Iris, who had finally fallen, said with a kind look in her eyes.
"It's a good thing you didn't marry Grand Duke Kaimond. It would have taken you another two hours to praise his thesis."
"Hey, do you know he's such a chatterbox?"
Julia accepted it with a bright smile, then asked without thinking.
"But why Grand Duke Kaimond? His Manesty doesn't seem to resemble him at all."
Prince Kaimond was Endymion's cousin. He was a distinguished professor at the Royal Academy, but she was always busy and could not see him often.
Above all, he had green hair and a very cheerful personality and was completely different from Endymion.
"Why, why? Didn't Grand Duke Kaimond propose to you a few days before His Majesty? If he had succeeded, I would have skipped dinner today."
Iris joked, patting her slightly swollen belly. Julia tilted her head.
"Proposal, if that's the case... are you talking about me?"
"Of course. There's no way I'd marry Grand Duke Kaimond, right?"
Iris shrugged her shoulders as if the mere thought of it gave her goosebumps. Julia became even more bewildered.
"I don't quite understand what you are saying. The only proposal I received from Semele twelve years ago was from His Majesty."
"Yes?"
"...yes?"
The two women looked at each other in bewilderment.
***
Phalang.
"Cheryl, the price hasn't been set at all. I thought you were going to intervene and adjust the supply price?"
Endymion, who was reviewing the documents, pointed it out. Then, the finance minister became very nervous and started reciting the answer he had prepared.
"I apologize, Your Majesty! The investors who invested in Cheryl are Intricately Intertwined. There is a risk that it could be perceived as a check on the royal nobility. Therefore, I tried to intervene by controlling the number of production units."
Cheryl flowers, are the ultimate luxury item in Semele's high society these days and a continent-wide hit.
As the long period of peace continued, the nobles sought new interests. Then, they discovered the beautiful and fragrant cheryl flower and began to consume it as a rare luxury item.
Cheryl gradually became a valuable asset in the floriculture industry. Then, at one point, demand exploded due to a story about a famous opera singer.
It was a romantic story about reuniting with one's first love thanks to the Cheryl flower and using it as a bouquet at a wedding. Because of this, Cheryl flowers have recently become expensive items that easily exceed the price of jewelry.
"However?"
Endymion narrowed his eyes, asking uncomfortably.
"There are quite a few underdeveloped areas among the domestic cheryl production areas. It seems that the lords jumped in for speculative purposes, but it seems to have had an unexpected effect. The profits from flower production are helping the local economy."
The Minister of Finance continued his explanation, looking troubled.
"It is therefore dangerous to hastily reduce production. In some areas, it has already taken root in the local economy so quickly that it is difficult to touch it."
Cheryl flowers didn't require any special skills to grow. However, they were extremely delicate and picky, so you'd be lucky if you only got one flower out of a hundred plants.
Nonetheless, for a backward area, there was much to be gained by successfully producing just one or two flowers.
The proceeds from flower sales, the hiring of surplus labor, and the influx of investors looking to produce cherries professionally.
"The country should not be swayed by the luxuries of the past."
Endymion said, pushing the papers with a blank face.
"If production suddenly decreases, prices will rise, so it would be a priority to secure the continental distribution network. We should also pressure major overseas production sites to gain control."
For the Minister of Finance, overseas affairs were better than domestic ones, which would have an immediate impact, because they could be easily resolved with the power of a powerful country.
"Yes, Your Majesty! I will do so."
The finance minister, who had taken a deep breath, answered readily. But the Duke of Hyde paused as if he had something left to say.
"Your judgment is correct, Your Majesty. But there will be no problem, right?"
"What are you talking about?"
Endymion answered absentmindedly, picking up his quill. Duke Hyde scratched his head and spoke.
"I heard that Ametrine recently made a large profit from exporting Cheryl. If you pressure them to reduce production, wouldn't that be a blow to Ametrine?"
Only then did the Minister of Finance make an "Oops" expression.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It was my fault for not reporting it in advance!"
Endymion remained silent for a moment with his cold eyes, then looked away.
"Ametrine is an exception."
"Yes!"
The finance minister stepped back with his arms raised. Duke Hyde, after completing the rest of his daily report, gathered up his papers and prepared to leave.
"As expected from the Queen's hometown, it's special treatment."
The Duke glanced at him, whistling furtively. Endymion spoke to his pleasantly smiling face.
"Stop talking nonsense and get out."
Just thinking about how he got fooled by Duke Hyde's flattering words a few days ago, he felt like he should have worked overtime all year long. Because of that useless misunderstanding, he couldn't eat Julia's favorite whipped cream honey marine.
Now that she's an adult, she won't like that, and you have to show yourself as a mature person!
Besides, as he said in his last words, if Endymion had just waited for Julia to calm down, they would have continued to be awkward until now.
In fact, Endymion was trying to give Duke Hyde a night bomb, but he saw that Iris was already suffering after being captured by Julia instead, so he let her off the hook out of kindness.
As Endymion cut him off coldly, the Duke lowered his head with a look of embarrassment on his face.
"Yes. Then I will come back once the plans regarding Cheryl are complete."
Bam..
Even the Duke of Hyde, with a sullen face, left the office.
Endymion put down the quill he was holding. Then, he took out a silver bell from inside the drawer and rang it.
Jjang.
"Did you call, Your Majesty?"
A man came in without making a sound and knelt on one knee. He was dressed like a servant, but he had an unusual aura.
"Report."
Endymion ordered coldly. The man bowed his head with a rather practiced gesture for a servant.
"Yes. Currently, Ametrine is receiving training for the young Crown Prince to become the successor. Duke Joel is staying at the palace and is acting as the Crown Prince's mentor and advisor."
The man then reported every detail.
"They say he is from a family that has been loyal to the royal family for a long time. He has a good reputation and is known as an experienced man. He spent his old age leisurely but was recently appointed at the King's request. They say he is consulted on all key policies."
Every move the foreign Crown Prince made came out of the man's mouth.
If anyone had seen this scene, they would have been shocked to see a mere servant knowing so many secrets of a foreign country.
But he was not a servant. It was a direct intelligence organization that Endymion created secretly as soon as he ascended to the throne. With all sorts of privileges and immunity, it collected top secrets and confidential information not only from high-ranking nobles but also from other countries.
They were shadowy beings who were absolutely loyal to the King, yet did not exist anywhere.
"The Ametrine trend is generally stable. The only unusual thing is that the Crown Prince recently invested in the production of Cheryl flowers as part of his education. It has paid off and has made a big profit."
Endymion, who had been listening to the report silently, suddenly spoke.
"My father-in-law is not a bold man."
"..."
"Did Duke Joel recommend the Crown Prince to invest in Cheryl?"
"Yes."
The man immediately agreed. A strange light appeared in Endymion's cold eyes. The man quickly set the information about Duke Joel in his head.
"What about Count Oberon?"
But the question he heard was completely different. The man hesitated, but quickly searched for information and opened his mouth.
"Currently, Count Oberon is suffering from a long illness, and the little Count continues to perform his duties as Minister of the Interior. He enjoys the King's favor but has no further authority. There are no unusual movements, and he has no contact with Duke Joel."
Endymion slowly tapped his fingers on his arm.
"Recent status report."
"Here it is."
The man took a scroll out of his bosom and presented it to Endymion. When Endymion opened it, a dense record written in tiny grains of sand appeared.
- Killian Oberon
- X month. X day. Wake up at 6 AM. Go to work at the palace at 8 AM. Meet with the court minister at 9 AM...
- X month, x day. Attended the party of the Marchioness. Chatted with Young Master about military horses. Danced with a Young Lady.
It was about a month's worth of close records. It was written down in detail about when, where, what time, what he did, who he met, and even what he wore that day.
Endymion said, quickly reading the contents with sharp eyes.
"Impressive."
It was a surprisingly ordinary routine. His well-shaped lips twisted coldly.
Just before departing for the Magic Tower, Endymion planted an information organization in Ametrine.
The secretly dispatched agents infiltrated the Ametrine Court and Count Oberon's household, and as instructed, they obtained and passed on all information.
Duke Joel and Lord Oberon.
Endymion then read Duke Joel's report and placed it next to him on the desk.
The two were representative high-ranking nobles who worked together to lead Ametrine well. His father-in-law, King Ametrine, trusted him the most.
"What do these two have in common?"
"None. The times they enter and exit the palace are different, and he has never spoken directly to Duke Joel, except for the day he first entered the palace."
Endymion asked again, but there was no connection between the two. Endymion thought cynically.
'It's an ideal combination that neither unites nor fights.'
Duke Joel and Lord Oberon never even met each other, as if they were being careful not to let their two most favored men collude.
Thanks to this, the two were said to be well-received within Ametrine.
The ability of Duke Joel to greatly increase national income and the wisdom of Lord Oberon to stably run the country.
"Which of the two does the King trust more?"
When Endymion asked, the man answered immediately.
"This is Lord Oberon. He loves him so much that he calls him every day to chat with him."
"..."
"But these days, the King has been spending more time with Duke Joel on the Cheryl investment. The Duke is very smart with money and has made many successful Investments, so I think he'll soon be in charge of Ametrine's financial policy."
"...That's right."
Endymion blinked slowly and swept the two reports back and forth with his hands. Finally, he threw the right scroll to the man. The man caught it with the swiftness of an assassin.
"Put more surveillance on Killian Oberon."
The person concerned's memory would not have been that detailed. Even though it was a report that even included the menu of the food consumed, Endymion criticized it.
"Shake until you catch the tail. Make sure it's in the bedroom when you go to bed. There's a chance it could evade surveillance and wander off in the middle of the night."
The man nodded. He had never thought of that, so he tensed up at his master's remark.
"Focus your surveillance inside the palace on Joel and outside surveillance on Oberon."
"Yes, I will take action."
Endymion glanced over the report on Duke Joel again.
A gentle old man with a gentle disposition and a keen sense of money. The teacher of the Crown Prince, whom his father-in-law cherishes very much.
'He accepts being pushed aside by Duke Joel.'
Beyond Endymion's blue eyes, Killian's clear silver eyes floated.
Everything was normal and smooth, so he became more suspicious.
And then, a thought flashed through Endymion's mind.
"Then I will take my leave now, Your Majesty."
"For a moment."
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