༺ Two Choices (2) ༻
As soon as the wagon they were on started moving, Yuriel leaned her head on Ferzen’s shoulder.
She gently moved her hands, which were gathered on her lap, to hold Ferzen’s free hand.
Ferzen reciprocated her gesture by warmly squeezing her hand that held onto his while he focused on reading the documents he had received from the Second Prince.
A peaceful silence enveloped them, and neither felt the need to break it.
This quietude was a testament to the closeness they had developed. Sometimes, the best way to affirm a relationship is through shared, comfortable silence.
* * * * *
Creak!
The carriage came to a stop in front of the Ernes Empire’s delegation’s base in the Roverium Kingdom.
Before opening the carriage door, Ferzen turned to Yuriel and spoke.
“Don’t get too close to me once we’re inside.”
“That…… I understand.”
Yuriel knew that Ferzen’s request was influenced by Roer. He wanted Roer to think of her as one of his victims, rather than his accomplice.
“In the end, I have to personally deal with all the loose ends. You don’t need to lend me a hand.”
Yuriel had initially been reluctant to face the anger and contempt of both Lizzy and Roer, but now she was prepared for it.
She nodded in agreement with Ferzen’s request, knowing that he would not appreciate her trying to share his burden.
She couldn’t be greedy when she knew he would dislike it. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed and regretful. She lowered her head to conceal her emotions from him.
“It seems that women… always struggle when they have to hide their feelings.”
Ferzen had often observed how young ladies and noblewomen used their fans to cover their mouths when they were bored at banquets.
However, after living with both Euphemia and Yuriel, he felt like he knew the reason now. So, Ferzen removed his hand from the wagon’s door and used it to lift Yuriel’s chin.
“Eung……!”
He then wrapped one of his hands around her waist before pulling her roughly towards him. In the next instant, his mouth assaulted Yuriel’s mouth without adhering to any kind of manners.
“Haeuh…… Heup!”
As it was a sudden kiss, Yuriel couldn’t help but pull her head back due to how flustered she was. However, Ferzen’s big hand prevented her from doing that.
After a while, Yuriel, who had been thoroughly trampled by him like a mere prey, stretched out her hand and hugged Ferzen’s back.
Even though the method was rough, his feelings for her were clearly conveyed.
That’s the reason why Yuriel proceeded to sniff Ferzen’s body and ran both of her hands all over his body while accepting his one-sided kiss.
To be honest, she felt that it was unfortunate that they were currently in a carriage and not in a room.
No, If only everything in this world except for the two of them would disappear, even if it was just for a moment.
At this moment, right here, right now, she wanted to have sex with him.
“Huh, ha……”
Right after the short and rough kiss had ended, Ferzen licked his mouth with his tongue as if nothing had happened and straightened his disheveled clothes.
When she saw him opening the carriage door, she wondered how he could be so inconsiderate.
In an instant, she instinctively wanted to spread her legs like the lewd woman she was and act coquettish to seduce Ferzen. However, Yuriel quickly suppressed that thought and got off the carriage after Ferzen.
……As expected, because it’s currently summer, the weather was very hot outside.
* * * * *
As Ferzen and Yuriel entered the building, most of the nobles had already gathered inside.
They exchanged greetings with the Second Prince and Princess Elizabeth, who had occupied the seats of honor, and then took their designated places.
The room filled gradually, and the meeting commenced in an atmosphere that hung between gravity and informality.
The Second Prince, Raymond, spoke up, addressing the situation. He distributed the documents detailing the Elmark Empire’s recent activities.
“You might have expected it to some extent, but the Elmark Empire has began to move last night.”
In reality, the Elmark Empire’s movements have been going on for a while, but the documents provide an extension of their efforts.
Ferzen, while perusing the documents, commented.
“About ten times higher, huh…”
The roots of the Ernes Empire in the Roverium Kingdom ran deep, touching various aspects of its infrastructure.
These roots would not be easily uprooted or infiltrated.
The Elmark Empire had chosen to replicate the Ernes Empire’s infrastructure but with one key difference—they poured an extraordinary amount of money into it.
Their labor costs were twelve times the market rate, while goods and materials already in stock were acquired for a tenth of their original price.
Conversely, items needing procurement were purchased at ten times their market value.
It was a grossly inefficient way to spend money.
Ferzen, even though aware of the Elmark Empire’s newfound wealth due to the gold vein being discovered in their southeast region, was taken aback by the magnitude of their expenditures.
‘Is this all just a diversion?’
However, he couldn’t be entirely certain.
Replicating the Ernes Empire’s existing infrastructure would be easier and less conspicuous.
Yet, the Elmark Empire chose to spend lavishly on this endeavor. This made Ferzen question if their actions were indeed a diversion.
Another strategy, perhaps, would be to empower individual nobles in the Roverium Kingdom, decentralizing the Ernes Empire’s concentrated control over infrastructure.
However, this would likely signal to Prince Inas that the kingdom was being turned into Elmark Empire’s vassal state.
Considering these factors, it was possible that the Elmark Empire’s current actions were nothing more than a distraction.
‘Let’s listen to the others before jumping to conclusions.’
The knowledge of the Elmark Empire’s war preparations remained a closely guarded secret, known to only a select few.
Ferzen acknowledged that perhaps his judgment had been clouded by his bias, so he opted to gather the opinions of other nobles before coming to a conclusion.
One noble ventured.
“Judging by the fact that they’re paying not just two or three times higher, but ten times higher, it seems like they’re trying to artificially inflate market prices……”
In the world that Seo-jin had once inhabited, the currency had real, intrinsic value.
Unlike banknotes, gold coins were valuable themselves. Consequently, it was challenging to cause inflation by simply pouring more currency into circulation.
Given the Elmark Empire’s extravagant spending, the notion of inflating market prices seemed reasonable.
However, Ferzen posited a counterpoint.
“There’s a flaw in your opinion.”
“A flaw, my lord?”
“No, not so much a flaw as an oversight.”
He tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table and continued.
“Even if they flood the market with gold and silver coins, the value of the existing currency won’t plummet instantly.”
During the Middle Ages, the economy revolved around two primary commodities.
Food and clothing.
Food, in particular, was not typically purchased in bulk by most people, accounting for perhaps only 5% of buyers.
This was because it was challenging for many to store food in the long-term, especially in the summer when spoilage and infestations were common.
Ironically, in a market flooded with gold and silver, the lowest denomination, copper coins, retained their value.
This was a counterintuitive but crucial aspect of the economy.
“But then, what could be the Elmark Empire’s intention?”
Another noble questioned.
“They’re even exchanging their currency for our gold coins when they lack their own. This seems like an unsustainable practice.”
Ferzen admitted to his own puzzlement on this matter.
However, he believed that the Elmark Empire would eventually abandon this strategy. Currently, they were exploiting the absurd exchange rate of 1:10, but this situation couldn’t be maintained indefinitely.
As they solidify their position, they would incur significant losses the longer this practice continues.
Regardless of how vast their gold vein was, the quantity they would need to expend is not something to be underestimated.
The mystery of the Elmark Empire’s intentions deepened.
Ferzen recognized the inherent risk in launching such a scheme with money, especially considering that the Roverium Kingdom, despite its small size, was still a kingdom.
Starting a game of currency manipulation in such a context carried substantial risks.
Furthermore, Ferzen questioned how this approach could grant Elmark Empire the justification they so desperately sought for launching a war.
Amidst his contemplation, a young man who had accompanied him from The North hesitantly spoke up.
“C-can I say something, Your Highness?”
“Of course. You are free to say anything here.”
Aware that his presence at this meeting was due to Ferzen, the young man proceeded carefully to avoid tarnishing Ferzen’s reputation.
“I don’t know their intentions, but I believe it’s possible that they want to cause inflation.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Since all vital infrastructures of the Roverium Kingdom are concentrated in the capital.”
The young man continued his explanation.
“I believe they may want to acquire all the copper coins in the market.”
Ferzen was initially inclined to dismiss this notion as improbable.
However, he tempered his response, recognizing that the Renaissance era was characterized by disorder.
In an age without banks, currency exchange occurred primarily at local businesses or shops.
If these establishments could not provide sufficient copper coins for transactions, they would source them from other stores, making the flow of funds untraceable.
It was clear that the Elmark Empire’s delegation had been in the capital for some time, yet they had remained unusually composed.
Responding to the young man’s suggestion, the Second Prince, Raymond, swiftly issued orders.
“Go out and buy anything with silver coins, quickly!”
After an hour, the individuals who had ventured out returned with their findings. Raymond inquired.
“How did it go out there?”
“The transactions proceeded smoothly, Your Highness. However, some stores indicated they didn’t have enough copper coins for change and had to source them from other shops…”
Raymond considered the situation, remarking.
“Then, it’s not as dire as we feared……”
Ferzen, however, shook his head.
While a certain amount of copper coins were still in circulation, it was clear that most of them have already been collected by the Elmark Empire.
Ferzen realized that, even with the small remaining supply of copper coins, the Ernes Empire’s side would not be able to collect more of it without depleting the market entirely. This suggested that the Elmark Empire’s strategy was both cunning and thorough, leaving little room for counteraction.
The moment the people of Roverium started receiving pay that was 12 times higher than the market price, the market price of everything would skyrocket in time, leading to inflation.
If the economic aspect, directly related to their survival, began to fail, the flames of discontent would intensify considerably, providing the perfect conditions for a revolution to start.
“Doesn’t that mean… it will be a problem if we exchange money?”
“That’s correct. Let’s think about it some more.”
“In some aspects……”
“Aren’t we exchanging gold and silver coins for copper coins? Then, it’s like helping them flood the market with it. In any case, it seems impossible to stop inflation. Besides, it’s not easy to change copper coins to the value of a gold coin.”
“But if we release more copper coins in the market, won’t we avoid overconsumption of materials?”
“It will take time to prepare that many copper coins. In the meantime, the people here will have no choice but to buy as much food as a silver coin allows them to. Naturally, at one point, the supply will not be able to keep up with the demand… Even if we solve the problem of the copper coins, wouldn’t people buy an excess amount of food even if it rots or gets eaten by insects? Humans are creatures who always seek more rather than less, after all.”
Ferzen sighed inwardly as he listened to the conversation between the nobles. Things were becoming complicated.
If a revolution were to start in earnest, it might not be difficult to suppress it by force.
However, once it escalated beyond a certain point, it would become nearly impossible to control.
Especially since Prince Inas was supported by the Elmark Empire, he would have the justification to drive the so-called ‘evil’ Ernes Empire out of the Roverium Kingdom.
If they succeeded in expelling the Ernes Empire, the people of the Roverium Kingdom would be jubilant and ready for war.
Pushing for a conflict during such high morale would be a simple task.
In the meantime, the Roverium Kingdom would demand compensation for what the Ernes Empire had done to them while they were still a vassal state.
And if the Ernes Empire refused, the Roverium Kingdom would likely perceive it as a deliberate insult.
As his head throbbed due to the complexity of the situation, Ferzen turned his head to the side, and Yuriel, sitting next to him, also looked at him.
“……”
It was precisely at this moment that made him want to bury his face in that voluptuous and large chest of hers and close his eyes without thinking about anything.
TL Note: Hey guys, it’s me Mara.
Well, sorry for not getting the 20 chapters last month, but got close!
The reason for that is that I moved to another house. So I was busy with everything, and moving out can be something rather stressful…
Anyways, today – the 4th of October is a rainy day that could put those sad anime episodes to shame…. Hahahaha
And to couple it that, after having lunch, my mum (she was helping me with the last parts of house cleaning) and I started to listen some old songs we used when we traveled by car….And damn, I felt like a kid again.
You know that wonderful feeling of being a kid and traveling, and just watching the road while listening to that corny old music your parents love…..What I wouldn’t give to go back to that time…. Heh, this shit made me a mid-20s grown-ass woman cry like a little girl…
Maybe it’s me who’s highly weak to music and stuff… But damn some songs just make you feel stuff……
I think one of the most nostalgic for me is Surprise! I’m Yours….I mean how can you not like that music!
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