episode_0445

The most realistic solution seemed to be shifting the request to someone else.

However, it wasn’t certain whether the madman would be swayed by persuasion.

“Cleaning up the contaminated zones. It’s so absurd that it’s almost laughable.”

Why should we be the ones to clean up the contaminated zones?

Of course, it would be good to clean them up.

It would secure a place in history as a great ruler, so it wasn’t a meaningless task.

But cleaning up the contaminated zones wasn’t something just anyone could do.

“Would pulling out the roots of the empire and using them all allow for half of the contamination to be cleansed?”

It meant using all the future of the empire.

If we were to completely cleanse all the contaminated zones, what would be left?

The nobles wouldn’t look kindly upon an emperor who uprooted the empire’s foundations and spread them into the contaminated zones.

Getting their cooperation in the first place would be a difficult battle.

Just thinking about the practical issues made it clear that this was an unreasonable request.

“No, there’s no need for that.”

“Yes? Are you really going to refuse right away?”

“No, I’ve already given my answer.”

“Yes?! Why would you…?”

Even though he was my lord, giving an immediate answer without consulting me was a reckless move.

“Well, how did he react? If you had refused more gently, we could have gone together.”

“No, Chechen. I didn’t refuse.”

“Yes?”

“I accepted Suhan’s request.”

“!!!”

Betrayal stung as my lord, whom I expected to refuse or make a different request, surprised me.

“Why… why would you do that? It was a rash decision unbecoming of a lord!”

“Chechen, I am the Crown Princess. I am the one who will bear the future of the empire.”

“…!!”

“How could I refuse after hearing those words? If I had refused, it would mean I wasn’t qualified to be the successor, and I would have felt ashamed of myself.”

“But my lord, cleansing the contaminated zones is not something that can be done in a day or two. It will be a great burden on you as the newly appointed Crown Princess. You will regret it.”

“I was well aware of that.”

“Sigh….”

Yes, that’s right.

There was no way my lord didn’t know that.

“When I heard Suhan’s request, I considered all the possibilities. No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t possibly accept his request. The reasons for refusal were overflowing.”

“But you still had to accept it?”

“Think about it. If not Suhan, who else would dare to say they will cleanse the contaminated zones?”

It didn’t seem like there would be anyone making such insane statements.

“Perhaps not.”

“Yes, and even after I’m gone, that won’t change. Chechen, you even said it was a crazy idea as soon as you heard it.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

I still hadn’t changed my mind.

“Just thinking about it would have made me seem crazy. How many people can say such things to the successor of the empire?”

“No one.”

I could answer decisively and easily.

There wouldn’t be anyone making such insane requests.

“So I had no choice but to accept.”

“….”

“Even after a hundred years or a thousand years, there wouldn’t be anyone to say such things. If I had refused now, what would happen to the future of the empire? Even if he said he would cleanse all the contaminated zones and did nothing, I couldn’t refuse.”

If I had refused that request, the empire would still be living under the threat of the contaminated zones for hundreds or thousands of years.

“Just a few hundred years ago, there was no contamination in this world. Suddenly, disaster struck, and we lost a lot of land.”

Efforts were made to combat the contamination, but many countries perished.

The empire was the only one that survived.

Currently, we are handling the contamination zone well, but we never know when we might lose ground to another attack from the contamination zone.

As long as humanity exists in the contamination zone, they will never be able to escape the possibility of extinction.

“So, I couldn’t refuse. Even though it was an unrealistic story and something that could be laughed at by others. I couldn’t just dismiss the idea of purifying the contamination zone as a silly joke. I had to support him. Just the fact that he made such a request was something to be grateful for.”

Listening to the Lord’s words felt like being hit in the back of the neck.

“…I’m sorry. My thoughts were short-sighted.”

“Don’t blame yourself for this. It was a type of thought you couldn’t have. You can only think of things that benefit me, so it’s only natural.”

“No, I will try harder. It’s my job to constantly think about what is best for the Lord.”

He felt ashamed for blaming the Lord for the choice he had already made.

His job was to ‘advise,’ not to force a choice.

The choice was the Lord’s to make, and it was right to think about what would be helpful to the Lord based on the choice he made.

“I didn’t expect that, but maybe the changing environment made me lose sight of my original intentions.”

It was time to regain his original intentions.

It was fortunate that he realized this before making a big mistake.

Feeling gloomy, the Lord patted his shoulder as if to encourage him.

Suddenly, he noticed a bright red ruby ring sparkling on the Lord’s finger.

‘It looks precious.’

It was nothing special for the Lord, who had started to adorn himself magnificently for the sake of his royal dignity, to wear jewelry he had never seen before.

It was absurd to be distracted by jewelry for even a moment in a situation where he was reflecting on his actions.

It was not the time to be concerned about mere gems.

***

It was a good decision to prepare unique equipment.

The unique equipment had been a great help, to the point where he wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t prepared it.

“I didn’t expect to succeed in one go.”

It felt satisfying to see that all the hard work had paid off.

Keeping the unique equipment for a long time had been a stroke of luck.

Honestly, Lady Mona’s reaction, who had granted my request, was not very favorable.

‘She kept asking if I was joking and if that was really my request…’

If I hadn’t given her the unique equipment, she would have probably rejected me outright.

It was very difficult to make her understand my purpose.

‘I didn’t even believe in my own purpose.’

The same went for Erintina and Talia.

They were all amazed and praised me for my purpose without doubting my intentions.

But Lady Mona doubted and found my words strange.

‘She even told me not to joke around.’

In the end, I had to explain at length to appeal to her sincerity.

Even with the explanation, I couldn’t change Lady Mona’s reaction, so I hastily brought out the unique equipment to make up for the lack.

‘Is this why bribery can never be eradicated?’

If it works this well, how can you not use bribery?

Long live bribery.

“You’re really bold. You accepted it on the spot?”

I had to share what happened with Lady Erintina while returning from the capital to the general store.

After explaining in detail what happened with Lady Mona, Lady Erintina expressed her surprise at Lady Mona’s boldness.

“Bribery worked wonders.”

“Maybe it was more about your sincerity that changed her mind. Lady Mona must have found something lacking and resorted to bribery.”

“…Is that so?”

Since I didn’t see Lady Mona’s reaction when I gave the bribe, it was just a thought.

Mona Hwangtae-nyeo is someone with a tremendous attachment and obsession towards things she likes.

With such a disposition, she creates a museum to fill it with things she likes and exhibits them.

“In other words, Mona Hwangtae-nyeo is someone with a lot of ambition in the field she is interested in. It’s just that she has so much that her standards are high and she is picky, making it difficult to see her ambitious side.”

How did Mona Hwangtae-nyeo feel about the unique equipment in her eyes?

“It felt like it came to me on its own.”

How happy must she have been?

Mona Hwangtae-nyeo doesn’t want to resemble the emperor, but it’s impossible not to resemble him at all when blood ties are involved.

Sometimes she showed spontaneous behavior.

In the field she loves.

“Now, it’s the real beginning.”

“Yeah.”

The things I had been doing so far were not an exaggeration to say they were at a preparatory level.

Raising children to create a division and turning the front lines into a city.

Although the First Prince spread a huge mess, Mona Hwangtae-nyeo showed a successful appearance with the cleansing troops as if to show off.

So, in the future, someone had to be interested in purifying contaminated areas.

“It’s obvious that money flows there. And where money flows, people are bound to gather.”

The only concern is the failure of the First Prince’s cleansing troops, but currently, the First Prince is quickly fading from people’s memories.

“He’s missing, but there aren’t many people looking for him. If there are any, it would be the First Prince’s close aides who supported him or the First Prince’s relatives who bribed Princess Haehwa…”

The problem is that the emperor completely cut off his interest in the First Prince.

Moreover.

“There must be a reason why Mona Hwangtae-nyeo doesn’t publicize what happened in the contaminated area. Perhaps she has already made a deal with the emperor.”

If the ultimate authority figure, the emperor, has turned a blind eye, is the survival issue of the First Prince really important?

“A failed competitor who is out of the emperor’s sight. Even if he’s alive, he should hide like he’s dead.”

With this level of indifference, it won’t take long for the First Prince to be forgotten by everyone.

With the brilliant success of Mona Hwangtae-nyeo in front of her eyes, how many people will dwell on their failures?

“It’s not enough to just think of good things.”

In that regard, it was necessary for Mona Hwangtae-nyeo to quickly make the purified land a success.

Only when that land succeeds can it touch the nobles’ desires.