Chapter 830: 427 Two Matters

"What kind of attitude is that?!"

Perhaps provoked by the mockery in the Princess's eyes, the Queen—with high cheekbones, downturned lips, and a sharp-faced expression—slammed her hand hard on the armrest of her chair and snapped angrily:

"If you hadn't insisted on pushing through tax cuts, would your uncle's Finance Force have fallen into chaos? The leak got out, and you got trapped at the Prime Minister's residence—that's your own fault!"

"And besides, you forcibly replaced junior officers—that's one thing—but you even added members of the Royal Family and your uncle's people to the list. What exactly are you trying to do?"

"..."

What am I trying to do?

Looking at the furious Queen, listening to her sharp reprimand, for some reason, the Princess—who should have been seething with anger—suddenly found it amusing.

Though the woman before her was her nominal mother, and even shared the same palace, they had never been on the same side; if one measured "distance," Leon, living over ten streets away, was closer to her than this woman.

How laughable—in this magnificent palace where she was raised, she had endured six full years of nightmares, countless sleepless nights.

Yet in that modest little apartment on Shipbridge Street, she could sleep soundly until the sun was high, wrapped in absurdly pleasant dreams.

Even more absurd: the only person who cared about her injured arm after being struck by a stone was Leon, who had always wanted to break off their engagement; yet back in her true "home," even with blood clearly staining her sleeve, not a single person so much as glanced at her.

"Veronica!"

Seeing the Princess lost in thought, lips slightly curled, clearly not listening, the sharp-faced woman's anger flared.

"What are you laughing at?!"

"Nothing. I just remembered something amusing."

"You… I'm still your nominal mother. Is this how you treat me?"

"Mm-hmm."

After muttering a careless reply, the Princess, uninterested in the Queen's tantrum, turned to the Finance Minister across from her and said calmly:

"Minister, the Two Houses' session is in three days. I've been extremely busy lately, so if our future exchanges are to be conducted in this tantrum-like manner, I'm afraid I won't have time to indulge you."

"What kind of—"

"Shut up!"

The old King in his wheelchair, having silenced the furious Queen, coughed for a moment, then raised his scepter and pointed its tip at the Finance Minister, who sat upright, eyes downcast, and said in a hoarse, muffled voice:

"You speak."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Finance Minister bowed slightly to the old King, then looked up at the Princess with a gentle expression and said:

"Princess Veronica, my late-night visit concerns two matters I wish to discuss with you.

First, although today's incident may have originated with me, your replacement order does have some inappropriate aspects—otherwise, it wouldn't have escalated so severely. I believe you've overlooked certain considerations in your measures."

"Is that so?"

The Princess looked at him, her expression calm, and said:

"Minister, please point out the specific flaws in my replacement order."

"Your Highness is too kind."

After a slight bow, the Finance Minister spoke:

"First, the scope of the replacement targets.

Your Highness's original intent to reform the military is correct, but you've moved too hastily. There's no need to include every junior officer in the evaluation at once. Officers from families holding the rank of Count or higher could be evaluated more gradually.

Second, the evaluation standards are too harsh. Some officers may not meet the military manual's benchmarks, but they have sufficient seniority and unwavering loyalty to the Royal Family—they deserve special consideration.

Third, some officers come from families with distinguished past service. To dismiss them solely for failing the evaluation would be unjust to those who have served the realm. They've come to me repeatedly with complaints, and I feel deeply for their plight. I hope Your Highness will reconsider."

"Minister, please be more straightforward."

After hearing the Finance Minister's so-called advice, Princess Veronica smiled, then summarized with a touch of mockery:

"Don't touch those with powerful backgrounds, don't touch those willing to side with the Royal Family, don't touch those ready to hand over their wealth to you… Is that an accurate summary, Minister?"

"The meaning is roughly the same, but Your Highness's phrasing isn't precise."

The Finance Minister smiled.

"If I were to summarize: don't touch those whose removal would destabilize the kingdom, don't touch those willing to serve as the Royal Family's allies, and don't touch those who wish to stand with us.

These officers may be slightly less capable, but removing them brings either greater trouble than benefit, or loses potential allies—so please consider carefully."

Consider… is there even any point?

Looking at the smiling Finance Minister, then at the expressionless old King, the Princess took a deep breath, feeling as if she hadn't slept for three days and nights, her entire body weighed down with exhaustion.

Leaving aside whether this concession-laden replacement order could still achieve its intended effect, the very act of reversing course after being pressured had already dealt a devastating blow to her credibility.

If she compromised after being "protested" once, every future policy she tried to push would face endless obstruction—it would mean the reform was half-dead before it even began.

"I see nothing to reconsider."

Seeing through the Finance Minister's malicious intent at once, the Princess rejected him without hesitation:

"Minister, you may think it's advantageous to seize more power, but if the military continues to rot like this, the War of National Defense six years ago will inevitably repeat itself. There is no room for compromise here. You may proceed with your second matter."

"Very well."

Though rebuked, the Finance Minister showed no anger, only nodded calmly and continued:

"The second matter concerns the Two Houses' session in three days.

Today's siege of the Prime Minister's residence clearly shows the junior officers' stance. If Your Highness attends the session and continues pushing the replacement order, it will only escalate tensions. Therefore, I believe you should not attend the Two Houses' session in three days."?!?!

Hearing the Finance Minister's words, Princess Veronica's pupils contracted slightly, and she replied coldly:

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that, for the Two Houses' session in three days, Prince Joshua should attend in your stead."

The Finance Minister smiled.

"Prince Joshua is your younger brother and equally qualified to represent the Royal Family. Though he may be young and lack experience, with my guidance, he should be fully capable…"

"No!"

Shocked and enraged that the Finance Minister had such an agenda, the Princess immediately rose to object:

"Joshua can't handle this! Besides the replacement order, there's the proposal to expand suffrage, support for the energy sector, and a series of other…"

"You needn't worry about those."

Interrupting her, the Finance Minister smiled gently:

"I've already sent someone to your chambers to retrieve the relevant documents. With your preliminary preparations and my assistance, Prince Joshua will surely manage the situation and smoothly advance all these proposals."