Chapter 23

After the incident with her cousin Hina, Hearti confronted the people Hina had mentioned and investigated the details.

"I can't believe it, I can't believe it!"

I received the report from Hearti, who was crying.

First, my maternal grandparents.

They only knew the rumors they heard from the palace.

The rumors were all bad about me, and they were terrified that I had harmed Terry, who was younger and had a higher claim to the throne. They apparently told Hina that she shouldn't become a bad child.

"I tried to explain that it was all false, but the problem is how they see me, and they didn't even help to dispel the rumors!"

"It's okay, Hearti. It can't be helped. After all, I don't even remember meeting them. They say that distant relatives are like strangers, and it's understandable that they are wary of me."

It seems that Hearti blamed her real parents for this.

Perhaps because they were blood relatives, she felt guilty and received her first letter from her grandparents.

It was a standard letter, but it was the first one, and it included an apology for her neglect.

In my previous life, my grandparents had already passed away or were distant, so I didn't even know their personalities.

Thinking back now, my grandparents in my previous life must have suffered a lot, losing their children and grandchildren one after another within two years.

I don't want to get close to them, but it's good that my current grandparents are willing to do some surface-level favors for Hearti.

"And that sister-in-law!"

The one Hearti felt the most sorry for and was most angry about was her brother's wife and another cousin, Tety, who was influenced by her.

It seems that they deliberately spread bad words about me to Hina.

The reason was that as long as Hearti didn't remarry, she could stay in the viscount's household.

They wanted to get her to remarry and leave as soon as possible, so they tried to separate me and Hearti.

"But the problem is the Nifutas family, right?"

From Hearti's report, it seems that the Nifutas family was further inciting her brother's wife.

Moreover, Hearti's brother, who is my uncle, had prepared a small amount of money for my birthday and entrusted it to the Nifutas family.

Since he is a viscount under the Eulasion Duke, he couldn't give it to me directly.

However, the Nifutas family embezzled the money and spread bad words about me.

The main actor was the eldest son, the next earl.

But it seems that the Nifutas Earl also condoned it.

When Hearti went to complain about the money, he answered without hiding anything.

"That person has no feelings at all."

Hearti, who looked regretful, said that when she confronted them about the embezzlement, they returned the money, saying it was a small amount.

It seems that they embezzled the money not because they wanted the money, but to avoid any connection with me.

The reason is that they don't need me.

They say that the favor of raising my father, who became the emperor, is enough.

Since Terry is definitely going to be the emperor, involving me would only be a loss.

They are only supporting me because of the status of raising the emperor, and they have no interest in me personally.

"Yeah, well. You can't be that detached to raise the emperor's hidden child as your own, can you?"

"You shouldn't accept this, Asha-sama! This is unfair treatment!"

"Hearti, thank you for getting angry on my behalf. But there are people who understand, like the person Hearti chose. It's not all bad, right?"

After Hina, Hearti brought the person she was dating as a potential remarriage partner.

This person seemed to understand my situation immediately after meeting me.

Why?

Maybe I still have a commoner's feel despite being a prince?

Anyway, Hearti's remarriage partner felt very sorry for my situation.

He said that he couldn't separate Hearti from me and, with great pain, decided to cancel the remarriage.

"I was so worried at that time."

"Hehe, Asha-sama brought the two of them together."

Ikt, who had been watching the events as a guard, smiled and then Werral and Helkoff arrived.

The two had been confirming numbers in another room.

Werral was a teacher, so I understood, but I didn't think Helkoff was good with numbers.

When I said that, he said that war is ultimately about numbers.

"We have calculated the estimates. Even if we maintain the current situation, the inheritance from Asha-sama's mother will be gone in five years."

"Wow, I didn't realize that there was no allowance for me as a prince. Our salaries are paid by the emperor, so I didn't think about it."

So, Hearti had to leave because of the remarriage.

And the problem that emerged was financial.

My clothes are provided by my father, and food and housing are provided by the palace.

I didn't know that just being a prince comes with an allowance.

Until now, Hearti had been managing the small expenses with the inheritance from my mother that she received from my father, which I only found out now.

"If Asha-sama continues alchemy, the materials provided by the school will also run out."

Werral had connections at the school and provided the equipment for free.

Along with that, beginner sets and surplus materials were also given, and I had been using minerals from there.

For other things, I used items from the kitchen or garden, and occasionally bought alcohol from Helkoff for experiments.

Hearti had been handling these payments, and the source was the inheritance.

"In other words, my hobby costs money. Then, I should earn money through alchemy."

"Asha-sama, please consider that expenses will increase as you continue to socialize."

"Yeah, even with a bad relationship like Ikt, there are still some expenses. It wouldn't look good if I couldn't even give a gift to someone I like."

"But, we shouldn't cause trouble with the emperor. The lack of an allowance is probably someone's doing. I don't want to weaken the ruling party, which the emperor can't control yet."

The most likely culprit is the Lukaious Duke, whose family is the most powerful and doesn't want me to gain power.

If it comes to a conflict with the in-laws, it will affect my brother Terry and my unseen twin.

And with forces like the Eulasion Duke, who aim to kick my father off the throne, we can't afford to split our allies.

If we can't adjust the situation, we have to endure the current state and come up with a plan.

To buy time, I need to earn money on my own.

"Asha-sama, can you make gold?"

Hearti seems to think of gold when it comes to making money through alchemy.

"Who would buy it? If the source is suspicious and it's traced back to me, the emperor will definitely find out. I need something that doesn't connect to me but has a stable demand and is a consumable..."

Looking around the room, I saw a wine bottle.

To extract ethanol for alchemy or scientific experiments, I need alcohol.

"By the way, there's something called Aqua Vitae."

It's a type of medicine I read about in an alchemy book.

It means "water of life."

It's a restorative potion made by weaving magic into a medicinal wine.

"Helkoff, you know a lot about alcohol. What does this taste like?"

I gave him the distilled wine before it was turned into ethanol.

Since it's the process of extracting alcohol, it should be quite strong.

"Well, it's effective, but all the aroma and body of the wine are gone."

"In other words, it's not tasty. The aroma and body are part of the taste. Wait a moment. Sefira, please optimize the process."

I asked Sefira how to extract the aroma from a herb that smells like lemon.

Since it would probably be bitter, I asked Hearti to bring honey to add sweetness.

For a refreshing touch, I made carbonated water and mixed it, creating a makeshift cocktail.

"How about this?"

"Wow, it's sweet but also bitter and refreshing. The aroma is completely different from wine, but it's not bad. I liked the strong drink earlier, but this could be popular too."

I also asked for opinions from Hearti and the others, who were interested.

"So, this is a medicinal wine? It's supposed to be bitter and hard to drink."

"To create something like this in such a short time is impressive, Asha-sama."

"I didn't know that carbonated water could be made outside of natural sources."

From Werral's words, it seems that carbonated water exists but only naturally.

Even if I can't make highly carbonated water, maybe this slightly fizzy version could sell if it's rare.

"Then, let's try selling the flavored liqueur and the sweetened carbonated water separately."

This idea was just a quick fix to send Hearti off without worry.

I had Helkoff use his connections to fill some bottles and sell them as a test.

But the stores and customers were enthusiastic, and by the time I found out, it had become popular even in the palace.

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