“Nobles live by being subservient to their families. I don’t like that. So I will receive a title and become the head of the family.”

“So you want to become a quasi-imperial. If you become a quasi-imperial, you can receive a title according to your contributions during your marriage of two years or more.”

A divorced woman from the Imperial Family is treated as a quasi-imperial.

That was exactly what Adelia wanted.

The best thing would be to drag down everyone in the Count of Vita’s household and become a family head, but it was also a solid contingency plan in case something went wrong.

“Of course, it will also be helpful for revenge. I might even be able to see my favorite character, the Crown Princess. I mean, I’m possessing this body, so I should at least see her once, right?”

The original female lead, the Crown Princess.

Adelia thought she had to see the Crown Princess’s face even if she’d die at the hands of the Imperial Family.

Of course, it would be even better if they became close and had some sort of exchange.

As Adelia’s lips curled up, she felt a gaze from beside her as if saying she couldn’t see anything.

Then she finally regained her senses and cleared her throat.

“Well… I plan to make a reasonable contract. I’ll just give them the trade rights for the white magic stone or something.”

“You’re not trying to avoid tedious political diplomacy, are you?”

“Haha. That’s why people who are quick-witted are annoying.”

Adelia spoke lightly with a laugh, but a tremendous conversation had just taken place.

When a private merchantry exported goods to a foreign country, the taxes were enormous. However, if the Imperial Family had trade rights, the merchantry could supply goods to the Imperial Family, and since the Imperial Family traded with foreign countries, there were no taxes.

Of course, they couldn’t raise the prices too high, but since they didn’t plan on selling at a high price, it wasn’t a big loss.

White magic stones are difficult to export and could easily become a major diplomatic issue if mishandled.

From the merchantry’s perspective, they didn’t have to pay taxes and could even pass on the responsibility to the Imperial Family, so it couldn’t get any better than this.

And from the Imperial Family’s perspective, it was like obtaining a powerful weapon to roast and boil other countries, so it was definitely not a loss.

“As expected. You’re amazing.”

Conrad looked at Adelia with a respectful expression.

She was much younger than him, but her thoughts were several steps ahead of his.

“Done!”

“Huh? When?”

“When you were spacing out.”

Adelia’s desk, where she was laughing at herself, was clean. On the other hand, there were still piles of documents in front of Conrad that he hadn’t processed yet.

“I might not be able to come for a while once I get to the capital, so I’ll come every day for the remaining days.”

“Understood.”

Adelia stood up from her seat, smoothing out the wrinkles on her clothes. Then she handed over a document.

Conrad accepted the document with a troubled expression.

“Work…”

To be given tasks by a superior when he was about to leave work. It was truly miserable.

Conrad sighed deeply and began reading the document.

“This document is a plan for future sales of white magic stones and artifacts, so read it and give your opinions as well.”

“It seems like our merchantry will be expanding even more.”

The merchantry headquarters, located in the most expensive district on the continent, was responsible for the main trade with the Imperial Family and even military supplies. It was not an exaggeration to say that they led the flow of the empire’s economy.

And now they had a monopoly on white magic stones. It wouldn’t be surprising if they now controlled the continent’s economy.

After reading through all the documents, Conrad pressed his fingers against his temples.

“I’m afraid we might become the fourth power in the continent at this rate.”

“Haha. Me too.”

Adelia was also afraid of the future, as the merchantry grew larger than she had expected.

* * *

“One hundred gold.”

“I… I won the bid!”

Two men wearing black masks swept away the jewels that appeared in the auction house.

From expensive earrings to large gemstones, they called out the highest prices for each item.

“That would suit Ariana well.”

“It would also make a lovely decoration.”

They said while looking at a large pink diamond.

Although their faces were covered by masks, their protruding hair and red eyes revealed their status.

“Surely it’s His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Who else could it be? Only someone like them would spend such a fortune.”

The nobles who saw the two sitting arrogantly on the guest stone murmured in awe.

The overwhelming aura and authoritative atmosphere could not be hidden even if they remained still.

“The items today are in excellent condition.”

“I see many items that would suit Ariana very well.”

The wealthy individual who had bought plenty of precious gems looked at the stage with a satisfied expression.

Perhaps it was because of the rumor that an extraordinary item would be presented today. The place was packed with people, and there were unusually few who left in the middle.

The previous auctioneer left and the owner of the auction house came out and stood in front of the stage.

“This is the final item of the day! It’s an item presented by Mare, the owner of this auction house and the merchant lord of Eileen!”

When the name of the merchantry lord was mentioned by the owner, people visibly stirred.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince were no exception. Their bodies leaned forward as they sat with their backs straight.

“I am pleased to introduce the most precious item in the history of the auction house. Behold, the white magic stone, which has reappeared after three hundred years! We will start the bidding at one hundred gold.”

The owner lifted the cloth covering the item. The white magic stone, placed on a red cushion, was revealed to the world, shining brilliantly.

The eyes of the nobles were captivated by its dazzling appearance.

“Two hundred gold!”

“Three hundred gold!”

“Hey! Five hundred gold!”

The bidding quickly escalated. Everyone shouted out numbers without hesitation.

The Emperor and the Crown Prince observed the situation in silence. First, they needed to verify the item.

The Emperor, who had been sending a fierce gaze, furrowed his brow.

“It is indeed the white magic stone.”

“I am certain.”

“Then we must acquire it.”

The Emperor raised his bidding paddle.

“Five thousand gold.”

At that moment, silence fell over the auction house.

After a few minutes into the auction, the highest bid at the auction house was shattered.

Even the owner standing on the stage opened his mouth in disbelief and blinked his eyes.

“Five… Five thousand gold! Is there no higher bid?”

The wide-eyed owner asked repeatedly, but it was unlikely that anyone would be able to pay such a sum of money. In the end, the owner declared the item sold.

People applauded and exchanged glances. Even though it was the wealthy imperial family, it was astonishing to see them easily call out five thousand gold. It was another moment when the majesty of the imperial family soared.

Despite the enormous amount of money exchanged, the Emperor’s expression remained calm.

“I’ll leave this to you, Lucian.”

“Understood.”

They promptly stood up and left.

Deon, the captain of the knights, who had been waiting outside, respectfully lowered his head.

The Crown Prince tapped his hand on Deon’s shoulder.

“Go and retrieve the white magic stone. And deliver it to the Shadow. From now on, stop everything you’re doing and focus solely on matters concerning the merchantry.”

“I… will carry out your orders.”

Though he hesitated for a moment, he had no option to refuse.

As Deon watched the backs of his superiors disappear without hesitation, he let out a deep sigh.

* * *

“I apologize.”

“I beg your pardon.”

Captain Deon and the leader of the Shadows, Nox, bowed their heads together.

Crown Prince Lucian, sitting in front of them, exuded an atmosphere of displeasure.

“I captured the merchantry manager, but…”

“If it’s that slippery fellow, he probably escaped again. No wonder he’s flaunting powerful artifacts. Since he possesses an artifact created by the white mage, it’s impossible to apprehend him completely.”

Lucian tapped the white magic stone in his hand and spoke.

The subtly shimmering magic stone, emitting a golden light, caught everyone’s attention. It wasn’t just because of its dazzling appearance, but also because of the aura that seemed to purify one’s body.

“For now, continue. We must secure the merchantry lord before others can approach.”

As the First Emperor of the Empire was a white mage himself, the existence of the white mage was crucial. The Empire wouldn’t crumble with just one of them, but they’d be a nuisance if they stood idly by.

The plan was to capture and take them in as a court mage before they fell into the hands of arrogant nobles or hostile nations and caused trouble at every turn.

“…We will do our best.”

Nox and Deon reluctantly replied.

The investigation of the merchantry had been going on for almost three years. At first, it was to restrain the growing influence of the merchantry.

The investigation results were obvious. The merchantry had never committed common tax evasion, and there were no traces of corruption.

The only strange thing was the merchantry lord, who was shrouded in secrecy.

‘But suddenly announcing himself as the white mage… I wonder what he’s thinking.’

Rumors about the white mage had spread beyond the Empire to the continent. Interest in the Eileen Merchant Guild, which was already famous, had skyrocketed.

It was difficult to pass through the area near the merchantry because of the people, and there were even humans who raided the palace to steal the only white magic stone.

“This is a headache.”

If only the merchantry was as corrupt as other nobles, it would have already been in his hands.

For the first time, Lucian didn’t like the idea of a clean merchantry.