Chapter 12

Bertine greeted Cecil with a smile and led him to a table inside the shop. At that table, the wealthy farmer Carlos was seated, and Cecil asked Bertine, "Who is this?"

"This is Mr. Carlos, who runs a wheat farm in the neighboring town of Iboto. I intend to have him explain the situation today."

"Explain the situation?"

Seeing Cecil's slightly puzzled expression, Bertine immediately began.

"Your Excellency, if you give me some time, I can generate a profit of a thousand gold coins for this country."

"Hmm. What is your basis for that?"

"Please take a look at this."

With that, Bertine placed a set of documents on the table. Cecil picked them up and quickly scanned through them.

"These are wheat trading contracts, aren't they? They haven't been finalized yet."

At that point, Carlos interjected.

"Your Excellency, these are this year's contracts. Please also take a look at these."

Carlos handed another set of documents to Cecil.

"The ones Bertine gave you are the contracts after she provided her advice. The ones I gave you are the contracts we have been signing every year in the past. Please compare them."

After comparing the two sets, Cecil's face showed surprise. The quality and quantity of wheat were the same in both, but the amount of money Carlos would receive was significantly different.

"This is... a terribly unfair contract."

"Isn't it? The middlemen have been making a lot of money by taking advantage of the farmers' lack of knowledge about the wheat market prices in the empire."

Cecil's face showed signs of fatigue.

"I have been cautious about the prices of minerals. I see, the situation with wheat hasn't changed. I had instructed the clan leaders to adhere to the minimum prices set by the state, but it seems they haven't been following the instructions."

"Your Excellency, we farmers haven't been informed of the minimum prices by the clan leaders. It's only been two years and a few months since you took office. The clan leaders probably didn't believe you would win the war and were afraid of losing their connections with the empire's middlemen if they followed your instructions. Even I thought everything was fine until this young lady convinced me otherwise."

Cecil nodded with a bitter smile. Carlos continued.

"Your Excellency, Bertine's efforts haven't been limited to our farm. The neighboring farms, the few farms I introduced her to, and even more farms they introduced her to, have all had their contracts reviewed thanks to her. They won't suffer any losses anymore."

"The amount of money that has been saved from flowing out of this country thanks to my advice, when combined from twenty-three farms, is eighty-three gold coins."

Cecil was momentarily stunned.

"Since the last time we met until today? It's only been ten days."

"Yes. I prevented the outflow of eighty-three gold coins. While it won't directly enter the state treasury, the money will eventually benefit the country."

Cecil smiled and nodded, looking at the proud Bertine and the grinning Carlos.

"Miss Juan, I understand your point. You have quite a talent."

"It's only eighty-three coins so far, far from a thousand. Can you wait until my efforts amount to a thousand coins? And then, can you allow me to live in this country?"

Bertine's eyes and tone were filled with determination.

"Indeed, there are ways to protect our country's wealth through such methods. I have a request for you. I believe it will yield significant results. If you complete my request, I will waive the remaining amount of a thousand gold coins."

Bertine's face became even more serious.

"What is it?"

"I want to send civil servants to various regions immediately to confirm the minimum contract prices, but we are short of personnel. Those who can review contracts are busy with post-war administration. Currently, those who are proficient in the imperial language are overwhelmed with work."

Bertine recalled that most of the empire's people, especially the nobles, couldn't speak the language of the allied countries. In this country, there were still few people who could read and write the imperial language. It was mostly the merchants who traded across borders who could speak it.

"That's why I need your help to review the wheat trading contracts. I will try to allocate five civil servants to this task. Can you work with them to visit all the clan leaders, confirm the selling prices of wheat in various regions, and ensure they adhere to the minimum prices I have instructed?"

"Is it alright for me to do this?"

Cecil nodded.

"I would like to entrust this to you. Can you persuade the clan leaders to sell at least seven silver coins per cartload of wheat for export? Of course, I will pay you a daily wage."

"Yes, yes, yes. I will gladly do it. This is the perfect opportunity to showcase my negotiation skills, which I have been honing since I started speaking."

Cecil laughed and nodded several times.

"You're reliable. How about one silver coin per day as a daily wage? I will also cover the carriage fare, accommodation, and meals."

"I will gladly accept, Your Excellency. I will not let this be the end of the wheat issue. I will work tirelessly until I achieve a thousand gold coins' worth of work, even if it takes time."

Carlos laughed and interjected.

"True to your Sanlouan roots. You can always turn a setback into an opportunity."

"Is that a compliment, Mr. Carlos?"

Bertine's serious expression was so adorable that Carlos and Cecil couldn't help but chuckle. Bertine, who had asked the question with utmost seriousness, blushed and asked, "Why are you laughing?"

"Mr. Carlos, thank you for today."

Carlos laughed and said, "No problem," and left, saying, "I have work at the farm."

Bertine and Cecil were left alone, and she was unsure what to say. Sensing her hesitation, Cecil spoke.

"If you hadn't noticed, the country's money would have continued to flow to the empire. Thank you. You've helped a lot."

"No, it was the students in the imperial language class who brought this to my attention."

"That's true, but it's also thanks to you for opening the class."

"Your Excellency, I have a big goal in this country. This is just the beginning. You can thank me after I achieve it."

Cecil, who was about to drink tea, paused.

"What is your big plan? I would like to hear about it."

"It's not ready to be shared yet. But it's a plan to make the people of the empire willingly spend their money in the allied countries, which have been draining money. Please look forward to it. My goal is to become someone needed in this country."

Cecil's blue eyes looked at Bertine.

"Interesting. When your big plan comes to fruition, will you let me know? I will do my best to support you."

"Yes! I will definitely let you know."

Cecil bought a lot of accessories before leaving.

"Miss, it went well, didn't it?"

"Yes, it went surprisingly well. We'll be busy with contract reviews again from tomorrow, but let's celebrate at that diner tonight, shall we?"

"Yes, I will accompany you."

On his way back, Cecil felt both joy and frustration. He was pleasantly surprised by Miss Bertine's competence, but also frustrated by the realization that the clan leaders still didn't fully trust him.

But with her momentum and the dispatch of civil servants, he believed they could prevent the country's farmers from selling wheat at low prices before the harvest season.

"I'm glad we caught this early."

He also thought her green eyes were beautiful. The fierce gaze when she was angry, the narrow eyes when she smiled, the wide eyes when she was surprised, and the serious eyes when she spoke her mind without hesitation.

Women in this country don't assert themselves much to men. It might be different after marriage, but unmarried women often hold back and show deference to men.

Cecil was surprised by the unexpected toughness of a young lady who had presumably lived a life of luxury as a marquis's daughter and the daughter of a prime minister.

"She's not just a pampered young lady; she's a skilled merchant."

Cecil laughed and then focused, starting to draft the text for the documents he would give to the six people he would dispatch.