“That’s true. It hasn’t been commercialized until now. This time, I discovered a mine where mithril has been extracted. Currently, the servant system is on the verge of war at any moment. If we export it at the right time, the benefits will be comparable to diamonds.”

“Haha, where do you get such information?”

The king asked with a proud expression, but Cahillen did not answer. He just leisurely twirled his wine glass.

As he intended, Floria’s eyes sparkled at the mention of the mine. It was clear that her greed for the mine had been awakened.

The previously firm expression that she had held due to being asked if there was someone she had in mind softened considerably. I inwardly sighed in relief. Thanks to this, it seemed I wouldn’t be invited to any troublesome situations.

“What if I say such things?”
After finishing the dinner and returning to the Second Prince’s residence, Eric scowled at Floria with a puzzled expression.

Although he was grateful for her assistance, he harbored dissatisfaction because he was now burdened with a relief operation he hadn’t considered.

Relief operations like this were nothing but troublesome, involving spending money without any tangible benefits. Originally, Eric had no interest in Herbert Territory’s relief efforts.

Floria barely managed to endure the sight of her pitiful husband expressing irritation.

This man was indeed outwardly intact, but his core was unbelievably foolish. He didn’t understand how important it was to establish his presence among the current citizens of the kingdom.

‘Is he going to let the golden opportunity slip away to the First Prince?’

While trying to make efforts to quickly elevate him to the throne due to the king’s worsening condition, someone chaotic had come in, making foolish remarks.

Floria sighed deeply inside as she looked at Eric’s disheveled appearance. She didn’t like the sight, but she had to endure until he ascended to the throne.

‘He wanted to finish the work before the First Prince got married. That would be challenging.’

She had been relieved to hear that he had no intention of marrying Princess Isola.

When she saw Renéola’s surprised expression upon hearing Cahillen’s words, it was clear that even she didn’t know about it.

‘Useless. Well, it seems the information about the mine is true.’

Shanna, who had already investigated the mine, expressed no particular concerns.

As Cahillen suggested, if mithril was exported to the Herbert Territory, which was on the brink of war, the need to cater to the queen’s preferences would no longer be necessary.

Floria was determined to somehow acquire that mine. However, to do so, she needed funds. No matter how cheap it was, the amount was comparable to the annual budget of a considerable territory, possibly because it was an iron mine.

‘It would be strange if I suddenly spent a large sum of money.’

Moreover, not only owning the mine but also extracting and refining mithril required money.

“Are you listening to me?”

Lost in thought, Floria raised her head at Eric’s shout. Then she covered her mouth with both hands and raised her eyebrows.

“Sorry, Your Highness. That’s the only thing that came to mind.”

“Well…”

Eric, who wanted to press further, softened his heart at Floria’s pitiful expression. He sighed and hugged Floria.

“I’m sorry for raising my voice. I’m just frustrated. I don’t care about relief efforts or businesses like that.”

Floria inwardly clicked her tongue. Whenever Eric uttered such foolish remarks, irritation surged within her. However, she refrained from expressing her annoyance verbally.

“Wise Highness will surely handle anything well. I trust Your Highness.”

“Of course, I can handle anything well, but why suddenly engage in some relief operation?”

“How about doing it like this?”
Floria slightly withdrew from Eric’s embrace and looked up at him.

“What the disaster victims urgently need is food. However, we can’t continue to support endlessly for everyone. So, we’ll provide only the bare minimum to survive, and if more is needed later, we’ll attach a reasonable interest. That way, there won’t be people lying and being greedy, and the funds won’t be quickly depleted, allowing us to help more people.”

“That’s right! This way, we can save face and make money.”

Eric reflected on it as a good idea. Floria, as if expressing joy that she could be of help, brightly smiled. However, her mind was filled with thoughts of diverting funds through this operation to purchase the mine.