Smirk.

  As our eyes met, Chanton Sushou stood up, and he raised his head toward me and laughed.

  It was an attitude that was likely to receive a loss or heat, but I’m not the one who will be provoked by that degree of provocation.

  What do you think people are?

  I held on to my expressionless face and looked at Chanton Sushou still.

  "I knew this would happen."

  In the process of raising Perez to the throne, Chanton Sushou and I were on the same side.

  I, who helped Ivan in the North and opened the trade route for the East Luman, and Chanton Sushou, who dried up the Empress’ money and took the land of Angenas.

  However, after defeating the common enemy and achieving the goal, the cooperation was over.

  Chanton Sushou’s actions continued as I had expected in front of the vassal families, before inheriting over the household from my grandfather.

  It was said that it was to destroy Angenas, but too much of the Sushou’s grain was loosened throughout the empire.

  The long-lasting harvest in the South, and the eastern and western regions that suffered in the coming years.

  Naturally, the Empire’s dependence on the grain of the Sushou’ farming, especially wheat, became too high.

  Chanton Sushou took advantage of that point without hesitation.

  Gradually, the price of the grains of the Sushou’ farming began to rise.

  Naturally, many families in need of wheat began to take notice of Chanton Sushou, and a power centered around Sushou was rapidly established.

  As a result.

  "It’s the Patriarch of Luman."

  "I heard that he arrived from the East yesterday. I guess he has attended the conference without taking a break."

  Avinox’s father, Indit Luman, sat in the right chair of Chanton Sushou, which had been empty all along.

  Seeing that, the nobleman near me smirked.

  "Huh, ungrateful fellow."

  "How much did Lombardi’s householder give to Luman’s convenience? But he’s stuck next to Sushou like that."

  The grumbling of the pro-Lombardi nobles brought laughter to my ears.

  A year and a half ago, the Luman family in the East was Lombardi’s closest ally.

  Because the eastern trade and cruise travel that I promoted saved the entire eastern part, which was isolated.

  Even Larane was engaged to Avinox, the son of the Patriarch of Luman.

  Today, however, the Patriarch of Luman was one of Chanton Sushou’s close associates.

  "Where will your eternal friend be in this political world?"

  "You’re here, the Patriarch of Ivan."

  Northern Migente Ivan, who had been struck in the a carriage with me, put down his cane and said.

  It is inevitable to use it because of an injured leg in the carriage accident, but I guess who is the northern part of the Patriarch of Ivan, famous for underground minerals.

  There were several thick jewels embedded in the cane.

  "Our northern part of the country is self-sufficient and resource-rich, so we don’t have to be wary of Sushou. But the East is not the case."

  "That’s true, though."

  "The Patriarch of Sushou is just a snake-like person who has been well aware of that weakness. Isn’t it, the Matriarch of Lombardi?"

  It’s a snake.

  If a snake is such a big snake, shouldn’t it be beaten with an weapon?

  I laughed at the question of the Patriarch Migente Ivan.

  Then he leaned close and talked, looking at the Patriarch of Luman and Chanton Sushou who had a secret conversation.

  "I like to say that we don’t have an eternal friend."

  It would be.

  "It looks like the Patriarch of Browns aren’t going to attend today?"

  "Chanton Sushou, isn’t he so pushy with food. Come and cast a vote in his favor."

  "It’s best not to attend. If the family Brown, who was greatly favored by the Lombardi family, were on the side of the Sushou, it would be betrayal! Betrayal!"

  The Patriarch of Luman’s shoulders shrank greatly when the Patriarch of Berne shouted ’Betrayal!’


  On the contrary, however, a deeper laughter stood during the daytime of Chanton Sushou.

  It was as if to say, ’Get as wet as you can’.

  "As the harvest season approaches, the attitude of the Patriarch of Sushou has become more and more elusive."

  Soon it was time to harvest wheat.

  Local families that need the wheat for autumn and winter are bound to stand up in Chanton Sushou’s words.

  "He’s a smart person."

  It was a political sense that could not be thought of as a person who knew nothing but a sword all his life and was the leader of the knight.

  So it tastes like sticking more.

  Suddenly Chanton Sushou was staring at me.

  Unlike Angenas, who always burned his naked hostility, it was a look that felt a cold win-win feeling.

  Okay, let’s stick together.

  I grinned and nodded just as Chanton Sushou did.

  "Your Majesty the Emperor."

  At that time, the door of the conference room opened and the attendant of the imperial palace entered and announced.

  Everyone gathered in the conference room got up from their seats.

  After a while, Perez appeared.

  Black conquests embroidered with gold thread, red eyes seen under the gently pushed black hair, and sculptural features.

  He was originally a handsome Perez, but he was a guy who was getting more and more heavy charms that are hard to describe in words.

  Whose fiance is he? He’s so handsome.17

  I was looking at Perez as he rose to the seat of the emperor on the podium with a proud heart.

  "Hmm?"

  I glanced at his head.

  Perez’ facial expression was strange when our eyes met.

  He paused for a moment, and he seemed strangely depressed.

  It might be the same expressionless face to others, but it was definitely different in my eyes.

  I mean, the tail of his eye went down slightly.

  I was a little worried about Perez’s expression, but I quickly cleared up my mind.

  "Let’s start the convention."

  With the chairman’s words, the door of the conference room was firmly closed.

  Everyone paid attention to Perez, who sat in a high position.

  After a moment of heavy silence.

  "Today’s agenda is the trade conflict between Lombardi and Sushou."

  Perez’s low voice rang in the big conference hall, as I did, he put off his personal feelings, returning to the face of the perfect emperor.

  At the same time, I could feel some of the nobles around me tense up.

  Unlike the days of Emperor Yovanes, the nobles struggled and feared Perez.

  There is no value in ascending the throne, as they have never been helped by power other than Lombardi and Sushou.

  The Emperor, who did not notice the nobles, had absolute power.

  Perez said, glancing through the documents posted by the chairman of the aristocracy.

  "Currently, both Lombardi and Pellet’s top entry into the Sushou estate has been stopped."

  It was a recent incident by Chanton Sushou.

  At the entrance to the southern border of the land of Sushou, it was not passing upstream of the Lombardi’s top.

  To be precise, the logistics of the Lombardi family, who left the goods to Lombardi’s top and the pro-Lombardi family, were all blocked.

  "It is said that Lombardi has posted this agenda. Please describe it, the Matriarch of Lombardi."

  Perez doesn’t reveal his personal relationship with me in public.

  It was what I asked for.

  And Perez was doing well with my demands without exception.

  As I slowly got up from my seat, I could feel the gaze of spirit flying in and blooming.

  I looked at the eyes one by one and opened my mouth.

  "Unless there is a situation in which the War of the Territory takes place, it is a long-standing principle among our nobles that not to prevent the trade traffic of the top. In addition, Lombardi and Pellet Corporation are also promised to help keep the top flowing, instead of paying huge tolls to Sushou every year."

  I lightly picked up the papers that Clarivan gave me and said.

  "Nevertheless, Sushou is causing such great damage by unilaterally blocking the trade traffic. I, Florentia Lombardi, as the owner of the Lombardi’s top and Pellet Corporation, demanded that Sushou to resume the trade traffic as soon as possible and compensate for the damage reasonably."

  With a nod from the audience agreeing with me, Perez asked Chanton Sushou this time.

  "The Patriarch of Sushou, do you have anything to say about this?"

  "Yes, Your Majesty."

  Chanton Sushou, who was only loyal to the imperial family, stood up from his seat and bowed to Perez once before starting his speech.

  "Blocking the entrance to the top was an inevitable measure because they caused security problems in Sushou. The wanted people were mixed up and the villagers were in danger, and this would be more important than the execution of the contract."

  Then Perez looked at me silently.

  He’s saying I can speak freely.

  I rebutted against Chanton Sushou.

  "Why don’t you check the mixed wanted people from the security forces of Sushou, but to the top of Lombardi, and that the land of Sushou where the wanted is bright, and that the checkpoint is the predecessor, the Patriarch Chanton Sushou."

  "If it weren’t for the top of Lombardi, it wouldn’t have happened in the first place."

  "You’re being unreasonable. If there’s a security problem, it’s time to strengthen the security. It is not only a violation of the contract to stop the entire trade traffic because of an unsuccessful event, but you may not know that it is more ineffective than the benefits to both sides."

  "For me, the safety of the local people is more important than anything else, so I just took measures. Even though there are a hundred benefits, it is unavoidable to keep one of the most important things."

  On the outside, it pretends to be for the local people quite a bit, but it doesn’t make sense.

  It is none other than the local people of the Chanton Sushou who suffers the most from this decision.

  It was natural that because Lombardi and Pellet, who accounted for more than half of the export volume of the Sushou estate, disappeared.

  Those who were doing business with them, and the farmers of Sushou, who had decided to supply the top and grain, were looking at the sky with their both hands empty.

  Chanton Sushou was just a great man to chew like bitter medicine that took a hundred damages for one thing he wanted.

  "It was only a choice for the people of Sushou, that banned the trade traffic."

  "You mean to make the crops they’ve grown blood and sweat rot in the warehouse?"

  Chanton Sushou’s eyes, which had always been relaxed at my words, were acrimonious.

  I didn’t avoid those eyes either.

  He was arguing like he was spinning around on the ice, but I knew well what was under the surface of the water.

  While chewing and swallowing a hundred bitter drugs, it was clear that Chanton Sushou was aiming for Lombardi and Pellet Corporation’s trade traffic.

  A place where the two tops carry a lot of supplies every day, like ants moving in rows.

  It stands like the yolk of a broken Dalgal, a land surrounded by the land of Sushou and the center of eastern trade, which once belonged to Sushou.

  It was Chesail, my father’s estate.

  "Since the Patriarch of Sushou has chosen it as the lord, then let me choose as the owner of the top."

  And I won’t be able to wait and see.+

  "How about, for example, thetop of Lombardi and the top of Pellet completely cut off from the south?"