“It will fail. I will plunge it into the abyss beyond recovery.”

“Is this a story a mere maid dares to mention?”

Ines’s face turned cold, as if her laughter so far had been false, in response to Boniface’s anger. She grabbed the documents in front of him and lifted them with a thud. Then, she spread them widely in front of his eyes.

“Are you going to bring that up? Please face it properly. Understand what this means.”

Since meeting Duchess Montreux, Ines had only one word left in her mind.

It was the foundation.

Angeliana’s words were mostly wrong, but only one was correct. The emperor needed a support base.

So far, the most efficient method the nobility had used to keep their positions was to divide the existing nobles into two and start a war.

But what would change if the greedy dirty water was divided in half and they fought? It was all already rotten water. If power leaned one way, the result would be the same. It would just be a mud fight.

Grand Duke Boniface seemed to have something to say, but he couldn’t bring himself to speak.

Ines raised the documents and spoke.

“Central Bank.”

“…What?”

“If Lord Mondrei handles this situation, please designate Mondrei Bank as the Empire’s sole central bank.”

The fact that the bank she established was designated as the Empire’s sole central bank meant that all the finances of the Empire would be entrusted to Ines.

All taxes would come in and out through Mondrei Bank. All payment settlement systems would be overseen by Ines. In essence, the entire Imperial Treasury would be in her hands.

“Speak sensibly!”

“And entrust me with that position.”

“What did you say?”

“I am not trying to turn all the nobles of this country into enemies. I do not want to completely disrupt the noble order and make them taste bitter defeat. Instead…”

Ines put down the documents she was holding and looked straight into his eyes.

The old man’s eyes had a completely different light than when he came in. Even though there was no contempt or curiosity in his eyes directed at Ines, what was evident in his gaze was fear.

His eyes did not reflect a pathetic appearance, but he could not hide his anxiety.

“What… exactly does that mean?”

“A new country. A new emperor has been born. Shouldn’t there be a new treasury to match him?”

Currently, the person holding the most central role and rights in the Keynes Imperial Government was Duke Montreux. So, the high-ranking officials in charge of the administration of each ministry were all individuals within Montreux’s control.

“I seek a complete change.”

“A complete change?”
“The current Treasury will be discarded. And I am providing the Grand Duke with an opportunity to escape from the pit, much like a genuine lifeline.”

Watching him swallow dry saliva, Ines lifted the teacup again. She stretched out her body, crossed her legs, and sat down. Then, looking across the teacup, she sneakily glanced at his face.

“Do you have something to say about what you said when you entered this room?”

Contrary to her, Boniface completely lost his composure. All he could do was anxiously wait for the next words she would utter.

“As the Grand Duke mentioned. The world has changed a lot. So now is the time to entrust yourself to the flow of that change.”

A completely new beginning.

That was exactly what Ines wanted.

Among the two rights that Carson had not yet seized, one was finance, which required particularly specialized personnel.

Not only was money needed to handle administrative matters, guard the temple, and train the military, but having control over this right meant that other ministries could easily collapse in some way.

Instead of the current Treasury, a necessary individual was needed. He still had many authorities to move the Treasury. And he was a capable person. Ines intended to bring Boniface over and place him on her platform.

“Do you dream of absolute monarchy?”

The man who had been maintaining silence finally spoke in a solemn voice towards Ines. It had been a long time since he moved away from the attitude of treating her as just a maid.

“No.”

“If this is not what you mean, then what?”

“I do not wish for absolute monarchy, which lays ignorance on the people based on divine authority, oppressing them. Nor do I want to force the nobles into fear and rule through tyranny.”

“Then!”

“Centralization.”

While recognizing to some extent the autonomy of the nobles and their territories, all decisions and power should come from a stable imperial authority.

“A centralized system to reorganize the bureaucracy will be pursued. His Majesty wishes to govern directly through governors ruling the provinces. For that, various positions are needed. And the first of those will be the Treasury.”

And the new bureaucrats of the Treasury would become a reliable foundation for Carson.

The foundation claimed by Duke Montreux and his daughter was merely an illusion.

The foundation of the newly established imperial family would not be formed by credentials and lineage. It would find its place solely through ability and effort.