Chapter 76

The Queen's face, filled with irritability and annoyance, suddenly brightened.

"Hamir?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The attendant answered and slightly turned to the side.

The Queen's attention was directed not at the attendants prostrate on the floor, but towards the door.

As expected, the Queen looked at the door with eyes full of anticipation.

In fact, ever since the name "Hamir" was mentioned, the attendants, who were supposed to be the targets of her anger, were completely forgotten.

"Where is he now? Has he just arrived, or is he in the palace?"

The Queen couldn't stay still and paced by the door.

"I should go find him... No, he must be tired from the long journey, so I should let him rest first, right?"

Though she said this, her face clearly showed that she wanted to rush to Hamir's quarters immediately.

"There's no need to worry about that, Your Majesty."

The attendant smiled and bowed.

"Prince Hamir said he would come this way right away."

"Really?"

Joy spread across the Queen's face.

"But, isn't he overexerting himself? Even if he used the last portal, the journey to get there must have been arduous."

"He probably wants to see Your Majesty's face first, even if he is tired."

"Yes, our Hamir is truly filial."

The Queen nodded with satisfaction.

The attendant quietly bowed.

In fact, there was another reason for Hamir to come straight to the Queen.

He had been told that the angry Queen was tormenting the attendants.

However, the attendant did not reveal this fact.

If he did, who knows what kind of disaster might befall him.

The attendants, who had been prostrate on the floor, quickly began to clean up the mess in the room.

The Queen, seeing this, turned her head.

"Let's go to another room. The sunlight here is too strong."

"Understood, Your Majesty."

The room, cooled by magic, was so refreshing that even the heat of midsummer dared not approach.

The pale pink table made of rose quartz shimmered, and in the center, a small hydrangea was delicately placed in a white vase.

Tap, tap. The Queen, with a face mixed with anticipation and anxiety, tapped the table.

Finally, the door opened.

'At last!'

The Queen quickly got up from her seat and approached the door.

"Hamir, my son!"

"Mother, Your Majesty."

Hamir smiled and bowed to her.

As he moved, his platinum hair flowed and shimmered in the sunlight.

Unlike the dark-haired ordinary Irlugons, Hamir had light hair.

This was due to the blood of his maternal grandmother, a noble from another country.

Because of this, his face was more delicate than others, giving off an air of a scholar or a man of letters.

Overall, his appearance was gentle, but his finely detailed features made him look sharp.

"Come in. Was the journey tiring?"

Hamir escorted the Queen to the table and replied.

"I used the portal, so it couldn't have been tiring."

"Still, you must have had a long journey from the mana stone mine to the portal. I was worried that you hadn't arrived even though you said you would."

Hamir smiled without answering and pulled out the Queen's chair for her.

The Queen smiled at his considerate action and sat down.

Once Hamir was seated, the attendants brought in tea.

"Are you not tired? You should rest after such a long journey."

"I'm fine, Mother."

Hamir smiled smoothly.

"It wasn't tiring at all. The distance from the mine to the nearby portal, though long, is nothing compared to the journey from Silvanus to here."

The Queen's hand, which was about to lift the teacup, paused slightly.

Hamir continued speaking without hesitation.

"I heard that the princess of Silvanus came here not through the portal but via the old carriage road."

Thud. The Queen loudly placed the teacup back on the saucer.

She didn't even touch the tea, as if its flavor had been ruined.

"Well, that's true. She's out of the emperor's favor and can't even use the portal..."

She dared to come crawling to me.

The Queen's eyes flashed sharply.

"Did the Emperor of Silvanus oppose it? I heard different rumors."

The Queen laughed in disbelief.

"Why, they say the princess chose that arduous journey to see the suffering of the people affected by the war with her own eyes."

"And they say that compared to the people's suffering, her own hardships were nothing."

There were many more such stories.

The Queen's fingernails scratched the rose quartz table.

"Has that rumor spread so far?"

It was humiliating.

After all, the rumor originated from the Queen herself.

She had deliberately mentioned the old carriage road when asking if the journey was tiring, implying that the princess, despite being a princess, had not been recognized by the emperor.

But at that time, Aristine had answered calmly without blinking.

"To stop the bloodshed caused by the war, how could I say the journey was tiring?"

"The war has made the lives of the people in both countries very desolate. My heart ached, and the physical hardships were nothing."

"As you said, the portal is convenient. However, I believe that the value of seeing Silvanus and Irlugon with my own eyes outweighs the physical hardships."

Not only did Aristine counter the Queen's attack, but she also used it to her advantage.

The old carriage road was not a way to torment Aristine, as the emperor intended, but a path she chose herself, enduring the inconvenience to see the people.

As a result, Aristine became known as someone who thought of peace and cared for the people more than anyone else.

Even Nefter supported Aristine, making it a fait accompli.

The Queen, who had provoked Aristine for no reason, ended up with nothing to show for it. She knew the rumors would spread, but now that she knew, she felt even more disgusted.

"Perhaps the rumors are a bit different from the truth."

"A bit? They are completely different. There was no grand purpose; the emperor simply refused to open the portal, saying the princess was unqualified."

Hamir tilted his head and said, "Hmm."

"Well, I did hear that the princess was exiled from a young age and was considered a worthless princess by the emperor."

"Yes, bloodline is important. But the environment is equally important."

The Queen said this with a haughty lift of her chin.

"A princess who didn't grow up in a proper environment can't really be called a true princess."

Hamir looked at her for a moment.

'As a bride chosen by Father to counter Tarcan's weaknesses, I knew Mother wouldn't be pleased, but...'

"You seem to dislike the princess very much."

"Dislike her?"

The Queen laughed.

"The worthless princess can be charming when she talks back and annoys me."

Hamir's return had temporarily suppressed her anger, but it was now rising again.

"What has she done now?"

"What happened?"

"Something did happen!"

The Queen briefly explained to Hamir about the medical scalpel Aristine had created.

Hamir listened with a smile, but his face showed no significant change.

"...So, what kind of political impact will this have? Because of that worthless princess, public opinion about Tarcan is improving every day."

"Surprising."

"Yes, who would have thought that worthless princess would have political acumen?"

The Queen clicked her tongue.

But what surprised Hamir was not that.

'To succeed in the market with a medical scalpel...'

Hamir's eyes narrowed.

But in the next moment, he looked at the Queen with a gentle expression.

"Don't worry too much, Mother."

"How can I not worry?"

The Queen sighed.

"At least there are no medical accidents. If there were, even a little manipulation would be good."

This was also a mystery to Hamir. Given his mother's nature, she would have already manipulated things, so why hadn't she?

"Is there a problem?"

"That worthless princess has a sharp mind but no formal education."

The Queen laughed in disbelief.

"They say she provided double explanations, both verbally and in writing, when selling the scalpel, aware of the potential for medical malpractice disputes."

"Providing explanations won't absolve her of responsibility."

True, the responsibility would fall more on the doctors, but the Queen had money and power.

She had the ability to turn a small speck into a snowball.

"They also say she gets a handwritten confirmation and signature that the user has understood the instructions."

Hamir inwardly marveled.

"Additionally, there's a signature stating that any issues arising from violating the instructions are the sole responsibility of the doctor."

He hadn't expected such thorough preparation.

No, it wasn't just thorough; it required a sharp intellect.

"Even if the scalpel has issues despite following the instructions, can't she argue that it's unfair to hold the doctor responsible?"

The Queen's brow furrowed.

"They posted the test results."

"Test results?"

"Yes, the results of the scalpel's safety tests."

The Queen pressed her temples as if in pain.

Instead of explaining, she gestured to an attendant, who respectfully handed the relevant documents to Hamir.

Hamir bit back a smile when he saw the name of the test supervisor.

'You're clever, Princess.'

Umiru.

For the husband's staff to conduct a safety test on a product made by his wife would normally be seen as a rigged game.

But with Umiru, it was different.

A genius surgeon.

In a country of warriors, the most popular and respected doctors in Irlugon are surgeons.

Everyone knows about the 39-hour surgery he successfully performed, which even the imperial physician had given up on.

Umiru had an unassailable authority and honor.

He was also the object of admiration and respect for all doctors.

A surgeon with no connection to Aristine, who was more objective, would be trusted less than Umiru.

'And his eccentric personality is also well-known.'

He wouldn't falsify test results for power or friendship.

Not because he was incorruptible, but because he was just... really strange.

In any case, he was the best choice for a princess with no connections in Irlugon.

A faint smile appeared on Hamir's face as he flipped through the documents.

'There's even a report estimating the reduction in infection and death rates when using the new scalpel compared to the old one.'

Even if everyone was confident that the results would be better, seeing specific numbers made a difference.

Not just doctors, but ordinary citizens who knew nothing about medicine would be impressed by these numbers.

'By conducting such tests, she not only avoided medical disputes but also promoted her product.'

It was impressive.

A scalpel that was safer than the old ones.

Even if doctors didn't use it, patients would demand it.

Then, to satisfy their patients, doctors would have to use the new scalpel.

Hamir tapped the documents with his finger.

"Indeed, it would be difficult to frame this as a medical accident."

"That's just her clever tricks."

Hamir laughed at the Queen's words.

'I wonder if this is something only a person with a sharp mind can do.'

Hamir didn't think so at all.

Aristine had a very high probability of having received formal education in statecraft.

He felt the need to investigate her past again.

If...

'If she really was exiled and learned nothing...'

Hamir's turquoise eyes returned to the documents.

His elegant eyes narrowed sharply.

He soon looked up and smiled softly at the Queen.

"Mother, you seem to be too focused on medical malpractice."

He crossed his legs and placed the documents on the table.

"There is an easier way."

"An easier way?"

The Queen's face brightened.

Indeed, unlike that worthless son, her sharp son had quickly found a solution.

"Tell me quickly."

"The biggest feature of this scalpel is that it is made of steel that doesn't rust."

"Yes, I don't know how they made such an amazing thing."

The Queen frowned, as if displeased.

Even if they tried to copy the design and make the same thing, they didn't know how to produce that mysterious steel.

"It doesn't matter if we don't know."

"It doesn't matter? But it could become a very important resource in the future."

"Whatever it's made of, it's still steel."

"That means..."

The Queen's eyes wavered slightly.

"We just need to monopolize the iron ore and steel production."

Hamir smiled as softly as spring sunshine.

Joy and satisfaction spread across the Queen's face.

"Indeed, Hamir, my son."

She smiled contentedly.

The Queen, who had fully regained her composure, took a sip of tea.

Even though it was cold, the tea tasted fragrant and smooth.

"This time, that worthless princess will turn pale and tremble in fear."

She might even beg me to sell her some iron.

Monopolizing iron.

This was a very easy task for the Queen.

Not only did she have power and strong connections with other nobles and merchants, but most importantly...

The largest iron mine in Irlugon, and indeed the continent, belonged to her family, the Skiera Dukes.

Her husband was irrelevant; she was focused on making money.