Drawing Manga in a Romance Fantasy

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“Our plan is simple.”

Amelia and Jenia, having realized that the Imperial Family wishes to pair Rupert with Ioleen, formed a temporary alliance.

Both knew that they were romantic rivals, but in the face of a greater crisis, they had no choice but to join forces.

“Is this really going to work?”

After hearing Amelia’s scheme, Jenia couldn’t be sure if it would actually succeed.

“The Imperial marriages are extremely complicated.”

What Amelia was aiming for was the rigorous procedures of the Imperial Family.

Even as collateral relatives, members of the Royal Family, once they held Imperial blood, were strictly managed under solemn laws.

Especially in the case of Ioleen, her status was closely tied to the direct line of succession to the throne.

Thus, a marriage involving such royals couldn’t be conducted carelessly.

“The Crown Prince was also once engaged, but the flaws of his fiancée’s family were exposed, leading to a broken engagement.”

The Emperor had yet to decide on a marriage partner for the Crown Prince for this very reason.

Firstly, it was essential that the bride be of noble birth compatible with the status of the Imperial Family; not every noble could be a candidate.

Secondly, even if a suitable noble was found, their family’s power couldn’t be too strong or too weak.

Lastly, there could be no disqualifying factors concerning the family or partner to be married.

As a member of the Royal Family, should the partner have any scandal come to light after the marriage, it would be deemed unacceptable, leading to a thorough investigation beforehand.

– The Lady of the Yura Family has been rumored to have had a loose romantic history during her time at the Academy.

If even the smallest flaws from the past were exposed, it would immediately be judged as grounds for disqualification, making a marriage with the Imperial Family impossible.

That point was precisely what Amelia was targeting.

“If His Majesty the Emperor has chosen Lord Rupert, it will still take a long time for the marriage to be finalized.”

Of course, Rupert was in perfect shape, from his family background to his reputation and abilities.

The Emperor’s consideration of Rupert as a match for the Princess seemed almost a given given his conditions.

Moreover, since he was on friendly terms with the Crown Prince, a marriage with Ioleen could even bolster the Crown Prince’s strength, making it an added bonus.

And unlike the Crown Prince, the verification of the Princess’s marriage partner was likely to be conducted in a relatively short time, so they couldn’t afford to be complacent.

“If we secure him before the Imperial verification is completed, that wouldn’t be a problem.”

Thus, Amelia decided to join forces with Jenia.

“I cannot allow any harm to come to Lord Rupert.”

In truth, with the power of the House of Duke Bluewell, it was possible to tarnish Rupert’s reputation and spread bad rumors to prevent the marriage with the Imperial Family.

However, that was an option Amelia could never take; therefore, the method she chose was to act first.

As long as the Princess’s match wasn’t formally decided, now that Ioleen was trapped by the marriage procedures of the Imperial Family, it was the perfect opportunity to take action.

“But I’ll need help; I can’t do it alone.”

Moreover, Amelia, who was willing to partner with Jenia for the success of this operation, was proposing an alliance out of a thought that if Ioleen and Rupert did get engaged, there would be nothing she could do.

“Yes, ultimately, this is our only option….”

Initially, Jenia was somewhat hesitant about Amelia’s proposal, but she eventually decided to accept it.

She absolutely hated the idea of Rupert being taken by someone else.

***

“Now, it seems we need to choose a second workshop site besides the Somerset Territory.”

Esteban casually remarked to Rupert while sipping the coffee Alain had personally brought.

“Indeed, the grounds of our mansion can no longer accommodate the scale of our operations.”

Various goods factories, including the Somerset Workshop, already occupied the grounds of the Somerset Mansion, which meant that even the expansive garden of the mansion was now filled to capacity.

Marquis Bradley often lamented that instead of being a Marquis’s residence, it had become a factory, but this arrangement allowed for cost savings and easier security, making it all the more regrettable for Rupert to think about leaving it behind.

“Do you have a particular location in mind?”

“I was thinking of building factories in the Sleepy Territory.”

“That sounds good. Since it borders our territory, it’s relatively close, and the land prices in the desolate Sleepy Territory are quite cheap as well.”

“That’s not the only reason.”

Rupert felt a sense of obligation towards the Sleepy Territory, which had suffered greatly due to Sataniel and the Night’s Kin, even though it wasn’t a situation he had caused himself.

Thus, he had generously offered support from his own resources, and his brother Richard and the Elves were staying there to assist in recovery, but that alone was not enough to satisfy him.

“It’s harvest season now, but most of the year’s crops have failed, leaving many residents without work; I want to help the people of Sleepy Territory find a way to survive.”

At Rupert’s words, Esteban felt a bit bashful.

As a merchant to his core, he had a habit of calculating profits before considering the feelings or needs of others.

Sometimes when he tried to be overly altruistic, Rupert would restrain him.

Perhaps it was because Rupert kept him in check that Esteban felt they were able to run the business without significant mistakes until now.

“I had no idea Marquis Demian would make such a bold decision.”

“True. On the surface, it will remain as separate associations, but internally it will be almost like a merger.”

The reason they were discussing this sudden business expansion was due to a sensational proposition made by Marquis Demian, who had come to visit Rupert and Esteban.

His suggestion to combine the Vera Merchant Guild under the Yuren Merchant Association was something neither Rupert nor Esteban had imagined.

“With our current sales of books and goods, the association is practically at a standstill, so this would be a huge help.”

“Yes, our Somerset Workshop has also been worried about employees working overtime to meet production demands, so this works out nicely.”

Initially suspicious because it seemed too advantageous for them, Esteban entertained the notion that Marquis Demian might have ulterior motives.

‘In exchange for this, all subcontracts for the Yuren Merchant Association will be exclusively held by our Vera Merchant Guild, and furthermore, a share of ten percent of Yuren’s shares will be passed over.’

Conversely, the Marquis also proposed to give up twenty percent of Vera’s shares, which meant they were unifying their efforts.

This was a judgment based on the conclusion that the potential for development within the Yuren Merchant Association was far greater, and that having the exclusivity of subcontracts would be sufficiently profitable for the Vera Merchant Guild.

While they couldn’t be the top player, Rupert and Esteban confirmed this notion of solidifying their position as the second by riding on the coattails of the first place.

Now they reached the conclusion to subcontract some aspects of production and sales to the Vera Merchant Guild.

“The upcoming release of Rupert’s Fables has a staggering number of reservations.”

“Rupert’s Fables wasn’t even intended to generate profit, and with support from the Imperial Family, it’s selling at a very low price, so that must be why.”

If it hadn’t been for the backing of the Vera Merchant Guild, managing the enormous influx of reservations would have been impossible, making it seem like divine timing.

Rupert’s new work, the first educational book titled [Rupert's Fables], aimed to be helpful for the Empire’s children, and he intended to reinvest the profits into society by selling it without margin.

Just the number of reservations was breaking records among all books thus far.

– This is something we should be thinking about ten or twenty years down the line.

Initially, Esteban thought they should at least make some profit, but he eventually decided to follow Rupert’s lead, realizing that this was a seed for future growth.

‘When the children who read storybooks and comics become adults and start families ten or twenty years from now, it’s truly chilling to imagine.’

Rupert’s consistent advocacy for the widespread distribution of books from the very beginning.

When he learned that selling the lowest tier of books almost at cost was an investment for the future, Esteban was in awe.

Though these children currently have no purchasing power and rely on their parents to buy Rupert’s works, once they grow up, they will remember those memories.

Then, they will create new clientele by buying the goods they couldn’t afford back then, as well as books and toys for their own children.

And by that time, a solid foundation that couldn’t be compared to today would be established, making the anticipated growth of what one might call the Somerset Empire evident to Esteban.

“In the end, when that time comes, Lord Rupert’s grand goal of Somerset Land will reach its conclusion.”

“Yes, one of my ultimate goals is to ensure that the children who grew up reading my works get to visit Somerset Land with their families.”

The concept of an amusement park based on fairy tale books and comic books was still unfamiliar to Esteban.

However, now he too was slowly beginning to see the outline of what Rupert envisioned for Somerset Land.