10 – 10. Reward
“Your Grace. Please keep your promise now.”
From Noble mtl dot com
Sienna stared directly at Alan Maydof, who confidently made the demand.
Though treated as a hunting dog until now, he had suddenly become a valuable subordinate. The promised reward for him was one million dollars and more than a month of long-term leave.
The vacation was understandable, but a million dollars seemed a bit excessive.
It was an amount equivalent to ten times the official salary that Alan officially received. Although Alan had always been embezzling money from Siena’s business (with her tacit approval), she still earned a considerable amount.
But it was not a burden for Siena.
Despite her notorious reputation, she was still the second princess of the empire. She received an annual subsidy for the maintenance and dignity of Thames Palace, and she also owned a significant amount of property in her name. In terms of wealth, she could even surpass other princesses. If she felt lacking, she could always go to her father and come back with some money, making her stand out from her step-sisters.
“Yes, of course you should give it to me.”
Alan’s request was a difficult one to refuse.
The fact that Anais had diminished political influence? That was also a great achievement.
Separately, it was also a great accomplishment to see Anais’s face filled with a sense of defeat.
Anais, who had always relied on her background as a queen since childhood. Lately, she had even enrolled in the academy, trying to win over the students. Siena didn’t want to admit it, but she also felt a sense of crisis because of her.
But now, those actions were over.
The image of a kind princess who treated commoners with kindness, and who performed well academically while receiving equal treatment as other students, had been shattered. Anais seemed to want to finish her studies and take a leave of absence, but Siena was determined to force her to drop out.
“It would be a bargain to send her away for a million talers.”
Alan seemed to know that and confidently demanded more.
“Your Highness, why hesitate? I have accomplished all the tasks you assigned to me.”
“….”
“I guarantee that the queen cannot survive without Silocin in the future. It doesn’t mean she can’t sleep or suffers from gastrointestinal diseases due to withdrawal symptoms… Her body should be fine. But she won’t be able to forget the good memories of taking Silocin.”
“I also think that’s the case.”
“Of course, she won’t be able to retaliate against you with the help of the third princess. She knows that her supply will be cut off if she acts foolishly.”
Yes, the queen could be tamed with dru*gs. She couldn’t entirely bring her to their side, but at least she wouldn’t be hostile.
Everything was fine. It was good, but…
There was one thing that bothered me.
‘I’m curious, too much.’
Where did Alan Maydoff acquire so much knowledge?
op*ium, Silocivin, and the yet undisclosed groundwork.
It was certain that he didn’t learn it at the academy. I had my subordinates look into it, but there was no institution in the Britannia Empire that taught such things. It wasn’t passed down as a secret family recipe from the fallen noble Maydoff family either.
In the end, it meant information acquired through a path known only to Alan himself. It sounded like nonsense about elves, but it was something unknown.
Sienna wanted to find out what Alan was hiding.
How much he knew, what use that knowledge had, and above all, whether there was any potential for commercialization.
So, she decided to postpone a definite answer and test the waters a bit.
“…Alan. Come to think of it, I’m a bit worried. What if the Empress tries to obtain the medicine on her own? After all, it’s just a mushroom when you think about it.”
“I suppose she could try. But it would be fortunate if she just ate the wrong mushroom and didn’t die. It’s a tough job even for lifelong herbalists living in the forest.”
So, why do you know about such difficulties?
Sienna was about to ask tearfully but decided to keep her mouth shut. This guy wouldn’t answer straightforwardly. He would probably make excuses left and right.
She understood. He wouldn’t want to sell his valuable assets for a mere million dollars.
“Your Highness. Please keep your promise.”
From Alan’s anxious and urgent appearance, he seemed like a mere commoner. It looked as if he was worried that an unfortunate incident might occur if he didn’t receive his substantial allowance, preventing him from enjoying entertainment.
“Where do you plan to spend the money? I suppose I can ask that much.”
“Well… hahahaha.”
“A woman? Gambling?”
“Both, I won’t deny it.”
Alan, as if laughing at the absurdity of the question, glancing around.
Did his mind become obsessed with the thought of begging until his bones wore out in cabarets and gambling dens? Considering Alan Medoff’s usual behavior, it was a natural occurrence. After all, he was the type to relieve the stress of murder solely through entertainment.
“But it doesn’t seem like it this time.”
There was something, but it seemed difficult to get the answer she wanted in this situation.
She wasn’t disappointed.
Anyway, Sienna had another plan. A way to naturally glimpse into Alan’s background without him opening his mouth.
“Alright. Don’t worry; I’ll pay you first thing tomorrow morning.”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
“Vacation is the same. Take a break starting tomorrow. And return whenever you want. Of course, if your strength is urgently needed, you should rush to help. …If that’s acceptable to you, Alan?”
“Of course!”
Only then did Alan smile broadly. It was a brief moment, but a warm atmosphere was created.
In reality, Sienna intended to keep her promise.
No, she wanted to go above and beyond. Alan deserved it. Unlike other subordinates who could barely carry out orders while glancing around (or sometimes couldn’t even do that), he was a person who provided support in various ways.
Disparaging such a subordinate would be foolish.
She was determined to help Alan unfold his talents to the fullest.
*
The reward will be given tomorrow morning. The vacation has already been approved.
Surely, she wouldn’t betray me at this point.
Sienna assigned her subordinates various dirty tasks, but she was an individual who definitely paid a commensurate price. Besides, I was the one who turned Sienna into a virtuous lady.
‘I’m not the kind of person to play along just to save a million dollars.’
However, the situation didn’t allow for leisurely waiting for a deposit.
It was because of the unsettling words Sienna had said before.
“I’m going to give you goods worth several times the 1 million dollars you demanded.”
This.
It wasn’t a breach of promise to provide it in kind.
A well-located mansion near the Thames Palace, a quaint farm, or crafts and jewelry—giving any of those wouldn’t be bad.
But that was the thinking of a normal person.
Unfortunately, Sienna wasn’t normal.
‘If it were real estate, I would have hinted in advance. There’s definitely another intention.’
Suppressing the faintly rising anxiety, he headed home.
His residence was a condominium 30 minutes away from the palace.
On the first floor, there were shops, and above that, an apartment with three floors used for residence.
As befitting a residence for the escort knights of the nobility, it was quite luxurious, but the interior was very plain. Literally, it was just a place to sleep, and there was no sign of everyday life. Besides, he often solved his meals in the palace grounds during normal times.
Sitting on the narrow bed in his humble home, various thoughts crossed his mind.
Among them, he pondered about the reward he would receive tomorrow. He tried to think positively, but doubts only grew thicker.
“That’s all there is, no matter how you think about it.”
There was something that came to mind, but he could only hope that his intuition was wrong.
…
…
“Alan, would you mind seeing me for a moment?”
The next morning, Gordon, the steward in charge of the palace’s affairs, paid a visit.
Being a nobleman who served the emperor directly, he held a higher position compared to me, a mere knight. He was also much older and displayed a cautious demeanor.
I could understand his scrutinizing gaze, given the misdeeds committed by Alan Maydoff before I possessed him. However, the documents he handed me didn’t bring any joy.
“Her Majesty, Queen Sienna, has a message for Alan.”
Since we had agreed to receive it in person, it wasn’t strange to write a contract.
However, what Sienna had entrusted to me wasn’t real estate or valuable artwork. It held a value higher than a million talers, that much was certain.
“It’s a modified land cultivation contract.”
As soon as I glanced at the contract, a wry smile escaped my lips.
“Alan, what does it say?”
“No, please continue.”
“Yes. It’s a contract transferring ownership of the crops being cultivated in the Tems Palace main garden to Alan. More precisely, it’s the ownership of the refined goods obtained from those fruits.”
“All of that quantity?”
“Yes. You don’t need to worry about the effectiveness of the contract. Once Alan signs it, it will immediately go through the notarization process.”
It wasn’t the effectiveness of the contract that concerned me.
The problem was the identity of the item she promised to give.
“But, Steward, there is only one crop being cultivated in the main garden, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
And that crop was undoubtedly the Aquilegia flower.
From Noble mtl dot com
Even at this moment, the gardeners of the Thames Palace are said to be tirelessly collecting sap day and night to manufacture op*ium. Did they bring in about a hundred servants and slaves because they were short-handed? It was enough for me once they handed over the op*ium they had made.
“Has Your Highness not given any other instructions?”
“Oh, there were. His Excellency said he wouldn’t interfere with how we dispose of the op*ium. He told us to act discreetly at our discretion without worrying about it.”
The Chief Alchemist looked at me as if envying me while saying this.
It seemed like genuine envy rather than just pretending. Well, it’s understandable since this person probably considers the op*ium they make as nothing more than medicine for headaches or toothaches. It could also be that in a city that punishes even minor mistakes with a whip, Siena particularly favors only me.
“It’s all thanks to Lord Alan.”
There was no need to confirm it. I sighed and looked at the contract again.
In exchange for the ownership of op*ium produced on a plot of land larger than 30 hectares, which is unusually large for a garden, they were handing it over to me for free.
“So, this was it after all.”
The reward for the villainess was op*ium.
She was indeed an unusually unconventional woman.