"Any kind of edible oil will do."

That was the last thing Simon said to Walter before sending him off.

Right now, he had no intention of wasting too much time on the four major families. The only reason he was sharing profits with them was to maintain the illusion that they were still allies.

In reality, Simon could not tolerate the existence of powerful aristocratic clans within his domain. Such factions posed a severe threat to his rule.

The Eldorian Empire was already suffering under the unchecked power of noble families. He would not repeat that mistake.

After seeing Walter off, Simon ordered Roland to summon Baldwin. With the expansion of industrial technology, more and more products would soon be produced by Machinery Department and the prince’s castle.

Both Brambleford’s Finest and perfume were produced exclusively within the prince’s castle, with only trusted household guards involved in their manufacturing, strictly for security reasons.

Simon was well aware that others would not sit idly by. Spies were surely lurking, eager to steal the secrets of his factories and workshops. Thus, he was now formally establishing the Patent Bureau.

From now on, all technological innovations from the Machinery Department would be registered under the Patent Bureau, with Bjorn personally overseeing it. Any individual, merchant, or official caught stealing patents would be severely punished and in extreme cases, executed.

Furthermore, anyone wishing to use a registered patent would have to pay a licensing fee.

For now, Simon had no intention of selling patents, but the legal framework had to be established early.

Additionally, he and Baldwin agreed to allow commoners to apply for patents on their own inventions, encouraging civilian innovation.

Alongside the Patent Bureau, Simon also established the Department of Minerals, a prelude to the construction of state-run mines. Controlling mineral resources meant controlling industrial power.

Baldwin had no objections to Simon’s ever-expanding policies. As long as the prince was actively working to govern properly, he saw no reason to challenge him. The burden of execution fell upon him anyway.

With the snow now melted, Brambleford was once again bustling with life.

While Walter was busy purchasing edible oil, Simon organized his household guards to start producing lye. The method of boiling limestone and wood ash together was primitive, but for now, it was the most effective way available.

Days passed in busy preparation.

Then, one day, an unexpected visitor arrived at the prince’s castle, sending the entire household into an uproar.

---

"My Lord, Gius has returned!"

Simon, who had been engrossed in experimenting with soap production, was suddenly pulled from his thoughts by Joan’s excited voice.

Laughing, Simon put down his brush and spoke. "I figured he should be back around this time."

Just then, Gius appeared, carrying a bundle on his back. Upon seeing Simon, he bowed and spoke. "My Lord, this lowly servant has returned."

"No need for formalities." Simon said, smiling broadly. He was eager to hear the details of Gius’s trip to Eldora. "Tell me, how did things go?"

Gius handed the bundle to Joan and reported. "Lady Isolde sent me with a message, saying that Her Majesty the Empress was very fond of Your Highness’s perfume. The palace concubines love it as well. As for the wine, the emperor himself got drunk on it while drinking with the Empress; he was so pleased that he wouldn’t put his cup down! He even praised Your Highness for brewing excellent wine."

Joan’s face lit up with excitement. "I knew the noble ladies would love it!"

Simon nodded. He had expected such a reaction. These luxury goods were so novel that it would have been strange if the imperial court hadn’t taken notice.

However, he raised an eyebrow. "Is that all?"

Gius smirked knowingly. "His Majesty was so delighted that during a court session; he personally instructed Deputy Minister of Revenue Raymond Bastion to allocate 200,000 caps of silver to Your Highness. He also said that if Your Highness continues to govern diligently, the court will gradually release the full 1 million caps allocated for Your Highness’s domain."

Simon was speechless. "What a cheapskate."

These 1 million caps was an inheritance fund that the imperial court traditionally granted to every royal prince upon taking control of a domain, essentially startup capital for a prince’s domain.

It was no different from a wealthy merchant funding his heir’s first business venture.

Despite a century of war in the north, the southern regions of the Eldorian Empire remained prosperous, with booming trade and industry. The empire’s tax revenue was so high that it rivalled the peak of the other Dynasties in Simon’s view.

The imperial court was undoubtedly wealthy. Yet, Emperor Alaric was stingy even with his own sons.

Simon couldn’t help looking down on him for it.

Just then, Roland arrived, having been drawn by the commotion. Hearing the news, he laughed. "My Lord, 200,000 caps is still quite a sum. At least it can help ease urgent expenses. Why not allocate it to the Department of Minerals? Building mines requires silver."

Simon massaged his temples. "You haven’t even officially taken office yet, and you’re already asking for money?"

Then he sighed. "Fine. You can have half, 100,000 caps."

"Thank you, Your Highness!" Roland grinned. Though 100,000 caps were a drop in the bucket, it was still better than nothing.

With the Department of Minerals now in operation, his responsibilities were immense, not just overseeing coal, iron, limestone, and graphite mines, but also the other mines Simon had designated.

Even with 100,000 caps, it would likely vanish like water into sand.

Just then, Gius added. "My Lord, aside from the imperial grant, Lady Isolde has personally sent 200,000 caps in banknotes for Your Highness."

Simon was stunned. "Where did Mother get so much silver?"

Gius grinned. "It’s all thanks to Your Highness’s perfume! The palace concubines placed advance orders, paying deposits in gold and silver. Everything is detailed in this letter."

Handing over a letter, Simon opened it and quickly frowned.

The money was indeed from perfume sales. However, that was not the main issue.

The letter mentioned both Empress Gretchen and the Crown Prince. If it were just the Empress, it wouldn’t be concerning, but mentioning the Crown Prince made things complicated.

While Lady Isolde only made brief remarks, Simon understood the implication that Empress Gretchen was trying to pull him into the Crown Prince’s faction.

That would make him an enemy of all the other princes who wanted to overthrow the Crown Prince.

Roland noticed Simon’s change in expression. "Your Highness, what’s wrong?"

"This is troublesome." Simon sighed. "After I was framed by the Fourth Prince and nearly assassinated, Empress Gretchen now sees me as a potential ally for the Crown Prince. This means I’ve just offended every single prince who wants to remove the Crown Prince."

Roland scanned the letter and nodded grimly. "Indeed. The letter states that Empress Gretchen and the Crown Prince sympathise with Your Highness’s struggles in Brambleford and will add another 100,000 caps to the imperial grant. That alone makes their intentions obvious."

After a moment of thought, Simon shrugged lazily. "Well, since the money is already here, we might as well accept it. Right now, developing our domain is what matters most. If I can manoeuvre between all the princes, that would be ideal."