Chapter 53

Released:

Iris, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Theo and his father from behind, sank deep into thought.

It might actually be possible. Should I seek an audience with His Majesty?

One of the most pressing problems troubling the imperial family at the moment was providing relief for the poor.

Many poor people were unable to find work or even eat and often starved to death. It was a huge concern. The imperial family had been providing some of their agricultural produce as support, but it was far from enough. Not everyone could receive help, and the budget burden on the imperial treasury was considerable. Discussions were ongoing about whether to reduce that expenditure.

If we installed magical equipment to aid in agriculture and fisheries and collected a portion of the goods produced for relief efforts, it could solve the problem to some extent.

Iris was the Crown Princess.

She was a Crown Princess who cared even more deeply for the citizens than the current reigning Emperor.

Although she was currently attending the Academy to prepare for her future role as ruler, that didn’t mean she couldn’t achieve accomplishments in her name.

In fact, laying the groundwork for such achievements now would definitely prove extremely helpful when she ascended the throne later.

Nobles generally hate spending their own money.

Most of the current relief measures were supported by taxes paid by nobles, so there were many cases of conflict with the commoners.

However, while the initial cost of installing magical equipment would be substantial, Iris could cover it with the personal promissory notes that she was managing.

One could question whether it was necessary to spend her own money in such a way, but this would allow Iris to claim sole credit for the initiative while avoiding interference with imperial policies.

Of course, there could still be challenges, such as the need for ongoing magical power input. However, that could be resolved by commissioning imperial mages or adventurer mages to handle the maintenance with national support.

“Sir Theo.”

She had concluded that it was essential to demonstrate a pilot project for her idea, and Theo’s farm that was right before her eyes was the perfect starting point.

“Yes, Iris?”

Noticing her rather serious expression as she started the conversation, Theo responded in kind; his demeanor was equally serious.

“I have an idea for a national project I’ve been considering. Would you like to hear it?”

“Oh, is it something I’m allowed to hear? I’m not a noble on the committee or anything.”

“Yes, and your input is far more valuable than that of those desk-bound theorists.”

Desk-bound theorists.

That was exactly how Iris viewed the nobility.

Their habit of prioritizing their own interests without making any genuine effort to understand the situation was becoming increasingly intolerable to her as the Crown Princess.

“If I can be of help, I’m all ears.”

When Theo nodded his head, Iris began to slowly explain her idea in detail.

“So, you’re saying that you’re planning to use your personal funds to carry out a national project?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Wouldn’t it be much better to use the national budget? Installing magic facilities on a large scale would cost a huge amount of money.”

“No. Not only can I handle the cost myself, but if I were to use the national budget, I’d have to convince the nobles who oppose it one by one. That would be even more difficult given my position as the Crown Princess.”

If she were the Emperor, she could properly propose the matter and resolve it through discussions with the nobles. However, her current position was not that of Emperor but Crown Princess.

It was not easy for someone in the role of Crown Princess to implement policies that benefited the commoners.

The situation might change if the Emperor supported her, but the Emperor didn’t seem to be particularly concerned about providing relief measures for the commoners who were dying.

Even with the existing relief measures, those around the Emperor were already contemplating eliminating them altogether. If she proposed new measures, they would likely dismiss it as a waste of money and criticize her as being unfit to hold a political position.

“Still, it feels like this will cost way too much.”

Theo also knew that the budget and personal funds allocated to her as Crown Princess would be enormous.

However, he felt that it would not be enough to lead such a large national project that would affect the entire country.

“Even if it’s not enough, the goal is to start small and proceed step by step.”

“I think I might be able to help with that.”

Estelle, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, suddenly joined in.

“In what way?”

“If it’s about money, you can secure investments, right? I’ll invest in the project. Since we’ve just established friendly relations with the Holy Empire, if the investment comes from there, no one will dare say a word against it.”

Given that the friendly relationship with the Holy Empire was still recent, it would be difficult for the Emperor to reject their offer to invest in the Crown Princess’s project.

“That would certainly resolve Iris’s concerns quickly, but… I’m not sure His Holiness would be willing to invest in this project under the Holy Empire’s name.”

Theo’s perception of the Holy Emperor wasn’t exactly favorable.

From the beginning, it had been natural for him to distrust the Holy Emperor, given how he had pushed Estelle into dangerous tasks to eliminate people around him.

“Don’t worry. I’ll just tell him to invest in return for dealing with those guys earlier. If he refuses, I can always threaten to expose what he’s done to me.”

Estelle responded with a casual laugh as if it were no big deal.

“Every single thing he’s forced me to do so far is recorded on video on my smartphone.”

He couldn’t treat the saintess recklessly, especially since she had recordings of him directly admitting to everything.

“So, I’ll handle getting the investment for that part, so all Iris has to do is write up a solid proposal. And the location for the pilot project absolutely has to be Sir Theo’s farm! That’s my condition for investing!”

“That was my plan as well. I intend to make the largest possible investment in Theo’s farm and run the pilot project there.”

Theo who saw how well the two were coordinating wore a bewildered expression on his face.

“Well, I mean, if you’re going to do that, my parents would definitely be happy, and I’m all for it. So, should I head in and explain things to them?”

While Theo was confident that his parents would be overjoyed to hear they’d been selected for the pilot project, it was still necessary to inform them properly.

After all, even though it was the farm he would inherit later, it was currently his parents’ farm.

***

When I explained the pilot project and the magic equipment I had briefly mentioned earlier to my father, my parents’ faces lit up with excitement.

“So, you’re saying all we need to do is oversee things a bit while pursuing our hobbies?”

Mother’s expression was particularly bright.

“Well, yes, that’s pretty much it. However, part of the harvested crops will need to be donated to the imperial family. Those donations will then be used to support poor people as part of a relief program.”

As I explained the policy in simple terms, mother’s face shifted to one of deep admiration.

“This is such a wonderful project! Would about 10% of the crops go to the imperial family?”

“Oh, the exact percentage hasn’t been finalized yet. I’ll come back and let you know as soon as it’s decided.”

“Oh my, Iris, what an amazing project you’ve come up with! The future of our country looks so bright, so bright!”

“Mother~! Estelle also decided to invest in this project! Praise her too!”

“Oh my, of course! Estelle, you’re incredible as well! Honestly, how did I end up with such capable daughters? I can’t do much for you, but I’ll at least cook you a delicious meal!”

“Yay, Mother, you’re the best!”

Estelle got along so well with my mom that one could almost mistake them for real mother and daughter.

Iris too seemed to want to build that kind of connection but since her personality wasn’t as naturally outgoing as Estelle’s, she just stood there blushing shyly instead.

“Iris, it’s tough keeping up with my mom’s energy, isn’t it?”

I asked her quietly as I sidled up to her.

“Oh, no, not at all. It’s just… I’m not very good at being affectionate, so in moments like this, I envy Estelle.”

It was true that Estelle’s greatest strength was her ability to interact comfortably with anyone, no matter who they were or what the situation was.

But that didn’t mean Iris’s serious and thoughtful personality wasn’t just as admirable.

“I like that about you, though, Iris. You’re sincere, and when someone has a problem, you think it through like it’s your own issue and try to help them solve it.”

The way they expressed their kindness might have been different, but Estelle and Iris were both genuinely compassionate people in their own ways.

“Thank you for saying that… It always feels like I’m the one relying on you, Sir Theo.”

“Huh? That’s not true at all. I’m the one who feels like I’m always relying on you.”

Of course, if you considered the fact that I was actively preventing the bad ending both of them could potentially bring about, it was undeniable that they both owed me something.

But that wasn’t all there was to my feelings toward them.

If anything, I was having experiences I never could have had without the two of them in my life.

Honestly, if Lina had been normal, and this whole “Yuri Mode” situation had worked just fine without me, I probably would’ve lived as a completely ordinary villager.

I would have never dreamed of attending the Academy and spent my life farming instead.

Not that I would’ve hated that.

It’s just that it wouldn’t have allowed me to experience such a wide variety of things.

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