Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter Title: Game Over, Arrest Them All (2)
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"Exclusive authority?"
Lorensia tilted her head and looked at me in response to my words.
To her, I laid out my next plan in a voice full of conviction.
"Yes, exactly. First of all, the imperial family has a duty to guarantee safety to all subjects of the empire, right?"
"That's right. Regardless of status, all the empire's people are my father's—and my—subjects."
"Then this is precisely the time for the imperial family to demonstrate that duty, Your Highness."
I took one more step forward and zeroed in on the heart of the issue.
"Punishing just one Branik Merenes isn't enough. The real problem is the fear that's taken root in the hearts of the empire's people."
"People no longer know what they can trust or what they should put in their mouths. Quelling that distrust and restoring safe tables to the people—that's the greatest authority and duty the imperial family must show."
At my words, a serious light gleamed in Lorensia's red eyes.
She rested her chin on her hand, gazing at me as if weighing the gravity of what I'd said.
Instead of playful mischief, those red eyes were now filled with the solemn gaze of a ruler bearing the empire's future.
"Indeed, you're right."
Her low murmur carried agreement laced with a hint of testing.
"It's not just about the people's safety—it's a moment when the imperial family's authority itself is being tested. But it's not as easy as it sounds."
"How do you plan to quell the distrust that's spread across the entire empire? And how will you root out all the shady manufacturers popping up like mushrooms after rain?"
Soon, she looked at me with eyes mixed with expectation and curiosity, like a student gazing at a teacher who knows the answer.
"So, that face of yours says you have a way to turn this crisis around. Go on, tell me, my clever Jonathan."
In response to her question, I grinned and answered.
"There's a way. The more chaotic things get, the clearer and stricter the standards must be."
"Besides, since people can't live without food, those who tamper with what we eat deserve to be punished in the imperial family's name. They're disloyal villains harming the imperial family's subjects and people, after all."
"So what I propose is introducing a 'sauce quality certification system' under the imperial family's name."
"Quality certification system..."
Lorensia repeated my words with evident interest.
She seemed lost in thought for a moment before flashing a seductive smile and asking me to elaborate.
"Explain it in detail. The picture in your head sounds pretty intriguing."
Meeting her red eyes, I revealed the specifics of my plan.
"Announce sauce manufacturing standards under the imperial family's name. Set criteria for safe ingredients and verification of cooking processes."
"Then, grant a unique certification mark symbolizing imperial authority only to products that meet those standards. Something like the 'Imperial Safe Mark,' for instance."
The moment I finished, Lorensia burst into cheerful laughter.
It was a genuine, joyful sound, lighthearted but not frivolous.
She wagged her finger at me as if amused.
"Keep going. The pictures in your head are always far bolder than my imagination."
At her intrigued urging, I shared more of my vision.
"Any manufacturer seeking certification must register their recipes and processes with the imperial family and undergo regular hygiene inspections. And a portion of sales revenue from all certified products will be paid to the imperial family as certification management fees."
I drove in the final nail.
"Of course, distribution of all uncertified sauces must be strictly prohibited under imperial law."
Once I finished explaining, Lorensia fell silent for a moment.
She simply stared at me, chin in hand.
It was the sharp, solemn gaze of a ruler, devoid of any playfulness.
The smile on her lips resembled that of a great merchant who'd found an exceptional trader or a wise monarch who'd discovered a capable general.
"It's not just interesting. It's perfect."
She rose from her seat and paced the audience chamber slowly, murmuring the value of my plan.
"With minimal administrative effort, the imperial family exerts influence over an entire new industry, gains the justification of guaranteeing public safety, and secures additional revenue from those guarantees. Shady operators will weed themselves out, and we'll even get new tax income from certification fees."
She stopped by the window, back turned, and continued.
Her voice held admiration mingled with an expectant test.
"But that's all profit for the imperial family. What does the mastermind who set this board gain? You're not planning to gift the empire such a boon out of pure altruism just to let us taste something delicious, are you?"
I smiled at her sharp question and replied.
"Of course not. I'm thorough when it comes to calculating gains and losses."
I looked up at her and revealed the core of my plan.
"The standards for the certification system will inevitably be based on the facilities of the one who first created this sauce—mine. My sauce's recipes and hygiene standards will become the official imperial benchmarks."
Lorensia slowly turned around.
Her red eyes sparkled with interest.
I continued without averting my gaze.
"Others will scramble to meet my standards, but I'll always be the one setting them. Forever at the forefront of the market."
"Kuk, puhahat!"
Lorensia finally couldn't hold back and burst into delighted laughter.
After laughing heartily for a while, she wiped the tears from her eyes with her translucent lace-gloved hand and looked at me.
"Ah~h. I haven't laughed this hard in ages. Truly, our treasure always has a knack for surprising people. Always beyond imagination."
As her laughter faded, a subtle tension filled the audience chamber once more.
Lorensia switched back to her serious ruler's face as if she'd never laughed, turning to the captain of the guards standing beside me.
"Knight Commander."
"Your orders, Your Highness."
"Contact the imperial palace's legislative office immediately. Convene a temporary committee for enacting the Imperial Food Hygiene and Quality Control Act. Lord Jonathan here will draft the initial bill himself for submission, so have the legislators flesh it out from that framework."
"Yes!"
Her command was swift and decisive. Her unhesitating execution was almost frightening.
The guard captain bowed immediately and stepped out of the chamber, issuing instructions to the waiting court mage.
Lorensia watched with satisfaction before turning her gaze back to me.
Playful light danced in her red eyes once more.
"Well, now the imperial family's tasks are set."
She took an elegant step closer to me. The rose scent, now even thicker, disoriented my senses.
"So, what should I do for our Jonathan, who laid out such a brilliant board?"
Her red eyes gleamed mischievously.
Just like when we'd first met in the imperial city, she clearly enjoyed my reactions.
"Gold and jewels? Or maybe a knighthood under the princess directly? Those are so boring."
Lorensia gently cupped my chin and brought her face close.
Then she leaned her body against mine, rising on tiptoe to bring her lips to my shoulder.
In a distance where her hot breath brushed my ear, her whispered voice mingled with it.
"You'll need a department to manage and oversee that Imperial Safe Mark you proposed. How about something like the Imperial Food Safety Administration?"
"What if I offer you the position of its inaugural director...? Hmm? My Jonathan."
An offer more audacious than I'd imagined.
Head of a direct imperial agency—it was a meteoric rise no mere provincial noble could achieve in a lifetime.
"Of course, as director, you'd have to relocate to the imperial palace in the capital. There's an empty room right next to my office—how about it? Hehe."
Her intentions were now blatant, no longer hidden. Beyond official ties, she was pressing that previous private proposal.
"Your Highness's offer is truly groundbreaking, but the timing isn't right yet."
"Oh? Turning it down?"
"Not a refusal. Just a matter of order."
I stepped back one pace and stated my position politely but firmly.
"Before creating the administration, we need to establish the standards to manage. And those standards must be based on Kandoria's production facilities and my recipes to be perfect. Not things like this."
Soon, I glanced at the sauce barrels rolling around the warehouse where Branik and the servants had just been dragged out and finished.
"My trip to the capital should come only after all those foundations are solid. And beyond sauce matters, there are plenty of estate management issues, so it'll take a while."
"Moreover, if word spreads that the Imperial Food Safety Administration director runs a food business, it wouldn't reflect well on the imperial family. So I imagine I'd only take that post after fully stepping away from estate operations and the sauce business."
In short, a polite refusal: I won't take it unless I'm too old to manage the estate or business.
At my banter, Lorensia slowly released her grip on my chin.
But instead of retreating, she stepped even closer and whispered in my ear once more.
Her voice held not disappointment, but deeper interest and amusement.
"Really, you're more unique than any man I know. Others would come running, roll over, and fawn immediately. How can I make you mine?"
"Ahaha..."
Pretending to brush dust off my shoulder, she breathed hot air into my ear.
"Fine. I like that stubbornness. A king must build his own kingdom before claiming the throne. You're right."
She turned away, once again exuding the dignity of the empire's princess.
"But, Jonathan. While you're perfecting those standards here in Kandoria, we can't leave the empire's people trembling in fear of poisoned sauces. Imperial authority must be proven through action."
"So we'll take measures on our end too. My father, the soldiers, the military. Especially since I love that arrabbiata so much?"
Lorensia winked playfully and turned to leave the empty warehouse.
But she suddenly paused, exclaiming "Ah!" and turned back to me.
"Oh, right. Lord Jonathan."
"? Yes, what is it?"
To my question, Lorensia smiled slyly and murmured softly.
"Nothing much, but good news will come your way soon."
"Don't forget to visit the capital—and me? See you~"
With that, a blue light enveloped her body.
When the light faded, the princess, the imperial knight commander, and the court mage were all gone.
"...She's gone."
Well, the fake arrabbiata flooding the capital is probably already being rounded up by the imperial family en masse, so all that's left is getting back.
She came via spatial transfer magic but didn't send me back. I came without a single coin.
"What now..."
...If the Argentis caravan is in the capital, I can hitch a ride back on their carriage.