Crown Prince Sells Medicine
Chapter 59

 I Next

‘Raciel, what in the world have you done?’

Raciel, or rather, Lee Han, clenched his teeth, feeling cornered. It all started with the unsettling tale the house steward was recounting.

“I apologize for informing you in this manner, Your Highness… but I distinctly recall that last fall, you personally requested His Majesty to significantly reduce the operating budget for the Star Palace this year…”

“Raci… I mean, did I really make such a request to the Emperor?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Why?”

“…”

“Could it be that you know the reason behind my decision at that time?”

“May I speak candidly?”

“Please do.”

“At that time, Your Highness seemed to have lost hope for recovery… That’s how I interpreted it.”

“So, I was in such despair?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Was it that dire?”

“You were bedridden every other day for a ten-day period. Consequently, there was a substantial surplus from the Star Palace budget accumulated at the end of the year before last.”

“So, I made the budget cut request myself?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“What a fool!”

“…Pardon?”

“No, no, I’m not angry at you. I’m just venting my frustration. I apologize.”

“…”

“To sum it up, last fall, I was in a terrible state, had given up hope of recovering, and requested a budget cut for this year?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Sigh. This must be the karma that Raci… no, that I brought upon myself.”

“I apologize, Your Highness. But isn’t your health much better now compared to last year? That alone is a reason to be happy, isn’t it?”

“No, it’s not enough to make me happy.”

“…”

“There’s no money to be happy about.”

“…”

“Darn money, money, money. It’s so frustrating.”

“…”

Raciel gritted his teeth and sighed deeply as he realized the situation.

‘Raciel Adria Magentano, why are you doing this to me?’

The former version of himself had lost all hope. He believed he would perish without exhausting the budget for this year. With this bleak mindset, he had requested a budget cut from the Emperor.

‘And he must have secretly felt satisfied with his decision. Surely, he did. He must have been proud that he didn’t squander the valuable funds collected from the empire’s citizens. What an idiot! What a fool!’

The more he ruminated on it, the more curses he spat out.

Of course, he could empathize with how Raciel felt back then. With a surplus in the Star Palace budget, Raciel had no need for money. From that perspective, it made sense. He was bedridden, unable to partake in the activities of other royals or nobles.

Hobbies like hunting or horseback riding? All-night parties? They were mere distant dreams for him.

‘He barely left the premises, so he must have spent significantly less on clothing, jewelry, and luxuries compared to other royals. The only areas where expenses were incurred were doctors’ fees and medications.’

With such an abundance of surplus in the budget, he might have perceived it as wasteful for the nation.

Of course, it wasn’t an entirely unfounded thought. It could have been a rational decision considering the circumstances. But now, from his current standpoint, it only seemed like he had caused unnecessary trouble.

“Ah, truly…”

Raciel swallowed his complaints. Grievances wouldn’t resolve the matter. He inquired with the house steward.

“Let me ask one thing. About this year’s Star Palace operating budget.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Can we request additional funds?”

He dared to hope, but the steward’s reply was firm and cold.

“That’s impossible, Your Highness.”

“Why is that?”

“Because it violates the procedural law of the Imperial Family.”

“……”

“According to the Royal Family’s law, all departments and agencies of the Royal Family can only apply for their annual budget once, at the end of the previous year, Your Highness.”

“At the end of the previous year? Only once?”

“Yes, Your Highness. That is the standard procedure. However, there is one other way to request additional budgeting, but it’s quite limited…”

“What is it?”

“It can be considered in the case of war, natural disasters, or other major events that could impact the survival of the nation, Your Highness.”

“This is exactly that! It’s a major event affecting the survival of the nation!”

“…”

“I’m serious. If we run out of money, we’ll have to close the doors of the Royal Hospital.”

“…”

“Then I would die.”

“…”

“Isn’t that a major event affecting the survival of the nation?”

“Your Highness, I fail to see how the closure of the Royal Hospital and your death are related.”

“…”

True, it didn’t seem logical. He wished he could explain it, to show them the Bonus Lifespan System window. But there was no way to demonstrate or make them understand. Raciel asked with a tinge of regret.

“But still, as a member of the royal family and the crown prince, don’t I have the authority to request additional budget?”

He held onto a glimmer of hope, but the steward remained firm.

“That is also not possible, Your Highness.”

“Does that also violate the royal family’s law?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“…”

“In the Empire, only His Majesty the Emperor possesses the super-legal authority to act unrestricted by the law, Your Highness.”

“Really?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Well, that’s wonderful.”

“Excuse me?”

“This isn’t the time to dwell on it. We need to act quickly. Close the clinic for today. It’s almost closing time anyway. Hang the ‘Out of Service’ sign.”

“…”

“I must go to the Imperial Palace.”

“Your Highness, what business do you have at the Imperial Palace?”

“I need to utilize my nepotism benefits.”

Raciel smiled as if it were an obvious course of action. If the emperor had super-legal authority, why not ask him to employ that power?

♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣ ♣

…It failed. A spectacular failure, to be precise.

‘Sigh. That damn emperor.’

As Raciel walked down the corridor outside the emperor’s office, he let out a deep sigh.

‘I never expected him to outright refuse like that.’

He recollected what had transpired just moments ago.

The financial crisis that the steward had apprised him of. He had sought an audience with the emperor to replace a solution and requested additional budget allocation.

He had believed it to be entirely feasible. After all, the emperor possessed super-legal authority, and the empire was thriving with ample financial resources. He had assumed that the emperor would grant a small (?) increase in the budget.

But he had been mistaken.

It was a perfect miscalculation.

‘That damn emperor, he’s definitely testing me in every conceivable way.’

During the explanation of the situation, Raciel had inadvertently revealed his intentions. He had mentioned the insufficiency of the palace’s budget and the difficulties in managing the clinic. He had politely requested the possibility of arranging a special additional budget, expressing gratitude for any consideration. He had respectfully sought the emperor’s cooperation.

And the emperor’s response to his request? A gentle smile.

The gaze he received was akin to…

‘It was exactly like the look I got from my homeroom teacher when I got caught sneaking out of night study in high school.’

Back then, his homeroom teacher had given him a chance to provide 50 valid reasons for sneaking out, with the promise to let it slide if he succeeded.

Of course, he had failed.

He couldn’t come up with 50 reasons; he hadn’t even had a single valid one. Besides, it wasn’t possible to replace 50 reasons in the first place, especially when physical punishment was still a part of the school system. He had received a sound thrashing on his behind and was forced to run around the playground multiple times as punishment.

But the emperor’s gaze from earlier? It was exactly like the teacher asking for the 50 reasons. Even their reactions were similar.

‘List 50 reasons for requesting additional budget… Are you out of your mind?’

So, what did he do?

He actually listed 50 reasons. He mentioned the care of patients, all of whom were subjects of the royal family, the people’s sentiment, and so on. He made up reasons as he went, valid or not.

But after hearing all of that, what did the emperor do?

He smiled even more significantly as he rejected the request from the Crown Prince.

‘… If he was going to reject it, why did he even ask for reasons in the first place!’

It felt like he was being mocked. Simultaneously, a bitter realization dawned on Raciel.

‘The Emperor has always been like this, even in the novel. He puts the Crown Prince in difficult situations and observes how he escapes from them.’

That’s how he always treated the heir, with such harshness. Today’s rejection must have been for the same reason.

‘I can’t rely on dad, can I?’

He had already been turned down. There was no point in expecting more from the Emperor. A deep sigh naturally escaped him.

‘Sigh. I thought I wouldn’t have to worry about money here.’

Memories of the last few months in Korea flooded his mind. The time when the clinic was barely surviving because of COVID. Due to its prime location in the city center, the rent was exorbitant.

He even emptied his security deposit for housing to afford the hefty rent. He moved to a small monthly rented room and used the deposit to cover the rent. However, he still couldn’t make ends meet.

‘Damn money.’

The thought made his teeth grind. Yet, even here, as the Crown Prince, he encountered a similar problem. An inexplicable frustration welled up in his heart.

‘I can’t let the clinic close down again because of money.’

It was alright to fail once, but not twice. Regardless of the method or means he had to employ, even if he had to resort to trickery, he refused to be defeated by money.

‘Think. Think, Raciel. Lee Han. Utilize everything you have. Remember all your capabilities and try to piece them together.’

As he left the palace building, strolled through the gardens, and boarded the carriage, his mind was consumed with thoughts on the way back to the palace.

He pondered, contemplated, analyzed, and assembled. The resources he had, the means he could mobilize, his possessions, and the items with potential. Various elements he had seen in the story of the novel “Devil Sword Emperor” crossed his mind, and among them, he searched for things that could be useful and applicable.

Gradually, ideas began to emerge. He started to see angles. So, when he arrived back at the palace, Raciel’s expression as he got off the carriage was much more relaxed.

Without a moment of hesitation or doubt, he immediately called for the steward and ordered,

“Steward? Do you happen to have a list of the palace’s assets and furnishings?”

“……Pardon?”

“Do you have such a list? Especially valuable items, luxury items, and artworks.”

“Of course… we do?”

“Great. Bring it to me.”

“Pardon?”

“We’re going to have to sell them all.”

“……Excuse me?”

The loyal and frugal steward of the palace began to panic at the prospect of such drastic changes.

(To be Continued)

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