24 – Reputation
The Grand Hall of the Imperial Palace. It served as a social space for nobles, doubling as an exhibition hall.
“Doesn’t Princess Sienna seem a bit different?”
These were the first words spoken by one noble who had been gazing around.
At first, everyone just rolled their eyes. The name Sienna was quite heavy.
In the shabby taverns frequented by the lower classes, Sienna was often casually mentioned.
They said the Second Princess would catch rogues for fun and torture them to death, or that she would arrange fights between slave gladiators and enjoy watching them, and that she would soon be exiled abroad… Such disrespectful words were often thrown around without much concern.
But among the nobles, at least in public discourse, there was an atmosphere of refraining from mentioning the Second Princess.
Because retaliation would follow if caught.
However, that unspoken practice was now reversed.
Nobles who had been cautiously observing for a while soon began to tease. As if someone had been waiting for the right moment to speak up.
“I heard it as a piece of gossip from the courtiers, but yesterday Her Majesty, instead of presiding over the meeting, shed tears. Considering all the emotional distress she must have gone through due to Princess Sienna, could it be that she was moved by that thought and burst into tears?”
“Moved to tears? Even if that’s the case, isn’t it too much?”
“Her Majesty has a peculiar soft spot for Princess Sienna, don’t you think? Remember last year? After the National Foundation Day event, she held onto Princess Sienna and pleaded. Oh, is this something I shouldn’t be talking about?”
“What’s the point of saying it now?”
The nobles rejoiced, believing that the Emperor’s long-standing concern had been resolved.
“He gave 2.5 million Talers! Just for a mere 25 kilograms!”
“You mean morphine? It won’t last long. Its value was overestimated because of the rioting patients at the military hospital. Honestly, remember when tea leaves were first imported from the East… it was chaos, right? The bubble bursts as soon as the trend passes.”
“How foolish. I’ve heard something, and it’s not about comparing it to tea. Maybe this is the bottom. We need to find investment opportunities quickly!”
“Isn’t it just something mixed with op*ium?”
“Then why don’t you try making it yourself?”
The nobles discussed morphine, which was 200 times more expensive than the same amount of op*ium.
“I heard that Alan Kyung risked his life to plead with Princess Hwang for the Second. If things continue like this, she will only face enemies and exile. Of course, even if she is exiled, I will follow her faithfully until the end, but I want to help her escape her infamous reputation.”
“Wow, so Princess Siena’s heart is moved too…!”
“…Alan Maydop isn’t that kind of person.”
“What do you know about Alan Kyung? He’s the one who made morphine. How clever he must be. He must have been waiting for the opportunity for years with everything planned out.”
And even the noble ladies gossiped about Alan Maydop, the knight who dedicated himself to rescuing the lord from the swamp.
Among them, there were even middle-aged women who testified, “I saw Alan Maydop kneeling and giving sincere advice to Princess Siena. It was truly moving.” Naturally, no one doubted the credibility of the testimony and disrupted the atmosphere.
“Actually, my friend is a pension scholar and collaborated closely with Alan Kyung during his morphine research.”
“Really?”
“We’ve kept it a secret because it was conducted so discreetly, but now it doesn’t matter. I heard that Alan Kyung is still in contact with him these days.”
On the spot, several people displayed their creativity.
Siena, morphine, Alan.
They were the most intriguing subjects in the current era. Even those who viewed Siena and her right-hand man Alan as trash kept their ears open, at least for now.
“The Queen has arrived!”
With the sudden appearance of Queen Yeonhwa, whose activity has increased recently, the murmurs of the nobles momentarily ceased. However, it didn’t last long.
“Our daughter’s business acumen is extraordinary, isn’t it? …Ah, my second child.”
Even the Queen herself had contributed to making Siena a topic of discussion.
In this situation, the nobles had no choice but to join in. Instead, nobles began to appear, trying to impress the Queen by associating themselves with Siena. After all, there were plenty of people who wanted to be seen favorably by the Queen, who could distribute privileges with a flick of her hand.
Public opinion about the villainess was gradually changing.
**
After delivering 25 kilograms of morphine, another day passed.
“It’s peaceful. At least for now.”
That’s how it seems to me, but somewhere, there must be signs of a storm brewing.
There would be medical staff who feel a relative sense of deprivation while administering the expensive morphine to patients. And there would also be patients begging for morphine, crying out, “I’m still in pain!”
But for now, there were no immediate problems outside of sleep. The medication instructions had already been provided, so there was no need for further intervention.
Thanks to that, I had temporarily stepped away from the morphine business.
For the past few days, I had been enjoying some rare free time.
The majority of my time was spent on training with Daelyeon.
The original owner of this body was a knight who had undergone rigorous training. Because of that, there were more than a few times when my body felt restless even when confined to the laboratory. Only after making time to spar with Bono and Daelyeon did my conscience feel relieved.
I didn’t feel like it, but it was a necessary process. After all, you never know what might happen in the business.
So this time, I focused on training and invested time in it. Since I returned Siena to the blacksmith, I wielded a mace.
The opponents were the knights who accompanied me and Siena.
Due to the nature of Sienna, who runs multiple businesses, the knights often found themselves compelled to do more than just provide protection.
They would handle customers causing trouble at the gambling den or deal with malicious debtors who refused to repay their loans. While I wouldn’t consider myself trash like them, there was still a noticeable difference between me and the esteemed knights.
They probably had their fair share of grievances, even though they didn’t voice them.
However, because of Sienna’s sudden change in behavior, the knights seemed to be in a strange mood as well.
“Senior, has Sienna really changed?”
That was the question Erica, my junior by one year, asked right after the training session. The other knights pretended not to pay attention but stole glances in my direction.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m honestly feeling anxious because the tasks I used to handle, or rather, the so-called tasks, have disappeared. I spend my days waiting.”
“Just wait until you receive new orders. There’s no need to worry.”
“Well, I’m concerned about what kind of tasks will be assigned. It’s unsettling when everything is so quiet.”
The knights had a reason to be concerned.
The underground gambling den that Sienna had been running since before reaching adulthood was in the process of closing down, and the loan company that served as a source of income had changed its management policy. Instead of beating debtors to death, they were now handling them more tactfully.
“She’s lost interest in other businesses now, including that woman.”
I understood Sienna, but it was understandable that the knights, who suddenly lost their tasks, would find it puzzling. Some might even hope that Sienna had truly become kinder.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t meet the knights’ expectations.
“It seems like you want to live like the knights who serve other princesses.”
“….”
“I heard that knights serving the First Princess are often deployed for military operations. They have to endure risks, but it’s an opportunity to gain experience and sometimes even receive medals. There’s no greater honor for a knight.”
“I suppose… that’s true.”
“And the knights working under the Third Princess… Although it may not be the case now, I heard they were frequently involved in battles until recently. The Third Princess herself attends court ceremonies and often appears in social circles.”
“Now, even Princess Siena…!”
“Don’t expect too much from there.”
I cut her off, not wanting to torture her with false hope.
It was true that Siena had hidden her claws. She even acted cute towards the bloodless empress these days.
But it wasn’t a change in her nature; it was because she had become more cunning. She must have decided to fill her ambition without harming her own interests.
“It’s reasonable to see it as a fresh start whenever an opportunity arises.”
After carefully observing the gloomy knights, I spoke again.
“It’s better to hope for a quiet period to last longer. Focus on training at the training ground, quietly working on your duties once every few days. …If you expect too much from the Princess, it will only become harder later.”
“Yes, senior.”
I raised a bitter smile and resumed the sparring with my junior.
It was a sparring that came close to a real battle, except for the use of lethal force.
Dodging the sword aimed at my neck, swinging the iron club narrowly, and the exhilarating sensation felt whenever our weapons clashed occasionally. It was a wholesome activity compared to our actual duties.
Moreover, it brought in income.
There was no hesitation in swinging a blunt weapon aimed at someone else’s head.
At first, I unintentionally hesitated and felt empty, but thanks to repeated sparring, I was able to eliminate my hesitation. I knew that everyone had exceptional skills and would somehow defend themselves.
Although it would be a disaster if I swung at someone who lacked such abilities, for now, I could only hope that such an incident wouldn’t occur.
“Not bad, this is quite peaceful.”
My body was a bit tired, but I hadn’t had such a peaceful day in a while.”
The villainess was living a quiet life, and the morphine supplied to the army seemed to be used only for pain relief purposes. Even though she had made a lot of money, there wasn’t even a single person bothering her. It must be because of the notorious reputation I had built up.
I couldn’t tell how long this peaceful time would last.
I wasn’t impatient.
After all, I knew that peace would soon come to an end. It wouldn’t be surprising if something happened tomorrow.
“Sir Allen, have you heard?”
The corridor leading to the office. There was a servant who suddenly turned to look at me while whispering among themselves.
From Noble mtl dot com
It was today, not tomorrow. When I asked what was going on, the answer came back.
“Her Highness Anais submitted her resignation letter to the academy today…!”
The news that the Third Princess, who had been enduring reluctantly, finally dropped out.
It would be nice if she dropped out because she wanted to live quietly, but that wasn’t the case.
I knew from my own experience that the imperial princesses were extremely active.