Chapter 78

On the way back after meeting Alan.

Princess Victoria One sat upright in the carriage.

Her spine was straight, her shoulders and waist aligned in a perfectly upright posture.

Anyone who saw her might assume she was disciplined to the point of being scolded, but there was no one in the Empire who could actually reprimand her. This was merely the most comfortable pose for her.

Nevertheless, though her body was at ease, her mind was complex.

It was because the words Alan had spoken kept coming back to her.

“I’m fine. Please don’t judge them as too petty. It’s human instinct to restrain or suspect what you don’t know well.”

…How could he manage to embrace even those who tried to ruin him?

True, it might have been a restrained comment due to the presence of royalty, but to her observation, Alan seemed sincere. If it was an act, then Alan would be better off as a theater actor than a knight.

Ability.

Social skills.

And above all, unwavering loyalty to the Empire.

‘Having someone like him near Siena isn’t right.’

Certainly, he was far too valuable to waste on someone like Siena.

As Alan himself had said, it wouldn’t be long before he received a title.

She also knew roughly what titles were being considered. One of the many titles held by the Imperial Court was sure to be awarded soon. With currently nine vacant titles of Baron and Count, one of those would likely be his.

However, the title wasn’t the issue.

Wasn’t it more important to ensure that as he showed his potential, he would gain people’s respect?

‘If anyone, I can help him more than Siena.’

Thinking about it, it was a bit of a shame how his career began.

Alan had graduated with excellent grades from the Department of Swordsmanship.

Although he wasn’t directly assigned as the Emperor’s guard, he could have come to join her team if he’d wanted. So why did he aim to work as the Third Division of Siena’s bodyguards? It was a bitter thought.

‘No, it’s not too late.’

Once Alan received his title, it would be hard for him to remain as just an ordinary guard.

At that point, all she needed was some legitimate reason to transfer him.

There was no necessity to keep him only as a knight either.

Knights were a collective of prideful individuals, but Alan didn’t seem like that type. After all, he was a knight who didn’t even carry a sword. Recruiting him into the military might not be such a terrible option.

A position closer to her.

One that would allow for more efficient collaboration.

It wasn’t an act of favoritism.

It was purely based on his capabilities.

‘I’ll have to look for the right opportunity soon.’

Persuading Siena wouldn’t be easy.

Although the details were vague, she knew that Siena had recently visited the Great Forest just to see Alan. That much showed how much Siena cared for him.

But if Siena valued having capable aides around her, there was a high chance she would agree. If not, it couldn’t be helped.

At least the outlook was promising.

Upon returning to the Military Affairs Ministry building…

“…Your Highness. There won’t be any more complaints about Sir Alan before you. We judged him with too narrow-minded a perspective.”

It was her maternal uncle Hayden who had come to deliver these words.

The warning she had given earlier seemed to have paid off.

While his expression wasn’t exactly welcoming, at least it didn’t seem like he would cross her will by causing trouble. Feeling secretly relieved, Victoria warned him again, “Be very careful moving forward.”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll keep that in mind.”

With Hayden giving his submissive agreement, Victoria also found relief in his response.

**

Alan didn’t return her goodwill.

Not only did he not respond, but he gave absolutely no reaction.

What could this reason be?

Siena, while entrusting her hair to her maidservant, was deeply lost in thought.

‘Was it not enough to give from the silver veins?’

It didn’t feel that way.

Siena thought Alan would express some sense of burden with, “This is too generous.”

Considering the envy such enormous benefits of the Empire’s enterprises could bring, any person handling these benefits would be a magnet for it.

Even if Alan stopped the narcotics business and mined silver alone, he could soon become one of the richest individuals in the Empire.

But Alan had been unusually nonchalant about it.

‘What’s he trying to accomplish, exactly?’

Approaching the man to directly ask for his thoughts was out of the question. There’s no nastier action than giving someone a gift and requiring something in return. She didn’t know what was normal since she had no previous experience giving gifts to others.

Lost in thought, Siena eventually came to one question.

“Should I give him more things?”

“Your Highness?”

“That’s not to you. Please focus on my hair.”

“Yes…!”

The maidservant worked diligently to create natural waves in her hair, but accidentally pulled out a strand in the process. Siena didn’t react, not because she cared for the maid, but because she had too much else on her mind.

Gift.

Concerning what sort of present would draw out a reaction from Alan.

Another mining facility? Copper? No, she didn’t necessarily have to rely on the Great Forest and could consider other gifts as well.

Just as she thought that, the subject himself appeared.

“I have something to say.”

The man before her, with ash-colored hair and a moderately handsome face, whose murderous aura had somewhat dulled compared to before, was none other than Alan. The irritating person who had casually accepted the troublesome gift she went out of her way to get.

Annoying as their rapport usually was, it somehow felt different this time.

Siena glanced at Alan for a moment before looking away.

“Good timing, Alan.”

“Your Highness?”

“If we use our minds well, I think we could obtain natural jade stones. Of course, they might initially refuse us. But… anyway, it’s a resource that practically only you could acquire, right? Otherwise, it’d require sacrificing thousands of soldiers just to get it.”

“…”

“If I go talk to father about it, you should approve too, right?”

Siena didn’t really mean it earnestly.

Natural jade stones were essentially a matter of national security. If the empire were a normal country, they certainly wouldn’t delegate control of such resources to a private business entity. Even the lenient emperor would surely reject her with a serious demeanor.

She had only brought it up to probe Alan.

She wanted at least to provoke some annoyance if he wasn’t going to be pleased.

‘What kind of reaction will he give this time?’

If he reacted as immovable as a stone again, she was seriously considering going through with it.

Even though Alan wouldn’t appreciate it, she had no choice. Once she initiated it, he would have no choice but to cooperate for his own safety.

If she couldn’t win his favor, she had to ensure that he stayed by her side…

“Princess Siena. There’s no need for you to do this.”

“What?”

“There’s no need as I’ve stated.”

Alan’s calm declaration, his expression not even remotely awkward, made her feel something close to irritation.

She wanted to release all her frustration, including what she endured by the Empress, on him, but was worried about the consequences. She should endure it considering their relationship, but was enduring even worthwhile? Since he wouldn’t understand anyway…

At that moment, Alan tossed out a single sentence.

“Let’s go to the production room.”

And with that, he made an invitation to escort her.

Without realizing it, Siena rose to her feet.

**

My response to Siena’s gift. It was a big deal for me to reflect on what sort of help I could offer her that would keep her living quietly.

Buying trinkets with the money earned from selling narcotics? That didn’t seem like her style.

Honestly speaking, exchanging such intimate gifts between the two of us also felt rather strange, given all we’ve done together. More importantly, I doubted it’s what Siena really wanted from me.

So I brought her to the production room.

What had initially been a makeshift facility to produce morphine,

had now evolved into a place where we could also produce heroin.

All natural compounds could be handled here. Generally, semi-synthetic ones were also possible, including heroin. To move to the next step would require substantial investment and a shift to a different location, but it wasn’t entirely impossible.

“Why here?”

Siena, still with a dissatisfied expression.

Even so, her affection for narcotics seemed genuine as some vibrancy returned to her face.

It was harder for this exact reason.

She truly seemed interested in me, but her interest in the narcotics business appeared equally substantial.

She appeared to want to be kind to me, but it was unlikely that she had any intention of living a calm life.

Ultimately, the only method was to gradually tame her.

That’s why I’d brought her here — to this production room.

“Your Highness, you’ve entered this place while I was absent, haven’t you?”

This statement visibly perplexed Siena.

I had guessed it based on the slight changes to the equipment’s location, and surely, the deduction was correct. Although I had posted guards, the only person who could forcefully enter was Siena.

“Alan, are you reprimanding me?”

“This isn’t a reprimand. Anyway, since this production facility is within the premises of Temseugung, it is effectively rent-free thanks to your generosity. Upon reflection, there’s no better place from a security standpoint.”

“…”

“Besides, this business wouldn’t even have started without you.”

Hearing the title “you,” Siena momentarily hesitated.

I had deliberately chosen my words to elicit this reaction, and it seemed effective. Her previously dissatisfied expression had softened slightly.

“So… does this mean I can come in when I wish?”

“Yes. There’s no need to shout at the guards in the future. You’re welcome to visit.”

“Even when you’re making medicine?”

“I apologize, but that’s not possible.”

Her deflated expression reemerged.

Of course, I hadn’t left her hanging.

“There are various hazards during production. It would only be safe for you to observe if you understood the necessary precautions.”

“So…”

“I’ll teach you. …Moving forward, slowly.”

An implicit message that she was trusted enough to be allowed this far, and that she should follow my instructions moving forward.

Siena remained standing there dazedly for a while.

Was she still taking it all in? But soon, her lips began to curve faintly, and she started fidgeting with her hair. Eventually, her expression softened into an almost languid gaze as she stared directly at me.

“Alright, Alan.”

Finally, Siena nodded brightly.

At that moment, I realized the gift had worked.

And I understood how she felt towards me.

Though I don’t know how it got this way, there seemed to be no turning back now.

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