According to Cahilern, Floria spent an amount of money this time that would be comparable to the three-year budget of most territories.

At this level, even if she had emptied almost all of her funds, it would not be surprising. It was clear how she would replenish the depleted funds.

The business venture that she, along with Prince Eric, undertook in the Humbert territory was akin to usury. Initially offering things for free to those in urgent need, then charging double interest, and later adding triple interest.

However, now, such measures would hardly suffice.

“Prince Eric is requesting nobles in the Humbert territory to make donations.”

In response to Maachi’s report, Cahilern smirked as if he expected this. It was an expression that said it was too obvious.

Nobles had no choice but to donate as they didn’t want the label of turning away kingdom citizens in distress, in accordance with Prince Eric’s wishes.

For them, dignity and honor were more important than anything else. Therefore, by handing over the donation money, they would help Prince Eric alleviate the suffering of the kingdom citizens, while Cahilern would also pocket a considerable amount.

Nobles who had to unwillingly contribute a substantial donation would likely harbor resentment towards Cahilern, who was originally responsible for this matter.

In the original work, everything went according to Floria’s plan. This led Eric to gain the support of the kingdom citizens while creating distrust among the moderate noble faction led by Cahilern.

But that was a story from the original work. I grinned as Cahilern and I made eye contact. Everything was progressing according to our plan.

The royal hunting competition, held for three days in early winter, was quite an important event for the nobles.

For gentlemen, it was an opportunity to showcase their hunting skills, and for ladies, it was an event to choose a marriage partner outside of the social season.

Especially for men, who usually attended fewer social events during the social season, ladies who wanted to confirm their potential partners often utilized the royal hunting competition.

Of course, many married individuals also participated, especially royal family members, making it an event that I attended with Cahilern.

Cahilern, who had left for the hunt, promising to catch a silver fox and make a scarf for me, left me sitting with the noble ladies, sipping tea.

Drinking tea outdoors in early winter turned out to be quite pleasant. Of course, the way they exchanged cutting remarks and turned each other with smiling faces was astonishing, but I had reached a point where I could ignore that with a flick of my ear.

While the noble ladies treated me overtly as if I didn’t exist, unlike me, Floria was actively engaging in lively conversations with them.

To me, the noble ladies, who were eagerly looking for something to criticize, were sending Floria eyes full of boundless trust.

The conversation had somehow shifted to parenting.
It’s me, and it hasn’t been long since I got married, and there hasn’t been much interest from others, but Floria was different. Having entered the palace before marriage and having had enough time since marriage to have a child, questions were focused on her.

“Princess Bee, do you have any plans to see a royal descendant soon?”

“Of course, you’re still newlyweds, but the royal family is eager to see descendants quickly, as it has been a tradition for generations.”

“This year, there are quite a few families where the sound of a baby crying can be heard, right? If a royal descendant is born now, the competition for successors will be fierce.”

The questions were forthright and flowed without hesitation, perhaps because forming a family and having a child was a natural part of their culture. Floria answered each question calmly without a hint of displeasure.

In fact, Floria also wanted to have a child. It was because giving birth to the royal bloodline was the most certain way to solidify her position.

Certainly, her reputation had improved, and her standing in the royal family had become quite strong, proportional to the rumors and insults she had endured. However, she still felt it was not enough.

Efforts were being made, especially on the day of the joint meeting with the Second Prince, but it would not be easy. Because,

‘The Second Prince is infertile.’

It was a content kindly described in the original work. I pretended not to know and sipped my tea.

“What about Prince Consort One? Do you have plans to have a child?”

I didn’t expect a question to come back to me since they continued to treat me as if I didn’t exist. I was momentarily surprised, but soon after setting down my teacup, I answered.

“Yes, of course. Extending the lineage is also the duty of the royal family.”

With a nonchalant answer, I sent a look to Floria, indicating that there was no intention for such a thing. Shaner, who was standing in the distance, seemed bewildered.