opinion?”
“I agree.”
“You have given us a good suggestion, so we have no reason to object.”
“I’m really glad you think so.”
The Crown Prince sighed in relief.
“This is something that everyone here needs to help with, so if even one person had opposed it, it would have been difficult to proceed... I’m really glad.”
The conference room became as quiet as if cold water had been poured over it at the words that included not only the anti-imperial nobles but everyone present.
The anti-imperial and pro-imperial nobles, as well as the neutral nobles who were watching the fire across the river, looked at the Crown Prince in surprise.
I was surprised too.
Since the incident of counterfeit gold coins broke out, countless agendas have been raised, but the Emperor not only did not raise his hand on any of them, but he also did not take the initiative to suggest doing so.
It is unlikely that a serpent-like Emperor would sit idly by without thinking when the empire's economy is in great turmoil.
I thought there must be another ulterior motive, and I thought it would be revealed here today.
But unexpectedly, an hour before the meeting was to begin, the Emperor announced that he would not attend and sent the Crown Prince to attend in his place.
The Crown Prince swayed like a reed throughout the meeting.
I thought it was strange and kept an eye on it, but I never thought it would explode like this.
'What on earth is the Emperor thinking when he does something like this?'
The Crown Prince said it was his opinion, but I didn't believe him.
This must have been the Emperor's idea.
So it was even more incomprehensible. No matter how strong the imperial power was, there was nothing good to be gained by clashing with the nobles.
And if he was going to detonate such a huge bomb, it would have been more effective if the Emperor had been present and said it himself, and there would have been less opposition from the nobles, so it didn't make sense that he had to use the Crown Prince's mouth to say it.
It's almost as if he wants the nobles to rebel and cause trouble against his will.
Just looking at the situation right in front of them, the nobles were confused and in an uproar.
Some dared to tell the Crown Prince that this did not seem right.
Then the Crown Prince tilted his head as if he couldn't understand.
“Just a moment ago, you said my opinion seemed fine. Why are you suddenly opposing it?”
“I’m not against it...”
“If you all help us a little, we can issue new gold coins without having to collect a lot of taxes. So please help us.”
When the Crown Prince even asked for a favor, the nobles groaned and closed their mouths.
However, the Crown Prince, who had been frowning and looking at the nobles without hiding his discomfort, suddenly turned to me.
The eyes were the same color as Perdes, but they felt completely different and the pupils were beautifully curved.
“By the way, I haven’t heard Duke Leopold’s opinion yet. What does the Duke think?”
For a moment, all eyes in the conference room were fixed on me.
That gaze was uncomfortable, but what was most uncomfortable was the Crown Prince's intention to involve me in his ridiculous plan.
That may have been the Emperor's intention, to be exact.
I don't know why they were trying to get me involved, but I had no intention of just giving in.
“Of course, I think it’s a good idea.”
Did they expect me to object? Deep sighs could be heard here and there.
On the other hand, the Crown Prince smiled as if he was satisfied, but looked at me with sharp eyes and said.
“I thought Duke Leopold would say that since you care more about the people of the empire than anyone else.”
“I appreciate your kind words, but I do not agree with His Highness the Crown Prince’s opinion.”
“Oh, so you’re against it?”
“Rather than that, I would like to say that there are a few things to consider.”
“Something to consider. What is it?”
“First of all, as Your Highness the Crown Prince said, if the nobles bear the cost of issuing new gold coins, the common people will be more comfortable, but the nobles will suffer to that extent. There are already countless nobles who have suffered damage from the counterfeit gold coin incident.”
The nobles nodded vigorously and agreed with my opinion.
“If we issue new gold coins in this situation, this will also deal a huge blow to the nobles. Since gold coins are mostly used by the nobles, they will inevitably have a greater impact than the commoners.”
“Hmm.”
“That applies to the Imperial Family as well, and furthermore, it affects other countries as well. The Imperial gold is used not only in the Empire but also in other countries.”
“That’s right. We will face many difficulties, especially in trading with other countries.”
Duke Lucien, who was watching the fire across the river like me, suddenly joined the conversation.
When I looked at him with bewildered eyes, the Duke of Lucien winked at me.
...Are you really crazy?
“So I think issuing new gold coins is something that needs careful consideration. It’s not something that can be decided easily.”
“We agree with Her Excellency the Duke of Leopold, Your Highness.”
The nobles took my side as if they had been waiting for it, so the Crown Prince had no choice but to bend.
“I see. I was short-sighted.”
“No. Rather, I was surprised that Your Highness the Crown Prince gave such a good opinion.”
“That’s right. There are a lot of things to consider, but it’s the best idea we’ve had so far.”
The nobles changed their attitudes as if turning over the palm of their hand and praised the Crown Prince.
So this meeting ended without any significant results.
The Crown Prince left first, and I followed him out of the conference room.
As I was about to leave the outer palace, someone blocked my way.
“I’d like to talk to you for a moment. Could you spare some time?”
It was the Duke of Lucien.
After talking to Marquis Prasis in the corridors earlier, I felt uneasy as I remembered meeting him.
I took a step back from him and asked.
“What's going on?”
“This isn’t a story worth sharing here, so I’d like to move to a quieter place.”
“I refuse.”
Knowing what would happen, I said I would go to a quiet place.
“If it’s a story that can’t be told here, then there’s no need to hear it. I’ll be going now.”
"For a moment."
When the Duke of Lucien reached out as if to grab my wrist, I quickly dodged to the side.
"Ha?"
Then he tilted his head and laughed as if it was absurd.
“Do you hate having a quiet conversation with me like that?”
"Yes."
“Why?”
“If you put your hand on your heart and think about it, the answer will come to you.”
Duke Lucien put his hand on his heart as I said, thought for a moment, and then shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know.”
How shameless.
“By the way, I thought the Duke would be depressed because the wedding was postponed again, but it’s reassuring to see you so energetic.”
The wedding between Perdes and I, which was scheduled to take place in early May as the Duke of Lucien had said, was postponed indefinitely due to the economic chaos caused by counterfeit gold coins.
What's interesting here is that the first person to suggest postponing the wedding was the Emperor.
With the entire empire in turmoil over counterfeit gold, it was only natural that the wedding was postponed.
However, I thought the Emperor would insist on having a wedding like when Chernosser died, but I was quite surprised and incomprehensible that he proposed it first instead.
“I thought this time I would finally get to see you two get married, it’s such a shame.”
I couldn't understand why Duke Lucien was saying such things.
“I didn’t know the Duke was this interested in my wedding. Usually, when someone is interested in someone else’s wedding, it means they want to get married...”
You too?
Let's look at him with that meaning, Duke Lucien smiled, smoothly raising the corners of his lips.
“If you’re interested, what will you do? Will you introduce me to a good young lady?”
“I will decline. I have no interest in that area, and I do not know many young ladies, so I cannot introduce you to someone you like.”
“You don’t have to worry too much about that part.”
Duke Lucien approached me, closing the distance between us, and lightly grabbed the hair that was falling over my shoulder, then kissed it.
“Because you are the one I’m interested in.”
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