Chapter 115

I took Siena, who had become somewhat dazed, to the production facility.

Of course, it wasn’t to feed her narcotics. I didn’t want to turn a woman who had declared she would even consume narcotics to prove her absolute trust in me into an addict.

I needed not only Siena’s loyalty but also her intelligence.

“Alan. Why are we here…?”

“Are you curious?”

“No. Tell me when you want to.”

It seemed she was prepared to follow any of my words.

In reality, no matter what I requested, Siena would gladly comply. She likely wouldn’t even raise any objections. There was one last thing to verify her heart and also show her that I trusted her by assigning her a task.

“Siena, I will now teach you the method for producing morphine.”

“I don’t want to.”

Siena outright refused, her shoulders trembling in worry.

She was likely afraid I would teach her the method and leave again.

I quickly reassured her.

“This is something I need from you, which is why I’m teaching you.”

“Oh.”

With that, Siena immediately started to move, as if understanding she needed to learn.

In the first place, she had already seen me conducting my work up close. She was also already familiar with the concepts of bases and acids. If left alone, she’d likely be able to extract morphine or ephedrine on her own soon enough.

I was simply offering my knowledge to reduce her effort.

“Yes, Siena. Combine them in that ratio and it’ll be fine.”

“Okay.”

Siena followed my instructions obediently.

The Empire’s Second Imperial Princess was manufacturing narcotics at my behest.

If this had happened before I fully tamed Siena, it could have caused a calamity not just for the Empire but for the world. Given the curiosity she had shown toward my knowledge until now, this was even more likely. But not now.

I had decided to teach her things she hadn’t even asked about.

“Regarding the tea leaves you once brought me…”

I showed her the dried leaves as I spoke.

“Okay.”

“You’re likely aware, but narcotics can be extracted from these as well. They produce a better-quality product than morphine derived from opium. Depending on the breed, you can harvest them two to three times a year, with less labor.”

Siena had given me these tea leaves. More accurately, they were coca leaves. Though it was unclear what the elves called them.

“To obtain 20 kilograms of raw opium, you’d need at least 50 workers. Moreover, opium flowers need to be replanted every year. In comparison, these, aside from needing a specific climate, have virtually no drawbacks.”

“Okay.”

Siena continued to reply with short answers.

Had this been a few days ago, Siena would have insistedently asked for me to reveal everything she could possibly know about, eyes gleaming. She might’ve even suggested setting up a farm in the Great Forest. But now, she showed no interest and remained focused on her work.

“And… Ah, you may now proceed with the reaction.”

“Okay.”

“Siena. Aren’t you curious how I know all of this?”

At this, Siena stopped.

But after a short while, she slowly turned around and replied.

“Alan. I’ll only learn what you teach me. …It wasn’t true until now, but from this moment on, that’s how it’ll be. I won’t even try to uncover what you don’t teach, nor will I investigate anything you hide from me.”

“…”

“Let me be honest. I’m saying this not to make a good impression on you but because it’s the truth. And more honestly, I’m not even particularly curious. No, not quite. I’m still interested, but my priorities have shifted.”

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

Siena answered without hesitation.

And once again, she moved her hands to finish refining the product.

The result was 40 grams of morphine.

Its value equaled 40,000 talers. That was based on military supply standards, and the Wolphall Family had also distributed it at three times that price. Some customers who frequently consumed morphine from the opium fields were reportedly anxiously searching for it.

But Siena didn’t seem to have any interest in the narcotics she’d produced. Instead, she solely maintained her gaze on my face.

Clever as she was, she must have already understood.

This was the final test she needed to pass. And that I was about to propose how the two of us could coexist going forward.

It was an absurd idea, one that would be hard for a regular person to utter. Fortunately, Siena was far from ordinary.

“Siena. No matter how I think about it, there’s no other way.”

“What is it?”

“To have you, I must also marry Victoria Your Highness.”

“…”

“To accept this and be comfortable with it, I’ll try finding a way. …No, to be precise, we must find a way together. Though it won’t be easy, if we think carefully about it, it should be possible.”

In the end, it was a request for her to make room for her older sister.

Siena immediately nodded.

Victoria, her sister whom she had to tolerate.

Had it been a few hours ago? Siena would’ve only been interested in teaming up with Alan to completely neutralize Victoria.

That scenario would’ve aligned much more with Siena’s preferences.

Even now, honestly, it seemed like it would be fun. Being able to move armies numbering in the tens of thousands, Victoria even held the legitimacy of the eldest daughter. If the emperor were to completely turn a blind eye, it was possible she could even control the royal guard.

Crushing someone like Victoria would’ve been an incredibly entertaining pastime.

But now, her preference no longer mattered.

The only important thing was Alan’s will.

“Alright, Alan. What do I need to do?”

As Siena said this, she sat down demurely beside Alan.

She wanted to sit on Alan’s lap, but thought better of it, deciding to avoid overly fawning actions that might make Alan suspicious.

“We need to think carefully from now on.”

Alan slowly extended a hand, as if pleased, touching Siena’s hair, earlobes, cheeks, and finally her chin.

When his fingertips grazed her lips, she felt a thrill, a strange yet indescribable sensation.

This, perhaps, was what love felt like. Since she had never felt affection for anyone else but Alan, she couldn’t be sure.

Regardless, owing to that emotion.

“Siena?”

Without realizing it, Siena had lightly bitten Alan’s index finger.

There wasn’t a particular reason; she just felt like doing it.

Since she’d decided to follow Alan’s will in everything going forward, this much was acceptable, right? Fortunately, Alan forgave her generously, even smoothing her mussed hair with his other hand. His gesture suggested that nibbling on a finger was fine.

It was a moment of indescribable happiness.

Still, Siena wasn’t without concerns.

How would Alan, who was now a former knight, manage to procure both princesses?

Of course, in Siena’s eyes, Alan was someone deserving of it.

But to the common people, their perspective might differ. There might even be people who’d cry out, thinking that the entire Britannia Empire had fallen into Alan’s hands. After all, marrying the first and second princesses would amount to that.

“It won’t be easy,” she thought privately.

There were bound to be numerous hurdles to overcome.

But Siena found pleasure in difficult tasks.

Ideally, she hoped many people would get injured in the process, but even if no one did, she wouldn’t mind. If Alan preferred a peaceful approach, she was more than willing to follow. Suppressing her true nature to submit to Alan would offer its own form of gratification.

After the faint mark she had bitten began to fade, Alan reopened the discussion.

“Siena. How about this approach?”

Alan began a detailed explanation of the idea that had just come to mind.

It started with deceiving Victoria, making her believe she’d be Alan’s sole partner.

Siena understood right away.

“If we make Victoria believe she’s being merciful to us… Oh, sorry.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“I offered my opinion without asking your permission, Alan. You said I shouldn’t try to be clever.”

“You have my permission, so please speak your mind.”

Even after Alan’s approval, Siena paused for a while before continuing, savoring the strange joy of being allowed to use her intelligence.

A few seconds later, she regained her composure and spoke again.

“Victoria is easy to deceive. She probably already believes marrying you is a choice made for the sake of the country. Using her psychology, it won’t be hard to deceive her. The only concern is our parents, but we can shift that burden to my sister too.”

“That’s a good thought. However, to achieve this, Siena, you’ll need to actively cooperate. Are you alright with that?”

“Yes. I’d go beyond fine—actually.”

“Really?”

“Yes. You truly love me, right?”

“Not my sister, Victoria.”

At this, Alan nodded as if he had been waiting for the answer, faintly furrowing his eyebrows as if questioning why she even had to ask.

This was enough for Siena to feel completely satisfied.

Reflecting on it, deceiving Victoria seemed like it might be a rewarding endeavor. The process might involve deception and even threats—things Siena enjoyed and was good at. They also tended to work on everyone except Alan.

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

Rather, let’s do it together.

Siena readily agreed and nodded.

For all the trials they had gone through, perhaps, Siena immediately fell asleep as soon as they reached an “agreement.” Her face revealed an expression of deep contentment. I patted her until she was fully asleep, then handed her over to the palace attendants. With so much more to do ahead, it was fine to let her rest for a bit.

“Master… Is this truly alright?”

One of the attendants timidly approached and asked, her face looking rather weary.

She must’ve been shaken by the sight of Siena clinging to me, begging for narcotics, and then falling asleep with a smile. I decided to reply with confidence.

“It’s fine. Please see to it that Siena sleeps comfortably.”

“Yes, sir.”

From now on, I resolved to dispense with formal titles when addressing Siena in front of the attendants. It would seem ridiculous to address her with the honorific “Your Highness” now that things had come this far.

Siena was resting, but I couldn’t afford to.

Now, it was time to see Victoria.

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