Don't Get Trapped by Common Sense
The prince, who had been placed under house arrest in the imperial palace, began requesting daily audiences with the emperor the moment he heard that Mariel had gone to the Eastern Region. On the surface, these requests were framed as acts of remorse.
“Father, I have come to my senses. Please give me the chance to reflect on my sins.”
“Hmm…”
The prince told the emperor that he wished to go to the Eastern Region—known among imperial officials as “hell on earth” due to its crushing workload—and devote himself to the empire. Watching this, the emperor fell into deep contemplation.
He had eyes and ears, after all. He knew full well that his son’s sudden desire to head east was anything but sincere. Yet a part of him still wanted to believe.
Every man makes mistakes with women. The important thing was learning to control those impulses. Hoping his son would finally understand that through this opportunity, the emperor eventually granted the request.
“Very well. I shall appoint you as Governor of the Eastern Region.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Yes… Lucas…”
“Yes, Father… Your Majesty.”
Sensing that the emperor’s gaze had grown unusually heavy, the prince lowered his head and dropped to one knee. The emperor looked down at him and spoke in a grave tone.
“Do not disappoint me.”
“I will keep your words in my heart.”
It was an implicit declaration—an unspoken final chance given both as a father and as an emperor. The weight of that meaning was clear, and it reached the prince. But at that moment, only one thought occupied his mind.
‘Mariel… Wait for me. I’m coming to see you now.’
There was one thing the emperor did not know: when a man is blinded by love, he sees nothing at all.
And so the love-struck prince set off for the east, bearing the title of Governor.
Combining the original story’s plot with the latest reports on the prince, the current situation became vividly clear in my mind.
The prince would have ordered his subordinates to investigate Mariel the moment he arrived in the east. He would have learned about Adler, the son of the Eastern Margrave, and about the tulips as well. The mere thought of possibly losing Mariel must have filled him with terror, driving him to search for something—anything—that could win her heart back.
“So that’s why he ordered the tulips?”
If Mariel seemed obsessed with tulips, then he would simply order a mountain of them and appeal to her that way. It was exactly the kind of thing a love-blinded prince would think.
The problem was… tulip prices were currently skyrocketing.
When I first bought the land, a basic tulip only cost 500 zenons. Now the price had jumped to 2,000 zenons—roughly 20,000 won in my old world’s currency. A fourfold increase. And that wasn’t even the end of it. Depending on the tulip’s condition and color, premiums were being slapped on top, sending prices even higher.
The red tulips the prince had ordered were the most expensive variety of all. A single red tulip currently cost a staggering 100,000 zenons. That was the equivalent of about a million won per flower. And the prince had ordered twenty thousand of them in one go.
Twenty billion zenons—two billion won—burned in a single transaction just to regain a woman’s attention. Even though I had plenty of money now, the sheer scale was beyond anything a commoner like me could imagine.
Wow. Is this the kind of spending it takes to hold onto the position of prince in a romance fantasy?
In my heart, I gave the prince a standing ovation for his sheer audacity.
“Young master… what should we do?”
“What did His Highness say about payment?”
“He said he would pay the full amount at once using his personal imperial funds.”
As far as I knew, the prince’s personal funds amounted to several billion zenons. And he was about to blow half of that on flowers? It was completely insane. But I forced my brain to stop thinking logically.
What was the point of applying common sense here? This was the world of a romance fantasy novel.
It was a place where people could transcend humanity and one-shot the Demon King for the sake of love, yet on the flip side, they could also grab a barrel of oil and charge straight into a pit of flames for the same reason. That was the world of romance fantasy.
Wasn’t there even that famous line?
I quietly set my common sense aside and accepted the prince’s order.
“If His Highness the Prince needs tulips, then we must deliver them. Everyone!”
“Yes, young master!”
“Request ‘Plant Growth Mages’ from the Green Magic Tower. And place an order with the Potion Guild for 140 large bottles of ‘Sage’s Elixir’ mana potions!”
“One hundred and forty bottles? That many?”
“Even that might not be enough. Keep an eye on the situation and order more if we run short.”
“Understood, young master.”
Twenty thousand red tulips far exceeded our current stock. To meet the prince’s deadline, we needed the help of mages, so I ordered both the mages from the tower and the mana potions they would consume.
Alright. This was a two-billion-zenon jackpot project.
Time to go all in!!!
* * *
The beautiful flower fields of the Eastern Region.
Under a bright, clear sky, colorful petals danced in the wind while lush green leaves created a scene straight out of a painting. Under normal circumstances, a sight like this would be accompanied by an equally picturesque scene—perhaps a perfect family of a handsome man, a beautiful woman, and their two children enjoying a weekend picnic on a blanket, creating happy memories.
But this place was far removed from such beautiful memories.
In a word… it was a factory.
Vrrr—
"Chloris (Plant Growth Magic)"
The flower field I had purchased from the count was now occupied by over a dozen mages from the Green Magic Tower. They cast their spells in unison. Green magical circles formed in the air, pouring mana into the soil. The tulips that had been nothing more than seeds moments ago began growing at an astonishing speed under the light of the green magic formation.
The count’s flower field already accelerated normal flower growth by ten times. Adding the Green Magic Tower’s mages on top of that sent the efficiency soaring even higher.
Once the mages finished their spell, a signal was given to the waiting gardeners.
Shiiing—
“Alright, let’s move!”
“Hurry up and harvest! We need to finish everything within thirty minutes!”
The gardeners who entered the field immediately began harvesting tulips. Not every red tulip qualified. Only the flawless, perfect specimens—those without a single scratch—were carefully pulled out roots and all, earning the honor of being delivered to the prince.
“This one’s good… This one’s a bit risky but still okay.”
“Aigo… this one’s petals are rotting.”
Any tulips with defects were immediately chopped up and buried back into the soil. They would naturally become nutrients, forming the foundation for the next batch of tulips.
While the gardeners harvested, the mages prepared their next spell.
“Anyone need a potion? Mana potions here!”
“Over here! One mana potion, please!”
“Yes! Here you go.”
Gulp. Gulp.
“Haa… I feel alive again.”
The mages downed water, food, and mana potions to prepare for the next round. The scene looked exactly like basketball players taking a quick timeout to recover from fatigue—and that was precisely what it was.
A short while later, once the gardeners had finished harvesting and the new seeds were planted, another signal came.
“Then, mages, we’ll need the spell again!”
“Already?”
“Yes, the gardeners finished the harvest incredibly fast.”
“Sheesh… can’t they slow down a little… Let’s go, brothers.”
“Yes… Senior Brother…”
Dragging their exhausted bodies, the mages returned to the flower field and began chanting once more.
"Chloris (Plant Growth Magic)"
The mages growing the flowers, the gardeners harvesting them, and the mechanical collection of red tulips—it truly resembled a factory. But to my eyes right now, nothing could have looked more beautiful.
How could it not be beautiful when money was literally blooming before me?
I was watching the scene from a tent set up behind the flower field, sipping a glass of wine, when I felt Elina’s worried gaze beside me.
“……”
“What is it, Elina?”
“…Looking at this scene, I can’t help but think that if a god of flowers exists, they would surely bring divine punishment upon us.”
Hmm… As far as I knew, gods existed in this world, but I had never heard of a god of flowers. At least, it wasn’t in any of the setting books I remembered. Still… seeing this spectacle, I had to admit that if such a god did exist, they would probably be pretty pissed off.
But there was nothing I could do about it. Capitalism was a cold-hearted beast. To fulfill the prince’s commission, this was the only way.
Though I did feel a tiny bit nervous.
“What if the god of flowers really does send down divine punishment?”
“Please do not worry. No matter what being appears, I will protect you without fail, young master.”
Elina’s words carried one hundred percent pure sincerity.
Ugh! Our Elina is so cool! The way she spoke was completely like a loyal warrior wife!
But the best thing would be if there were no such thing as divine punishment in the first place. If the god of flowers does exist, I’m sorry. I’ll donate a lot to the temple later.
"Chloris (Plant Growth Magic)"
While I was thinking that, the thirteenth plant growth spell of the day activated. The forcibly bloomed tulip petals swirled once again.
……
And so, a full week passed.
After the great flower field campaign, we successfully produced and delivered all twenty thousand tulips the prince had ordered.
“Here are the twenty thousand tulips you ordered.”
“Confirmed. Payment will be made in imperial gold coins.”
“Imperial gold coins?”
“Is there a problem?”
“No, not at all.”
Imperial gold coins were specially minted by the imperial family in fixed quantities each year. They weren’t just currency—they were also rewards given to loyal subjects. Using them here… it seemed the prince really was in a desperate hurry. Well, that wasn’t my concern.
What I needed to focus on was something else.
Wow, paying in solid gold instead of cash. As expected of the imperial family! What a grand gesture.
A few days later, an invitation arrived for one of the Eastern Region’s most influential nobles.
It was an invitation to a celebration marking the prince’s appointment as Governor of the Eastern Region.
The morning drama was about to get delicious.