Chapter 40: A Sleepless Night

"You? What brings you here?" Theodora asked, her eyes widening as she spotted me in the room.

"Well... *sigh*."

I swallowed the rest of my sentence. Telling her that my mother-in-law had practically dragged me here by the collar would be too much of a blow to my pride as a man. She stared at me with a bizarre look in her eyes, silently demanding an answer.

"I'll be sleeping here for the time being."

At my words, her face flushed crimson, and she ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looked utterly flustered.

"S-suddenly?"

"Yes." I pulled out my documents and added, "I've already bathed. Go wash up and head to bed first."

Theodora hesitated, staring at me intently for a moment before finally turning toward the bathroom.

This... isn't going to be easy.

Whoosh!

As the hot water gushed into the bathtub, filling the room with steam, she fell deep into thought.

Is it... tonight? It must be, right? I don't know what got into Deviang, who usually does nothing but work, but for him to come to the bedroom... he must be planning to do what I think he's planning.

I don't want to... I know he isn't a bad person, but I don't love him. I don't want to do that kind of thing with him.

But she knew she had no choice.

"Sigh..."

Shedding her clothes, she stepped into the warm water of the tub.

Those of noble birth rarely married for love. How many noble daughters were forced to marry ugly, insidious men solely for the sake of their families' interests? Her father had promised her and Joy that they would never be subjected to an arranged marriage, yet here she was, bound by one anyway.

Soaking in the warm water, she let the fatigue melt from her body. She couldn't avoid this forever. Ultimately, this Empire had to be inherited by her and Deviang's child. She couldn't remain a child herself forever. An Empress without power... I cannot pass down such a pitiful fate to my children.

In the end, the child born of the Grand Duke and herself would inherit both the Empire and the Grand Duchy—along with everything else the Grand Duke possessed.

"I just... have to endure it, right?"

She tried to steel her resolve, but the mere thought of sharing a bed with him sent a wave of embarrassment and dread washing over her. They say it hurts the first time... Will it hurt a lot? Given Deviang's personality, he probably won't be rough, but it's still terrifying.

"He is surprisingly considerate, after all."

She had utterly detested him at first. Why had her feelings changed? Was it because she now knew he wasn't such a terrible man? Though she still shrank from the idea of intimacy, the thought of him no longer repulsed her as it once had. Her face felt a little warm.

"Ugh..." Was it because she had soaked in the hot water for too long? She glanced at the clock, but not much time had passed.

Splash.

She stood up, stepping out of the tub.

"Sigh..."

A heavy sigh escaped my lips as I reviewed the documents detailing the Empire's gold reserves. The sheer amount of capital required to establish the Information Department was already giving me a headache.

Rustle.

I flipped to the next page to check the Grand Duchy's gold reserves. Perhaps because I had recently funneled out thirty tons, the numbers were noticeably lower. While it wouldn't cause an immediate collapse or deal a fatal blow, if a war broke out and dragged on into a war of attrition, the gold recorded here would dry up in the blink of an eye.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"I guess issuing bonds is my only option."

I considered issuing war bonds as a temporary stopgap. It would allow me to borrow massive sums of money, but the interest rates would be high. Furthermore, if we won the war, I would have to share the newly acquired spoils with the merchant guilds and banks that lent the funds. Still, the mere ability to borrow was a luxury in itself.

"Mmm... what to do."

Should I issue the bonds and manipulate the market using dummy banks? If I got caught, I'd be branded the "Market-Manipulating Grand Duke." Even if I didn't get caught, the empire's commerce would likely take a massive hit. In the end, it meant shifting the burden of my war expenses onto private entities like banks and merchant guilds, which made me hesitate.

"Hmm..."

If word of market manipulation got out, the Grand Duchy's creditworthiness would plummet. Weighing the risks, I ultimately decided against signing the document.

"It's a shame, but it can't be helped."

While market manipulation would put out the immediate fire and perhaps even net me some surplus funds, there was no telling what kind of backlash it might trigger down the line.

"Still, the merchants of this world are truly remarkable."

I had contemplated using the various systems they created to manipulate the market, but I ultimately chose to abandon the idea. I could cover the immediate gold shortage by issuing wartime bonds, and if worst came to worst, I could always borrow from my maternal uncle. If my credit rating took a hit now, it might get in the way of making a massive play during the future war against Yohanes.

Just as those thoughts crossed my mind—

Creak.

Hearing the bathroom door open, I spoke without looking up.

"You're out?"

"..."

When no answer came, I turned my head.

Her cheeks were flushed rosy-red from the hot bath. Her grey hair was damp, and her crimson eyes shimmered softly. I stared blankly at Theodora, who had emerged wearing a sheer, translucent nightgown, before hastily snapping my gaze back to my paperwork.

"Ahem... I have a lot of documents to review tonight, so go ahead and sleep first."

"Alright..."

Hearing her climb into bed, I did everything in my power to block out her presence. I was staring at the words, but not a single sentence registered in my brain. Whew... stay strong. If you lose your composure here, you will literally get poisoned.

Though my eyes were glued to the documents, the image of Theodora from moments ago refused to leave my mind. I gritted my teeth, desperately trying to focus on the paper. But the white parchment was nowhere near as fair as Theodora's skin. Even the elegant calligraphy on the page wasn't nearly as striking as her figure...

Thwack!

I gave my own forehead a sharp flick as a fitting punishment for my straying thoughts.

"Dear... what are you doing?" Theodora asked, her voice laced with bewilderment, having apparently witnessed my self-inflicted blow.

"Ah, nothing... just... I was having trouble concentrating."

I quickly made up an excuse, desperate to hide the fact that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I was losing my mind over her body.

"By the way, what did you and Mother talk about today?"

I flinched. She asked me to give her grandchildren. But there was no way in hell I could say that out loud.

"Just... she was asking how we were doing."

I tried to brush it off, but she wasn't about to let it go so easily.

"Hmm... suspicious."

"Huh? What... what's suspicious?"

I turned to face her, putting on my best performance of nonchalance, only to lock eyes with her as she narrowed her crimson gaze.

"I haven't known you for very long, but this is the first time I've ever seen you look so visibly flustered."

"I-I'm not. Anyway, what did you do today?"

She certainly hadn't left the Imperial Palace, so she must have been inside all day, but I had no idea what she had been up to. At my question, Theodora suddenly began to look evasive.

"Um..."

Seeing her hesitate, I turned the tables and pressed her suspiciously.

"You didn't do anything strange, did you?"

As the Empress, any careless move on her part could be misinterpreted by opportunists claiming to read her intentions, which always worried me.

"It wasn't anything strange! You told me to find something that could help the Empire, so I was looking for exactly that."

Really? Hmm... highly suspicious.

"Oh, right! Do you happen to know what fallow farming is?" Theodora asked triumphantly.

"Isn't that the agricultural method where you rotate crops across four fields to preserve soil fertility?"

In this world, where chemical fertilizer had yet to be invented, maintaining soil fertility was of paramount importance. Without fallow farming, wheat and other crops would yield poor harvests, grow stunted, and become highly vulnerable to pests.

"Ugh... how do you even know that?"

I let out a soft chuckle at her reaction.

"Agriculture is the very foundation of the state. It would be stranger not to know."

While I had never personally farmed, I had learned the basics of agriculture back at the military academy. In the distant past, during the height of the war with the Babylon Empire, the military had utilized a military farming system, after all.

"But why bring up fallow farming?"

At my question, Theodora's eyes sparkled.

"What if... there was a way to eliminate fallow farming entirely, but it required an astronomical amount of money and time? Would you still do it?"

I nodded without a moment's hesitation.

"Of course. We absolutely must."

On modern Earth, the amount of food produced annually was enough to feed a population of eight billion to bursting. It was only due to distribution issues and pricing that it didn't reach impoverished nations. The secret behind such massive yields was chemical fertilizer—a substance that eliminated the need for fallow farming while accelerating crop growth. If we could synthesize chemical fertilizer now, no citizen of the Empire would ever have to worry about the price of food again.

Of course, a massive drop in food prices might temporarily hurt farmers' livelihoods. Currently, the vast majority of the Empire's citizens were employed in primary industries like agriculture, livestock, and forestry. While the development of chemical fertilizer might reduce the profits generated directly from farming, it would allow other industries and commerce to flourish in its place.

I had actually visited the Academy previously to see if there were any records regarding chemical fertilizers, but I had come up empty-handed.

"But why do you ask?"

At my question, a mischievous smile played on Theodora's lips.

"Well, you see..."

"Yes?"

After dragging out the suspense for what felt like an eternity—

"It's a secret. I'm going to sleep now, so do as you please."

With that, she turned her back to me and pulled up the covers.

What the...? She gets me all curious and then just cuts me off?

Shaking my head, I turned back to my paperwork. The Information Department would be established soon. I needed to ensure I hadn't overlooked anything, plan how to operate and manage it post-establishment, and decide where and how to construct the espionage network. For starters, I would focus on Nicea and the Emperor Faction...

As I drafted the plans one by one, I noticed the room gradually growing brighter.

"Ugh... I really didn't get a single wink of sleep."

Soft breathing...

Hearing the gentle, rhythmic breathing from the bed, I stood up. There lay the woman with the beautiful grey hair, fast asleep.

"Sigh... time to go to work."

After stealing a brief glance at her, I changed my clothes and headed to my office.

"Theodora, did you sleep well last night?"

I spoke to my mother, Thera, who greeted me with a bright smile.

"The bed was a bit uncomfortable, so I didn't sleep very well."

I had tried my best to fall asleep, but I had been so intensely conscious of his presence that rest had eluded me.

"Fufu... the first time is always like that, dear."

I blinked, utterly baffled by her words. "Excuse me? What is?"

At my question, Mother merely offered a knowing, gentle smile. But I didn't have time to dwell on that.

"Mother, I know you have been managing the imperial family's private funds for a long time... Would it be possible to withdraw some capital from there?"

Mother chuckled softly at my request.

"Of course it is possible. How much do you need?"

In response, I handed her the document I had received from the Academy professors.

"Th-this much?"

Mother's eyes widened to the size of saucers before she quickly shook her head.

"This is far too much, dear... If we spend all of this, the imperial palace won't have a single copper of reserve funds left."