Chapter 102

Chapter 102

#102. The Surge of Turmoil (3)

The long-standing law prohibiting groups of 20 or more northerners, which had enforced discrimination against northern people, was abolished by imperial decree.

“The Crown Prince’s talents cannot be wasted. I will assign him an official position.”

Meanwhile, the emperor bestowed a rank on Julian.

“From this day forth, the Crown Prince shall be the Supervisor of Commerce and Industry!”

A newly created office, the Supervisor of Commerce and Industry…

“The Supervisor of Commerce and Industry is responsible for monitoring and managing the state of merchant guilds and factories within the empire.”

It was clear to anyone that this position reeked of power.

At first, people couldn’t understand why the power-hungry emperor would suddenly make such a decision.

“Making children under ten work 18 hours a day is unacceptable! Reduce their working hours to less than 12 immediately!”

“Your Highness! If we do that, both the children and their parents will lose income—they’ll hate it!”

However, people soon came to understand the emperor’s decision.

“If someone gets injured at work, they must be treated! Casting disabled employees out onto the streets is inhumane! They’re people, not machines! Stop these outrageous practices at once!”

“My lords, while we are moved by Your Majesty’s compassion for the common folk, if you continue to care for each individual worker like this, no merchant or factory owner in the world will dare hire anyone—they’ll be too scared to act!”

“Is it acceptable to dump industrial waste like this? If the people come into contact with or consume this, an epidemic could break out!”

“Your Highness! If we don’t do something, our empire’s industries will fall behind those of the northern barbarian tribes!”

“You all are impossible to reason with. There’s no choice but to bring this matter before the Privy Council and have labor laws enacted immediately.”

“!!”

Those aristocrats and merchants who had started freely building factories and making money without any regulations were struck by what felt like a bolt from the blue.

And this lightning strike affected Bishop Company, which had been indirectly influenced by the welfare policies of the north and maintained a minimum standard, far less than it impacted the latecomers.

“The Crown Prince has gone mad!”

“He’s worse than the Emperor!”

“Who said the Crown Prince was weak?!”

“Guh! Emperor! Is this how you attack us?!”

“Is taking serfs from us not enough for you?”

Among these latecomers were also the noble council and the church.

“Your Highness! We belong to the Progressive faction!”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

“Eh…?”

Many members of the Progressive faction were also among the nobles and merchants.

“Have you not heard His Majesty’s words, Your Highness?”

“I have, but I disagree. I believe doing things this way is beneficial for the empire, the royal family, and the common people.”

“!!”

Julian ended up making enemies of the nobles and merchants, regardless of their factions.

Though intelligent, the Crown Prince was overly idealistic, upright, and politically naive.

This began to highlight the foresight of Khanbraman’s arrangements for his son(?).

‘Son, you still have much to learn.’

Upon hearing the report, the emperor smiled contentedly.

By this point, Julian’s political capital had been depleted.

From now on, no noble, merchant, or clergyman within the empire would favor Julian.

However, neither the emperor nor anyone else could foresee the butterfly effect this would trigger, leading to great upheaval within the empire.

“Filthy aristocrats and merchants!”

“The clerics of the church are no better!”

“The empire is corrupt!”

“No matter how hard we work ourselves to the bone, all we earn are a few copper coins!”

“At least we get coins! Our factory pays wages in products instead of money!”

“Is this price inflation normal?! Last month, a bowl of stew only cost 2 coppers! Why has it suddenly doubled to 4?!”

Kindling for the flames of turmoil within the empire began to pile up one by one.

“The only one who cares about us is His Highness the Crown Prince…”

“If only His Highness could ascend the throne sooner…”

Crown Prince Julian was the spark igniting this tinder.

* * *

An incredibly busy season where every second was more precious than gold.

But lately, I couldn’t focus on my work.

‘If Ariana’s marriage and the Renslett Duchy’s heir are conditions for returning to Earth…’

Suddenly, it seemed I might need to get involved in matchmaking business as well.

If my suspicions are correct, the solution would be simple yet quite difficult.

‘The best option would be to find a suitable match for Ariana.’

I thought about it. Who among historical figures would be a good match for Ariana?

The Kingdom Alliance is too distant, so we should look within the empire or the northern region.

‘A candidate from the imperial family or upper nobility who has dialogue intentions with the north, doesn’t care about the duchy’s superstitions, and can achieve mutual prosperity beyond coexistence…’

…does such a person even exist?

No matter how much I thought about it, no candidates came to mind.

‘Perhaps the Crown Prince is the closest in status.’

The next best option that came to mind was Crown Prince Julian – his lineage, legitimacy, and abilities were all appropriate.

‘But Julian won’t work.’

I immediately shook my head.

First, Julian already has a wife.

The Imperial Heir won’t work either. Julian became a father relatively late, and his eldest son has just started walking.

‘Most importantly, Julian lacks compassion.’

In the original history, Julian’s title was “the Compassionate,” but this only applied to the empire’s citizens.

‘The Great Northern Famine that decimated the northern population happened during Julian’s reign.’

The empire is out of the question.

No matter how much I thought about it, there was no one among the imperial upper nobility or royal family who would satisfy Ariana, respect the north, and benefit the northern region.

The prejudice the empire held toward northerners ran too deep.

‘Then the only option left is from the north…’

We need to find someone in the north who suits Ariana, benefits the northern region’s prosperity, and matches her status.

And the answer naturally presented itself.

“It’s me, isn’t it?”

No matter how I thought about it, there was no one else.

Suddenly, I recalled my unchanged position in court meetings.

‘Was it Ariana’s subtle courting?’

I felt goosebumps and guilt toward her.

‘Ugh…’

This creates a dilemma.

‘There’s no escape from this situation.’

To return to Earth, I need to marry Ariana and produce an heir.

But if I do that, would I really be able to leave for Earth without hesitation?

Wouldn’t my wife and children in this world weigh more on my mind than Jin Industries back on Earth?

‘It’s like the roles in the folktale of the Fairy and the Woodcutter have been reversed.’

I chuckled softly as I continued pondering.

‘The Renslett Duchy’s problem is that they’ve been too exclusive, making things even worse.’

Even considering alternative options among the collateral branches of the ducal house…

Since the founding duke, the Renslett family has only produced single heirs, as if cursed.

‘Mary, there’s Mary!’

Fortunately, there’s currently a woman in the north who carries the Renslett bloodline – Mary herself.

‘Let’s find a husband for Mary then.’

Thinking along similar lines as when I searched for Ariana’s match earlier.

There were more options this time around since I could consider slightly lower-ranking candidates.

“…”

But another issue arose.

‘Why?’

For some reason, it feels off.

The thought of Mary marrying someone else makes me…

‘Why am I feeling irritated?’

My mood darkened.

“President?”

At that moment, Mary’s voice reached my ears as I was lost in thought.

“Eh? Eh?!”

Startled, I looked at Mary with an uncharacteristically flustered expression.

“Are you alright?”

She seemed equally surprised by my reaction.

“I’m fine. Just thinking deeply.”

“If you’re tired, you should rest. You haven’t been looking well lately.”

“No, no. It’s not that kind of tiredness.”

“You seem to have a slight fever.”

Mary placed her hand on my forehead as she spoke.

“!”

What is this strange atmosphere and emotion?

My heart is racing, and heat rises to my face and head.

“?

Then Mary’s necklace caught my eye.

Instantly, my rapidly beating heart and flushed face calmed down.

“Huh? The fever’s gone?”

Mary tilted her head in confusion as she removed her hand from my forehead.

‘This is…’

I too wondered about this phenomenon.

‘I already knew Mary’s necklace had a mental enchantment similar to the Fence Rule.’

Using my regained clarity, I analyzed the situation.

‘Could it be that I’ve actually harbored romantic feelings for Mary among the emotions I’ve felt while observing her, not just admiration for her talent?’

Reflecting on it, the feelings I experienced whenever discovering new qualities in Mary were distinctly different from how I felt about other employees.

‘That is, I originally liked Mary as a woman, but due to the magic on the necklace, I failed to realize it… until now?’

The question remains why I realized this precisely at this moment.

‘Was it because I imagined Mary marrying someone else just now?!’

The most likely explanation involved a surprisingly simple flaw in the enchantment – a type of defect that occasionally appears in mental enchantments.

“…”

I stared blankly at Mary’s face.

The calm brought by the necklace’s influence faded again, and my heart rate and body heat rose once more.

“Is it getting hot again?”

Her words startled me back to reality, and I quickly focused on her necklace.

“Is it cooling down again?”

I heard Mary’s curious response.

“Are you conducting some strange experiment again?”

She questioned me with a tone implying ‘Isn’t that obvious?’

“Sure, let’s say that.”

Realizing love unexpectedly proved extremely difficult to control.

“Anyway, is there something you need?”

Pretending to be calm, I asked while keeping my eyes on the necklace Mary wore.

“Bishop Entaire is expected to arrive in High City tomorrow afternoon.”

“That’s old news, isn’t it?”

“The issue is that the delegation includes envoys sent by the emperor.”

“So the inevitable has finally arrived.”

“It seems so.”

The purpose of the imperial envoys sneaking aboard Entaire’s trading convoy was almost certainly me.

They were undoubtedly here to urge my visit to the capital.

“What do you plan to do?”

“Are the imperial envoys the only ones accompanying Bishop Entaire?”

“There are also four representatives from banking and lending backgrounds, as you mentioned before.”

In one hand, they carried emissaries likely to offend both High City and myself.

In the other, they brought gifts sure to please me.

“Truly remarkable diplomatic skills.”

“Isn’t that beside the point right now?”

“Any other news?”

“The law prohibiting gatherings of twenty or more northerners has reportedly been repealed by imperial decree. Though it’s still just a rumor, confirmation through the imperial envoys is necessary, but it seems quite plausible.”

“…”

Instead of the imperial envoys, the news about the repeal of the anti-northern gathering law shocked me more.

“I need to move faster.”

I stood up abruptly, my expression turning serious.

Though I thought I’d been advancing technology as quickly as possible, apparently that wasn’t the case.

If I let my guard down, everything I’ve built so far could become precarious.

“The north isn’t safe yet.”

On the bright side, this tense atmosphere conveniently erased all thoughts and feelings related to romance.

* * *

It had been a long time since an imperial envoy from the empire visited.

In fact, this was the first time since the delegation regarding Princess Ariana’s marriage proposal.

“With greetings to the Monarch of the Snowfields, Her Grace Ariana Rune Renslett, Duchess of the North. I am Lord Haima von Sedes, Marquis representing His Imperial Majesty’s will.”

An aged high-ranking noble with faded platinum hair and crimson eyes, clearly from a collateral branch of the imperial family, stepped forward as the head of the delegation.

“To finally meet Your Grace in person after seeing only portraits fills me with indescribable awe. Paintings could never capture even half of Your Grace’s beauty.”

The marquis effortlessly showered the court with honeyed compliments.

“The sudden arrival of an imperial envoy without prior notice is perplexing. Were it not for Duke Entaire’s presence, I might have mistaken you all for spies and ordered your immediate execution.”

“…”

However, the response from the northern duchess and her ministers was colder than ice, bordering on hostility.

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