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The Bewilderment of the Sacrificial Second Princess ~ Married Into the Enemy Country as a Hostage Princess, but Was Strangely Welcomed With Open Arms~ – Chapter 10

The Bewilderment of the Sacrificial Second Princess ~ Married Into the Enemy Country as a Hostage Princess, but Was Strangely Welcomed With Open Arms~ – Chapter 10


Chapter 10: Most needed departments

“I’m exhausted…”

“Yes, you’ve worked hard. Dinner will be ready soon. Why don’t you take a seat and relax?”

Lord Balk smiles at me and gestures to the sofa. I comply and sink into the cushions with a sigh.

Every department is in a similar state of disaster, so I was forced to stop the palace work for a month, but it’s unavoidable.

During this time, we need to gather the necessary supplies. We need to do it efficiently.

We must gather enough paper for use in the royal palace, even if we don’t go as far as setting up a paper mill. We’ll likely receive wooden tablets from the provinces, so if possible, we should call in multiple artisans and technicians…and after considering these options, I arrived at a possible solution.

“Lord Balk, do you know the alternate name for the country of Seanapse, known as the art country across the sea?”

“The alternate name? No, I’m not aware of it.”

“That country certainly has a favorable environment for nurturing talented artisans in woodworking and gold and silver decoration, but of course, there are those who are left behind. To produce their works, they need a design or a blueprint. It’s a country of artisans… It’s not to be belittled, but the technicians who are left behind end up performing menial tasks like making paper with machines, don’t you think?”

Lord Balk nodded with a serious expression as I stumbled through my explanation.

Given the high competition for paper, there must be many local workshops that offer paper at a low cost. We aim to bring in ten workshops with their machines to one of the six major cities in the Baratonia Kingdom.

“Let’s send out a letter of inquiry right away. We’ll acquire the machines and skilled workers from each workshop, provide them with financial security and incentives, and produce a substantial amount of paper, right?”

“Yes. We were also exporting lumber from this country, weren’t we? Let’s also recruit local lumberjacks. We’ll reduce our exports and shift our focus to domestic production.”

Even though the victorious country is receiving income, I intended to use a certain percentage of the national treasury.

Establishing the foundation is crucial before we can move forward.

Regarding ink, in the same way, from the rock mountain where gems can be obtained from across the river, we buy coal that can be obtained from the mine where gems can no longer be obtained, at a higher price than the domestic market.

The lumberjacks will have their hands full. They must be given special bonuses. In addition to the raw materials for paper, we also need to produce the solvents for ink.

For official documents, we’ll use ink, and for daily records, we’ll use sharpened coal… The ink and brush on wooden boards will become artisanal products.

In any case, the most important item is stationery. We need to calculate the usage for each department and manage the budget accordingly. I thought of Lord Balk for his expertise in trade.

“Ah, Lord Balk. You’re familiar with all the departments, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I transcribe the information from the wooden tablets of each department onto parchment and submit it to His Majesty. I believe I would make a suitable assistant for Claire-sama.”

“Thank you, that’s a great help. In the future, I plan to establish a department called the General Affairs Department and we’ll need someone to lead it. I believe you would be the perfect candidate.”

He’s a lifesaver! I smiled warmly and he chuckled in response.

His laughter causes everyone around him to pause, including maids, servants, and civil servants. But there’s something peculiar about it. He’s been laughing nonstop today.

“You’re quite the enigma. This is a country that used to be a vassal state, a country that has defeated your homeland.  How can you be so enthusiastic like this?”

“Because this will be my country,” I replied confidently, without hesitation or arrogance.

“When I married His Highness Auglia, I was prepared to die. But if I’m welcomed with open arms, I must do my best. I came to this country as a bride, after all.”

Lord Balk put his hand to his mouth and thought for a moment before murmuring, “Too bad,” and then looked at his watch.

“I understand, I will serve you from the bottom of my heart.——It’s almost 7 o’clock.”

“Ah, I’m sorry. Then, see you again tomorrow, please!”

I hurriedly said goodbye and headed to dinner with His Highness.


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