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Chapter 6.6




Chapter 6.6
Emma spoke with a serious expression on her face.
“Your Majesty, there’s something I need to tell you.”
Sienna merely stared at the silk pouch Emma placed on the table and didn’t touch it.
“Did you meet with the Red King?”
“Yes, I met her in the morning.”
“And she gave you another one?”
“Yes.”
“When I told you to keep it before, I meant that you can just continue to take it without asking for my permission every time.”
When Emma had received the pouch from Patricia the first time, she thought it was meant for Sienna and brought it over to her. Sienna laughingly explained to Emma that it was meant for her. Thinking back to that time, Emma felt even more guilty and had a tearful expression on her face.
“Please forgive me. I wasn’t able to take care of it properly last time. I’m afraid I’ll do the same with this one, so I thought I’d give it to you before I messed it up again.”
“Did you lose it?”
“…”
“Where? Inside the Palace? Let’s call the prosecution office and…”
“No! Your Majesty, I didn’t lose it…”
Emma’s face reddened as she stuttered her reply.
“I… I sold it. I’m sorry, Your Majesty.”
“Why are you apologizing?”
“I dared to sell something valuable that you had given me to the pawnshop…”
“Technically, I didn’t give it to you. The Red King did. It was yours, so it doesn’t matter whether you sold it or gave it away. But anyway, what’s a pawnshop?”
“A pawnshop is a place where you leave your used goods in exchange for money.”
“If they accept used goods in exchange for money, doesn’t that mean the person buying the goods is suffering a loss?”
“The owner of a pawnshop evaluates the object that is being brought in and only gives you a portion of its value. If the person who borrowed the money doesn’t pay it back, the owner will keep the object. You must pay him back no matter what if you want that object back.”
As Emma explained what a pawnshop was, her face gradually returned to its normal color.
“Do people often go to a pawnshop?”
“I think everyone will visit one at least once in their lives.”
“You too?”
“Yes. When I lived in my hometown, I went pretty often. Seeing as how it was difficult to get by…”
“I have heard of corporations that often lend money to people. And I believe there is a government office that does this as well. So why do you go to that kind of place?”
“Not everyone is able to apply to the places that you’ve mentioned. I heard that they’re very picky when it comes to the people they lend money to.”
Sienna thought that the idea of a pawnshop was strange. According to Emma, most of her subjects frequented one, but this was the first time Sienna had heard of it.
“You may take this back. It’s yours. If you want to sell it, just sell it. Ah, so does that mean you left the last one at a pawnshop and borrowed money?”
“…Yes.”
Emma answered in a squeaky voice. If Her Majesty asked her why she sold it, why she needed money, Emma didn’t know how she’d respond. Back at her hometown, her father had run into an accident with their finances. She didn’t want to have to explain such a pathetic and embarrassing situation.
“I’ll give you the exact amount of money in exchange for this.”
“No, Your Majesty! You don’t have to give me anything.”
“Why would I take something that’s yours? I’ll keep this with me for now. I’ll give you money in return. Do you need the money immediately?”
“I’m not in a hurry.”
After sending Emma away, Sienna took out a ring from the pouch. The gold ring had a large jewel embedded in it. It wasn’t anything like the jewelry that Sienna usually wore.
The workmanship was poor, and the quality was low. As soon as Sienna saw the ring, she knew that this ring fell short of the usual quality that she was used to. Sienna asked herself how much this kind of thing would be worth in money. However, she wasn’t able to find an answer. She had no idea.
The currency of the Empire had four groups. They were all engraved in silver, and only the sizes differed, so everyone called them ‘silver coins’. However, they weren’t made of silver. Instead, it was made by applying special techniques that were unique to the Empire.
There was never an issue with counterfeit money. If criminals tried to use silver to make fake currency, they’d only be losing money in the end.
The silver coins were very reliable. It lasted a long time like iron, so it was very practical. It was useable anywhere in the continent, and it was even preferred over gold in some places.
Sienna was currently memorizing everything about the silver coin. Its history, its transformations, its shapes, and even its yearly circulation. This information was all inside her head.
The subjects of the Empire used silver coins. It was said that a coin from the most valuable group of the 4 groups could buy a sack of flour. However, that’s all Sienna knew when it came to the value of the silver coin.
How much a sack of flour was actually worth, how long a sack of flour could feed a person… The details were endless.
“Hm…”
Sienna crossed her arms and glared down at the ring. Why hadn’t she thought of these things before?
Silver coins weren’t worth much. That’s why the nobility didn’t use them. One luxurious item owned by the nobles would require a wagon full of silver coins. That’s why the nobles usually used jewels or a check.
The silver coin didn’t make an appearance on any official empire documents. Even in the national budget used the weight of gold as its standard.
Sienna had only seen the silver coin once in her life. While she was in class, her instructor had shown her an array of silver coins. That was over ten years ago.
‘I need someone to teach me the things I don’t know.’
After the dream she had a couple days ago, Sienna managed to figure out the problem regarding her staff appointments.
She appointed Gilbert as the captain of her guards. He was Sienna’s first sword instructor. He had helped her with the basics for about a year. After that, Sienna had been recommended another instructor who was known to have better skills, so Gilbert was replaced.
Because of that connection, Sienna always sought out Gilbert whenever she had business with the knights. However, at most, that happened a couple times a year. She had never given him an important assignment before.
When she called for Gilbert and told him that she was going to give him the position as the captain of her guard, he seemed surprised. She also left it to Gilbert to find the appropriate knights to be her escort guards.
And like that, Sienna didn’t think too much about it and picked her staff. She only kept one thing in mind. She didn’t pick one person from Patricia’s list of recommendations.
She now only had one position to fill. She still required a personal secretary. Her personal secretary would be the person she met the most and to whom she’d assigned the most tasks. She wanted to be careful when she filled this position. And now… she knew how she’d pick her secretary.
Knock, knock. A knock sounded at the door. A few moments later, Countess Pope entered the room. As before, Countess Pope was to remain as Sienna’s head lady-in-waiting.
Just because Sienna had been crowned as the Silver King didn’t mean that her title as Princess would go away. She was still a member of the Imperial family, and she was still the Princess.
“Your Majesty, the person who has requested to see you is here now and waiting for you. They didn’t tell me anything else, so I’m letting you know.”
“Have I met this person before?”
“No. They claim to be a merchant. They said they sell trivial things, but they said that you would be satisfied with what they have.”
“A merchant?”
Sienna had a feeling she knew who this was if they claimed to be selling ‘trivial things’.
“Let them in.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Countess.”
Sienna stopped the countess just as she was about to leave.
“Can I ask you a favor?”
The countess’s eyes slightly widened before she laughed softly.
“Of course. I’ll do whatever I can.”
As Sienna gazed at her wordlessly, Beth swept her face with her hand in embarrassment.
“Is there something on my face?”
Sienna had seen how she would look 20 years in the future. Sienna smiled as she recalled the dream.
To the future Sienna, the countess would be a precious person in her lonely life. She was thankful that the countess would stay by her side as she always had.
“I’m saying this now because it just crossed my mind. Countess, you’ve been by my side for a long time now.”
“Yes, it has been over ten years. I can’t believe it’s already been that long.”
“I’ve had over ten nannies as a child. But I feel that you were more like a nanny to me than any of them.”
“It has been a joy and an honor to witness your growth, Your Majesty.”
“I remembered something that had happened in the past. There was a time when I hadn’t seen you in a while. They told me the head lady-in-waiting was going to be replaced. I ordered your return immediately. Do you remember that?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
This happened when Sienna was eight years old. The Red King had tried to take Beth away from her.
“It seems that with you as an exception, nobody else stays around for long. Are they running away? Is it because I’m too difficult?”
“That’s not true at all, Your Majesty.”
“Then are they being chased out?”
Beth’s face stiffened.
“Your Majesty.”
“I know about it.”
“…Sorry?”
“I’m saying that I know whose fault it is.”
The Red King was incredibly meticulous. The more time passed by, the more Sienna realized how far her mother’s hand had reached.
Once she began having her dreams, Sienna didn’t trust anyone. She even kept a distance between her and the countess. However, they had a decade-long history, and it would continue for twenty more years. If this person was consistently by her side for thirty years, Sienna felt that she could trust her.
“Please recommend someone to me. This person doesn’t need to have had a government post or incredible talent. I just need them to be loyal and know how to keep their mouth shut. It would be nice if they also had some experience in business administration.”
Beth’s expression became brighter as Sienna changed the subject. Not expecting Sienna to ask her for a recommendation for the position of her personal secretary, Beth readily answered.
“Yes, Your Majesty. It shouldn’t be hard to find someone with those characteristics.”
It seemed that the Princess required someone to take care of miscellaneous tasks. Beth quickly thought of a few people in her mind.
“I’ll look into a few people and let you know, Your Majesty. It will take me a couple of days.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem at all, Your Majesty. Please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”\n