Ignis stared blankly at the double door of the meeting room.
"My Lady, are you alright?" Domi asked her.
"Domi, surprisingly, I am not feeling nervous about the meeting. I think I will fare good today"
"I am sure My Lady, you prepared very well last night. I won't be surprised if you fall in the midst because of lack of sleep" Ignis heard the sarcasm in Domi's tone, but she didn't react.
"How are you Princess?" Both the ladies turned to look at Adrian coming towards them. He wasn't his usual lively self. "What happened to your face?" he asked, his eyebrows knitted together.
"I am good, Your Highness, just a little tired". she said adding a soft smile. Even though her body screamed for rest, for some reason, she could feel all her fatigue melt away when she saw him.
"I am sure you had a lot to prepare yesterday. Hopefully, you won't need to go through this again" he lightly patted her head.
"By the way Princess, I am sure you have heard, my parents will be attending the meeting. Don't let them make you nervous." This morning, Albert visited the Princess to inform her that Stella had decided to attend the meeting. Lady Stella is a practical woman. If Ignis succeeds to impress both the Council and Stella, it will be like killing two birds with a stone.
"I am aware. I won't let anyone make me nervous or humiliate me. I promise."
Adrian hesitated but then gave her a small smile and nods at Aldo.
The doors open and Adrian walks inside, followed by Aldo, Ignis and Domi. He stops Sir Victor in time, before he could kneel and greet the King and proceeds to take his seat which is kept far away from the main long table, just below the Insignia of Aqua Land. The usual place of his chair is occupied by a normal wooden chair, meant for the Princess.
"Don't we have a proper chair meant for the Royalty?" Ignis saw Adrian giving a displeased look to the Council.
"I am fine, Your Majesty." she looked at the chair and smiled. "Most of the time, people forget that the responsibility that comes with the chair is more important than the chair itself. The chair doesn't matter as long as I take good care of my responsibility". She saw Count Morris watching her with a smug smile. Before anyone could give lame excuses, Ignis pulled the chair and settled herself on it. Ignis looked at the former King and Queen sitting at the far end of the table, Roanna was missing. There was one more person who looked similar to Sermon, sitting beside them. "I am Ignis Calid, the Princess of Land of Fyre. Let's start with today's meeting".
"Today's agenda is about reducing the tax on farmers during winters. Lady Ignis will now provide her proposal. Please listen to everything and provide your feedback at the end" Aldo said.
"As His Highness has already mentioned in the last meeting, food and leather become expensive during winters. Charging the farmers taxes when they have no money to survive is inhuman. Decreasing taxes for a few months may help the farmers, but, it will adversely affect the economy. When I consulted Sir Aldo regarding the debt of the Aqua Land, I was informed that we have two massive debts and both need to be cleared by the end of this year, or else we will need to pay enormous interest".
"My Lady, apologies for the interruption." Count Morris stood up very slowly. "Though I feel a bit relieved that you consider yourself part of our 'we', you need not worry about the debts of the Aqua Land. 'We' have emergency funds to take care of the uncertain situations" Count Morris smiled mockingly.
Something flew past Count Morris which made him freeze at his place. He slowly turned to look back where a short sword was stuck at the wooden column. He turned back to face the Duke Bailey, glaring daggers at him. "What is the meaning of this?" Count Morris spat.
"This.. is your first and last warning, Lord Morris. Do not forget that I have given my word to the King. Whoever tries to humiliate the Princess will be faced by me directly. You not only interrupted her but also mocked her. I cannot accept that. Please speak when she is done with her proposal."
Ignis could feel the tension rising among the Nobles. Unwillingly, the Count fell back on his chair.
"Count Morris, you just said that an emergency fund is used for dealing with uncertain situations, which is correct. But, I believe, paying the debt, doesn't come under emergency funds" Ignis crossed her arm. "All the debts are calculated when preparing the budget and a source to pay the debt is already determined. Why would you use emergency funds in a situation that is certain and well calculated? I hope everyone agrees with me here." she looked at every member.
No one raised any objection. Many were impressed that the Princess was not just standing in front of Count Morris but also were providing sensible answers to him. A feat no one in the Council could achieve, except the King. Count Morris was fuming, he definitely took the little lesson as an insult.
Ignis ignored him and looked at Lord Sermon. He gave her a short nod of encouragement. "Now, here is my proposal. Yesterday, Lord Mari, introduced me to the best jam I ever had. After further discussion, I learned that the berries were produced in the southern region of the Land where the temperature is warm compared to here in the north. Lord Mari explained that during winter, the southern part does get cold but it also receives ample sunlight for fruits like berries to grow. I was surprised. I asked him if he was thinking of mass producing it? He was hesitant before, but when I told him about the issues the farmers are facing in the north, he decided to start Jam production. This winter, he would require labor to work in fields to grow these berries. This is a good opportunity for the farmers who are ready to shift to the Southern region during the colder months." She looked at Lord Abbot and continued "I then met with Marquess Abbot. With his extensive knowledge and research in farming science, we were able to list down vegetables that can be produced in the northern regions. The farmers who decide to stay can produce vegetables which are not affected by snow. We will just need to teach them the basics to grow these vegetables. This way the food supply will not go down and farmers can still continue to earn. Here is the list" She gently placed the parchment on the table. Count Morris snatched the parchment before anyone can touch it.
"There are some inns that are recently opened in the south but since not many travel to the place, the innkeepers are facing loss in the business. If the farmers travel to the South, the innkeepers can earn rent from these farmers. By producing our own long term food like Jam, wine, pickle, dried seafood, we can be less dependent on the import of food from other land, in turn, saving huge money in the end. By this proposal, I don't just intend to solve one problem but plan to make many businesses profitable. So I hope you give this a good thought before rejecting the idea"
Marquess Abbot stood up "My Lady, yesterday after our discussion, I told you that even though we can grow these vegetables, it is difficult to get their seeds in our Land. How are we going to procure the seeds?"
"Lord Abbot, I told you yesterday, that I have some connections, who can help to procure high quality seeds. I have already sent them a letter this morning. We will get the first batch within a month." Marquess Abbot nodded with a smile. "Thank you My Lady!"
Count Morris stood up "May I know who this connection is that you are talking about? How much will it cost? Will there be any side effects to the soil?"
'Why, this man cannot just shut up?'
"I am talking about Lumin Merchant Guild. This guild has connections all over the Empire. They are known to procure things at the earliest. They will invest in the business and provide all the raw material. Their only condition is that the farmers should pay the guild 4 percent of whatever profit they make. Also, there are no side effects to the soil."
"Why 4 percent? And how were you able to get their response immediately? This plan was only formed yesterday".
Ignis gave him a smile "Like how the Royal family uses Mage Tower for quick communication, the same way, Lumin Guild has their own communication system. I am not sure why they are charging 4 percent, they must have done their own analysis. But, the representative will be visiting us this week. If His Highness negotiates, they may reduce the margin". Count Morris reluctantly sat down.
"Duke Bailey, since you are looking into warfare, I have a few suggestions for you too. A few changes that will help you to reduce the cost without reducing the efficiency. Can you please accompany me for lunch today? I would like to talk with you in detail" she asked the Duke who was taken aback by a sudden lunch invitation. He quickly stood up.
"It will be my honor, My Lady" he bowed.
A young man stood up "I am Jude Mon. Me and a few members here are quite new to the Council. I was thinking if you could teach us a few things about budgeting, we would really appreciate it."
"Viscount Mon, we can have a session on budgeting, but, I am afraid that is not possible before the wedding. We can formally meet after the wedding" Viscount Mon bowed and thanked her.
"If there are no more questions, please start with your assessment" Ignis stood up and nodded to Aldo, who escorted her out of the room. Once the doors were closed, she staggered. Domi immediately took hold of her and they both walked towards their room.