"This is…"

Freya placed a box in front of me and explained, "A package from Miss Ling Yue… It was sent by the guards. It appears that Miss Ling Yue knows of our plight.  Those merchants are not honest. They did not loan us much, but they sure talked a big deal."

"Ling Yue's box?"

I took the box with curiosity and took a closer look. It was a very small and simple wooden box with a single simple lock. The key for it was placed inside the letter by the side. The box, itself, was very ordinary, but it had Ling Yue's tribe's emblem on it. I honestly didn't know why she sent me the box then of all times.

Honestly, I felt a little upset, because I didn't receive a response I was happy with during the last meeting. They didn't loan us money. They didn't seem to trust our national debt scheme. Perhaps it was because our proposal was far too modern for them, and therefore they found it hard to trust.

Further, they weren't willing to loan me a single penny. Actually, to be fair, some gave me a tiny amount, but that small amount was used to test me or maybe I should say, to be done with it. In other words, they wanted to give us a little bit of money and then beg us not to cling to them again. It was but a drop in the bucket to me. It was useless.

I opened the box in front of me to find s.h.i.+ny ornaments, pearls and other expensive jewels. I even saw a pair of earrings that Ling Yue always wore. She removed them and sent them to me along with everything else. In other words, Ling Yue didn't have any more jewellery. She sent me all of the ornaments and jewellery in her house.

It was also filled with money. Ling Yue's house was previously plundered before, so she didn't have much money to begin with, yet she sent me everything she has. She heard I lacked funds, so she sent me everything worth money in her household. She should've been aware that it wasn't enough, but she still sent them to me, nevertheless.

I chuckled, and then gently shut it. Freya smiled, "Your Majesty, do you intend to use this? It is not enough, but it is better than nothing, right?"

"No, I won't use this. I won't touch it, even if I die from poverty. These things should be with Ling Yue, not be sold off by me. There are countless ways to make money, but Ling Yue only has this one set. I've never gifted my Ling Yue any jewellery. I'm going to send these things back in one piece."

"Onii-sama, how do you intend to make money now, then? What are we going to do now that they are unwilling to give their money to us? Are we going to resort to robbing?"

"No, no, no. Don't rush, Freya. I think that there will still be people willing to give us a loan if the locals aren't," I replied. I looked out the window, "I won't ask Mommy Elizabeth or Mommy Vyvyan for help. I'll find my other friends."

"Onii-sama, you have other friends?"

"Of course, I do. Am I such a loner to you? Honestly speaking, I can't go right away, since Lucia and Nier will be giving birth soon. So, my only choice is to send a letter. I really hope that my letter and myself are persuasive enough. I need to take care of my Lucia and Nier first."

I sat down and picked up my pen. I pushed the box over to Freya and said, "Seal the box properly. Don't send it back to Ling Yue just yet. Wait for the economic crisis in the North to settle first, and then I'll personally send the container back to her."

"Onii-sama, I guarantee you did not read the letter properly."

Freya picked up the letter with the lock. I lingered for a moment then grabbed the envelope and shook it out. "Yeah, there's no letter. I just confirmed it."

"No."

Freya s.n.a.t.c.hed the letter over and tore it, turning it into a single sheet of paper and spreading it onto my desk. I looked at the letters inside. There was only one line.

"I'm pregnant."

Four days later at Karnashun.

"Lord Nara, this is a letter from Prince Troy Galadriel Rosvenor."

Somewhat surprised, Nara placed her pen down. She then took the letter Tarak was holding. She looked at the letters on the letter, as well as the heat stamp. Puzzled, she asked, "His Majesty's letter? I truly don't understand. Why would he send me a letter at this time? Isn't he busy in the North at the moment?"

"Mm, you can say that. However, His Majesty must require us to do something if he has sent us a letter."

Tarak watched Nara cut the heat stamp with a small knife. Nara then glanced at Tarak with a mischievous smile, "Or maybe he's asking when we're getting married."

"Wh-What would your response be, then?"

Nara looked at Tarak who was red in the face and smiled, "Whenever, of course."

Nara opened the letter. The letter was very short with few lines. After reading it, she softly giggled, "It seems my Royal Prince is in a bit of a situation. This letter was asking for our help or more precisely, to loan money."

Tarak lingered for a moment before asking, "Loan money? His Majesty is short on money?"

"The Rosvenor Empire wouldn't be short on money. The same goes for Duargana. His Majesty, however, will lack money." Nara responded to Tarak's calmly question before folding the letter up. She stood up and looked to the city outside the window. With a smile, she elaborated, "Thanks to His Majesty, our city had the chance to develop. We made a substantial amount of money through the metal, and that money came from the treasure they found."

"So, we…"

"Of course, we will provide a.s.sistance to His Majesty," answered Nara, smiling, "No matter what perspective you look at it from, His Majesty is our ally, and he has helped us plenty of times. The favour His Majesty has asked us to help with is not a difficult task. A problem that can be solved with money isn't a difficult problem to tackle, because money is the easiest thing to make in this world. Hence, we must help His Majesty with this small request. His Majesty has his own ambitions and possesses adequate strength. We must help him with this small request. From our national treasury, take out… Ah, no, from my treasury, sorry. Tarak, the dowry I give you may be significantly less now."

"It is all right, My Lord. I have savings, too. I might not have money for the wedding with you now."

Tarak looked at his fiancée. He took out a small key from his breast pocket and placed it on the table.

"That is His Majesty's business, then." Nara closed the letter, and then peered outside the window with a smile. She supported her chin in her hands and spoke to herself, "It seems that our wedding witness and our child's G.o.d father will have to bring a bit more money to have the right to partic.i.p.ate in our wedding… And our wedding will have to be delayed until His Majesty repays us."

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