The Orthodox Papal State of Lunaria… They were a truly troublesome group to deal with, one I would rather not cooperate with or oppose.
While I was starting to feel fed up with all my unpleasant imaginings, Roroa clapped her hands, as if to signal it was time for a change of mood. “Now, that’s enough about the Orthodox Papal State for now! What you ought to be decidin’ on first is your marriage with me.”
Roroa looked straight at me with those beady little eyes of hers.
“Mr. Souma… Do ya want me? Or don’t ya?”
“Urkh…”
I was at a loss for words. If she asked it that way, there could only be one answer.
“…I want you,” I said.
Desperately, at that. There was no room for doubting it. After all, the benefits of taking her as my wife were too great.
First of all, a marriage to Roroa would help emphasize the legitimacy of my rule over the annexed Amidonia. Roroa was loved by the people of the principality. If they saw her happily married in the kingdom, the people of the principality would feel less worried about being incorporated into the kingdom.
On top of that, her talents were appealing. The ahead-of-the-curve economic sense that had allowed her to come up with the idea of using commercials as a source of revenue, and the network of merchants she had built up on her own, were incredible. It was also good that she seemed likely to know any underhanded tricks that the nobles might use that Hakuya and I tended to miss. She was just the kind of person I had been wanting.
Besides… I liked the way Roroa thought. It was that mercantile spirit, you could say. While she had a realistic view that “the world’s all about money,” she still had a sense of honor and empathy. While it had never been allowed to bear fruit thanks to Gaius and his lot, she had been trying to use the money she earned for the sake of the people. For the sake of the people she cared about, she had been ready to confront even her own brother.
On top of that, she was cute, so I had no reason not to want her as a queen.
If there was one problem… it was how Liscia would feel about that. She was a princess from a country that they had been enemies with for many long years. Was she going to be able to accept her as a queen, essentially someone in the same position as her?
“What do you think, Liscia?” I asked.
“If you’ve decided you need her, then it’s fine.” Liscia gave her assent without seeming all that troubled.
Was it all right for her to give me the okay for it that easily?
While I showed my surprise, Liscia just shrugged her shoulders. “I can see for myself that this girl has talent. I think it’s worth taking her as a queen. If you’ll just take proper care of the issue of succession, I have nothing more to say on the matter.”
“Liscia… um… Thanks.”
“Do make sure you take proper care of us, too, though, okay?” Liscia said.
“Of course,” I said immediately.
She really was… such a great girl. I was so grateful… truly grateful… to have Liscia as my fiancée.
While we were having a touching moment, Roroa butted in. “Uhh, sorry to bother you while you two’re off in your own li’l world, but you don’t need to be worryin’ about that stuff any. I don’t give one whit about the princely throne of Amidonia.”
“You don’t?” I asked, startled.
“Yeah. In exchange, though, I’ve got a favor to ask, Darlin’.”
Darling, seriously…? I thought. Well, whatever.
Almost like a pleading child, working up all the charm she could muster, she looked at me with upturned eyes. “Y’see, I want my own company.”
“A company?” I asked.
“That’s right. Listen, Darlin’, I wanna see how the money I make with my own skill changes this country. Your policies show foresight, but y’don’t always have fundin’ for them, now do ya? They can be high risk, and I’m sure you’ll have a hard time usin’ the national treasury for things that may end up bein’ pointless.”
“That’s… Well, yeah.”
Now that I had expanded my power as king, when it came to projects like the road network expansion, or the construction of the new city, those where it was easy to demonstrate their practical value, I could get them funded relatively easily. However, if there wasn’t an immediate effect to show, or the enterprise looked meaningless at first glance, it was hard to allocate funds to them.
Specialized research funds, for instance. Even if a specialist knew second place wasn’t good enough, it wasn’t something they could explain to a non-specialist and have them understand.
“So, this’s what I’m thinkin’,” said Roroa. “When you’ve got a policy you want to implement, Darlin’, but you can’t fund it, you come to me. I’ll back you up usin’ the money I’ve made with my own company.”
“That sounds very reassuring, but… are you sure?” I asked. “If a queen is seen acting like a merchant, I don’t think the people will respect your authority.”
“I’ll be runnin’ it behind the scenes, so that’s no worry,” she said. “I know! For the public face of the company, I’ll put the owner of a place I frequent in Van, Sebastian of The Silver Deer, in charge.”
Sebastian of The Silver Deer… Wait! Ahh! That was the place I’d gone to with Juna and Tomoe! I’d thought he ought to be a butler with that name, so I remembered him.
So, the regular customer he’d said was “like an adorable little tanuki” had been Roroa, then? If I recalled, Sebastian had been a nice, middle-aged guy who seemed like a capable merchant, so he could probably serve as the representative of a company.
“Wait, hold on, you and Sebastian were connected?” I burst out. “Were you trying to investigate me?”
“Well, yeah, I wanted to know what the man I was plannin’ on marryin’ was like, didn’t I?”
“You don’t overlook a thing, do you?” I said. “When you take it that far, I have to be impressed.”
She really was a little tanuki. Childish, but cunning. I felt like she had tricked me good.
“Um… As the one who’s going to be in charge of the treasury, may I say one thing?” Colbert interjected, looking troubled.
“What is it?” I asked.
“If you have that kind of money, I’d prefer you put it in the treasury.”
…Yeah. I knew how Colbert felt. The kingdom had been going through all sorts of austerity measures until recently, after all.
Roroa and I spoke up in unison. ““But, I refuse.””
“Why are you two suddenly in sync?!”
“It’s fine,” Roroa said confidently. “I’ll be earnin’ the money on my own, anyway.”
“And with the extra budget, I can carry out internal policies more freely,” I said.
“But, sire…”
“Now, now, we won’t be spendin’ it wastefully like my old man did,” Roroa said, waving her hand. “Consider it a division of roles. I earn money. You tighten our belts, Mr. Colbert. It’s all good that way.”
“If you spend too recklessly, I will do everything within my power to stop you, you hear?” But Colbert reluctantly backed down.
He would be keeping a sharp eye on Roroa and me from now on to make sure we weren’t spending money recklessly. I was glad. It was important to have people on staff who could earn money, like Roroa, but people like Colbert who could save money where precious, too.
Roroa walked up to me and slipped her arm through mine. “Also, if me and you have a child, Darlin’, I want that child to inherit the company. I’m thinkin’ that, probably, no child of ours is gonna want anythin’ to do with runnin’ the country.”