TRETTHD 31

#31. I Hope He Becomes Emperor

“We’ll be seeing each other often now. I look forward to working with you, Rain.”

Clozet held out her hand with a bright smile, her usual childlike demeanor replaced with graceful elegance. Seeing her younger sister like that filled Belia with pride and warmth.

“Clozet. Once I leave for the Empire, he’ll be able to help you in many ways. If there’s anything you need to look into, you can ask him.”

Belia quickly arranged a method for Clozet and Derek to communicate privately. Since it would be difficult for the young Clozet to leave the castle to meet Derek, they decided to correspond mostly by letter. For important matters, Derek would come to the castle.

“For any requests from Clozet, please deduct the cost from the deposit I left.”

Recently, Belia had shared a wealth of information with Derek—information that could vary in importance depending on how he chose to use it.

Derek, perhaps recalling that, gave a small nod.

Once he agreed without resistance, Belia turned to Clozet and said,

“So if there’s anything you want to find out, don’t hesitate to ask. Got it?”

“Thanks, sister.”

Clozet seemed to catch on to the unspoken deal that had just passed between Belia and Derek. Being a smart child, she also appeared to realize how great an opportunity this was.

After wrapping up introductions between Clozet and Derek, Belia sent her sister off and made time to speak with Derek alone. There was something very important she had to ask him.

“Is there something you wish to discuss with me?” Derek asked.

“Yes. It’s a very important matter.”

His expression turned serious at her words.

After a moment of silence, Belia spoke, as if making a firm decision.

“Please investigate the second prince of the Ingot Empire, Khalid.”

It wasn’t as though she hadn’t looked into him at all.

But knowing his standing in the Empire or his recognition among the nobles wasn’t useful anymore.

What she needed now was information beyond the surface—what Khalid had kept hidden.

‘He didn’t tell me when I asked him directly.’

Since she had realized that Khalid—whom she trusted to be on her side—was hiding something from her, she couldn’t ignore it.

Besides, Khalid had made it clear he wanted her to dig deeper into him. So using the information guild for that purpose wasn’t a problem.

“…Are you referring to His Highness Prince Khalid?”

Derek asked again, surprised by the unexpected request.

“May I ask exactly what you want me to look into?”

“His unofficial activities in the Empire, what he owns, the people around him, their relationships… Anything and everything related to him.”

At her answer, Derek stroked his chin and fell into thought.

“Princess, this is a very high-level request, even by Luenes’ standards. Investigating royalty isn’t something a guild can do easily. There’s considerable risk involved. To be frank, I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to investigate him thoroughly.”

It was a hard thing to admit for someone who led an intelligence guild.

But such an investigation of a royal figure was, indeed, an enormous undertaking.

Belia knew this well but pretended otherwise and asked another question.

“Have you finished investigating the medicine I gave you? I’m sure you analyzed its ingredients.”

She was certain Derek had looked into the medicinal herbs. Knowing how cautious he was, there was no way he’d feed his mother something she gave him without verifying it.

“…The ingredients were completely safe.”

“Do you believe me now?”

The medicine had been proven effective in the future. There was no way it could be harmful.

“Moreover, when I asked one of our guild’s apothecaries, he said the combination of ingredients was groundbreaking, and if used correctly, it had a high chance of improving my mother’s condition.”

Belia shrugged as if it were the most obvious thing.

Derek continued with a serious face.

“But that’s just a possibility. This is medicine for my mother—we need to be cautious.”

“You’re right. But I’m sure you know too that the sooner she’s treated, the better. If you wait too long, it may become irreversible.”

Belia’s words were full of genuine concern, but to Derek, they sounded like a threat, and he sighed lightly.

“…Princess. It’s true that curing my mother’s illness is the most important thing to me. But this isn’t just a personal matter. The risk is too high—we must be careful.”

“Oh my, I didn’t mean it like that. I only brought it up to reaffirm the power of the information I can offer.”

Belia smiled sweetly.

“Because you still don’t trust me. And I figured you might not believe the information I’m about to give you either.”

She then dropped a single word.

“Relic of the Divine Nation.”

Belia remembered how the appearance of that relic had caused a massive stir in her previous life.

But back then, it wasn’t the Luenes guild that discovered it, but another. She recalled how Derek, filled with frustration and pride, had vented to her about it.

‘There’s still a lot I can reveal.’

She had access to an abundance of future knowledge—and she intended to use it fully.

“If I tell you the location of the relic, wouldn’t that make up for the danger involved?”

Derek let out a hollow laugh. He was clearly surprised Belia knew they were secretly looking for relics. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, then finally spoke.

“…It’s too tempting to refuse. Alright. Tell me the location. If it turns out to be accurate, we’ll immediately begin investigating the second prince. But it may take a long time, and I can’t guarantee we’ll uncover everything you want.”

“That’s fine. Just do your best.”

Then, in a low voice, Belia began to relay the information slowly and precisely.

Who possessed the relic, where it was being stored, and how to get there—all in great detail.

“…Do you truly not have the power of foresight?”

Derek was starting to believe she had some prophetic ability. But Belia didn’t give him a straight answer.

“Who knows? Let’s just say I saw it all in a dream.”

She replied jokingly. Derek, realizing he’d get nothing more from her, shook his head and stood up.

“Then I’ll contact you once I’ve confirmed it.”

Scratch, scratch.

The pen glided smoothly across the paper.

‘I need to start preparing for this now.’

She had to reorganize the knight order’s structure.

But that wasn’t something she could change right away. She had to start preparing step by step so they could respond immediately if an invasion occurred.

“Princess, your appointment with His Majesty is soon.”

“Oh, right. Thank you.”

Belia quickly rolled up the documents and stood up. She steeled herself for the meeting ahead. She needed to use logic to persuade her father and brother.

But there were things she couldn’t explain—things no one would understand unless she told them she had come from the future.

She could only hope they wouldn’t catch on to those parts.

With those worries in mind, Belia left the room to meet the king and Harold.

The king’s office wasn’t far.

“Father.”

“Oh! Belia, come in.”

The king greeted her with a beaming smile and gestured to the empty seat. Harold was already seated on the opposite side.

“Brother, sorry I’m late.”

“No, I arrived early because I had something to discuss with Father.”

At her brother’s gentle response, Belia smiled and sat down.

Today’s meeting had been arranged at Belia’s request.

“So, what did you call us here for?”

“‘Call’ us? I just wanted to share something I learned that might help the kingdom.”

Belia was flustered at the word “call” and responded quickly. But the king continued to tease her playfully.

“Then is this the time for our scolding?”

“Father…”

Belia gave a sheepish laugh, and the king burst into hearty laughter.

“Alright. Let’s hear what you’ve prepared.”

He placed his hands on the desk.

Belia took a deep breath and spread out the papers she had prepared, alongside a large map of the continent.

“Oh?”

She pointed to a marked spot.

“Let’s talk about the mine negotiation first.”

“Funny, your father and I were just discussing the mine earlier today.”

“What percentage share were you thinking?”

“About 40%. Since the mine is within Ronica’s territory, we figured that, including taxes, 40% would be fair.”

Belia nodded. It seemed they were considering a slightly higher percentage than before, probably to reduce the Empire’s chance to intervene.

In the past, when they discovered a gold mine jointly with the Empire, they had only secured a 30% share in exchange for taxes. Just thinking about it still made her angry. She had no intention of letting history repeat itself.

“That’s not bad. But ask for a little more.”

“Belia, Prince Khalid said the Empire and the kingdom would share ownership. We can’t just make demands unilaterally.”

Her father asked how she planned to handle that.

“We need to be firm too. It’s true that Khalid is an imperial prince and already holds ownership. But it’s absurd for the Empire, who did nothing during the discovery process, to get more of the share.”

They had already discussed this matter in detail.

But Belia was engaged to the imperial prince and would soon become princess consort. There was no need to strain her future just to gain a slightly bigger share.

So the compromise they reached was 40%.

“Tell them to give 5% more. It might seem small, but it’s not something we should give up.”

“Wouldn’t it be cleaner if Prince Khalid had 40%, the kingdom 40%, and the Empire 20%?”

“Why should the Empire get 20% of gold found on our land? Honestly, even a single speck of gold feels too precious, but I compromised because of Khalid’s position.”

At her firm tone, the king smiled gently.

“You’ll be living as princess consort in the Empire soon. Are you sure about this? I worry about you.”

Harold asked with concern.

Belia shook her head resolutely.

“Don’t worry about me. Now or in the future.”

She understood their concerns. But she remembered how things turned out in her previous life—how the kingdom was ruined, stripped of everything by the Empire because they had worried too much about her.

This time, she wouldn’t let that happen.

“Father.”

Belia spoke with resolve.

“After I leave for the Empire, there will be a fight for the throne. You must prepare for it.”

The king closed his eyes in silence.

Belia used that silence to calm her heart. It was a difficult truth, but one that had to be said.

In her past life, all information about the Empire had been deliberately cut off. Her family had suffered, knowing nothing of what was coming.

She wouldn’t let that happen again.

After a long silence, the king finally asked,

“Did Prince Khalid… desire the throne?”