Her indignance and her rage were directed elsewhere.
“And I don’t even mind giving you a portion of my domain,” continued Lily. “My issue is with the specific area he is telling me to give you.”
“I presume it is of some importance?”
“It is where we grow the materials for a medicine that makes pain all but a dream. It’s where we do the vast majority of our production.”
“Oh. Yes, I see.”
I mentioned that the Tuna region was known for its medicinal production, and it was one of these key areas—perhaps the key area—that the emperor was demanding Duke Tuna give to me. The area was a precious source of income for the duke. And while ordinarily it was difficult to build a fortune through drug production alone, the drug in question was used across the nation and the continent for the treatment of injuries and as a general painkiller.
And then, of course, there were the other ways that Lily made use of her region’s...medicine.
Nonetheless, it was an audacious move for the emperor to order the land given to me. One wrong step and the whole thing could have ended in rebellion and revolt, but at present, there was certain data that the duke simply could not ignore—namely, that of the number of drug addicts in the capital and the danger the drug presented. The emperor’s reasoning—at least on the surface—was thus clear. If his own citizenry were being put in danger, then it was his duty to take action.
“He’s never said a word about it until now. He must be extremely unhappy to want the land given away and the drug production slowed. With this much pressure on me, I don’t have much in the way of any recourse whatsoever, but I wanted your opinion before I made any further moves, Lady Conrad.”
“Me...?” I uttered.
“Yes. The prince’s favorite, as it were.”
Though she didn’t look it on the face of things, I had to assume that internally she was fuming. I also got the sense that my response would go a long way to potentially making things worse.
“Oh, well, I... Let me think...” I started.
I spoke slowly. I wanted to buy a little extra time, even if it was just a few seconds. Being put on the spot was so much harder than having a little time to prep in advance.
How weird. Why am I so sleepy all of a sudden...?
It was anything but the time for naps, but the sandman continued to tap on my shoulder. I dug my nails into my thighs to snap myself out of it.
“I cannot refuse the offer,” I stated.
“Oh, you won’t turn him down, then?”
“We’re talking about what I will be rewarded with at the upcoming ceremony,” I replied. “To turn down the emperor at a public event would be like throwing dirt at the man, and it might also draw unwanted suspicion. At present, the last thing I want to do is step on the emperor’s toes any more than I already have.”
“Well, I do hope you understand how difficult this all is for me, still.”
Lily didn’t look like she liked my answer, but it was unclear to me if that was how she actually felt. All I could do was nod and go on.
“While I did not hear what the emperor said to you, my understanding—insomuch as you have explained—is that even if I were to refuse the emperor’s offer, he would simply order that you give your land to somebody else. In which case, don’t you think it more preferable that the land go to me, given my friendly ties with the prince?”
“Go on.”
“The land might be ripe for drug production, but without the right systems in place, it will be unmanageable. Though it pains me to admit it, our family does not have the manpower or the budget to manage much outside of what we already handle.”
It was one thing to give land rights to someone, but it was quite another to manage said land. You needed to be in close contact with the residents, and you needed an understanding of distribution to make it work. Sending a person to watch over things would still amount to quite the responsibility.
“So what if I accept the offer on the surface level?” I suggested. “We’ll need you to keep us abreast of necessary documentation for the sake of appearances, but you would still run things in the area, and the profits would remain yours.”
It was the only option I saw, but I did not know how Lily would take it. The duke thought on my idea for a time, and finally she nodded.
“Okay,” she muttered. “If you’d been out to snatch my land from me, then I would have seen you crushed to dust, but I see potential in this idea of yours.”
“Did I not tell you that things would be fine in her hands?” said Reinald.
“Unlike you, I barely know Lady Conrad. No person is immune to the temptations of greed.”
It was all rather terrifying for me, but fortunately, I made it out of the other side of the conversation with my relationship with Duke Tuna intact. When she finished her tea, she stood to her feet.
“Let me make a slight amendment,” she said. “You’ll be receiving the land as a reward, and for that you’ll have to take some of the profits. And besides, it’s only going to be more of a pain if people start thinking something fishy is going on, so let’s work out a fair split. The exact numbers can wait for the next time we meet.”
Her tone said that she’d done everything she came to do. The duke declared that she had a lover waiting and a rendezvous to get to, and just like that, she was gone. Her stay had only been a short one, but I felt completely exhausted.
“She’s like a storm personified,” I uttered.
“Usually you’d expect more in the way of fire and brimstone from the likes of her,” commented Reinald. “But it would seem that the two of you hit things off. I’m sure she doesn’t want to lose her spice trade connections either—she’s likely as relieved as you are.”
Seen in another light, however, her drug production was clearly valuable enough that she was prepared to break said spice trade agreement.
“Oh, erm, ah!” I sputtered suddenly. “No!”
Black Bird had been so good about hiding all this time, but it chose now to reveal itself, landing on Reinald’s knee.
“This is what you wrote in your report...” he uttered.