episode_0010

“Your Highness, please keep your promise now.”

Sienna stared boldly at Alan Maydoff’s demanding face.

Although she had treated him like a hunting dog before, he had suddenly become a valuable confidant. The reward she had promised him was one million talers and a long vacation of over a month.

The vacation was understandable, but one million talers seemed excessive.

It was an amount equivalent to ten times the official salary Alan received. Although Alan often embezzled money from Sienna’s business (with her tacit approval), resulting in substantial additional income, it was still a considerable sum.

However, it was not a burden for Sienna.

Even though she had a notorious reputation, she was still the Empire’s second princess.

She received funding every year for the operation and maintenance costs of Thames Palace, and she owned significant personal property. In terms of wealth alone, she could be considered ahead of other princesses. If she felt lacking, she could always go to her father, make up a reasonable excuse, and bring back money. Unlike her step-sisters, she did so with great pride.

“Yes, of course I will give it to you.”

Alan’s request was difficult to measure in monetary terms.

Wasn’t it a great achievement that Anais, that girl, had her political standing diminished? It was a delightful victory.

Apart from that, it was also a great accomplishment to witness Anais’s face filled with defeat.

Her younger half-sister, who had relied solely on her background as a future empress since childhood. Lately, she had even enrolled in the academy, trying to win over the students. Sienna didn’t want to admit it, but she also felt a sense of crisis because of her.

But now, those antics were over.

The image of the kind-hearted princess who treated commoners well and excelled academically, receiving equal treatment as other students, had crumbled. Anais seemed to want to finish with a leave of absence, but Sienna intended to force her to drop out.

“A million talers seems like a cheap price to pay for getting rid of her.”

Alan also seemed to know that and confidently made his request.

“Your Highness, why hesitate? I have completed all the tasks you assigned.”

“……”

“I guarantee that the Empress cannot survive without Silosibin from now on. It doesn’t mean she suffers from insomnia and gastrointestinal problems like opium withdrawal… Her body should be fine. However, she won’t forget the good memories from the moment she took Silosibin.”

“I think so too, from what I can see.”

“Of course, I don’t think she will even be able to retaliate against the Third Princess. She knows that if she acts foolishly, the supply will be cut off.”

“Yeah. The Empress could be tamed with medicine. She may not fully align with us, but at least she won’t be hostile.”

“Everything is fine. It’s good, but…”

“There was one thing that bothered me.”

“I’m curious, very curious.”

Where did Alan Maydoff acquire all that knowledge?

Opium, Silosibin, and the underlying secrets that have yet to be revealed.

It was certain that he didn’t learn it from the Academy. I had my subordinates investigate, but there was no institution in the Britannian Empire that taught such things. It couldn’t have been passed down as a family secret from the typical fallen noble Maydoff family either.

In the end, it meant that Alan acquired the information through a path known only to himself. The talk about elves seemed like nonsense, but there might be something unknown again.

Sienna wanted to find out what Alan was hiding.

How much did he know? What potential did that knowledge hold? Above all, was there any possibility of commercializing it?

That’s why she decided to delay the confirmation a bit.

“…Alan. Come to think of it, I’m a little worried. What if the Empress tries to obtain the medicine herself? After all, it’s just a mushroom.”

“She might attempt it. But it would be fortunate if she doesn’t eat the wrong mushroom and die. It’s a difficult task even for herbalists who have lived in the forest their whole lives.”

So why do you know such a difficult thing?

Sienna almost blurted out but held her tongue. This person won’t answer obediently. He’ll probably come up with excuses and dodge the question.

She understood. He wouldn’t want to give away valuable assets for a mere one million talar.

“Your Majesty, please keep your promise.”

From the anxious and urging appearance of Alan, he seemed like a materialistic person. It appeared as if he was worried about not receiving a reward or not being able to enjoy entertainment due to saving up a substantial allowance.

“Where do you plan to spend the money? I suppose it’s okay to ask about that much.”

“Well… Haha.”

“Women? Gambling?”

“Both. I won’t deny it.”

Alan smiled as if questioning why such things were being asked and cautiously observed the situation.

Did he have an obsession with spending extravagantly until he was bone dry at cabarets and gambling dens? Considering Alan Maydoff’s usual behavior, it was a natural occurrence since he was someone who relieved the stress of murder solely through entertainment.

“But this time, it doesn’t seem like he’ll do that.”

There was something, but it seemed difficult to get the answer she wanted in this situation.

She wasn’t disappointed.

After all, there was another plan for Sienna. A way to naturally glimpse into his background without Alan having to open his mouth.

“Alright. Don’t worry, I’ll pay you first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“The same goes for your vacation. Take a break starting from tomorrow. And return whenever you want. Of course, when your help is urgently needed, you should come running immediately. …If those conditions are satisfactory, Alan?”

“Of course!”

Finally, Alan smiled brightly. Although it was brief, a cheerful atmosphere was created.

In reality, Sienna intended to keep her promise.

No, she wanted to go above and beyond. Alan was someone deserving of that. Unlike other attendants who only managed to do (or even failed to do) tasks while cautiously observing, he provided support in various aspects.

It would be foolish to mistreat such an attendant.

She planned to help Alan fully showcase his talents.

*

He said he would give the reward tomorrow morning. The vacation has already been approved.

Surely, he wouldn’t betray her at this point.

Siena was a person who would make her subordinates do all sorts of dirty work, but she definitely paid them well for it. After all, I was the one who made Siena into a virtuous lady.

“I’m not someone who would pretend to be close with you just to save 1 million talers.”

However, it wasn’t a situation where I could just wait idly for the deposit. It was because of the suspicious words Siena had said before.

“I will give you goods worth several times the value of the 1 million talers you requested.”

It wasn’t necessarily breaking the promise to pay in goods. Giving a luxurious mansion near Thames Palace, a quaint farm, or crafts and jewelry wouldn’t be bad. But that’s the thinking of a normal person. Unfortunately, Siena wasn’t normal.

“If it were real estate, she would have mentioned it beforehand. There must be some other motive.”

Suppressing the faint rising anxiety, I headed home. My residence was a multi-story apartment building located 30 minutes away from the palace. The first floor had shops, and the three floors above were used as residential apartments. It was quite comfortable, fitting for a noble knight’s dwelling, but the interior was very plain. It was literally a house only for sleeping, with no signs of the outside world. Besides, I often took care of my meals within the palace grounds.

Sitting on the edge of the bed in my spacious but empty home, various thoughts came to mind. Among them, I thought about the reward I would receive tomorrow. I tried my best to think positively, but doubts only grew stronger.

“That’s all there is, no matter how much I think about it.”

There was something that came to mind, but I could only hope that my intuition was wrong.

…

“Lord Alan, may I have a moment of your time?”

The next morning, Gordon, the steward in charge of the palace’s affairs, visited. He was a high-ranking nobleman who served directly under the emperor, and compared to me, a mere knight, he held a higher status and was much older. However, his attitude was very cautious.

Was it because of the misdeeds committed by Alan Maydoff before I possessed him? I could readily understand why he was observing me with an uneasy expression.

However, I wasn’t at all pleased with the document he handed me.

“Her Highness Siena has a message for Sir Alan.”

Since I agreed to receive it in kind, it wasn’t strange to write a contract. However, what Siena was going to give me wasn’t real estate or expensive artwork. It had a value higher than one million dollars, that much was certain. “A modified field plow, huh? This is interesting,” I chuckled as soon as I saw the contract. “Alan Kyeong? What did you say?” “No, nothing. Please continue.” “Yes. It’s a contract transferring ownership of crops being cultivated in the gardens of Thames Palace to Alan Kyeong. More precisely, it’s the ownership of the refined substance extracted from those fruits.” “All of that quantity?” “Yes. You don’t have to worry about the effectiveness of the contract. Once Alan Kyeong signs it, we will immediately proceed with the notarization process.” I wasn’t worried about the effectiveness of the contract. The problem was the identity of the item she promised to give. “By the way, Master Sijong, there is only one crop being cultivated in the garden, right?” “Yes, so what?” Naturally, that crop was opium poppy. They said that even at this moment, the gardeners of Thames Palace were extracting sap day and night to produce raw opium. They were short-handed, so they brought in about a hundred servants and slaves, didn’t they? That would be the end for me once I received the opium they made. “Did Your Highness make any other requests?” “Ah, yes. He said he wouldn’t interfere with how you dispose of the opium. He told you to act at your discretion without worrying about appearances.” The Chief Sijong looked at me as if envying me while saying that. It seemed like he genuinely envied me, although it wasn’t something to be jealous of, considering that this person would probably consider opium as a medicine for headaches or toothaches. It could be because Siena, who punished even the slightest mistake with a cudgel, had a particular fondness for me alone. “It’s all Alan Kyeong’s.” There was no need to confirm it. I sighed and looked at the contract again. It contained the content of transferring ownership of opium produced on a plot of land exceeding 30 hectares, which was unusually large for a garden, to me free of charge. “So this was it after all.” The reward for the villainess was opium.

It was indeed a year with a unique perspective.