How to Survive as a Princess in a Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 29
“Meliana’s opinion has merit, but it seems like a heavy burden, just as you initially feared. Even if we provide aid this time, they’ll come asking for help every time the prune harvest fails.”
“Are you saying we shouldn’t provide aid then?”
“No, I think we should offer assistance, but we should utilize what remains as much as possible.”
“Are you suggesting that we make use of the ruined prunes?”
“Exactly. We could market them as ‘Miracle Prunes’ that survived the heavy rains. If we convey a sense of hope that they can overcome adversity, maybe people would be willing to buy them.”
“That’s absurd. No one would buy misshapen, ruined fruit just because it has that name.”
Laughter echoed in response. At Meliana’s words, I instinctively flinched, my body tensing.
It would be a lie to say I didn’t have the urge to retort to Meliana. However, given that I had only spoken out of obligation due to the quest, I found myself lacking confidence in my opinion.
‘Was it really that ridiculous?’
I was contemplating whether I should try to salvage the situation. A soft, gentle voice broke through.
“I think it’s a reasonable argument.”
“Really? Does Duke Yelpen genuinely believe my sister’s opinion has merit? You’re not just siding with her out of personal feelings, are you? After all, you’re her fiancé.”
“It’s not unreasonable for the princess to think that way. However, I’m speaking as Duke Yelpen, not as Nepheli’s fiancé.”
Killis Yelpen—my supposed fiancé—was looking at me as he spoke.
“I would like to hear more of what Princess Nepheli thinks.”
“Whether it’s worth hearing or not…….”
“I would also like to hear more.”
With Evgenia joining in, Meliana had no choice but to fall silent. With Killis and now Evgenia backing me up, I felt a surge of confidence.
“I’m not suggesting we sell the rotten ones. We can carefully select the ones that are still edible, even if they look a bit damaged, and market them with a name. Just like how people are drawn to beautifully packaged goods, we can do something similar with the prunes.”
“Hmm…… But it’s going to be hard to raise the prices too much. We’ll need to sell not just in the central region but in other areas as well. The cost of applying preservation magic will add up, making it seem difficult to gain profits.”
“We don’t necessarily need to use magic. We can prepare a syrup by soaking them in sugar and then transferring them into sealed glass jars.”
I focused on Meliana’s earlier remark about the prunes being “fruits.” If they’re fruits, soaking them in sugar should generally make them delicious.
However, one concern lingered in my mind, the price of sugar.
In modern times, it’s manufactured and cheap, but in ancient times, making sugar was quite labor-intensive—pressing juice from sugar cane or beets, boiling it down, and producing a relatively expensive product. I wondered if it would be similarly costly here.
“Making syrup with sugar…… That’s not a bad idea.”
“It’s certainly worth trying.”
Both Evgenia and Killis nodded in agreement, reflecting a rather positive response.
Ding!
[<System> Conditions have been met.]
[<Quest> Evgenia’s Concerns. Completed (1/1)]
[<System> Evgenia’s affection has slightly increased.]
[<System> The number of people paying attention to you has increased.]
‘So sugar must not be that expensive here.’
I felt relieved only after checking the message window. Meanwhile, notifications kept appearing.
[<System> Killis Yelpen’s affection has been unlocked.]
It was a notification for unlocking the favorability of a new character. No wonder he wasn’t in the character encyclopedia, it seemed there were specific conditions for unlocking Killis’s favorability.
Curious about what the score might be, I was tempted to check it immediately when I was interrupted by a voice.
“I’ve heard your thoughts, Your Highness. But in the end, aren’t you suggesting we engage in trade?”
It was Morris Futurum, Evgenia’s first duke.
“Are you saying a princess of the kingdom shouldn’t pursue personal gain at the expense of her people?”
“Of course not……!”
“The royal treasury is not infinite. I didn’t suggest this to pursue personal gain. The profits from selling the prunes can be used as compensation for the aid provided to the affected territories and to help those areas and others.”
“Don’t you think it’s inherently wrong to charge our people for such aid?”
“No, because the land taxes are also money paid by the kingdom’s citizens.”
I tried to respond as calmly as possible. No matter how much hostility he radiated, I couldn’t afford to mirror it. After all, Nepheli was still weak.
Unfortunately, it seemed that no matter how I spoke, Morris Futurum simply viewed it as an opportunity to argue.
