“Greedy, so much that it has forgotten its subject and duty, much like a pig. You are not incorrect in your assessment.”
Suppressing the rising anger he was all too familiar with, Franz raised his head.
Unfortunately for him, the emotion of anger was not allowed, especially in front of the esteemed members of the Albrecht royal family.
He couldn’t express his anger toward their openly disdainful gazes and words. Whenever he occasionally let his emotions show, it resulted in even greater contempt.
It was better to endure from the start than to bear harsher insults afterward.
No matter what was said to him, Franz maintained a smile. After enduring for several years, enduring just once more seemed trivial.
Soon, everyone would bow before him, so this much was nothing.
Franz imagined Monica’s cold face striking the ground.
He could picture her kneeling, prostrate on the floor, pleading for forgiveness in front of him. Beside her, Karl and Madam Pulcheria would be there as well.
When he ascended the throne, he would witness those who had mocked and disregarded him begging for their lives, their heads bowed to the ground…
Such thoughts made some of the long-standing frustration dissipate.
“Lady Monica is absolutely right. I feel the same way.”
Look at him. Monica’s left eyebrow shot up. She was momentarily at a loss for words as the words she had aimed at provocation were so easily acknowledged by him.
“It is the royal family’s grace that allows them to profit through commerce, so how dare they voice discontent? Isn’t that right?”
“It’s amusing to hear the duke say that. Does someone truly know that and still come here with such audacious requests?”
“Those not blessed with the noble Albrecht blood are too foolish and ignorant to even understand the weight of their words. They don’t realize which graces they live under, or what kindness they are receiving. All they know is the few coins that fall into their hands—their immediate interests.”
“……”
Monica’s eyes narrowed. What on earth does this insidious man want to say? He wore a sly expression as if he could see right through her thoughts.
“Even I, who bear the royal blood but have a hint of base lineage, feel the same. Pure things tarnish too easily when touched by filth… Though I am the emperor’s son, everyone claims I resemble more the common blood than that of the noble Albrecht line. It seems they are not wrong. I am so foolish that I often forget the blessings I enjoy, just like those you called pigs, Lady Monica.”
“I didn’t mean to imply that much.”
“Whether the expression is excessive or not matters little. That is the truth.”
“If you think so, what more can I say?”
Monica fell silent, unsure if there was anything more to say to Franz, who was indulging in an overwhelming amount of self-deprecation.
His self-blame and self-destruction seemed to sap her fighting spirit, despite her preparation to counter his words with something impactful.
“Lady Monica, being of noble birth, may not fully grasp the psyche of such foolish individuals. The wretched and ignorant simply cannot appreciate kindness; they only think of the harm that befalls them. In other words, regardless of the kindness received from the imperial family, they only calculate the damage currently inflicted upon them and that which may come in the future. Therefore, it is inevitable that any argument you make will lead to severe backlash as long as the prohibition continues. I wanted to make you aware of that.”
“So, this is the long preamble you had to launch into to say something so presumptuous.”
As you say, we are foolish—similar to gluttonous pigs who spew nonsense.
Yet, precisely because we are foolish and greedy, what past kindness we may have received doesn’t matter; we think only of the losses to come.
So, be cautious. To summarize, Franz’s remarks were as follows.
Monica let out an incredulous sigh. What a snake this man was.
“Please think carefully. In this situation, shouldn’t we be drawing more people to our side? It wouldn’t benefit anyone to inadvertently turn anyone into an enemy.”
“Listening to you makes it seem as if you genuinely care about me, Duke.”
“Of course. It is the duty of the royal family to continually worry and care for the nation and its people, is it not?”
“Hahaha.”
Monica burst into laughter, as if she had forgotten her dignity as royalty, her laughter boisterous and unabashed.
Struggling to contain herself, she laughed heartily, wiping away tears from her eyes.
“That’s the funniest thing I’ve heard recently. I never knew the Duke had such a knack for humor, hahaha.”
For someone who thought nothing of trampling countless people for personal gain to speak of the nation—it was a laughable joke indeed.
Monica continued to laugh, holding her stomach.
“I understand your intent very well, but I’ll take my leave now. I will consider when to lift the prohibition. Hahaha…”
Franz stood up, bowing respectfully, just as he had when he sat down, and exited the office without turning back to look at Monica, who continued to laugh. For a while, he felt her laughter echoed in the corridor.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”
Stilikov, who had overheard the entire conversation, hurriedly glanced at Franz, his voice filled with concern.
It seemed that the superior, who had suffered greatly at the hands of the royals, was now worried about whether Monica’s disdain would hurt him further.
“Is there any reason not to be okay?”
Normally, the moment Franz would escape the royal gaze, he would drop the mask of laughter, but this time he strangely maintained a smile.
Is he really alright? Stilikov continued to observe Franz’s expression.
“The purpose of being here has been achieved. A bit of chatter like that doesn’t bother me at all.”
“The purpose you speak of…”
“To uncover who the real mastermind is behind the complete suspension of commerce within the capital. That was my true aim for visiting here today.”
“By ‘real mastermind’ you mean… someone other than Lady Monica Albrecht has issued the prohibition?”
Luckily, the corridor was empty. Afraid someone might overhear their conversation, Stilikov lowered his voice.
“Do you not remember what Monica said at the end?”
With no one around, there was no need for formalities. Franz’s tone became noticeably colder as he mentioned Monica’s name in a more casual manner.
“She said, ‘I will discuss when to lift the prohibition.’”
“Yes, she did. But why…?”
Stilikov halted mid-sentence, realizing abruptly. Monica had not promised to think it over; she had said they would have a “discussion.”
This meant that the authority to lift the ban was not only hers but belonged to someone else. The one who could lift the ban was likely the same person who imposed it. Therefore…
“It must be Karl. There’s likely no one else who could influence the regent to that extent.”
Stilikov nodded in agreement.
“But why did Duke Albrecht impose the ban?”
“I can’t know all his intentions. He’s a sly, serpentine fellow.”
“The duke wouldn’t gain anything from regulating commerce…”
“There are many reasons to undertake such action. Like you said, to gain something or to avoid losses. And sometimes…”
“What do you mean?”
“When there is something you wish to find.”
As they passed the end of the corridor and stepped outside the palace, a carriage awaited them. Following Franz, who swiftly jumped into the carriage, Stilikov got in as well.
“Something you wish to find…”
What might Duke Albrecht be seeking through commercial regulation? Something arrived at the end of Stilikov’s thoughts.
“Could it be that he’s trying to stimulate the black market, Your Highness? If you block the front, the back naturally becomes active, and I believe Duke Albrecht is aware of this.”
“He’s trying to stimulate the black market…”
As they boarded the carriage, Stilikov’s voice rose slightly. There were no ears listening here, so he could feel a bit more at ease.
“Why would he want to stimulate the black market?”
“I can’t know the exact reason, but if he isn’t gaining anything particularly from commercial regulation and isn’t trying to reduce Your Highness’s revenue by restricting trade, there’s one possible reason.”
Though a few trading posts owned by Franz exist on the surface, every noble knows that they are far from being the primary source of income for Duchy Toskurs.
He wouldn’t issue a commercial ban that might provoke public backlash just to cut off such limited financial resources.
As much as I hate to admit it, Karl Albrecht isn’t that foolish.
“If he really intends to activate the black market, it means he is looking for someone through it.”
“If he really committed such an act to stimulate the black market, then yes, you’re right.”
“Could he have discovered something about the magical stones?”
Stilikov’s voice lowered. Despite only having him and Franz present, the sensitive nature of the discussion made his tone cautious.
