The Marchioness, who had tried to sneak away but failed, looked awkward and embarrassed and looked around.
She looked like a rat looking for a place to run away. Sophia thought.
While reproaching herself for not thinking of leaving the mother who gave birth to her, she couldn’t help but despise her narrow-mindedness and humanity in a corner of her heart.
In the end, that feeling returned to Sophia herself, who had been so harsh to her mother.
If the Marchioness of Fiddler had been a little wiser, she would have known that her selfishness was greatly hurting her daughter who she cherished and loved the most.
At least she would have noticed...
However, the Marchioness of Fiddler had lived her entire life being self-centered.
Fortunately, she had met a husband who tried to embrace even that aspect, and among her daughters, her youngest daughter, who she favored the most, also learned to embrace her narrow-minded mother, just like her father, but it was still not a pleasant experience.
“You, it was so long ago. I don’t remember that either...”
I can’t remember. As the Marchioness mumbled, Sophia released her hand with a cold expression.
“Then, go back down to my sister and her husband’s estate.”
“Sophia!”
The Marchioness screamed.
Her round, wide eyes bulged as if they would pop out, and her face, which seemed to have more wrinkles than when she left, turned red.
Her eyes, which had stopped crying, began to tremble again.
“How could you do this! How could you do this to your mother! How did I raise you..."
“I know, mother. I know that you gave birth to me and raised me, and I am grateful. That’s why I’m telling you to go down. So that His Majesty doesn’t really do it and take it out on you.”
“How could His Majesty do that!”
You really only see what you want to see. Sophia thought with a bitter smile.
Her mother was a stubborn woman, beyond stubborn.
The only people in the world she devoted her heart and soul to were Arkan and Sophia. Even her husband, Marquis Fiddler, was second to them.
The Marchioness continued to babble, not knowing what Sophia was thinking.
“Wow, Her Majesty has not passed away. She will wake up someday... I heard that she is not seriously ill, but is just unconscious. What is wrong? More than that, we should think about relieving His Majesty’s worries.”
“Who, Mother? Who will ease His Majesty’s worries?”
“Of course, it is you, Sophia! What are you talking about?”
Sophia couldn’t hide her sigh at the thought of doing something useless. It was a mistake to call her mother. It was a stupid idea and a waste of time...
“Sophia, listen to me.”
The Marchioness changed her voice. It was as if she was enticing a child with candy.
Sophia hated it when her mother spoke to her like that. She felt like a stranger.
“Are you telling me to become His Majesty’s mistress while Her Majesty is unconscious, Mother?”
“What do you mean?”
The Marchioness of Fiddlers jumped up. Her long, thin body rose halfway from the sofa and then sank down with a start.
“Mistress, Sophia! That’s ridiculous! That’s not it...”
“What else?”
The Marchioness of Fiddler’s lips were tightly shut as if glued at the youngest daughter’s calm voice.
Mistress, that was ridiculous. How could Sophia, the daughter she had raised and loved so much, be reduced to the King’s mistress and be criticized?
In fact, she hoped that Erdene would not regain consciousness.
It wasn’t that she wanted her to die, but in fact, it was a desire that was no different.
She couldn’t keep the Queen, who was just sleeping, in her position.
If she held out like this for a little longer and there was no sign of the Queen waking up, the Marchioness planned to bide her time.
She had no intention of simply returning to her country estate since she had already come up to the capital, and she had to somehow gather people who would agree with her opinion and make Sophia the Queen of Arkan...
“Sophia, listen to what your mother has to say. What your mother is trying to say is...”
“No, mother. I don’t want to hear it.”
The Marchioness’s expression distorted. Sophia shook off her mother’s hand reaching out to her and got up from her seat.
“You can go back now, Mother.”
“Sophia!”
The Marchioness, who had hurriedly stretched out her arm, grabbed Sophia’s wrist.
She was selfish and stubborn, but she knew that this was the time she had to bow down and step back.
She felt a sense of crisis that if she kept pushing forward now, Sophia might not want to see her for years, or maybe ever.
“Oh, I understand. I understand! If that’s really you, then I understand! I won’t ask you again. I’ll make some medicine, Sophia!”
Sophia pursed her lips and slowly turned her head.
“Really, Mother?”
“T-that’s right. But that’s something I used to reduce fever...”
Sophia cut her off firmly.
“I’ll try something. So tell me right now.”
The Marchioness nodded with a reluctant expression.
“Oh, I understand. I will.”
***
While Sophia was holding back the Marchioness of Fiddler’s and threatening her with threats that weren’t really threats, Arkan hurriedly sent someone to the Maple Mansion. He also had them search for and bring all the information on the plant called Zelkova that remained in the kingdom.
Among the royal scholars, there was one who was well-versed in medicinal plants.
He found information about the zelkova in a document that seemed to have been written quite a while ago and told Arkan in detail. As Belen had said, it grows in special environments like swamps, and it was last collected in Vetor exactly eight years ago, and no native zelkova has been found since then.
“The Commander of the Knights of Wiziard said that it was smuggled from herbalists in Kensilom. Is that possible?”
The scholar in the palace nodded, pushing up his round glasses.
“Yes. The zelkova is always in demand because it is good for bone-related diseases, especially geriatric diseases. Since the native Zelkova disappeared from Vetor a long time ago, if he could have obtained it, he would have made a considerable profit. If he hadn’t reported it, he wouldn’t have had to pay a separate tax. Another problem is...”
Arkan lifted his head.
“The problem is?”
“I guess they only brought in Zelkova.”
Yes, Arkan thought. That was the worry that had kept him from sleeping well since last night. What was discovered in the basement of Maple Mansion was a Zelkova plant, but was that really all?
“...That will be revealed after the investigation is over. I ordered you to bring everything that was in the basement of that mansion, and I also sent the owner of the mansion back to check if there was anything else hidden in other spaces. I will leave it up to you, so if you have anything to report, tell me right away. Don’t go through anyone else.”
“I will do so.”
The old scholar of the palace left the King’s presence, holding the old documents as if they were treasures.
Arkan was getting irritated from the headache that had been building up somewhere in his head for several days, but there were still a lot of things he had to do.
The finance minister who had been waiting to meet him came in.
Fortunately, he had brought a neat report that Arkan could just confirm.
“I have decided to reduce taxes in areas affected by pests by up to 60%, Your Majesty.”
“Not a complete exemption?”
The finance minister looked somewhat embarrassed.
“A complete exemption... Your Majesty, we must first purchase the remaining wheat from the royal palace. Then, we will release it again to each region.”
“I know that too.”
“However, this time, we will purchase wheat at a higher price than usual, and the national treasury will indeed have difficulty covering all the deficit. We may be able to expect a certain amount of rice and barley harvest, but it will not be enough.”
Arkan, lost in thought, slowly slid his fingers across the table.
That was it. It was right to provide relief when a region was completely damaged, but they could not pour everything into it...
It was foolish.
“Exempt up to 50%, and proceed according to the decision of the Ministry of Finance. Purchase wheat at a higher price than usual, but select as few as possible the ones that will be released into the domestic market that are not spoiled.”
“Understood, Your Majesty.”
As even the Minister of Finance stepped down, Arkan felt his head tightening even more.
The fact that there was no news from the Queen’s palace was making it even more unbearable.
However, he could not just throw all these things away and sit next to Erdene.
Above all, if Erdene found out later that he had done such a thing, he would have to listen to nagging and teasing for at least ten years.
“Your Majesty.”
“Plat, I need to rest.”
Plat looked at him with pitiful eyes for a moment and then said as if he was ashamed.
“I think so too, Your Majesty. Princess Limepale has requested an audience with Your Majesty.”
Arkan’s eyes, which had been closed as if he were tired, opened quickly.
“The Princess?”
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