I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 290 Smart Man

Exams are a major event in the Kingdom of Bagnia. Today, the fifth junior civil service exam began in Votradnoy, but Chris wasn't paying any attention.

The reason was simple: more important than the exam, a more important person had arrived in Waterladnoy... Count Dirac Sisso.

……

Dirac Sisso looked up at the bronze gate of the castle in front of him. The once glorious kingdom's coat of arms, with swords and halberds intertwined with ears of wheat, was still imprinted on the gate, but it had been oxidized and mottled, leaving only a blurry outline.

"Your Excellency, His Highness the Prince is waiting for you in the study."

Chief of the Guard Bruno stepped aside to make way and gestured for the Earl to enter.

Dirac instinctively unfastened his scarlet cloak and took the sword from his waist, intending to hand it to his attendant.

"No, sir, His Highness the Prince has instructed that you may meet him with your sword on."

Dirac raised his hand to refuse the offer, insisting on placing the gilded sword into the servant's hand, and then strode confidently into the main castle of the royal palace.

Aside from their previous encounter on the battlefield, this was the first time Dirac had met Prince Chris in a formal setting. Even though he was entitled to preferential treatment, the shrewd and experienced Earl Hisoka did not want to use the privileges granted to him by Prince Chris.

At least not now.

First impressions are important. Dirac had a good conversation with Prince Chris in their letters and didn't want to ruin the good impression he had of the latter.

Upon entering the kingdom's main castle, Dirac found that the interior was much brighter than the exterior.

The wall lamps on both sides of the corridor have been replaced with new glass oil lamps, illuminating the originally dark stone walls. Instead of portraits of past kings, the walls now display realistic paintings of farmlands, workshops, and schools from various regions.

Dirac's boots made a crisp sound as they stepped on the newly polished stone slabs.

He noticed that even the carpets had been replaced with simple linen instead of the velvet that the royal family used to use.

All of this silently proclaims that the palace has a new master and new rules.

"Your Excellency, this way please."

The attendant led him through an archway, and Dirac was surprised to find that the niches that should have been filled with royal treasures were now displaying models of various farm implements and miniature versions of new machinery.

In one of the glass cases, there was even a row of test tubes containing different varieties of wheat ears... These arrangements were not Chris's idea, but rather the request of the players in the greenhouse. Since they requested it this way, then let's arrange it this way; it's all a minor matter.

Dirac and his attendant turned the last corner. The door to the study was ajar, and Dirac could hear the sound of papers turning inside, as well as Prince Chris's slightly impatient tone.

"This data is incorrect. Make them recalculate. If they can even get the slope of the irrigation canal wrong, what are they talking about when they talk about building water conservancy projects for the King's Plain?"

The servant knocked gently on the door, interrupting the conversation inside.

"Your Highness, Count Sisso has arrived."

"Come in."

Dirac took a deep breath and pushed open the door to enter.

The study was much simpler than Count Sisso had imagined. There were no ornate bookshelves, only a few rows of practical pine cabinets, and the large oak table was piled high with documents and drawings.

Chris was standing by the window, his back to the door, holding a report he had just finished reviewing. The person in front of him, dressed as a clerk, was backing away from the study.

When the prince turned around, Dirac noticed that he was not wearing any royal insignia today, except for a small bronze wheat ear brooch on his collar.

Even more surprisingly, the prince was not playing with a scepter, but with a strangely shaped metal pen... This was a rare sight that the count had never seen before.

"Count Sisso, I hope your journey goes smoothly."

Chris gestured to the chair opposite him. "Sit down. If nothing unexpected happens, I suspect you already knew about it before I did."

Dirac did not answer immediately. His gaze was drawn to something on the desk: an unfolded map showing the troop deployments along the Minisian border.

In one location, someone drew a conspicuous circle in red pen, with the words "old guy" written next to it.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Dirac slowly sat down.

"The people of the Church of Mother Earth told me three days ago that the late king was returning. They wanted me to make some choices. Because the news was so important, to prevent leaks, I didn't write it in a letter, but instead rode here overnight."

This is the reason why Dirac rushed to Waterladnoy, without exception.

Chris remained expressionless as he tapped the map.

"He's taking back the Miniese army and the Bohemian gold coins."

He picked up an apple from the table and took a bite.

“What a wonderful father… Count Hisoka, what do you think?”

Dirac felt a tightness in his throat. This question, seemingly casual, could determine his fate. He looked directly into Chris's sharp eyes.

“Your Highness, Bagnia needs not the ghosts of the past, but the hope for the future.”

These were Dirac's honest thoughts. First, he genuinely felt that the old king was not competent enough. Second, Prince Chris... oh no, the new king was a million times better than the old king in terms of both ability and character.

More importantly, the new king treats him better than the old king.

"maybe……"

Chris couldn't deny that he only believed half of what Dirac said, not completely... The reason he still believed half was entirely due to Dirac's hasty departure to Waterladnoy with only a troop of cavalry.

If Dirac had any ulterior motives, he should have stayed in Hygrand, not come to Waterladnoy.

"Your Highness, you can leave this matter to me."

Dirac stood up, his right hand pressed to his chest, his voice low and firm: "I am willing to lead the garrison of Hygrand to intercept the late king's army at the border. You need not lift a finger; I will bear all the blame."

Chris twirled the metal pen in his hand, his silver-gray eyes narrowing slightly.

"And then what? Let history record 'the loyal minister Sisso murdered the king'?"

He suddenly chuckled softly.

"No, Earl, this matter doesn't require your involvement, nor should you bear the blame."

How does Chris treat the old man?
It's not good. Whether it's the former Chris or the current Chris, he is actually very, very unhappy with the attitude of the former king, that old guy who still doesn't have a name.

There are many reasons for my dissatisfaction, and there's no need to describe them all here.

If the old man had stayed in the Kingdom of Minicia and hadn't returned, Chris would have forgotten about him. But now that this guy has caused some trouble, Chris finds him a bit of an eyesore.

Even if nothing goes wrong now, if we don't get rid of him, the Minisians will definitely play this card later and cause trouble for Chris.

"I've already thought of a solution to this matter."

Looking at Prince Chris's expressionless face, Dirac suddenly felt a chill.

(End of this chapter)