Now, here’s the question.
What is the most important thing to achieve peace of mind, rule the country, solve various problems, and even prevent the destruction of the world?
The answer is…
‘Money, of course.’
Some might say that this sounds like a capitalist slave, but this is what I’ve learned from experience.
The Romanov Royal Knights already prevented the portal rampage once.
And the Giscard and Azure Dawn Knights are even more skilled than the Romanov Royal Knights.
In the first place, they are destined to be the protagonist and his aides in this world, so their abilities must be extraordinary, right?
It’s just a waste of breath to talk about it.
But even so, the protagonist and the knights failed in the original story.
The most crucial difference between the two orders.
That’s right, support.
To put it bluntly, money!
‘Just have a lot of money. What then?’
Giscard wouldn’t have to run around begging for purification elixirs until his feet sweat.
And the Azure Dawn Knights wouldn’t have to fight in shabby uniforms and boots.
So I decided to check Cassia’s personal assets right away.
‘First, the luxury items Cassia owns.’
I walked briskly and opened the door leading to the room next to the bedroom.
Bam!
At the same time, a huge dressing room unfolded before my eyes.
“Wow.”
An exclamation came out of my lips involuntarily.
Everything was so shiny that I felt like I was having an illusion of light pouring out.
A huge dressing room where chandeliers shone brightly.
Dazzling dresses were everywhere, and the shoe rack was filled with velvet pumps adorned with lace and jewels.
The jewelry box was full of accessories that seemed to be screaming, “I’m super expensive!”
If ‘wealth’ were to be materialized, wouldn’t it look exactly like this?
‘How much would it be if I sold all this?’
I muttered to myself, a little overwhelmed.
Maybe it’s because I still have the small-minded mentality of a K-office worker.
TL/N: “K” stands for Korean
Looking at these flashy luxury items, I felt overwhelmed rather than materialistic.
But that wouldn’t last long either.
I turned my gaze and looked at the safe located inside the dressing room.
‘But Cassia’s greatest wealth is not such trivial luxuries.’
I opened the safe and pulled out a thick envelope.
The identity of this envelope, clearly stamped with the seal of the Imperial Central Bank, is…
“……I think it was said to be the dowry of the late Empress.”
I touched the envelope with a rather complicated feeling.
The basis of the wealth that has so far supported Cassia’s immense extravagance.
It was the enormous dowry that Cassia’s mother, now deceased, had brought with her.
Well, it’s a cliché melodrama.
The Empress, who had not had a child for a long time, and the Emperor, whose eyes fell for a commoner maid.
The maid gave birth to a prince and flaunted it, while the Empress, tormented by the sight, finally became pregnant with a daughter.
However, the Emperor still regarded the Empress with indifference.
To the extent that he didn’t even step into the Empress’s birthing room, where she was half-dead from a difficult childbirth.
So, the year the original Cassia turned five.
“My dear child.”
A withered hand sweeps down the child’s small cheek.
“Mommy is sorry…”
The Empress ended her life filled with regret.
Afterward, the Empress’s family, the Diaz ducal family, expressed great dissatisfaction with her early death.
It’s only natural, in fact.
Hadn’t they watched their sister slowly wither away and die due to the Emperor’s coldness?
On the other hand, from the Emperor’s point of view, it was very inconvenient to continue to be at odds with Duke Diaz, the head of the North.
The Emperor returned the dowry that the Empress had brought to Cassia’s name.
‘I’m sparing the only bloodline left by the Empress in this way, so let’s call it even.’
Well, that’s what it meant.
The problem is.
‘Cassia turned out to be an utter scoundrel beyond imagination.’
With the backing of the Diaz ducal family, the highest aristocratic family in the empire.
The only legitimate princess of noble status.
The young princess grew up as an unbridled troublemaker, completely unaware of the dangers of the world…
But the late Empress was very kind and generous. What’s Cassia’s problem?!
“Sigh.”
I let out a deep sigh and opened the envelope.
My jaw dropped instantly.
“W-Wow…”
Cassia was truly wealthy!
The lavish document with gold trimming was a certificate of deposit balance issued by the Imperial Central Bank.
And the balance printed on it was a staggering…
“18,720,000 derks?!”
Eighteen million seven hundred twenty thousand derks. In my past life, it would be like buying a high-rise building in Gangnam with cash and still having millions left over.
And this amount was what remained after all of Cassia’s extravagances.
How much was there originally?
‘If I sell all the dresses and luxury items and scrape together every penny…’
I could buy an entire island, not just have a mojito on one!
Plus, the period for sponsoring the knights is only five years.
It’s more than a profitable deal!
An evil grin spread across my lips.
“Ha ha, ha ha ha, ha ha ha ha… Ha ha ha ha!!”
The suppressed laughter quickly turned into a loud guffaw.
Someone might think I’d gone slightly mad, but who cares.
After all, Cassia had done crazier things before.
“Oh, this feels great!”
I stomped my feet in excitement and cheered.
Just wait a little longer, everyone.
I’ll show you exactly what a princess’s money can do!
* * *
After that,
I started to scrupulously gather every last bit of remaining money.
The first thing I did was to sell all of the dresses, shoes, and fashion accessories I had.
In fact, it was easy to dispose of them.
After all, the original Cassia had already done this a few times.
“How am I supposed to wear these clothes?!”
I just had to throw a tantrum and say that I couldn’t stand having all these things that were so out of style.
However, there was one thing that was a bit different from before.
“Y-You’re saying you want to sell all your dresses to us?”
The owner of the most popular costume shop in the empire, who was also unfortunate enough to have to make the spoiled imperial princess her regular customer in exchange.
Madame Abigail.
She looked at me with a strange expression.
When she first entered the palace, she looked so scared that she thought she was going to die on the spot.
Now she was showing curiosity about my proposal.
Well, I can’t blame her.
In the past, Cassia, when suggested by others to give away her expensive dresses rather than destroy them, would say,
“I can’t stand it if other women wear the dresses I wore!”
……and then she had committed the act of setting her entire dressing room on fire.
Good grief, she really was a troublemaker.
Cassia, you really lived recklessly, didn’t you?
As I tried to hide my astonishment, I met Madame Abigail’s eyes, who was glancing at me.
She instinctively gave me a bright smile.
I admired her inwardly.
‘Wow, is this what a true professional looks like?’
The joy of being able to buy these top-notch dresses for a pittance.
The suspicion of ‘What’s wrong with that spoiled princess?’
And the ability to mask those complex emotions with a smile.
It was truly admirable diplomacy.
Well, you’d have to be at least that good to survive by somehow pleasing Cassia’s whims, wouldn’t you?
“Yeah.”
I crossed my arms and nodded.
“How much can you give me?”
* * * *
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