The princess summoned the waiter who had been waiting outside, reeled off a string of dishes like the back of her hand, then handed over the menu to Leon with a bright smile: “Though the names sound common, these dishes in this restaurant are all very well-made. I highly recommend that you try them… Are there any other dishes you’re particularly interested in?”
“Not necessary.”
Glancing at the prices on the menu written in cursive and feeling a bit toothache, Leon shook his head and said: “You’ve already ordered enough. That’s all… By the way, what’s wrong today? Why did you suddenly invite me to eat?”
“Of course, I missed you~”
After hearing Leon’s question, the princess sitting on the opposite seat blinked, leaned forward slightly, her plump chest lightly pressing on the table, then rested her chin on her hand and smiled brightly: “Lovers in a passionate romance are like this, wanting to be together every moment, and I’m no exception…”
“…”
Leaning back a little and leaning back in the chair, Leon said with a headache:
“Can’t you speak properly…?”
“Sure~”
After hearing Leon’s request, the princess’ bright smile faded slightly, her curved spine straightened instantly, her swan-like neck was slightly raised, and she said calmly and dignifiedly: “Your Royal Highness, I, as the first princess Veronica, order you not to compete with me for my favorite red wine eel, and after the apple pie is served, you must cut it into small pieces by hand, fork it up piece by piece and feed me, understand?”
“…”
When I didn’t say anything…
Since there was really nothing he could do about Princess Veronica’s teasing, knowing that if he continued, he would only be teased again, Leon could only actively change the subject:
“What do you plan to do about the military department? So many people are against it, even openly stormed the prime minister’s residence, threw stones at you, are you going to keep pushing the ‘selection and elimination order’?”
After hearing Leon’s question, Princess Veronica hesitated for a moment, then her eyes lit up, she softly hummed once:
“Of course, the push still needs to continue. Why not do the right thing? Even the three levels of junior officers are not enough. After this round of selections and eliminations is over, I will even move to the general level!
The military department of the kingdom has been corrupt for too long. Just moving some mid and low level officers is not enough to change the current situation. If we don’t take this opportunity to replace some with new blood that has vitality, no matter how much the Minister of Defense and I reform, it will just be some painless and ineffective patchwork.”
Are you sure you can push it?
Curious about Veronica’s answer, Leon, despite his rumbling stomach, couldn’t help but ask curiously:
“The parliament may also hope to limit noble power, but your ‘selection and elimination order’ is equivalent to pulling out the roots of the nobles. They will definitely fight back desperately. Will the prime minister and the lower house stand on your side?”
“Indeed they won’t. The members of the lower house are mostly profit-driven. For issues without direct interest, whoever gives more benefits, they will stand on their side.”
After answering Leon’s question, the princess asked curiously:
“Leon, are you also interested in political exchanges?”
“It’s not that I am interested, it’s just since we’ve talked about it, I might as well ask casually.”
Looking at Leon’s expression, the princess couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows.
You think by choosing a very serious topic, I can only follow suit seriously? You’re thinking too much.
“Alright, since we have to wait a while before eating, let me talk about it casually.”
Guessing Leon’s intention, the princess first blinked mischievously, then looked down and sighed sadly:
“Thanks to my good prince, the military department is temporarily under my control now, so of course I want to seize this opportunity and do something good.
In case I fail to please a certain young man, and he suddenly changes his mind and doesn’t want me anymore, at least I can leave behind a brand-new military department, and it won’t be all for nothing~”
“…”
After hearing the princess’ words, Leon’s lips couldn’t help but twitched, then he pointed to his nose and said:
“Me… bullying you? Can you touch your conscience before saying that?”
“I’ll try.”
The princess blinked upon hearing this, touched her heart gently, causing a wave of bosom to rise, then sighed deeply: “Too thick, I can’t feel it.”
“…”
“Do you look at me like this because you want to help me find my conscience?”
“I don’t want to!”
“Oh~”
Seeing Leon closing his eyes helplessly and not knowing where to look, Princess Veronica couldn’t help but chuckle lightly, but to avoid making him angry, she stopped teasing and seriously narrated: “Anyway, I must push the selection and elimination order.
Among the 37 generals of the kingdom, 31 are from noble families, and more than half of the colonels are aristocrats. In their eyes, the orders from their family heads may be more effective than the military orders.
Only by replacing a large part of these people and ensuring that the military orders can be smoothly conveyed, can I truly control the military department, and further use this to force the parliament to make the lower house and other departments dominated by nobles give in… Leon, what do you think?”
“I think… it’s pretty good.”
A feeling deep in the heart, the princess’s question should not be about politics, but how I feel about her “conscience”. Leon could only tighten his face and tried to pull the topic back: “Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. First stabilize control of the military department before pushing for other reforms, indeed the safest choice.”
Hmm? After evaluating Leon’s comment, the princess’s beautiful eyes twinkled slightly, then nodded:
“This sentence of yours is quite… um… My first contact with the Minister of Defense was also based on this consideration… Leon, let me ask you, if you were the princess, what would you do?”
What would I do? Looking at the princess leaning forward unconsciously, her eyes full of expectation waiting for the answer, Leon subconsciously glanced at her conscience, then curled his lips:
“If I were to do it, I would probably gather a team of soldiers and march into the royal palace, forcing your father to abdicate immediately. Whoever dares to oppose will be hanged… Oh, also throw your brother across the sea and marry him to a bunch of female monkeys!”
“…”
(End of chapter)
