NOVEL NEXT Chapter 23
After turning the nobles of the Anais faction into her own dogs, a few more days passed.
Siena headed toward the Military Affairs Ministry, which oversaw all military matters.
During this time, Siena had never shown much interest in the military. After all, the military network was tightly controlled by Victoria and her maternal relatives.
From Victoria’s maternal grandfather, who had been the Commander of the Army, to her two active-duty uncles and her cousins methodically climbing the ranks in both the Army and Navy, they were all deeply embedded.
“Perhaps they’re restraining themselves because they’re watching Father, but if they wanted to, it might not be impossible to infiltrate the entire Army.”
And it seemed that was why Siena was the most ostracized by the military.
Certainly, she wasn’t favored by officials in other departments either, but the military’s disdain was especially severe. Among the officers of the Royal Guard, it was rumored that being assigned to the Temseugung Palace where Siena resided was the end of one’s career.
Though some careers really did end because of that, Siena thought it was unjustified. They only purged officers who truly deserved it.
But the situation had changed due to morphine.
“The military is the biggest customer. And for now, the only one.”
Tomorrow was the first official delivery day.
Alan was currently overworking himself to prepare the consignment for the military.
Extracting morphine from stockpiled opium and producing convenient morphine tablets were all under Alan’s supervision, although he did let the servants and Bono’s team handle minor tasks.
The person Siena came to see was the one responsible for this overwork.
Victoria Carrail.
A lieutenant colonel in the Special Advisory Division of the Military Affairs Ministry, the First Princess of the Empire, and currently the most likely candidate for the title of Heiress Apparent.
“The Colonel is currently in the audience chamber,” said a major, who escorting Siena to her sister’s chamber, with utmost respect.
There was no one to criticize that a serving Major acted as a secretary to a Colonel, because there was no soldier in the Empire who could treat the Princess as just a Colonel.
“Even just showing up daily is admirable. I may not fully understand, but it’s impressive.”
It was Siena’s first visit to her sister’s working quarters.
If there had been an opportunity to harass her, she might have been more interested earlier, but seeing no gaps, she’d just passed by. Now, however, thanks to morphine, they became connected, so Siena wanted to have a serious conversation.
“Sis?”
“It’s been a while, Siena.”
Victoria greeted her with calm composure, buried in paperwork.
“Really, you work hard, don’t you?”
At a glance, there were piles of inspection reports on the desk.
Though their motivations might differ, Siena could tell just how diligent her sister was. After all, unless some rare event occurred, Siena herself worked all day too.
“Doesn’t getting bogged down at your desk get boring?”
“…Haha. If I said I don’t long to be in the field, it would be a lie. After all, a soldier’s greatest honor is in the field. But if I act too ambitious, the lower ranks would end up in danger, trying to create worthy achievements for me.”
“So that’s why you stay here doing this?”
“I’ve come to believe that it’s more efficient to help the troops serve in better conditions.”
“…”
Siena felt a disconnect and looked at her sister with a hint of resignation.
This was Victoria: spewing such earnest, possibly heartfelt, rhetoric.
Since childhood, it was the same. She’d always say things like, “We must cleanse the blood spilled during the Abamama’s enthronement process.”
“Frankly, it still makes me feel uneasy.”
Still, words had to be said.
She hadn’t come just to tease her for making money. There was a purpose, much like when she had brought the nobles to their knees, and that purpose was tied to morphine.
“Sis, you know I’m an investor in Medoff Pharmaceuticals, right?”
“You’re here about morphine. The final preparation is done. We’ll manage stocks directly through military logistics as agreed upon with Sir Alan…”
“You need to be very cautious about security.”
“Hmm?”
Victoria tilted her head in confusion.
Siena sighed briefly, pretending to be worried about her sister’s naivety.
“I was going to leave it alone whether an incident happened or not… but perhaps I can’t. Do you really see morphine as just a medicinal product, sis?”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“I see it not as medicine, but as money.”
“…”
“Think about it. Even with their high salary, medical officers make only 40,000 to 50,000 talers a year. Nurses probably make less. 200 grams of morphine could be a life-changing sum for them. Do you really think no one will be tempted?”
“I understand that thorough management is necessary. You don’t need to worry.”
“It’s good that you know… But sis, how could I not be worried? The product is produced by a company where I own half the shares.”
Siena sighed as if genuinely troubled. Victoria calmed her with a gentle smile, thinking:
‘So she believes I’ve grown up.’
Seeing her younger sister, who thought about the side effects before enjoying the profits, Victoria couldn’t help but feel proud.
Of course, Siena’s goal wasn’t merely to receive praise from her sister.
“Accidents are bound to happen anyway.”
She mentioned how patients almost rioted due to morphine. Managing a drug with such powerful effects perfectly was impossible.
Some kind of trouble would inevitably arise, and Siena was merely preparing Victoria to handle it.
Victoria, however, didn’t seem to understand the depth of her sister’s thoughts. In fact:
“Siena, I’ll work hard not to disappoint you or Sir Alan.”
“Why would I be disappointed? I invested purely to make money.”
“It’s fine. I know it’s more than just money. Thinking about it, the reason Alan Medoff could produce morphine must have been with your support, right? You both seem to positively influence one other.”
Victoria looked appreciatively at her sister. The sincerity with which her sister reacted left Siena temporarily speechless.
“You’ve hired good people, Siena.”
Of course, this was true.
“…You’re saying weird things all of a sudden.”
“Would you like tea?”
“Alright, let’s go.”
As she stood up quickly, pretending to be shy, Siena was already wearing a faint smile when she exited the chamber.
***
Finally, delivery day had arrived.
“Sir Alan, the escort convoy will be here soon.”
Today’s consignment to the Military Affairs Ministry was 25 kilograms.
22 kilograms would be crystalline powder, and 3 kilograms in tablet form, specifically morphine tablets.
In the future, there were plans to increase the ratio of tablets for easier handling by non-experts.
Right now, the production of tablets was proceeding under Bono’s supervision, with several pharmaceutical agents from military hospitals involved.
The task wasn’t difficult. Even though capsules were impossible to produce here, tablets made with starch were manufacturable using local techniques.
One could easily find ammonium chloride tablets at any apothecary.
Though effective against coughing and similar symptoms, I found it odd to see tablets said to be made from wyvern bones. Consuming bone powder isn’t necessarily healthy.
Of course, I had no standing to criticize it, considering I was about to handle large quantities of morphine.
25 kilograms amounted to approximately 1.6 million doses.
Though it seemed like a large amount, it was only enough to serve the intensive care unit of military hospitals for about a year. Frankly, it wouldn’t last even that long due to the inevitable development of tolerance, which would lead to patients requiring higher doses.
Aware of all this, I signed the contract.
Additionally, there was another person who foresaw the same future.
“Does it seem like that will last a few months, Alan?”
That person was Siena, who suddenly appeared and asked this.
“Your Highness.”
We hadn’t seen each other for several days due to our busy schedules. While I was tired from production, Siena seemed cheerful.
“Ah, sorry. Of course, the military will manage it thoroughly, right? I just met Victoria yesterday, and she seemed prepared.”
“Did you visit Princess Victoria this very moment?”
“I wasn’t up to mischief, so you can relax. And while I was there, I stopped by the Empress and gave her some psilocybin. I figured it was almost time for her supply to run out.”
“That must have made Her Majesty very pleased.”
“Not pleased. She was thrilled—this time, I even taught her the ‘Lemon Tek.'”
Of course, it was expected.
The Empress was delighted and immediately took the dosage upon learning about the Lemon Tek. As soon as the effects started, she embraced Siena, exclaiming, “Daughter, thank you!” While being held, Siena acted suitably embarrassed, but to her horror, the Emperor appeared, witnessed the scene, and appeared deeply moved.
“Surprisingly fun.”
“You’re getting closer.”
“It goes beyond being close. Actually, I’ve agreed to chat tonight via communication magic.”
This girl truly had become a filial daughter.
Not only having administered treatment, she had now formed a bond with the Empress.
It was said that thanks to Siena, the Emperor and Empress’s relationship had improved beyond even their honeymoon phase. They now often went on walks together and shared the same bedroom.
It was hard to reconcile the fact that this same Siena had once wanted to pickle the Empress in opium wine.
It didn’t feel like she had suddenly craved family affection.
“Establishing a base before releasing morphine into the world, right? Was my assumption correct?”
“Yes, I made some moves while you were busy making medicine. It’s good for you too, right? It’ll help us prepare effectively if an accident ever happens.”
Prepare what? The world should be preparing for us.
Siena’s true reason for strengthening her position likely was to bind me even more tightly. I was, after all, the sole technician, at least for now, capable of producing something as valuable as gold.
“Let’s work well together, Alan.”
We exchanged glances, knowing each other’s true intentions but decided just to smile. The need for elaborate explanations faded, and it felt a little comforting.
…
Later, after a few hours, representatives from the Military Affairs Ministry arrived and collected the 25 kilograms of morphine.
In return, we received 25 million talers.
This was just the beginning.