I returned to my lodging after finishing work.

“Phew….”

Klaus had worked diligently all day as usual. His attitude towards me hadn’t changed.

I was the only one feeling down.

“…”

I became disheartened by the fact that I wasn’t entirely trusted.

After all, I hadn’t proven my abilities except for presenting ideas about tax system reform.

At most, I had been assisting the Crown Prince with his duties.

Yet, we had occasional private conversations, making me think we had become somewhat familiar.

Maybe it was just my misconception.

“Stupid, this is what you wanted.”

A bitter soliloquy dispersed into the air.

Yes, it was true. I wanted this.

I hoped he would remain cold and unyielding to prevent my growing affection for Klaus from getting out of hand.

Nevertheless, this useless feeling called love kept making me foolishly expect the unexpected.

I had to snap out of it.

Feelings faded quickly, but determination always left its mark.

Therefore, I should focus on my will and goals rather than emotions.

“Huah!”

I forcefully got up from the relaxed posture.

There was no time to be lethargic. To avoid being consumed by useless emotions, I needed to diligently focus on other tasks.

Since the Crown Prince had ordered attendance at the banquet, I, too, needed to prepare in my own way.

I sat in front of the desk with renewed vigor.

“First, let’s contact Lumie.”

For obtaining various information related to the party hosted by Lumie, it was best to directly contact her.

Moreover, I needed to inform her before hearing about my attendance as Klaus’s aide from elsewhere.

It was my first experience with a noble’s banquet.

Even if I didn’t become Mrs. Werner’s partner, such an opportunity had come.

Mrs. Werner might feel upset. Refusing to be her partner and eventually attending the party meant rejecting her.

But what could I do? If Klaus was so angered and ordered, how could I refuse the Crown Prince’s command?

After finishing the letter to Lumie, I opened the desk drawer.

Inside, there was a neatly organized chart detailing the situations of each noble family’s territory.

“Phew, I worked quite hard on completing this.”

I had thoroughly investigated the imperial revenue data at the library, even going so far as to get locked in Klaus’s secret study.

I reordered the situations of the territories based on the significant differences between the reports submitted by the nobles to the emperor and the ones investigated by Shatten.

“What a completely manual task, darn it.”

Organizing it this way made it evident who was deceiving their income the most.

Since the taxation criteria were based on the territory’s area, the actual revenue itself differed slightly between the reports and Shatten’s investigation, but the emperor didn’t inquire much about it.
However, to put it differently, there’s no need to deceive unnecessarily, and it’s only natural to suspect those who resort to deceit.

I checked the nobles at the very bottom of the rearranged chart.

“Count Poirbach.”

Known to be somewhat old-fashioned, he was an principled person, not unlike Klaus, and had strong loyalty to the emperor.

Due to his stern personality, many nobles found him frustrating.

“If he values principles so much, he must have pitied Mrs. Werner’s situation.”

This meant that Count Poirbach wasn’t merely a person rigidly adhering to regulations.

He possessed a flexible mindset that could be utilized when necessary.

“Well….”

It’s clear but not this clear.

To become a good ruler, Klaus needed to ally himself not with Lumi or Meklinger but with Count Poirbach.

Meklinger’s “cleanliness ranking” unfortunately didn’t place high.

He was a typical privileged class member, showing loyalty to the emperor when necessary while diligently filling his own pockets on the side.

Moreover, having read the original work, I knew well what kind of person he was.

If he got a hold of Klaus, he would surely try to hinder him, and he was definitely not someone Klaus could trust and rely on.

Sorry to Lumi, but my priority in this world wasn’t Lumi’s happy ending.

I took a pen and wrote down the tasks I needed to do one by one.

“Now it’s time to grasp business income.”

It was groundwork for imposing a wealth tax based on income scale.

It involved finding out the business income of nobles, which was the largest source of income alongside the territorial income.

A more efficient method was needed.

Also, to settle him as part of the system, I had to engage in political give-and-take with the nobles.

How could I make the nobles voluntarily report their business income?

“They will definitely oppose if I say it’s for tax imposition.”

Therefore, when reporting income, an appropriate carrot must be offered. A very solid carrot tempting enough for the nobles.

“Hmm….”

But a good solution didn’t come to mind immediately. This required some careful consideration.

In any case, my goal was clear.

Klaus would undoubtedly become a good emperor. I would make sure of it.

Even if I had to use Lumi, by all means.