It can’t be helped. I’ll just have to do it.
Siena decided not to hold back any longer.
The moment she resolved, all sorts of devious plans surfaced in her mind.
First, there was the option of tormenting with psilocybin.
Simply seizing the substance would be too childish. It would be more effective to instill distrust so that even if it were right in front of them, they wouldn’t dare to drink it. Or alternatively, targeting Empress Lianhua’s homeland—the Empire of Chinguk.
Right at that moment, as Siena tightly closed her lips in contemplation, Empress Lianhua let out a sudden sigh.
“Siena, do you perhaps dislike me?”
Was she truly unaware? Siena raised the corner of her mouth, looking at the Empress straight in the eye.
She was waiting for the Empress to retaliate fiercely, knowing that it would be no fun if things ended too easily.
However, the Empress’s reaction was unexpected.
“I might not know exactly, but I can sense your unease. …I don’t understand why you’re angry. If I said something out of line, I’m sorry, but I truly don’t know.”
“….”
“But I do know one thing.”
“What is it?”
“If you’re only doing this because you’re upset with me, I doubt your friend Alan Medoff would approve. …I’m not sure if that benefits you, though.”
The warning from the Empress.
Siena felt her mind gradually cooling down.
Until a moment ago, she was pondering how to torment the Empress, so why had this resolve vanished so suddenly? It was because there was some truth in the Empress’s words—something that, despite her reluctance to admit, had struck a chord.
‘Alan really is different from me.’
Before Alan emerged, the people around Siena were all forced into submission due to the authority of the Imperial Princess.
However, Alan had always been in sync with her—sometimes, even leading the way. This only deepened her growing interest in him.
But just because they got along well didn’t mean they had identical personalities.
While she enjoyed the manipulation of humans, Alan harbored guilt-free indifference toward them.
‘Similar, but not the same.’
Was Alan truly enduring her?
Had he sought her aid merely to avoid the danger posed by Anais?
Previously, she wouldn’t have cared about Alan’s thoughts at all—in fact, she would have enjoyed them—but now she couldn’t stop wondering. Frankly, she was worried about the unpredictable direction Alan might take, given his habitual avoidance of danger.
The Empress seemed to have read the thoughts reflected on Siena’s face.
“We have plenty of time, so take your time to consider.”
“Alright.”
“Could you not rush into attacking me? I’ll always be here.”
“…”
With a slight wave of her hand, the Empress gently suggested Siena leave.
Siena decided to follow the Empress’s advice for now.
And she left the psilocybin behind as well. Although taking and then taking back the substance might irritate the Empress, it wasn’t the most pressing concern right now.
She didn’t want to leave without saying anything, though.
“Your Highness.”
“Hearing that title brings joy…”
“Do you recall saying you would oversee the cultivation of opium? It’s futile.”
“What do you mean?”
“You might want to consider this yourself… Just know, Alan isn’t as straightforward as you think. Excessively restraining him could lead to counterproductive results.”
A hint of tension appeared on the Empress’s face upon hearing these words.
Siena felt her uneasy heart lighten a little, though her troubles were far from resolved.
‘What should I do now?’
Siena stood still in front of the Imperial Chambers for a while.
“Maybe Alan is merely enduring me. Or perhaps he would have chosen Victoria as well without hesitation…” New questions kept surfacing, but answers wouldn’t come, leaving her feeling suffocated.
An idea suddenly came to her mind—giving Alan a gift.
Through this, she could strengthen their bond through him.
‘This should come first.’
Without delay, Siena headed to the Emperor’s Audience Chamber.
Not long after, the Ministers of the Interior, Treasury, and Foreign Affairs were summoned there. It was due to Siena’s excessive demands.
After returning from her meeting with the Empress, Siena made an unusual announcement.
“I’ve secured the rights to mine silver.”
She explained that she had secured the mining rights of the Great Forest’s silver ore, even managing to obtain these rights directly from the Emperor.
‘What is she talking about?’
‘I thought she would naturally side with the Empress.’
I had expected her to propose gradually reducing the supply of psilocybin to the Empress or to harass the Empress’s demands—whatever they might be. And I had strategies ready for such eventualities.
However, I hadn’t anticipated her bringing back mining rights out of nowhere.
‘Could it be the Emperor gave her the silver mines?’
At first, I couldn’t believe it despite the unexpected news. No matter how much the Emperor loved his daughter, he wouldn’t possibly offer the silver mines.
Being a state operating under the gold standard, the empire still valued silver highly, especially for trade with Chinguk and other eastern nations influenced by it.
To acquire goods from Chinguk, payment in silver was necessary. There were even individuals who became wealthy solely through silver transactions.
In this context, the value of a profitable silver vein was incalculable. It was one of the most sought-after resources alongside natural alkali, targeted by the empire.
When I looked at Siena to confirm whether it was real, her composed demeanor remained unchanged.
“It’s true. I’ve secured the mining rights. The department of Treasury and State refer to it as the Kobihah Silver Vein. They say that if properly developed, it could produce up to two tons a month. It might even be more.”
“This is a resource that falls under the management of the state-owned enterprises under the Department of State, isn’t it?”
“I know, but I secured it with good terms.”
If this was true, it was news that would make every noble in the empire envious.
With people expecting the economic benefits coming from the Great Forest region, Siena had effectively cornered the prime opportunities before the race even begun.
Anyway… at this stage, congratulating her seemed appropriate.
“Congratulations, Your Highness.”
“The congratulations are for you, Alan.”
“What?”
As I questioned in surprise, Siena stared at me blankly.
Could it be…
“Did you secure the mining rights under Medoff Pharmaceuticals?”
“Yeah.”
With already two instances of morphine procurement leading to profits exceeding forty million Taler, and the financial destabilization of Medelin through heroin bringing in even more profits, adding silver mines now? The weight of the business was starting to feel overwhelming.
Even worse, I was the largest shareholder in the company.
“Isn’t it time to drop the ‘pharmaceuticals’ from the name?”
“Your Highness.”
“Medoff Industries would suit just fine. I’ll take charge of hiring workers and technicians; there will be no shortage of people willing to rush to the Great Forest for a hefty wage.”
“…”
“I’ll start as soon as the ceasefire is in effect. Although I’ve entrusted you with operational decisions, I trust you won’t refuse.”
It seemed Siena had resolved to acquire as many privileges as possible under the name of Medoff Pharmaceuticals. Perhaps beyond silver mines, she would try to secure more opportunities, leaving no crumbs for anyone else.
The question was, why go to such lengths?
“Could it be greed alone?”
Unlikely. Siena wasn’t the type to be satisfied with merely making money. There must be another reason, but I couldn’t figure out what it was.
Could she be stringing along the business community for a while before abandoning them? This somewhat fit Siena’s style.
However, her tense expression and few glances towards me before simply dismissing me were troubling.
“Enjoy it, Alan.”
Even after returning to the production facility, this problem lingered.
Directly asking Siena would be too tactless. Given our past unspoken understanding, it would certainly come across that way.
Ultimately, I could only rely on inference based on circumstances.
‘What did she discuss with the Empress?’
Contrary to my expectations, Siena’s meeting with the Empress had ended peacefully.
Instead of seeking vengeance against the Empress, Siena strangely secured business rights. The fact that she had given these lucrative opportunities to a company under my name was even more peculiar.
The conclusion was clear.
She was doing all this for me.
What possible reason could there be for her to bestow such immense benefits on me when I’m already in a position where it’s hard to leave her side? It must be her way of deepening our connections. Perhaps her restraint in not engaging in an all-out feud with the Empress stems from the same consideration.
Whether it’s her obsession with me or the drugs I produce, or possibly both, is unclear.
Siena might not even differentiate between the two. In this world, perhaps it’s not entirely wrong to say that I am the drugs and the drugs are me.
Nonetheless, it was evident that Siena was suppressing her temper for my sake. I could sense that she was feeling urgent about something.
‘Could it be this serious?’
I couldn’t predict how long Siena would hold onto her patience for my benefit. If she reaches her limit, she might abandon everything, including the drugs.
For my safety, I needed a clear repayment.
Difficult it may be, but I was truly grateful.
This situation was infinitely better than her going head-to-head with the Empress.
I had expected scenarios where she would burn psilocybin in front of the Empress to provoke her. Now, instead, I had time to ponder more leisurely about how to repay her.
Though fundamentally, nothing had been resolved.
We had averted the war with the elves through heroin, but that wasn’t the end. The villains from the original story could still be stirring somewhere, in some way, unknown to me since I had transmigrated before the original story concluded.
‘At least we avoided the worst.’
For now, securing this respite was certainly something to be thankful for.
The same moment. In a coffee house frequented by politicians of the State.
“This is extortion.”
“Even if it’s not, we cannot just stand by.”
“So, how…?”
There were individuals who immediately began commenting on the actions of Crown Princess Siena, who had secured the silver mining rights right after her meeting with the Empress.
These weren’t mere gossipers.
They were members of a faction following Crown Princess Victoria.