Total pages in book: 142
Estimated words: 137017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 137017 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 457(@300wpm)
“Ugh.” She shivered, rubbing her bare arms.
“Ugh? Not many people would say that about the Crown Prince taking a liking to them.”
“If you haven’t already realised, I’m resoundingly uninterested in his feelings towards me.” She paused. “If that is the case, I suppose there’s no other option but to do things your way.”
“Then I propose we get married as soon as possible.”
Alicia held up a finger. “I feel differently.”
So much for doing things my way. “Do you now?”
“Hear me out and don’t get mad,” she said slowly.
“If I promise not to, can we have this conversation in a carriage on the way to a dressmaker?”
“Why a dressmaker?”
“To coordinate our outfits.”
“But I’m busy.” She pointed at the papers. “I’m almost done with my draft of the emergency relief fund.”
I held out my hand. “Let me see, then.”
“Um.” She moved her fountain pen to the side, and her eyes scanned the sheet apprehensively. “I don’t… I’m not sure. I was going to ask Sir Hayes first.”
“I’m your fiancé and the ruler of Stein. Shouldn’t I be the one to see it? After all, it’s what I think that matters.”
“I suppose you’re right.” She hesitated, then handed me the top sheet. “This is a brief rundown of the emergency fund that will set up the framework for the official policy. What do you think?”
I took it and read through what she’d outlined. “And you’re the one who came up with it?”
She shifted in the chair. “Not alone, of course. Sir Hayes helped me a lot in identifying the priority matters, but it’s mostly my work, yes.”
“It’s impressive.” I met her gaze, and her entire expression brightened at my words. “You suggest that it isn’t handled by the council directly, but rather by a third-party group?”
“Yes!” She put her hands on the desk and leant forward, and the excitement that buzzed off her tingled down my spine. “You see, although the situation in Stein now is stable, we can’t guarantee that all the corrupt nobles have been weeded out, nor that those you’ve appointed to noble titles are squeaky clean. Many people seek more once they’ve had a taste of power, after all.”
She wasn’t wrong.
“Not to mention that aid should not be a political matter in the first place. So, Sir Hayes did some research, and we found that the Talwick marquessate wasn’t the only house who failed to receive adequate help from the previous duke after monster attacks.”
I knew that. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“The five houses that suffered from the attacks and no aid also actively aided the empire during the conquest.” She handed me another sheet of paper. “Therefore, we know they’re loyal to you as the Grand Duke, and they have a vested interest in helping victims of these attacks. They’ve experienced it firsthand, and many are still suffering financially because of the assistance they gave to the residents of their estates.”
I scanned the list. She was correct—the five noble houses listed were territories we’d used as safe passage to lay siege on the castle. “What about the new nobles on the council?”
“They don’t have the education presently. Many of them are struggling with managing their own lands and need regular assistance. Until they receive a better education, they can’t be tasked with something as vital as this.”
“Is education reformation your next move?”
She shrugged. “Who knows?”
“Very well.” I suppressed a smile. “How do you know these nobles will assist you? I can’t imagine you’ll have a hard time convincing Marquess Talwick as his son and heir has had a hand in its creation, but the others might not be so willing.”
“Money.” Her eyes glittered as she flattened her hand on the table. “There’s an extortionate amount of funds in reserve, and as I said, these houses are still struggling to recover financially from the disasters that struck their estates. Each household will receive a small, regular stipend if they’re on the relief fund committee, and the Stein knightage will also offer targeted training to their knights on how to specifically deal with various monsters.”
Ha.
This woman was shrewd.
How had she thought all this up in less than a week?
“Have you asked Sir Hayes what he thinks about his knightage giving up their time to train other household’s knights?”
“Of course. He agreed because the ones who will be trained will be the captains and vice-captains of the orders of the various knightages—they’ll come here and participate in the regular training, so the Stein Knightage won’t be inconvenienced at all. They will then take their knowledge back to their households to train their own orders. In turn for this assistance, the households will be obligated to send knights to the smaller villages in their fiefdoms to help them defend themselves. For the newer nobles who don’t have any knights or are too rural to need them, training will also be given to the guard troops in each town or village.”