I’ve had my fair share of serious worries because of the Emperor, but this is the first time I’m contemplating such a reason.
You know what? I gave both Alice and Claire, as well as the Emperor, 200,000 won each.
That money wasn’t meant to be used right away. It was given for them to hold onto and use when needed or when they wanted something.
There wasn’t really a reason to give the same amount to all three. I just thought it would be easier than getting into a fuss about not sharing equally or giving less. Honestly, I even considered giving the Emperor a little less.
But then, the Emperor turned that money into more and has been consistently giving me 100,000 won every three days. This has been going on for two weeks now.
Whenever we go out, the Emperor doesn’t tag along awkwardly. Instead, every morning, he goes to a nearby café, orders an espresso with his smartphone in hand, and enjoys it in style.
I followed him a few times, so I’m sure.
Naturally, his smartphone had stock trading apps and such open.
“Well, isn’t that okay?”
Alice shrugged her shoulders and said.
“He says he’ll earn his own money to spend.”
“……”
“Are you saying you don’t like getting money every three days?”
Seeing my expression, Alice asked with a smile.
“Well…”
“So, we don’t really have much to say about that, huh? Since both of us are part of the royal family, you, me, we’ve all used the royal funds generously.”
“……”
Well… that’s true.
The giant Marmaros cannon I used in the last battle, the futuristic automatic pistol, and the steam-powered exosuit were all bought with royal money. I wasn’t even in a position to earn money for the royal family.
“But not all of that is technically the Emperor’s money.”
“If we’re splitting hairs, it’s still the Emperor’s money. Sure, it’s becoming mine now, but the ownership ultimately lies with the head of the royal family, even if most is managed below.”
After hearing Alice say that, I lost my words.
“Well, there’s no need to pay it back or anything. You’re not completely wrong. The Emperor didn’t earn all that by himself, right? If you want to be precise, he’s just rolling over what has been accumulated from previous generations.”
When I still looked uneasy, Claire, who was beside me, chimed in.
“You can just think of it as him paying back what he borrowed from your family.”
Is he really acting as if he’s paying it back? That’s worth considering.
Honestly, he gives off a bit of a psycho vibe, like he treats people as mere game pieces.
“No, more importantly…”
I said again, looking a bit serious.
“What I’m really worried about is something else.”
“What is it?”
Alice asked as if she was genuinely curious. Claire, listening nearby, also leaned in.
“Well, I’ve been contemplating whether if I increase the money I’m giving, the returns might also grow larger.”
“……”
Both Alice and Claire were momentarily speechless and stared at me.
“So, you’re saying that receiving the money isn’t the problem?”
Alice asked. I tilted my head.
“Is it a problem when someone gives you money? After all, the principal of that profit was my own money.”
“Well, it is kind of accurate when you put it like that.”
Alice rubbed her forehead.
“To be honest, this room we’re in is a bit cramped, isn’t it? It’s overly open for three of us: an adult man and two teenage girls. We’re managing to keep our boundaries, but still…”
“That’s true.”
Claire nodded seriously.
“To be blunt, I can only call him ‘that guy.’ I mean, calling someone who hasn’t raised me for even a minute ‘father’ just because we share blood feels off.”
Claire’s remark was very reasonable.
“So, how about we gradually increase the investment with the end goal of moving houses? Then we could think more seriously about streaming here.”
The room we’re currently staying in is a small studio.
Since it’s a rented place, putting up curtains feels a little awkward, and there’s nowhere to set up partitions.
So if we were to stream, the Emperor would either have to be outside or sitting still somewhere. A wide-angle camera that shows all three of our faces would capture nearly half of our studio.
I feel like sitting pressed against the wall while streaming wouldn’t be comfortable.
“But is that really okay?”
“What do you mean?”
“If the father really starts making a lot of money, then instead of him sleeping over at ours, we might end up living at his place.”
“……”
I thought for a moment before saying, “Then let’s consider moving out from this rental. If we can buy a house, the Emperor can live outside, right?”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Also, according to your logic from earlier, we’ve always been living at the Emperor’s house. A few more months living here shouldn’t change much.”
Alice couldn’t argue against my point.
“Anyway, I’m in favor.”
Claire raised her hand. I raised mine too. As we both looked at Alice, she shrugged and then raised her hand.
“I’m also not particularly dissatisfied with the three of us living here.”
Good.
I nodded.
Click.
And at that moment, the door to our house opened.
The person who entered was the Emperor.
Even though all three of us turned to look at him simultaneously, he didn’t seem surprised at all.
“What were you three chatting about so amicably?”
“We were just talking about money for a bit.”
“I thought I heard that money wasn’t at such a dangerous level yet.”
The Emperor smiled and took off his shoes as he stepped inside.
For some reason, ever since he got here, he seems to be in a good mood, like he just shed an invisible layer of armor.
Is he planning to establish a new empire here?
Well, it’s definitely better than getting into politics while stuck at home fiddling with stocks.
“It’s not about being in danger. Since you’re involved in this, why don’t you join for a bit of a discussion?”
“Oh?”
The Emperor came over with an intrigued expression.
And he seated himself some distance away from us on the floor.
With his legs crossed and hands resting on his knees, he looked very firm. You could probably hit him with a fist and he wouldn’t even flinch.
Well, he actually wouldn’t.
“I have some savings.”
“Oh?”
The Emperor smirked at my words.
I really don’t like that smile of his.
“I’ve saved about 20 million won in my bank account. Of course, I don’t think it’s appropriate to spend all that money, but I can invest anything under 3 million.”
“That’s a brilliant proposal.”
The Emperor rubbed his chin and thought for a moment.
“But I think I could manage to raise that kind of money myself soon. Even without deducting what I give you, I have surplus funds.”
Then he grinned again.
I really, really don’t like that smile, but still, I thought for a moment.
“Do you not trust me? I assumed you were making that proposal because you believed in me.”
“……”
So what amount would satisfy him?
“Are you confident you can assure a profit?”
“Do you not see what I’ve done so far and still doubt me? I designed modern capitalism in Azernar. I understand its fundamental aspects all too well. I built it all by making every mistake possible in my youth.”
But I wonder if that experience would apply in the 21st century?
“Just to confirm, do you also dabble in coins?”
“It’s a high-risk option, but I’ve been dabbling a little here and there. Surprisingly, the gains have been decent. I prefer stocks more than anything.”
“……You’re keeping it within the bounds of not going into debt, right?”
“Well, it’s not easy to go into debt. I still don’t have a job here. Besides, like you said, I’m not touching futures. No matter what, even I can’t read the future, and if I mess up, you might end up wanting to kill me.”
Still, I can’t imagine killing anyone in this world. There’s no way to cover it up. Honestly, if I wasn’t registered in this world as a Korean person with fingerprint records, it would be one of my last resort options, but alas.
Still, I have way more options I can take now than before and feel no complaints about it.
“……How about 7 million?”
At my question, the Emperor lowered his hand from his chin.
He wore a confident smile on his face.
“That’s a kind offer.”
I just hope it’s an offer worth being thankful for on my end.
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