Since agricultural territories were mostly located far from the capital, it was natural that the noble faction dominated this meeting.
The pro-imperial faction was primarily composed of central aristocrats, while the noble faction had influence throughout the entire empire.
As I settled into my seat with my documents, I could feel the sharp gazes on me—hostile, scrutinizing.
I ignored them as best as I could.
Before long, Caesar entered the room.
Alvin and Arinne flanked him, their presence reinforcing the weight of the meeting.
The nobles all rose from their seats, offering formal bows.
“Be seated.”
The moment everyone sat down, one noble immediately spoke up, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment.
“Is it true that you intend to change the designated export territories?”
His voice was sharp, his tone openly accusatory.
Tension filled the room in an instant.
The one who spoke was Baron Gobet.
“I believe the correct term is addition, not change.”
But Baron Gobet wasn’t interested in listening.
“Export zones were established decades ago! The only reason they have ever changed was when a noble house fell into disgrace or when a disaster rendered the land unusable. Otherwise, reassigning an export region is absolutely impossible!”
“Again, it’s not a reassignment. It’s an addition.”
“It’s the same thing! Expanding the export regions will inevitably cut into the profits of the existing suppliers!”
‘He’s more aggressive than I expected.’
I had assumed Baron Gobet, being neutral, would be easier to persuade.
Yet, his opposition was unexpectedly strong.
As he prepared to continue his argument, Caesar raised a hand, cutting him off.
“The profits of the original export zones will not decrease. I guarantee it.”
“…What?”
“The new export region—Summerhill—will operate under a different schedule.”
The nobles murmured amongst themselves.
At Caesar’s cue, I distributed the documents I had prepared.
The reports outlined Summerhill’s unique geography, high altitude, and climate conditions, detailing how they impacted crop growth and harvest cycles.
Once everyone had received a copy, I began my explanation.
“Due to Summerhill’s terrain, its climate differs from other regions. As a result, our crops are harvested in different seasons. That’s why we’re proposing to export only during the summer.”
“This is…”
Baron Gobet hesitated.
He clearly wanted to argue, but the documents were thorough and precise.
He couldn’t find an immediate flaw to attack.
Still, he refused to back down so easily.
“Even so… The official export region for radishes and cabbage is my land! There’s no guarantee that we won’t start summer exports ourselves!”
“You mean after decades of never doing so?”
“Things can change! Who’s to say what will happen in the future?!”
Baron Gobet was grasping at straws.
Caesar’s expression darkened.
“Then let’s do this—
We will move forward with Summerhill’s summer exports, but if your territory does begin summer harvests, we can revisit the arrangement at that time.”
“That’s…”
Baron Gobet trailed off.
“Why hesitate? By your logic, this should be perfectly acceptable.”
Silence fell over the room.
If the deal could be revised in the unlikely event that Baron Gobet’s land suddenly became capable of summer farming, then he had no reason to object right now.
After a long pause, Baron Gobet finally muttered:
“…If Your Majesty guarantees that, then… I suppose…”
Just as he was about to reluctantly concede, another noble suddenly spoke up.
“Wait a moment. You said if it becomes possible, correct?”
“What?”
“What if—hypothetically—it becomes possible next year?”
“Next year?”
Caesar’s gaze turned sharp.
The noble who had spoken was Viscount Krauss.
She was a woman with a hunched back and a hooked nose, exuding an eerie presence.
“Our viscounty borders Baron Gobet’s lands. Starting this summer, our two territories have been planning a joint farming initiative to increase crop yields.”
What?
I immediately turned to Baron Gobet, but he looked just as shocked as I was.
“Is that true?”
Caesar’s voice was ice-cold.
Viscount Krauss nodded without hesitation.
“By combining our territories, we will have more farmland and more workers. Naturally, this will increase our overall harvest capacity.”
She smiled faintly before continuing.
“And with larger harvests, we can also invest in more storage magic devices, allowing us to store the crops until summer and then export them.”
“And what happens to the crops your viscounty currently exports? Won’t those yields decrease?”
“Not at all. Baron Gobet will help compensate for the difference.”
…What?
That made no sense.
It was a meaningless cycle.
Even if Baron Gobet’s people worked on Viscount Krauss’s farms and vice versa, the net output wouldn’t actually increase.
It was pointless shuffling—a manipulation to make it look like their production had increased.
I wasn’t the only one who saw through it.
Caesar’s expression turned incredulous.
“Do you truly believe that makes sense?”
“We’ll see soon enough, won’t we?”
Viscount Krauss smiled as if she wasn’t concerned in the slightest.
Viscount Krauss was beyond shameless.
She wasn’t just confident—she was outright brazen.
Caesar looked as if he was about to shut her down completely, but before he could speak, one of the pro-imperial nobles interjected.
“Now, now. How about this?”
He turned to Viscount Krauss with a calm smile.
“You just stated that Baron Gobet and yourself will be working together to increase your harvests, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“And since you’re claiming that summer exports will be possible as early as next year, that means your current harvest—the one starting this season—should already show notable improvements, correct?”
“Naturally.”
Viscount Krauss agreed without hesitation.
The noble then turned to Caesar.
“Your Majesty, in that case, why don’t we do this? Let’s monitor Viscount Krauss and Baron Gobet’s harvests for the next few months.
If there is a significant increase, then they may handle the summer exports.
But if there is no meaningful difference, we proceed with Summerhill’s exports as originally planned.”
I immediately understood his strategy.
Krauss’s claims were utter nonsense, and actually increasing their yield within a few months was impossible.
By pretending to give them a fair chance, we could avoid unnecessary resistance while still ensuring that Summerhill would ultimately take the export rights.
And best of all—
“Caesar will gain the political advantage of appearing completely fair in the process.”
I nodded without hesitation.
“That works for me.”
“I have no objections either.”
Surprisingly, Viscount Krauss answered just as easily.
Then, all eyes turned to Baron Gobet.
“Ah… uh….”
He hesitated, his gaze flickering toward Viscount Krauss in uncertainty.
Then, after a brief moment—
“I-I also agree!”
And just like that, the matter was settled.
****
The meeting had ended, but we gathered in one of the imperial palace’s reception rooms.
Caesar, myself, and Duke Bryden sat together, discussing the aftermath.
Duke Bryden was not a designated export noble, so he hadn’t attended the meeting.
However, he had already received detailed reports from the pro-imperial nobles who had.
“Well, this wasn’t exactly unexpected,” the duke remarked first.
“We knew the noble faction wouldn’t just sit back and do nothing.”
Caesar nodded.
“True, but…”
“It feels… off, doesn’t it?”
I crossed my arms and leaned back slightly.
Caesar responded with a small nod.
“Baron Gobet clearly has no idea what’s going on.
That whole ‘joint farming initiative’ wasn’t something they had planned together.”
“Exactly. This was entirely Viscount Krauss’s move.”
And that was the real problem.
If her actions had just been a desperate attempt to resist Caesar’s authority, then it wasn’t much of a concern.
If it was nothing more than bluffing and posturing, we could easily handle it.
But if she actually had something up her sleeve…
“It should be fine.
Where in the world could she possibly find a way to increase crop production within just a few months?”
Duke Bryden chuckled, clearly not taking the matter too seriously.
‘Logically, he’s right…’
I knew almost nothing about Viscount Krauss.
In the original story, she had simply been one of Duke Spiegel’s subordinates.
This was my first time seeing her up close, and she hadn’t left much of an impression—other than being audaciously shameless.
But that was the problem.
I had no idea whether she was just another overconfident fool like Count Fergie, or if she was actually hiding something.
I turned to Duke Bryden.
“Do you know much about Viscount Krauss?”
He shook his head.
“Not really… She rarely makes public appearances.
She’s been keeping an especially low profile ever since Duke Spiegel’s downfall.
But from what I hear, she’s rather frivolous in nature. I wouldn’t be too concerned.”**
“Frivolous, huh…”
She hadn’t seemed particularly competent during the meeting.
And if Duke Bryden himself wasn’t worried, then maybe there wasn’t much to fear after all.
I nodded, starting to relax—
Until a different thought crossed my mind.
“Oh, by the way, have there been any updates on the young duke?”
I had been waiting for an opportunity to ask this question.
Ian Bryden had disappeared months ago, and he still hadn’t returned.
Even the social circles, which had initially been buzzing with speculation, had begun to lose interest due to how much time had passed.
For a central noble’s heir to go missing without reason and for this long was highly unusual.
Duke Bryden’s expression darkened.
“We still haven’t found him.”
Comments (0)