"Increase the ratio of honey locust beans in the ordinary version.
"Suppress the scent with wild mint; we need to double the production value!"
Irene turned her head to look out the window, perfectly catching sight of the newly built wooden pen in the distance where the piglets were kept.
"For the braised pork... no, for the rise of Mason!
"Sisters, work overtime tonight, and tomorrow everyone can receive half a bowl of milk to drink!"
"Wah—!!!"
The female workers erupted in intense cheers, their motivation instantly peaking.
Milk!
Many people hadn't tasted milk for half their lives; apart from Black Bread and stewed beans, they had eaten almost nothing else.
Meanwhile, on the terrace of the Main Palace, Sophia was draped in a cloak, gazing at the firelight of the West Tower. She held a slice of salted meat jerky that Willow had just cut, lost in deep thought.
We have piglets, we have chickens, ducks, and geese. The greenhouses are being planned, and trade has been opened.
The carriages no longer bruise one's buttocks.
Sophia swallowed a mouthful of salted meat jerky and looked at the moon expressionlessly.
"Is the Kingdom of Mason really going to be saved by a slacker like me?"
The winter moonlight fell like silver upon the cold stone steps of the Palace.
Sophia swallowed the last slice of salted meat jerky. Just as she was preparing to return to her room and burrow into the bedding that was finally padded with leather, she heard a burst of light footsteps.
Willow and Delilah had just returned from the livestock area behind the West Tower, both carrying a faint scent of dry grass.
"Your Majesty, those two piglets are eating happily. The Leighton people even sent a specialized feed recipe," Willow reported with a smile, immediately noticing Sophia's side profile as she stared blankly at the lights of the Royal City in the distance.
Delilah pressed her hand against her longsword, her pale red eyes flickering slightly.
She recalled the bustling markets she had seen in the Kingdom of Leighton, then looked at the sixteen-year-old girl before her, who was trapped all day in the gloomy Palace calculating power and strategy. A soft spot in her heart trembled slightly.
"Your Majesty."
Delilah took a step forward, her voice low but clear.
"The Leighton caravan has already set up stalls on Clock Tower Avenue.
"I heard they brought quite a few exotic spices and rare little trinkets... Would you like to go incognito and take a look?"
Sophia's ears twitched slightly.
A market!
Exotic spices!
Maybe there are even Leighton specialty desserts!
Although fireworks had already started going off in her heart, Sophia's face remained as if covered by a layer of permafrost.
She turned her head, her tone indifferent:
"Nonsense.
"As a Queen, how can I easily show my face in such a noisy place."
"Oh my, Your Majesty!"
Irene popped out from somewhere, still holding experimental records that hadn't fully dried.
"Go, go!
"I just happen to need to see if the Leighton caravan brought any special ores, and... don't you want to see with your own eyes the initial results of your 'Trade Hegemony'?"
As Irene spoke, she winked frantically at Willow.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Consider it an inspection of the people's sentiment," Willow understood immediately.
Sophia fell silent for a moment, finally letting out an almost inaudible sigh.
"Since you insist, then let us go and see."
To conceal Sophia's iconic pale golden eyes and fair complexion, Irene contributed her newly developed natural spray powder.
Although called a spray, it was actually just a dry powder simply applied to the hair to temporarily change it to another color.
Of course, the dyeing effect of this spray powder was currently very low; it could only affect light pink hair like Irene's or silver hair like Sophia's.
For Delilah's red hair and Willow's purple hair, it was of no help.
Half an hour later, the person appearing before everyone was no longer the majestic, deep, black-clothed Queen.
Sophia had changed into a dark cloak worn by ordinary wealthy young ladies. The hood was pulled down very low, and Irene had dotted a small fake mole under the corner of her eye. She looked like a noble young lady who had run away from home.
Delilah, meanwhile, changed into a concise mercenary outfit, guarding her side.
When they walked on the streets of the Royal City, Sophia truly felt the 'heat' of this place for the first time.
Because of the opening of the soap trade, the originally lifeless streets now had many merchants pushing wheelbarrows.
The stalls of the Leighton caravan were surrounded by people. That noise, full of the breath of life, was the most beautiful melody Sophia had heard since succeeding the throne.
Just as they passed a stall selling coarse wheat cakes, a man with a face full of stubble was chewing on a cake while shouting loudly to his companion nearby.
"Pah! These days, there's really nothing to say.
"That Tyrant of ours killed people in the Palace again a few days ago!
"That thunderous sound rang out all night; it made my heart tremble!"
Delilah's hand instantly pressed onto her sword hilt, her gaze shooting toward the man like a sharp blade.
Willow was even more frightened, her face turning pale as she looked at Sophia for help.
It's over, it's over. Her Majesty hates it most when others call her a Tyrant. This man is afraid his head is about to hit the ground on the spot!
Having offended His Majesty's dignity, Willow feared that if Her Majesty made even a slight 'hmm' sound, Miss Delilah would absolutely cut that man down.
Irene also held her breath nervously, her brain already starting to calculate how to plead for this guy who spoke without a filter.
Sophia, however, just stopped her steps, quietly looking at that person from under her hood.
Killing people?
Oh, he's talking about those few bandits from before.
Indeed, the sound of gunshots is quite loud.
Sophia's heart was as calm as water. She even wanted to taste the wheat cake in that man's hand a little; it seemed different from what was made in the Palace.
However, the man's next words caused the entire atmosphere to change abruptly.
"...But having said that,"
The man wiped the crumbs from his mouth, his tone becoming strange.
"Although she is a bloodthirsty Tyrant, ever since she took the stage, that field in my hometown in Kree Village that had been barren for three years actually received those 'Divine Seeds'.
"Not only that, she even distributed some grain to poor families.
"Look at this wheat cake. In the past, it was all mixed with sawdust, but now at least you can taste the scent of wheat."
The man's companion also sighed in agreement:
"Isn't that the truth. My old lady received half a bar of scrap soap at the Palace gate yesterday because she performed well. After washing her hands, it smelled so good.
"In the past, those old nobles would only peel our skin to exchange for wine.
"This Tyrant... although she is fierce, she truly gives us a way to live."
The man sighed, lowering his voice to say:
"As long as it keeps my son from starving to death and lets him grow up full, even if she really is a Demon King reincarnated, I accept it.
"This Tyrant is doing a damn good job!"
The originally tense atmosphere melted instantly.
Delilah slowly loosened the hand pressing on her sword. She turned her head, looking at Sophia's face, the expression of which was unclear under the hood, and a wave of shock she had never felt before surged in her heart.
The Tyrant, she... actually didn't have any dissatisfaction.
Even if crowned with the name of 'Tyrant', does she still want to use these bloody and tough means to protect this group of people?
In Delilah's interpretation, Sophia's silence at this moment was not anger, but a deep tolerance.
She did not need the people's understanding; she only needed the people to live.
This kind of solitary and great rule was the true Royal Way.
________________________________________
🌸 Help Love Bloom!
Our girls need a little push... and you can help!
💖 Gift for Everyone: Once we hit 50 Powerstones, I'll release +1 bonus chapter to warm your hearts.
🚀 Community Reward: If we reach 10 supporting members, we'll have a +5 chapter marathon across all stories! The romance won't stop.
👻 Come to our secret corner: Search for GirlsLove on (P). You know that's where the magic happens... 😉