It had been a few days since she last saw Maxim.

Rosé was starting to wonder about him—was he just busy?

“There you are.”

Jansen climbed up to the outdoor terrace, wiping sweat from his brow.

“Jansen!”

Rosé greeted him more warmly than usual.

“What are you so engrossed in?”

When Jansen glanced at the book in her hands, Rosé hurriedly hid it behind her skirt, flustered.

“It’s nothing. What’s going on?”

“There’s an order for Her Majesty to attend today’s meeting.”

Rosé’s eyes widened at the unexpected news.

“Me?”

“Yes. It will be Your Majesty’s first official appearance meeting key figures since the wedding.”

The thought of gathering with Hellevant’s elders and ministers for the first time as Queen made her nervous just hearing about it.

“Then I should prepare immediately.”

Rosé, feeling rushed, quickly left with Natalie.

Several soldiers trailed a few steps behind, escorting her. Since the previous incident, Maxim had ordered she never be left alone.

Jansen watched Rosé’s retreating figure. Something rustled under his foot, drawing his attention to the ground.

Something had fallen where she had stood earlier.

“What’s this? Did it fall out of the book?”

He carefully picked it up to examine it.

“This is!”

Jansen’s brows furrowed.

“Why? Why would Her Majesty have something like this?”

He looked between the item in his hand and Rosé’s distant figure.

His expression was filled with confusion and doubt.

***

Since this was her first official appearance, Rosé dressed in her most elegant gown and pinned her hair up neatly.

“This should do.”

Though she usually wore her hair in long braids or let it fall naturally, she didn’t want to appear too young and naive in front of the elders and ministers.

It was time to show them her dignity as Queen.

Just as she approached the meeting hall with a racing heart, she saw someone coming from the opposite direction and stopped in her tracks.

Maxim was walking quickly, deep in earnest conversation with his knights.

“Maxim…”

Rosé, recognizing him first, suddenly felt nervous.

She hadn’t seen him yet and didn’t know how to face him. Without realizing it, she turned her head, pretending not to notice him.

“You were here already.”

Maxim spoke to her first.

“Your Majesty.”

When Rosé bent her knees slightly to greet Maxim, he chuckled softly and offered his arm. Rosé placed her hand on his arm and entered the meeting hall together.

“Their Majesties, the King and Queen, have arrived.”

The elders and ministers who rose to greet them began whispering, and the hall buzzed quietly with murmurs.

It was the first time the King and Queen had attended a meeting together.

Though no law prohibited it, leaving no grounds for objection, they didn’t hide their displeasure.

Why was this queen from Stern attending the meeting? What could she possibly contribute to Hellevant? They couldn’t comprehend the situation at all.

“Your Majesties, it is most reassuring for us subjects to see both of you present here together,” one minister, known for his sycophantic flattery, said with a smile.

A faint scoff could be heard somewhere in the room, followed by a few suppressed chuckles.

It was clear that quite a few ministers still didn’t accept Rosé as queen.

Rosé once again had to endure the sharp gazes from those scrutinizing her—gazes entirely different from those of servants or attendants.

“I heard an enormous shipment arrived from Stern for Her Majesty not long ago. Life here must be quite difficult for you,” Chancellor Pieri remarked, feigning concern but lacing his words with mockery.

Rosé slightly narrowed her eyes and responded with a gentle smile.

“Thank you for your concern, but I’m doing just fine. It’s as if this has always been my home.”

Pieri smirked in disbelief and glanced at the other ministers.

“I wouldn’t want to delay the meeting because of me. Please proceed, Chancellor Pieri.”

Rosé maintained a serene smile as she firmly urged him to begin the meeting.

“Due to the recent looting and arson incidents, the number of volunteers willing to go to Kaikman has dropped by more than half. No matter how much we offer to pay, everyone just shakes their heads,” one minister explained.

“We’ve resorted to sending those with overdue taxes by force, but even they flee within days of arrival.”

The ministers shook their heads, brainstorming for solutions.

“Sending criminals to ‘reform’ them by working there has only led to more crime, creating a vicious cycle,” another added.

Rosé quietly listened, piecing together that they were discussing the situation in Kaikman, the northernmost border region of Hellevant.

Before coming here, she had read about Hellevant and recognized the name from her research.

Kaikman was the largest and most dangerous silver ore mining area in the North.

It was known for its rich ore deposits, but its value remained untapped due to the lack of development.

‘I remember Father once saying that developing Kaikman would be revolutionary.’

But danger and value coexisted in equal measure.

It was a hellish place, filled with raiders, arsonists, and criminals forcibly sent there. Death by falling rocks was a constant threat.

Despite Kaikman’s importance to the northern economy, these problems seemed to be causing endless headaches.

Though they needed significant manpower, no one wanted to go. Even with high wages or forced labor, workers prioritized their survival and refused to be dragged there.

‘It must be quite a headache to deal with,’ Rosé thought, tilting her head slightly.

Yet she couldn’t help but feel that the problem might be more straightforward to solve than they realized.

The Etoile family, with its extensive foreign trade and commerce, had faced countless challenges over the years.

Challenges like these wouldn’t even register as significant problems.

‘How would Father have solved this?’ she wondered, putting herself in Count Jared’s shoes.

However, Hellevant was a starkly different, highly insular place. They despised change and trusted no outsiders.

The situation here couldn’t be tackled with the same approach.

‘Not that they’d listen to my opinion anyway,’ Rosé thought.

Unsure of navigating her first meeting or thoroughly assessing the situation, she hesitated to speak and simply listened to the ministers.

Then it happened.

“What does Her Majesty think?”

Chancellor Pieri abruptly turned to Rosé and asked for her opinion.

“Me?”

Caught off guard, Rosé’s surprise was evident, and every pair of eyes in the room focused on her.

It seemed they were ready to mock whatever she said.

That was precisely why Pieri had asked the question.

“If it were me…” Rosé slowed her speech as if organizing her thoughts. Maxim, seated beside her, watched with interest to see how she would respond.

“If it were me, I would hire them.”

“Hire? Who, exactly?”

“Your Majesty, have you listened to anything we’ve discussed?”

The ministers exchanged knowing glances and chuckles, as if they had expected such an answer.

But Rosé remained calm and began to elaborate on her opinion.

“They’re the tribes living on the border who engage in pillaging and arson. If no one wants to go there, there’s no other choice, right?”

The hall began to stir.

“They’re risking their lives for food. What if we pay them for their labor and provide a means for survival? And wouldn’t it be better if we taxed their wages, too?”

“Hah! Nonsense.”

The elders shook their heads as if there was no need for further thought.

Rosé stood her ground and thoroughly explained her perspective.

“If we can use them properly, we’ll have an abundant labor force, no more pillaging, and we’ll collect taxes. Doesn’t that sound beneficial? If they depend on us for their livelihood, we could even turn those tribes into pro-Hellevant forces.”

The same vassal mocked for his flattery of Rosé and Maxim jumped in to support her.

“If we promise to solve their food problems, many will probably work for half the current wages.”

As soon as he finished speaking, murmurs of agreement began to spread throughout the room.

Chancellor Pieri narrowed his eyes and dismissed their discussion outright.

“You think we haven’t considered that? How can we trust those barbaric tribes from that lawless land to work for us? They’re savages who don’t even know human laws.”

Rosé’s eyes sharpened, and she gave Pieri a peculiar smile.

Rosé’s voice became more forceful.

“It’s unfortunate that you think that way. I could understand if someone else said it, but it’s unexpected coming from you, Chancellor Pieri.”

“What do you mean by that?” Pieri’s eyes widened as he glared at her.

Now Rosé was entirely at ease, lightly tapping the armrest of her chair.

“I heard that your wife is from a foreign tribe, Chancellor. I had no idea you looked down on and ostracized the same people as animals.”

“Th-That’s!”

As Pieri’s face turned pale with shock, Rosé delivered her final blow with a satisfied smile, speaking calmly.

“Think about it. How well has Lady Katriona managed everything in your absence? Despite being from a foreign tribe, she’s incredibly competent. Everyone here knows it.”

The room fell into a tense silence. No one could find a word to refute her.

“There are many ways to bring people into compliance. You can force them with power, but that’s not a very effective method. It’s much more efficient if they willingly comply.”

“You mean we should make them dependent on us.”

“Exactly.”

Rosé gave a gentle smile to the vassal who had grasped her point.

A light blush appeared on his face.

“There’s no harm in trying Queen Rosé’s suggestion.”

Sensing an opportunity, some of the vassals, who had long harbored resentment toward Chancellor Pieri, began siding with Rosé.

“Those tribes may be well-suited for working in that rough area. After all, it’s been their home for generations.”

“If we assign someone capable of leading an army and handling administration, it should work. Jeremion could be a good fit. He’s stationed at the eastern border, isn’t he?”

As the discussion became more concrete, Pieri shut his mouth tightly, wearing a sullen expression.

The meeting, which had been tumultuous since Rosé’s arrival, finally moved to a new topic.

It was about the Forest of Quagmoria, located between Hellevant and Solstern.

“King Maxim, is it true that you plan to cut a road through Quagmoria?”