The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 162

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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162.

I could feel not only the Emperor’s expectations rising, but those of the other nobles as well.

The more they did, the more my pleasure only increased.

Wouldn’t it be more despairing to crush their hopes when they still had them?

Young Casian Artez had the sad experience of struggling on, believing only the Emperor’s words that he would send servants to care for him, only to hear empty promises.

I needed to present His Majesty the Emperor, who had grown far too old, with a harsh and lonely old age to feel like I’d repaid even half of half of half.

“Casian, you’ll have no choice but to listen to Advisor Salice’s words.”

The Emperor leaned back as if he had completely regained his composure.

“Since you’re your mother’s son.”

I don’t know how he could be so despicable.

He was saying such things knowing the characteristics of the Riedern bloodline.

“So that’s how Your Majesty was able to bring Lady Maribel to the capital. Because she loved Your Majesty.”

“Yes, I told Advisor Salice before. I loved Bel very much, so as proof of that love, I still keep the Empress’s seat vacant.”

The Emperor even showed me a tender look.

“I think you resemble not only Bel, but me as well. I believe you’ll make a wise choice.”

He tapped the armrest lightly.

“Someone who started as Baron Salice’s daughter and has now become Margrave Clupea.”

He really only spouted disgusting words.

Who resembles whom?

Aunt Terodima said I took after our mother’s personality, who would be comforting Father and sending him off to work today in the Salice Barony.

The villagers of our Salice Barony had been saying since I was young that I greatly resembled my graceful father in appearance too.

In short, there was a universe of difference between me and the Emperor, who was not only despicable but also used even those he loved as chess pieces without a care.

I took a deep breath to contain my excitement.

I felt like I wouldn’t be satisfied unless I raised the Emperor’s blood pressure as much as he had angered me, or even more.

“Of course I intend to make a wise choice.”

At my answer, Wilhelmina and Francis, who were beside me, also stood up.

“I’ll convince everyone present here in my own way.”

“…What?”

The Emperor straightened his posture as if he had felt something ominous.

“And Your Majesty guaranteed that Prince Casian would listen to my words, didn’t you?”

“…Yes.”

“You gave permission as well, didn’t you?”

At my repeated question, the Emperor hesitated.

“Are you thinking of retracting that? Even though you know it would be useless if His Highness doesn’t listen to whatever I say here?”

Since he had taken the bait without me even casting it, I couldn’t let him get away.

I gestured toward the nobles where the Emperor’s gaze was focused.

To make him aware of how many people were present and conflict over whether he could really retract words he had already spoken.

The hesitating Emperor nodded while unable to hide his uncomfortable feelings.

The leisure with which he had been spouting disgusting words at me just minutes before had disappeared before it could even properly begin.

“Good. Since His Majesty the Emperor has given me the opportunity to reveal my life’s dream, I shall respond accordingly. My dream is…”

Everyone looked at me with expectant faces as I trailed off slightly.

They had expressions that made me want to put up an advertisement saying I’d reveal it in 60 seconds.

Since I couldn’t do that here, I simply—

“To become the Crown Princess,”

Watching people nod unconsciously at each of my words,

“And then when Prince Casian becomes His Majesty the Emperor,”

Building up provocative words would have been the most effective method.

“To become the Empress—”

I said that much and then smiled brightly.

“To become that?”

While everyone held their breath in concentration, the First Consort excellently continued my sentence.

I shook my head with an annoyingly curved smile.

“Not that, but to live peacefully and leisurely in a quiet place.”

“Oh my, what a wonderful dream.”

And only the First Consort responded to my answer.

Everyone else, except Empress Trisha and the Fourth Prince, stared at me with stunned faces.

“…Not becoming Her Majesty the Empress and rising to the highest position among women?”

“That’s impossible! Didn’t she bewitch Prince Casian because she was ignored when she first came to the capital?”

“I heard that too! The story was going around about a status-climbing Cinderella!”

Why is everyone talking about stories I don’t know?

The newspapers didn’t use hurtful terms like “status climbing” and only worried about tax audits.

At my bewildered expression, Wilhelmina whispered beside me.

“Prince Casian’s popularity in social circles rose after the dragon subjugation. And your notoriety is secretly quite popular.”

“That’s an unfair story.”

“I agree. Prince Casian was the one who bewitched Rose.”

Casian, who overheard our conversation, smiled softly and gladly agreed.

“That’s right, I worked very hard. To win the heart of my lovely Rose.”

Then he deliberately raised his voice as if for others to hear.

“If Rose had been someone who dreamed of status climbing, I wouldn’t have needed to struggle to put her in the position of my fiancée.”

“Oh my, are you treating your actions to win Rose’s heart as struggles? Aren’t they the proper duties of a gentleman?”

At those words, Wilhelmina scolded Casian.

“Of course they were proper actions. Actually, I was prepared to do even more than that.”

“Everyone needs to know this. They call Rose a demon and whatnot, but the real demon is Prince Casian. He seduced innocent Rose.”

At the word “innocent,” Casian looked at me briefly but soon nodded as if that was fine too.

“Please understand, Advisor Lopez. I tend to be obsessed with titles I can share with her.”

“Does my opinion matter? If Rose is okay with it, I don’t care either way. That’s why I’m taking Your Highness’s side even now.”

And the nobles’ faces became even more worth watching during their banter.

Especially the Emperor looked completely dumbfounded.

Duke Lopez was trying his best to hold back laughter.

If this hadn’t been in front of the Emperor, he would surely have clapped loudly.

Proud that his daughter had the audacity to not lose even in a battle of wits with His Highness.

I lightly cleared my throat as if to organize the atmosphere that had instantly made fools of everyone.

“Now that I’ve announced my dream, I’ll begin explaining the validity of Prince Casian’s stay in Riedern and accompanying Duke Riedern.”

“…What?”

The Emperor’s eyes widened.

“You’re not saying you actually brought clear evidence and documents for that… are you, Advisor Salice?”

At those words, I deliberately put on a puzzled expression to make him feel sick inside.

“Of course, Your Majesty. This concerns His Highness the Second Prince prioritizing the Riedern Dukedom. Naturally, I prepared a legal interpretation.”

I then knelt and even bowed to the Emperor.

“If Your Majesty had easily given permission, it would have slept quietly in the document room, but you are indeed a wise Majesty. You asked me to present evidence to establish solid grounds.”

“Wait, wait…! Advisor Salice!”

The Emperor’s face turned ashen as he watched the Winter Palace advisors beside me pulling out thick documents, and he tried to stop me.

Since I had brought out documents, he knew very well from experience that no sweet words could change my mind.

So he had to listen even more.

To all the documents mobilizing every legal evidence that would force him to send us to Riedern.

And also everything that would need to be enacted or amended if he ever wanted to summon us back to the capital.

Only then would he feel sick inside and taste the bitterness of life not going according to his will.

“Then I’ll start with the characteristics of the Riedern Duchy. Since this will be quite a long story, if Your Majesty permits, those who aren’t interested may leave.”

And no one requested to leave at my words.

*

As the announcement continued for two hours, the Emperor leaned back heavily against his chair with a face that had aged about ten years.

At first, as he listened to the story, his face gradually turned bright red, but at some point he gave up on everything and acted like someone who was completely exhausted.

It wasn’t just the Emperor.

“This is a nightmare… The Imperial Palace without Prince Casian and Advisor Salice… And from spring, there won’t even be the Dawn Palace!”

“Then who will handle the troublesome tax investigations from now on? To think there’s actually a law that allows a Prince to demand the right to stay on his estate for as long as he served in official duties…”

“Originally, wasn’t that law meant to consolidate the Crown Prince’s power…? I heard it was used as a way to force such demands…”

“To think they’d dig up such an antiquated law that was last invoked about 150 years ago.”

“Ruthless, absolutely ruthless… The Winter Palace demon.”

The nobles could only let out deep sighs.

“Is it just the 150-year-old law…? They’ve dragged out laws from the founding Emperor’s era, even the Riedern land laws that existed before the Empire was established.”

“If it’s a pact with Dragons, what can we possibly do about it?”

They had completely lost the will to object or dissuade.

Since it was an escape document from the capital that the entire Winter Palace had worked together to create.

The Emperor seemed to have something he wanted to say, but seeing my brightly smiling eyes, he simply closed his mouth.

It seemed he realized that anything he said would only make things worse for him.

Of course, their hell

“…There’s no choice. We’ll have to somehow poach the remaining Winter Palace administrators.”

“If His Majesty the Emperor guarantees special promotions, couldn’t they transfer to the Sun Palace? After all, they’ll have to move once the Winter Palace is gone.”

“…Wouldn’t the Sun Palace at least have better justification than the Second Prince’s Palace for Duke Lopez and Countess Ashwood?”

was only just beginning to heat up.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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