Lord Aurel’s response was as expected. The essence of his refined and elegant language, reminiscent of Rene’s eloquence, was clear.
“As the abundant iron ore is an achievement of His Majesty the Emperor, it should be redirected for domestic use to strengthen the empire.”
Upon hearing this, His Majesty the Emperor asked, “What do you think of Agael’s envoy’s demands?”
At that moment, my heart pounded. Indeed, the appearance of Agael’s envoy had become the core of the issue.
Lord Aurel responded, “Absolutely impossible. We cannot hand over the Emperor’s iron to the adversary that must be destroyed after the Amata tribe.”
The response of Lord Gracian, who had been the commander of the Amata War, was not fundamentally different.
“The iron ore conquered by the Empire at the cost of shedding blood should be used solely for the benefit of the Empire.”
However, he did not forget to emphasize the need to prioritize replenishing the lost troops. It implied the necessity to placate the dissatisfaction of the military forces.
Princess Hwangnyeo took her turn forward.
The response I had taught her was a moderate position between the two imperial princes. It was a textbook-like answer, considering the emotions of the Empire’s people who had just fought a war, hostile to Amata, and the need to fairly consider the military and domestic affairs.
However, when she opened her mouth, it felt as if I had been hit on the head.
“Your Majesty, I intend to present a different argument from my brothers. The Empire should export iron to Agael.”
The Emperor’s face stiffened, and the Empress seemed to rise from her seat, holding the armrest as if she would stand up.
‘What are you doing, Lady Loar!’
Although Master Kaidel glared at me with stern eyes, I was the most astonished person in that place.
Nevertheless, regardless of my shock, Princess Hwangnyeo spoke in a cheerful voice.
“Your Majesty, you have acquired a rich, high-purity iron ore mine through this war. However, due to technical issues, there is a lack of capacity to utilize it. The military and domestic affairs are competing for the priority of iron consumption. Of course, both of your esteemed brothers’ words are correct. Domestic use and weapon stockpiling are equally important.”
Princess Hwangnyeo calmly surveyed the people.
I wished she wouldn’t be so confident and calm in such situations.
I tried not to let my expression falter, feeling a slight dizziness.
The Emperor asked in a voice that suppressed his anger, “Miliora, what are you trying to say?”
“So, if we increase the overall iron production, all problems will be solved.”
“…”
“Agael has better iron smelting technology than us. The supply of limestone and coke is smooth. Instead of providing them with smelting technology and materials, we can limit the export of the produced iron. It will bring much greater profits to the Empire than exporting iron ore.”
Princess Miliora almost faithfully recounted the story I had told her during the party.
Confirming that she had good memory and was intelligent in this way was a painful task.
A heavy silence lingered in the hall, and I wished to faint right there, feeling the intense gazes of the imperial princes on the side of my face.
‘Princess Miliora, this is really talking about dying together!’
When the Emperor’s narrowed gaze brushed past her and me in turn, I felt my face burning and lowered my eyes.
After a moment, he spoke, “Miliora, I considered you to be young and inexperienced when I saw you dancing with the envoy. But that was my misunderstanding. Today’s winner of the competition is once again Miliora. The next competition question will be announced later.”
The Emperor stood up and left as is.
Without hiding her angry expression, Empress’ enraged gaze also swept over Princess Hwangnyeo and me before she too left.
Then, Lord Aurel approached, glaring at Princess Miliora.
The intensity of his gaze was so chilling that I wondered if I should call Lord Rond.
However, Rene intervened, blocking Lord Aurel’s way, and whispered, “Audacious one!”
Lord Aurel left just like that.
But Lord Gracian remained. He was also furious.
He directed his gaze at me from the beginning.
As if blaming me as the mastermind of all this!
Now, tears were about to come out for me too.
As I looked at Princess Hwangnyeo with resentment, she turned around and left.
Lord Rond glanced at me, then followed Princess Hwangnyeo out.
I also wanted to leave this place quickly. But someone grabbed my arm.
It was Master Kaidel.
He took me to a corner and asked very seriously, “What is your plan, Miss Loar?”
Feeling too unjust, I looked at him with a tearful face.
“Do you think this is a plan right now?”
He hardened his face, seemingly as puzzled as I was.
“I’ll go now. Master.”
I walked out of the main hall, occasionally staggering, following Princess Miliora and Lord Rond’s retreating figures.
However, two old maids blocked my way.
“Miss Loar?”
“Yes?”
“The Empress is calling for you. Please follow us.”
A feeling like my body hair standing on end.
When scheming men desperately battle for her favor in the male harem
This one’s also on my reread list! The rivalry, scheming between the men in the imperial harem are just as intense and thrilling as in classic palace drama novels, where concubines fight to the death. Give it a read, girls! I promise you won’t be disappointed.
Synopsis:
“I am not worthy of her… but I still want to be by her side, even if only as a loyal dog…”
Those were the painful whispers of Yue Guanyi – the proud Crown Prince of the Great Qi, who was torn between deep love and a guilty conscience. Despite holding the supreme power of the Imperial Guard, he still could not forget the dark past when he was sold into a brothel.
Fate played a cruel twist when Qiu Shuzhi – a young female official who had just passed the imperial examinations with top honors – stepped into his life. She did not know that she was the one who had saved him from a tragic fate many years ago. And now, her heart was the target of pursuit for both Yue Guanyi and the powerful Empress Dowager Qin Qing.
While Yue Guanyi only dared to silently care for and protect the one he loved from afar, the Empress Dowager Qin Qing openly expressed his feelings and did not hesitate to take advantage of his power to approach Qiu Shuzhi. The covert struggle between the two most powerful forces in the imperial court began…
Trigger warning: All men in this novel are yandere style.
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