As Lord Boniface, also the chief financial officer, blinked his eyes slowly, he raised his eyebrows and chuckled.
“It’s a mess, my lady. What can I say?”
He skillfully lightened the mood, and Ines managed to smile after taking a deep breath. Although she had regained her composure, it was not easy to feign peace in front of a seasoned man.
“For a while, there will be ongoing chaos, and the people will groan.”
Acknowledging the difficulty of the situation, he candidly admitted the results of the monetary reform.
“The only reason there’s no riot in such a situation is solely due to Your Majesty’s grace.”
The chief financial officer also nodded in agreement, as if saying the same.
“By the way, the world has really changed a lot.”
He looked at Ines silently. His gaze held neither disdain nor curiosity.
“You may feel that way.”
Ines knew exactly what the Chief Financial Officer wanted to convey. She also understood that the man before her was not someone who asserted his worth by simply crushing women.
He was currently testing Ines on the stand.
“That’s right. The day has come when a mere maid requests the presence of the Chief Financial Officer in her reception room.”
Ines smiled as if truly embarrassed. There was nothing for her to gain by stiffening her neck.
As she moved her head slightly, Emma came forward to serve tea. Recently, Emma had started to listen to Ines’s affairs. The reason was that the princess no longer needed a governess.
“So, shall we treat the esteemed guest with the best tea? This is highly regarded even in Landhill. Anything from the savage lands is good—be it a gun, a carriage, or even silk.”
Except for Monstera, the Keynes Empire had not experienced war for over a hundred years.
The fact that there had been no war for over a century meant that the replacement of taxes with military service had not occurred due to participation in the war. Unless it was voluntary contributions, which were not like the consigned goods, there was not enough tax to fill the current royal finances.
It had been a long time since the power of the nobility had become so overwhelming that their stomachs were about to burst.
A class with privileges but no obligations.
That was the foundation of the imperial support for the Marquis Montesquieu that the Marquis talked about with contempt.
The Chief Financial Officer raised his teacup to smell the aroma. Ines did not miss the satisfactory smile that appeared on his face.
“Why did you summon me today?”
Setting the teacup down without a sound, he asked without looking at Ines.
Ines instructed Emma to bring Christian, who was outside, into the room. She then handed him a document. Opening it, he turned it around to show it to Ines.
“You’ve probably heard of Mondrei Bank.”
He raised the document without answering.
“As you can see, it quantifies the current control of Mondrei Bank over the financial market.”
Boniface leaned back leisurely. However, Ines could see that he was scrutinizing the document carefully. Even the slight creasing of his forehead betrayed emotions he couldn’t hide.
“People are already using the paper created by Mondrei for transactions as if it were money.”
This was the result of the extensive efforts put in by Charlotte and Casey.
The two of them had handled the work much better than Ines had envisioned. Now, the bank was not only used in small shops but also in buying bread. The Chief Financial Officer took his eyes off the document and glanced at Ines.
“What is this supposed to convey to me?”
Ines, meeting his gaze, tilted her head slightly and stood up straight.
“There’s no substance in currency. Credit is equivalent to money. And Mondrei Bank has already gained that trust from the imperial citizens.”
Boniface lowered the documents with a thud. He seemed to be considerably shocked by the current situation. His face stiffened completely, as if the relaxation he had enjoyed so far was false.
“But… Lady, what is your connection to this bank? As far as I know…”
He glanced at Christian standing beside him.
“So far, that young man has been handling all of Mondrei’s affairs.”
In the eyes of the Grand Duke, Christian was behaving more like Mondrei’s subordinate than a representative. Ines subtly raised the corners of her mouth, offering a gentle smile.
“I am also one of the people handling Mondrei’s affairs on his behalf. You have heard that he is from Landhill, haven’t you?”
“So, is it just a coincidence that you, in tune with Mondrei, happened to come into the palace and requested a meeting with me?”
Ines shrugged her shoulders.
“Does he really have any substance?”
The Grand Duke, who had not shown much emotion so far, finally raised his voice. He no longer used formal language when speaking to Ines.
Ines sensed that it was time to play her trump card.
“I just mentioned it, didn’t I? It’s not about substance; it’s about trust. And Mondrei has already gained that trust from the imperial citizens.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
