Chapter 30

The negotiation with the 3rd Princess, arranged by Siena.

It was as if we, who had just begun to carve out a new market, were face-to-face as drug dealers.

We weren’t meeting to discuss who would take the golden opportunity of The State. After all, I was content with government contracts. Even if I were to expand later, it would just be limited supplies to civilian hospitals.

My purpose was solely to rein in Princess Anais.

I intended to inform her of the future that awaited her should she continue with this venture, and that even as we spoke, someone might be dying.

‘She won’t listen even if I try to put it nicely.’

The health syrup was already selling like hotcakes.

Why would she give up when, with a steady supply, we could stock almost every pantry in The State with it?

Therefore, I had also prepared a tempting reward for Anais, so that she could enjoy appropriate benefits without overly focusing on the health syrup business.

While honestly, I didn’t want to give her anything… but to stop this madness, I needed to offer 3rd Princess an exit. I even had the intention of ensuring her safety so she wouldn’t be crushed by Siena later.

‘Even if I give some, the best approach is to make her voluntarily step back.’

While repeating this to myself, I headed toward Princess Anais’ residence, Minster Palace.

The method of transport was teleportation. Since teleportation magic circles were installed in all imperial palaces, including the central palace, it was possible.

Ordinarily, it’s rarely used. If the princesses were close, situations like this wouldn’t happen.

“I shall proceed, Sir Alan.”

This was the first time after the merging when I truly felt the power of magic.

There was no time to enjoy it though, as the problem at hand occupied me.

Opium, poisonous herbs, ma huang, tropanes, ephedrine, dozens of alkaloids. Mrs. Chandler’s health syrup being produced as we speak at a factory near The State. Anais’ feelings of deprivation and her desire for revenge against me.

It wouldn’t be easy, obviously.

Then, upon arriving at Princess Anais’ audience chamber, the situation seemed even grimmer.

“Alan, Medoff…?”

It was due to a man who had arrived before me to see her.

He was a grizzled gentleman in his early fifties with fiery red hair.

He was none other than the current Dean of Magic Department of the Academy and one of the most renowned mages in The Empire, Professor Bobby Duncan. When it came to flame magic, he was universally acknowledged as the top mage in the empire.

However, there was something he was even better at.

Burning through his wealth.

Whenever Bobby spotted something promising to invest in, he would pour money into it without hesitation.

Stocks, bonds, real estate, antiques, etc. Due to his notoriously bad judgment, he suffered catastrophic losses every time. In the original story, he was the one who took the biggest hit when Siena caused a speculative frenzy and cried over it.

So, the presence of Professor Bobby here…

“Could you possibly be here to inquire about the health syrup related investments?”

In response to this query, he frowned and glared at me.

Judging from his reactions, it seemed he hadn’t just inquired but possibly invested.

His expression was solemn, but his hands were nervously twitching.

“Am I somehow making some investment now?”

“Now is the time to invest if one wants to earn large profits. In the past, with so many people around 3rd Princess, it might’ve been tough to edge your way in, but not now, right? You’re seizing the opportunity, aren’t you?”

This left Professor Bobby without a retort, merely averting his eyes.

He couldn’t say he hadn’t.

I had no intention of dissuading him. He had decided and acted on the investment in this newly introduced product, confident of its prospects. There’s no way he’d listen to me trying to dissuade him.

“I apologize, Professor Bobby. It was presumptuous of me to interfere.”

“No harm done. …So, Sir Alan, you’re here to see Princess Anais too?”

“Correct. But unlike the professor, I haven’t come to invest in health syrup or discuss cooperation. Please take that into account.”

“…”

He took a rather disapproving look at me before leaving under the guidance of a palace attendant.

It occurred to me that the man might’ve come asking about morphine but, really, it didn’t matter. Medoff Pharmaceuticals didn’t need the investment.

“Sir Alan. Princess Anais is ready to see you.”

The moment of finally confronting the 3rd princess.

Maybe it was due to her flourishing business and having secured a solid ally, but Princess Anais Carlisle greeted me with a smile.

For a while, an uncomfortable silence was shared between me and the 3rd princess.

Her obsidian-like eyes and porcelain skin were as usual, but upon closer inspection, there was a clear change in her demeanor.

Her crooked smile, her hair carelessly pinned up with a hairpin, her gaze that ran up and down without offering me a seat – all of these were signs of her transformation.

Still, it was necessary to bring up the matter.

There was no need to lay a grand narrative. We weren’t on friendly terms anyway.

“Your Highness, I am aware you hold some resentment against me regarding Her Majesty the Empress. Since then, you’ve surely faced quite a few hard times.”

“…Hard times? You’re phrasing it rather nicely? If it wasn’t for your meddling…”

“Then Her Majesty the Empress would have become addicted to opium and alcohol.”

“What?”

“Siena intended to originally prescribe opium wine. It wasn’t malicious; it was simply due to her ignorance of pharmacology. Had I not intervened, Her Majesty the Empress would likely be consuming 2-3 grams of opium and more than a bottle of wine ‘every day’ by now.”

This made Anais’ eyes widen.

“…That girl.”

Siena’s insult perhaps? It didn’t feel right defending her as nonculpable.

But whether Anais had the right to curse her sister was debatable.

“Your Highness, forgive me, but opium wine is less dangerous than health syrup. There are patients who manage to live for years consuming 10 to 15 grams of opium daily. On the other hand, even small amounts of health syrup can be fatal.”

“What do you know…!”

“Your Highness, what do you know? Honestly, you don’t really believe that health syrup is truly beneficial for health, do you?”

Upon this, she tried to retort but closed her mouth again.

Of course. There was no way she was unaware.

Even if she didn’t know the full harm of opium and ma huang, she must have known the toxicity of poisonous herbs. Probably, they were mixed to replicate the efficacy of morphine without much thought into its consequences.

“I’ve heard you sell three to four thousand bottles daily. Some people have likely already lost their light without even understanding why. While half-paralyzed, sweating profusely and regaining consciousness with difficulty, they’ll find themselves plunged into darkness. That’s blindness.”

“As long as they take the correct dosage, they’ll be fine.”

“Forgive me, do you even know what the correct dosage is? From what I can see, there weren’t even any tests conducted before it was released to the public.”

“…”

“If this continues, it won’t be long before dozens or even hundreds of people start dying. Can Your Highness handle the aftermath?”

Unable to refute properly, Anais closed her mouth again. Not just that, her slightly trembling pupils and the habit of incessantly biting her lips caught my attention.

‘Could it be working?’

I didn’t believe in reforming people. Having not really encountered any good people in either my previous or current life, except for Victoria.

But Anais was new to this path.

She didn’t have the callousness to feel no guilt, and she certainly didn’t have the audacity to endure the sight of people dying off or going blind.

Since I had scared her enough, it was time to offer her an alternative.

Initially, Anais began this venture out of a spirit of vengeance against both me and Siena. She wouldn’t want to back down after simply listening to her enemy’s advice.

So, I decided to provide her with a justification to quit.

“3rd Princess. You’ll face significant losses if you cease the business.”

“Who said I’d stop? Don’t jump to conclusions.”

“Let’s say it’s a hypothetical situation. If you were to quit the health syrup business, I have the intention to compensate you. In a way, I have disrupted the business of such an illustrious individual. Although my talents are modest, I wish to offer some assistance to Your Highness.”

“…Compensation? Elaborate.”

“I am the one who manufactured morphine. I believe Your Highness understands the kind of compensation I can offer.”

I had already thought of a suitable reward.

When manufacturing other products in the future, I’d give Anais a share of the venture—a non-narcotic painkiller for household use was in consideration. Or, perhaps supplying her with an artificial cultivation of psilocybin wouldn’t be so bad. Might be excessive, but nothing less would suffice to convince her.

“That’s all I have to say.”

I had informed her of the calamities that would ensue if she persisted and promised a form of compensation. There was no point in continuing.

Now, the only thing left was Anais’ choice.

‘There might still be hope.’

Surprisingly, and somewhat amazingly, she remained very composed.

This gave me at least a shred of hope. Maybe, just maybe, she could be convinced without a fight and stop the health syrup business.

After a while of silence,

Anais slowly spoke.

“Alan Medoff, I loathe you. … Were it not for Siena’s protection, you might already be dead or aboard a ship traveling between Chinguk and other places.”

“I pay it no mind. Recently, I’ve had someone else aboard too.”

“Hmm? But I respect your expertise. You said the poisonous herbs component in the health syrup could kill people, right? Even I wouldn’t get away unscathed if it really happened. … They wouldn’t leave me alone either.”

“That’s true. And though I don’t know, I’m sure Siena would surely act if that happened, joyfully so.”

“Straightforward and that’s good.”

Perhaps she had accepted defeat at this point. It was unexpectedly easy, but it wasn’t a bad outcome for either me or Anais herself.

“Your Highness, what will you do?”

Under my urging, Anais looked at me directly. There was no hostility in her gaze. At first glance, she seemed touched.

But.

“Alright. I’ll reduce the poisonous herbs to an extremely small quantity, or perhaps eliminate them altogether. Instead, I’ll add more opium. I was curious about what you’d say, but unexpectedly, you’ve been helpful.”

As it turned out, her words were ultimately a refusal.

“…”

“Princess.”

“Truly grateful, Alan Medoff, but I have no intention of quitting the health syrup business. Knowing you’re this aware, why would I stop?”

Anais smirked with amusement.

I let out a hollow laugh while looking at her pretty face.

With these words, the negotiation had failed.

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