Published: January 4, 2026
Inside the study, I was sitting across from Oscar at the desk.
I remained seated, staring at the report and numbers he handed me.
“Surprisingly high, the annual budget of the retired emperor your majesty.”
“Ha…”
Oscar, the palace prince minister, gave a slight bow and answered carefully, as if choosing his words.
“Since the retired emperor your majesty has many consorts, the budget inevitably grows. However, even so, compared to the former Emperor Robby, it’s about one-tenth.”
“I see.”
I thought anyone would be frugal compared to him but kept silent.
Emperor Robby was the last emperor of the nation that ruled the land before the empire, known for excessive indulgence in debauchery and extravagance that brought the country to ruin.
“So, what do you intend to do with this information?”
“My budget will probably be about one-tenth of the retired emperor your majesty’s, right?”
Without directly answering, I looked up at Oscar and asked.
Sending a gaze like, “Well, what do you think?” Oscar briefly pondered before replying.
“I believe you are correct. Currently, your highness has fewer consorts, and accordingly, the scale of female court attendants and eunuchs is kept to a minimum. Also… if I may be so bold, I have known your highness since childhood, and you are not one to indulge in luxury.”
After saying that, Oscar looked straight at me.
“Therefore, I believe one-tenth is sufficient.”
“Hm. The reason I summoned you, Oscar, is precisely that. I want you to watch carefully so this budget doesn’t grow recklessly from now on.”
“That is… part of my duties…”
Oscar gave a face that said, “Why?”
I stood up, turned my back to him, and looked out the window behind me.
Below stretched the Imperial Capital, right in the heart of its prosperity.
“I want to expand the territory.”
“—!”
I could sense Oscar gulp behind me.
“In other words, a war of invasion. And for that, money is needed.”
“…Yes.”
“When an emperor spends money, he must collect ten times that amount from the people.”
When money is spent, people have to move, and the labor costs for those people first increase.
What’s unavoidable for any emperor is that when people handle large sums of money, they inevitably want to pocket a little.
If everyone pockets just a little “rounding off,” considering the number of people the emperor commands, the actual amount spent can balloon to ten times the original sum.
“If less is spent, the burden on the people decreases. That preserves or even strengthens the national power…”
“As expected.”
I turned and looked directly at Oscar.
“There will be a time when I must spend money. Until then, hold my purse tightly.”
“Yes, please leave it to me.”
After a deep bow, Oscar left the study.
Oscar was a capable man.
If I provide clear direction like this, he is unlikely to make mistakes.
As I was thinking about what to do next, Don entered.
After I ascended to emperor, I appointed Don as the fourth prime minister, and he has been working as devotedly as when we were in Almeria.
As soon as he entered, he moved swiftly to kneel and bow.
“Your Majesty, there is an urgent matter.”
“What happened?”
“Refugees from the Jinbel Region are flooding into the capital.”
“Hm. Jinbel… that’s the place struck by drought and famine, right?”
“Yes.”
Don nodded and handed over a report on the desk.
I sat back and looked it over.
“They’ve come in quite a bit. Hmm, is public order deteriorating too?”
“Yes. There have been small conflicts with the city residents, like fights, and the number of incidents has noticeably increased.”
“…”
“In view of this, I plan to gather refugee relief food distributions in the southern suburbs and consolidate the refugees there. I seek your approval.”
After thinking for a moment:
“What’s the situation in Jinbel?”
“As per your orders, we are transporting surplus food from the capital. Lion will lead the transport team soon.”
“Hmm.”
Sending food directly from the capital risks officials pocketing some of it, as mentioned earlier with Oscar.