My Fiancee Was the Villainess of This World

41 – The one who embraces the sun

Not long after the new week began, my father returned to his imperial castle.

I was immediately summoned to my father and reported on the progress, and after hearing my report, my father issued an imperial order to prepare for an epidemic across the entire continent.

The epidemics expected to be the most threatening have already taken preemptive measures.

In addition to that, the imperial order has been given down.

With this, there will be no outbreak of an epidemic that will kill 100,000 people this year.

Of course, the chancellor’s wife, one of those tens of thousands, will also be able to avoid misfortune.

I did my best with this.

With that in mind, I took my hands off the epidemic and spent my time immersed in preparing to participate in the future administration of state affairs.

Then it was one day.

“Your Highness, from next week you will have to attend a meeting for state affairs.”

At last, as Martin expected, the order was given to attend the running of the state.

‘It’s state administration….’

With this, the nobility attached to Dior will escape further.

‘It seems like all the guys who want to leave have already left.’

Because of the incident at Viscount Carvery’s auction house, rumors spread that the crown prince had a repressive side to those who were not his allies.

Thanks to this, I reorganized the business structure with the feeling of stepping into the business of conservative forces to some extent, so that the majority of the new aristocrats did not escape my eyes.

In the process, the number of aristocrats who had completely turned their backs on Dior’s mother increased by about 10%, and in less than a month, 30% of the progressive forces evaporated.

With this situation in place, Dior’s mother’s family had to focus all their energy on appeasing the nobles who were still attached to them, and they did not even have the strength left to retaliate against the nobles who had turned their backs on them earlier.

Viscount Cromwell’s bold stop loss, which I concluded was an obvious mistake, ended up being the right choice.

It was a moment when I realized once again that nobles are truly formidable beings.

In order not to be bitten by such seasoned aristocrats, I decided to prepare more thoroughly for the state administration meeting.

“The topics of this meeting will be the current status of damage in the southern region, reconstruction projects, and epidemics.”

I was still unsure of where to get the information from, but the information Martin provided was good news for me as well.

It’s because it was a topic that even Nara, who had a hiatus of six years, would not become a folding screen.

The next day after returning the weekend and steadily preparing for the national administration meeting.

Finally, the first government meeting in my life began.

***

There was a very solemn atmosphere at the first state administration meeting.

No matter how foolish I may have been, even I get nervous in a place like this.

So I had no choice but to pay more attention to the conservative forces who would soon become my reliable allies.

Look at those wrinkled faces.

Isn’t each of those wrinkles engraved with the history of supporting this empire?

Very reliable!

As I was looking around, I noticed two men who were allowed to carry swords among those who were not escort knights.

It was Sir Bertrand, the commander of the knights, and Count Abarca, his rival and the pillar of military power.

Since they have a more expressionless face than usual, they are truly sharp like a sword.

It was the car I was trying to look away from.

‘… What?!’

What caught my attention was the sword that Count Abarka was wearing around his waist.

It was clearly one of the two swords I missed at the auction house.

‘You were number 122, Count Abarca… !’

I thought he was like a strong castle wall, but to think that he was a building that could collapse at any moment because he skipped the iron bars to the limit… !

Now I felt like I knew why some conservative families had distanced themselves from Count Abarca.

‘Girobo-sensei, you transcend dimensions and even win.’

It was a really complicated feeling.

The man I looked down on the most at the meeting was a blue chip stock that was on the rise, and the man I trusted quite a bit was a piece of garbage on the verge of being delisted!

I was dizzy at the shocking incident, but thanks to that, the tension that weighed heavily on my shoulders evaporated in an instant.

He will too—

‘Isn’t that a meeting where even the most ignorant guys can participate?’

Then there’s nothing I can’t say.

‘Haa….’

It was a complicated feeling.

“Then let’s start the meeting.”

Father… No, His Majesty’s proclamation kicked off the first state affairs meeting in my life.

As Martin expected, the first topic of the government meeting started with a report on the situation in the southern region.

“Due to such record heavy rain—”

The emperor of the empire personally visited the site of the damage and commanded it.

Looking at such a situation, the chaos in the southern region seemed to be improving sooner than expected.

However, an epidemic broke out in the process.

“Thankfully, there is a brilliantly rising sun in the southern region, and the most important initial response has been successful.”

However, that was a story limited to the largest city in the southern region.

It could not have affected the entire southern region.

“The current situation in the southern region.”

The map of the southern region had already drawn black circles due to damage caused by the heavy rain, but adding a red circle to it made a truly colorful picture.

Apart from my feelings of being punished, massive support seemed essential to the southern region.

“Report the tax revenue for the last three years in the southern region.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The chancellor, who received His Majesty’s orders, divided the southern region into five major parts, including the emirates.

In addition, the three-year tax revenue and average tax revenue from each of the five regions were summarized and reported.

His Majesty was lost in thought for a moment while listening to the Prime Minister’s explanation.

If you take realistic steps in this situation….

‘It must be a way to reduce tax revenue.’

“We will reduce the tax burden by considering the current state of damage in the southern region. Consult with each ministry to select a realistic tax revenue and report it again.”

I think that hellish class with Martin had its own meaning.

I think I can easily follow the meeting with this.

However, this is—

‘Too inefficient form….’

The continent of Akradium, ruled by the Empire, has a territory as wide as the continent of North America compared to Earth.

So, no matter how great the empire’s influence is, its influence does not reach all over the continent.

So, just as the United States recognizes the autonomy of its 50 states, the Empire also recognizes the existence of its territories.

The problem was that the autonomy of these emirates was recognized too widely than expected.

For example, if you look at the data related to tax revenue in the southern region distributed by the finance department, it is the same.

‘This is why the chancellor’s hair is so bald….’

According to memories from previous lives, even in the United States, which recognized autonomy, the currency was unified with the dollar.

By the way, what about the Arcradium Continent?

Each of the slightly larger emirates uses their own currency.

Since there is a tacit agreement between copper and silver coins, there is no major problem.

However, there was a big difference in terms of gold coins.

The size of the gold coins is also different, and the percentage of gold contained in them is also different.

In addition, there is a significant change in the price of gold coins every year depending on the country’s credit rating.

As a result, the exchange rate calculation became extremely messy.

As it was applied to tax revenue, which was not even a penny or two, of course, problems due to the difference in exchange rates were bound to arise.

The finance department seemed to be paralyzed by this exchange rate problem during the actual tax collection period.

─ The kings and nobles of the emirates are different from the nobles of the empire. It means being loyal to being respected for autonomy. If it is judged that the right to autonomy is being violated, there is a possibility that large and small wars will break out.

You are right, Martin.

And that fact must be known to everyone here.

Even I, a newbie who doesn’t know anything yet, can’t be ignorant of the things I know.

But even though I knew this situation was like this, I couldn’t help it, so I let it go.

The best way is to unify the currency, but in reality there are many difficult parts….

I was thinking about that.

“Maximilian.”

His Majesty, who was receiving reports from various ministries, called me.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“If your report is true, it was a situation where we would fight each other, so I issued an imperial order to take preemptive measures regardless of whether it was true or not. Now is the time to prove the validity of your report.”

… You probably called for this moment.

If I can prove it here, I will stand tall as the crown prince who inherited the legacy of the first generation.

And if you can’t prove it—

It has been done. I don’t need such an assumption now.’

I got up from my seat with the faces of the sanitation department staring at me with a tense expression in my eyes.

You just have to believe.

The dignity of the ancestors who inherited the legacy of the first generation and drove away the plague from the empire.

“Before a major disaster occurs, incidents and signs appear, both large and small.”

I spoke about the story I had prepared for this moment.

“—So we decided that preemptive measures were necessary.”

“Good. But I have a question. Lunaris is an infectious disease that has not occurred in about 10 years. But on what basis did you believe that this disease would break out?”

“I am immature. That’s the result of my choices, not anyone else’s. So I wanted to admit my shortcomings and follow the expert’s opinion.”

“Are you sure it will lead to the right outcome?”

“I wasn’t sure. I just thought you had to believe it.”

“Why?”

“Because I thought it would be foolish for a kid who hadn’t even had a coming-of-age ceremony to turn away from the guidance of the empire’s history.”

“The history of the empire….”

The Ministry of Health of the Empire was created by my great-great-grandfather, His Majesty the Former Emperor.

There was a report that there was a possibility in such a department, but a kid who has not even had a coming-of-age ceremony should not make subjective judgments.

“You made the right decision, Maximilian. It became. Have a seat.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

The atmosphere wasn’t too bad.

‘The sun shines on the road ahead.’

He is truly a man of good winds.

Until this point, that’s what I was thinking.

… As if ridiculing my efforts so far, until I heard the news that the chancellor’s wife had become bedridden.