episode_0040

“You? What’s going on?”

Theodora, seeing me in the room, opens her eyes wide and says.

“That… Phew…”

As a man, it hurts my pride to say that I was forcibly taken by my mother-in-law, so I have a hard time holding back.

He looked at me with a strange look in his eyes and urged me to answer.

“I’ll sleep here for a while.”

She blushes and becomes embarrassed at my words.

“… suddenly?”

“Yes.”

Saying that, he takes out the documents and says.

“Because I washed up. Wash and sleep first.”

Theodora, who hesitates at my words and looks at me, quickly heads to the bathroom.

“It’s not easy…”

***

-Gurgling!

I think while taking hot water in the bathtub.

Are you doing it today? You’re probably sure, right?

I don’t know what kind of wind blew in Debian, who was always busy working, but it brought him to the bedroom…

I’m sure you’re thinking of doing what I’m thinking.

no…

I know he’s definitely not that bad, but I don’t love him, so I don’t want to do that with him.

But I know.

That I don’t have a choice.

“Ha…”

So I take off my clothes and get into the bathtub.

Usually, people of noble birth cannot get the marriage they want.

How many noble women marry ugly and sinister men for family interests?

However, my father told me and Joey that there was no need for an arranged marriage, but in the end, we did.

I think as I dissolve my fatigue in warm water.

We can’t avoid it like this forever. In the end, this empire must be inherited by his and Devian’s child.

How long… I can’t stay like a child.

An emperor without power.

I can’t pass that sad situation on to my children.

In the end, the Archduke and my child will inherit the Empire and the Grand Duchy, as well as everything the Archduke owns.

“If I just… endure… it will be okay, right?”

Thinking like that, I try to strengthen my mind, but when I think about sleeping with him, I feel ashamed and afraid.

I heard it hurts the first time… It must hurt a lot, right?

I don’t think it will be done too drastically due to the nature of Debian, but it is true that it is scary.

“Because you are more considerate than I thought.”

When I first saw it, I really hated it.

Why?

Is it because he knows that he isn’t such a bad person?

I don’t like things like that, but I feel a little warmer at the thought that they aren’t as repulsive as they used to be.

“Ugh…”

Could it be because it was in hot water for a long time?

Looking at the watch, it doesn’t seem that old, but…

-with a splash…

Stand up from the bathtub.

***

“Phew…”

When I look at the data on imperial gold reserves in front of me, I sigh.

If a huge amount of money is spent to establish the Ministry of Intelligence…

My head is pounding.

-Sreuk…

And in the next chapter, we check the gold reserves of the Grand Duchy.

Is it because 30 tons were leaked?

It won’t collapse or suffer a major blow right away, but if a war begins in the future and it becomes a long-term war, it is expected that the gold listed here will quickly run out.

“Is there really no other choice but to issue bonds?”

I think of bonds as a makeshift measure in the wake of war.

You can borrow a large amount of money, but the interest rate is high, and if you win the war, you have to share the new profits with the lending company or bank, but where can you borrow?

“Keu…what is it.”

Should we issue bonds and use a borrowed-name bank to manipulate the market?

If you are caught, you may be stigmatized as a major market manipulator, and even if you are not caught, there is a high possibility that commerce will suffer a blow.

In the end, I am a little reluctant to burden the private sector, such as banks or merchants, with the costs of my war.

“Hmm…”

First of all, if market manipulation becomes known, the Grand Duchy’s credibility may fall.

With that in mind, I finally decided not to sign the document.

“It’s unfortunate, but there’s nothing we can do.”

If you manipulate the market, you may not only put out an urgent fire but also gain extra funds, but there may be some side effects that come back.

“Anyway, the merchants here are really great.”

The various systems they created.

I thought about using them to manipulate the market price, but eventually decided to give up.

You can issue war bonds to cover urgent needs, and if that doesn’t work out, you can borrow money from your uncle.

If your credit rating goes down unluckily, it may hinder you when you make a big splash in the war against Ioanes later.

When you think like that.

-Squeak…

I say this as the bathroom door opens and someone comes out.

“Are you here?”

“…”

I turned my head to see her without an answer.

My cheeks are flushed, probably because I took a bath in hot water.

Gray hair that looks slightly moist.

Reddish eyes.

He stares blankly at Theodora coming out wearing transparent pajamas, then quickly turns his eyes to the documents.

“Hmm… I have a lot to review and do today, so sleep first.”

“Yes…”

Feeling the presence of people climbing into bed, I try my best to get my mind off the bed.

I’m sure I’m reading the text, but nothing enters my mind.

Phew… don’t be shaken. If you go beyond this point, you will really be poisoned.

I’m clearly looking at the documents, but I can’t erase the image of Theodora I saw a moment ago from my mind.

Somehow, I grit my teeth and focus on the paper.

The white paper was not as white as Theodora’s skin.

The gorgeous handwriting here is not as gorgeous as Theodora’s body…

-widely!

As an appropriate punishment for a head that keeps falling into vain thoughts, let’s give it a night’s sleep…

“What are you… doing?”

Theodora asks in a puzzled voice if she saw what I was doing.

“Oh, it’s just that I can’t concentrate.”

I don’t want to reveal that I can’t get her body out of my head and feel restless, so let’s talk about it…

“But what did you talk about with your mother today?”

-I flinch.

You were asking for a grandchild?

But it’s okay to say it like it is…

“Just… you asked me how I was?”

Although she vaguely explains it, it seems like she has no intention of letting go that easily.

“Hmm…, suspicious.”

“Huh?… What… What’s suspicious?”

I turned my head towards her, pretending to be very relaxed.

I make eye contact with her as she narrows her red eyes and looks at me.

“I haven’t known you for long, but this is the first time I’ve seen you so visibly upset?”

“Ah… Isn’t it?, But what did you do today?”

I’m sure he didn’t leave the imperial palace. I think it was in the imperial palace.

I don’t really know what she did.

Theodora starts to think differently about what I’m saying.

“Bill…”

Seeing her unable to say anything, I question her back as if I was suspicious.

“You didn’t do anything strange, did you?”

I am worried that there are many people who, as the emperor, will act lightly and then do strange things, claiming to have read the emperor’s intentions.

“Isn’t that strange? I was looking for something that could be helpful to the empire.”

Is it really true?

Hmm… I doubt it.

“Oh, that’s right! Do you know what fallow is?”

He says this while looking at Theodora, who speaks triumphantly.

“Isn’t that a method of farming by alternating four fields to preserve the land’s potential?”

It is important to maintain soil strength in a place where fertilizers have not been invented.

In fact, if the fields are not left fallow, the wheat grains or crops will grow small or not produce much, and they will be vulnerable to pests and diseases.

“Ugh… How do you know that?”

I say that with a soft smile.

“Agriculture is the foundation of the country. It’s strange that you don’t know that.”

I have never farmed before, but I learned about basic farming at a military academy.

A long time ago, when the war with the Babylonian Empire was fierce, there was a Dungeon system.

“But why fallow?”

Theodora says with her eyes shining at my words.

“If there is a way to eliminate fallow, would you do it if it costs a lot of money and time?”

I nod my head firmly at those words.

“Isn’t it obvious? I have to do it.”

On modern Earth, enough food is produced in a year to feed 8 billion people.

It’s just that because of distribution and prices, it doesn’t go to poor countries in large numbers.

The secret to producing so much is fertilizer.

It is a substance that does not require fallowing and promotes growth.

If fertilizer could be produced now, all citizens of the empire would not have to worry about food prices.

Of course… food prices may drop drastically, making it difficult to make a living.

Currently, most of the occupations engaged in by the empire’s citizens are primary industries such as agriculture, livestock farming, and forestry.

Although the development of fertilizers will reduce the amount of money earned from the agricultural and livestock industry,

Instead, other industries and commerce may develop accordingly.

Therefore, I visited the academy to see if there was any data on fertilizers, but there was no significant result.

“But why is that?”

Theodora smiles charmingly at my words.

“That’s right…”

“Huh?”

After a long pause…

“It’s a secret. I’m going to sleep now, so take care of it.”

Saying that, I turn over on the bed.

what? At best, it makes you curious.

With that thought in mind, I process the documents again.

The Ministry of Intelligence will be established soon.

I might miss something I hadn’t thought of or how I would operate and manage the intelligence department after it was established.

Plan where and how to establish an intelligence network.

First, let’s focus on Nicaea and the Emperor faction…

When making plans like that one by one.

I feel my surroundings slowly starting to brighten.

“Ugh… I really couldn’t sleep at all.”

-Saegeun… Saegeun…

I wake up to the sound coming from above the bed.

A pretty gray-haired woman.

“Phew… Let’s go and do some work.”

I glance at her, change my clothes, and head to the office.

***

“Terra, did you sleep well last night?”

I say this to my mother, who speaks with a bright smile.

“I didn’t sleep well last night because my bed was uncomfortable.”

I tried to sleep last night, but he kept getting on my mind and I couldn’t sleep well.

“Hehe… It’s always like that for the first time.”

Should I ask a question to my mother who says things that are difficult to understand?

“Yes? What is it?”

My mother smiles softly at my words, as if she knows me well, but that’s not important right now.

“Mother. I know that my mother has been managing the imperial funds for a long time… Can I get some money out of there?”

My mother smiles slightly at my words.

“It’s possible, how much do you need?”

With that said, he hands over the paper he received from the professors.

“This…is this much?”

My mother’s eyes widen rapidly at my words, but then she shakes her head.

“It’s too much… If we spend all of this, there won’t be any spare funds left in the palace.”