Of course, Wei Wei had no idea what kind of girl His Royal Highness the Crown Prince Edward liked. Their relationship was strictly doctor-patient—during their usual treatments, the conversation stayed focused on his condition. Gossiping about personal matters was simply not her style.
The Countess of Nelson had hoped to glean some information from her but was disappointed. Still, that didn't stop the Countess from trying to take matters into her own hands.
Although no one knew what type of girl the Crown Prince fancied, it seemed safe to assume that choosing someone opposite from his former fiancée would be a good start.
Wei Wei had no intention of interfering in the royal family's marriage affairs, nor was she particularly interested in attending the banquet. If she had that time to spare, she'd rather read a book or get more work done.
Since Felix had gone off to war, all the duties he used to manage now fell to her. And with the summer harvest underway, Wei Wei wasn't even on the estate, but the reporting still had to go through her. The stewards on the estate prepared all the necessary documents per her instructions and sent someone by boat to the capital to deliver the report. Dolores also continued writing to her regularly with updates on the castle's daily affairs, and each letter carried a hint of longing for her swift return. According to Butler Barton, the young lady was now managing the castle quite well, though she still lacked confidence and often second-guessed herself. Since both Wei Wei and Felix had been gone for over a month, Dolores had lost several pounds from the stress.
Wei Wei, too, wanted to return. But while the King's poison had been cured, the Crown Prince was still undergoing treatment. She couldn't exactly pack him up and take him with her. As such, she expected to remain in the capital for another half a year. All she could do in response to Dolores' pleas was offer some soothing words.
The person sent to deliver the report was George, one of Wei Wei's earliest stewards. Since his visit had been cleared in advance with the King, he was able to enter the palace without any trouble and report the latest updates from Sardinson directly to her.
This year, Sardinson had enjoyed favorable weather, and all crops were thriving. In addition to corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, tomatoes, and strawberries—which had already been widely promoted—this year saw an expanded planting of peanuts and sesame, both of which also yielded excellent harvests. It was, by all accounts, a bumper year.
George didn't just bring data from the summer harvest—he also brought a boatload of fresh crops recently harvested. Since the Earl and Countess might be staying in the capital for a while, the stewards at the estate had agreed to send samples of each new crop to the current Williams Marquis residence. Whether to eat them themselves or give them away, it was a thoughtful gesture.
Worth noting was that while Sardinson had a bountiful harvest, much of the Pradi Empire also saw excellent yields in regions where corn and sweet potatoes were planted. Though yields didn't quite match Sardinson's—being the first year and all—they still far outstripped traditional local grains. It was almost miraculous. Corn and sweet potatoes were easy to grow and convenient to eat. Unlike wheat, they didn't require threshing, grinding, or baking. And unlike beans, they didn't need to be stewed for hours. The simplest way to cook them was to boil them for ten minutes. They tasted great, were filling, and gentle on the teeth—perfect for people in this medieval-like world where dental health was poor. Everyone who'd tried them loved them.
Had it not been for the King's poisoning and Duke Romanov's rebellion throwing the nobility into turmoil, this year's corn and sweet potato harvest would surely have been a hot topic.
Still, even though the political drama stole the spotlight, once the yield reports came in, everyone who had planted these crops—starting with the King—was overjoyed. However, since these were high-yield and easy-to-grow crops, it was foreseeable that they would soon become staples for the common folk, causing prices to plummet. Therefore, while they were still in high demand, everyone had the same idea: keep some for next year's planting and sell the rest to turn a quick profit before prices crashed.
That was also Sardinson's plan. Last year, seeds for these crops sold at three times the price of wheat. This year, prices had already dropped to about twice that. Of course, that was the market price. Some foreign merchants were even willing to pay more. But few were willing to sell to outsiders. The King hadn't officially banned exports, but the nobles were naturally inclined to keep resources within their territories—to their people—since they could later collect more taxes from a prosperous local economy.
Moreover, most people hadn't acquired much corn or sweet potatoes in the first place. After the first harvest, they needed to save most of it for seeds. Exportable surplus was limited, while demand from foreign merchants was huge. Anyone looking to purchase in bulk had no choice but to turn to Sardinson, where it had all begun.
One of the letters Wei Wei received was from Pope John himself, requesting to purchase seeds. He offered last year's price—which was higher than current market rates. Tempting, yes. But he was asking for ten thousand tons—twenty million jin—which far exceeded last year's total sweet potato output.
Though Sardinson could easily meet that quantity this year and Wei Wei didn't intend to maintain such large-scale planting next year—planning to retain only 100 acres each for corn and sweet potatoes, with the rest of the land going to potatoes, peanuts, and other crops—so they didn't need to save much seed. They had tens of thousands of tons to spare. Giving the Pope ten thousand tons would've been nothing.
But Wei Wei declined.
She knew how the Church operated. If they got that many seeds, they'd promote the crops throughout their faith-based territories, leading the masses to thank the Church instead of remembering where these crops had originally come from.
Although she was on good terms with Pope John, she had no intention of giving her enemy—the Church—such a golden opportunity to earn prestige. Better to keep the glory for herself or the Pradi Empire.
So she agreed to sell him only one million jin (500 tons) of grain: seventy percent sweet potatoes, thirty percent corn. That was all.
As she penned her reply, she also decided what to do with the remaining seeds. First, she'd meet domestic demand. But most of Sardinson's tenants had already jumped on the corn and sweet potato bandwagon and had successful harvests this year, so they could save seeds themselves. It was tenants in other counties who needed seeds. Wei Wei planned to allocate a portion for trade caravans to distribute across the empire.
In recent years, Sardinson's trade caravans have expanded rapidly. Their reach extended farther than ever, and their fair pricing and trustworthy practices had earned them an excellent reputation. Business was booming.
As for the rest of the seed stock, Wei Wei planned to sell it all to the King.
"Sell it to me?" The King was surprised by Wei Wei's offer—especially the massive quantity she proposed. He even gasped. "I don't think I need that much grain."
He acknowledged that corn and sweet potatoes were great crops. With them, the people of Pradi would never go hungry again. But he had planted a substantial amount himself this year. After saving seeds post-harvest, he had more than enough to plant again next year. Meanwhile, Sardinson's production levels had already matched the empire's annual wheat output from previous years. That much grain... even if he hoarded it for personal use, he'd never finish it all. There just didn't seem to be a need.
"Your Majesty could use the grain to conduct state-level trade with other nations. I believe many would be very interested," Wei Wei suggested.
She believed that if anyone were to gain trust and admiration for introducing high-yield crops, it should be the Pradi Empire—not the Church.
High-yield food crops were something every nation dreamed of possessing. If these grains hadn't originated in Sardinson, and if Western monarchs had tighter control over their vassals—or if the Pradi King had had the foresight to act sooner—they might have banned export long ago.
But since the first step had already been missed and some seeds had already left the country, it was inevitable that other nations would eventually begin mass-planting them too. Given that, it was better to strike early—trade while other nations were still hungry for the crops, and secure greater benefits while possible.
Especially now, with Pradi embroiled in civil unrest and the surrounding nations becoming restless, the King could use these crops as bait to form new alliances. If he succeeded, neighboring countries would be less inclined to make rash moves, and the empire's borders could be stabilized for the time being.
So while it might be more profitable in the long term to process the crops into finished goods, after careful thought, Wei Wei decided it was better to make the deal with the King.
Of course, she was only making a suggestion. The decision of how to proceed ultimately lay with him.
As it turned out, her suggestion came at exactly the right moment.
Unbeknownst to them, several countries bordering Pradi had indeed begun plotting an invasion. Some had already started secretly forming alliances, and leading the charge was none other than King Berldo—the father of Mirabelle.
Before he even received the letter from the Pradi King, King Berldo already knew what his daughter had done. He had even condoned it. The "secret medicine" Mirabelle had used? Provided by him.
Originally, the idea behind giving his daughter that kind of drug was for her to find an opportunity to poison the Pradi royal family. If not for the sudden death of her ex-husband, the King's household might've already been wiped out.
King Berldo was an ambitious man. He had long coveted neighboring lands. But his kingdom was small and couldn't confront Pradi and its allies directly. So he took a different approach: diplomacy through marriage. He married off his daughters to various royal families under the guise of strengthening ties. In truth, they were instructed to act in the interest of their homeland—ideally producing future kings with Berldo blood.
And if accomplishing that goal required dark tactics... well, that was understandable, wasn't it?
Once Mirabelle's scheme was exposed, King Berldo grew anxious. That drug wasn't just given to one daughter. If this blew up, his other daughters' actions might also come under scrutiny. Fortunately, from what he observed, the Pradi King hadn't traced the matter back to him. On the contrary, not wanting the royal scandal to go public, the King had even kept it under wraps. As a result, Berldo felt his daughters were still safe—for now.
But just because the King hadn't figured it out yet didn't mean he wouldn't eventually. So Berldo quickly decided to take advantage of Pradi's civil strife and unite several nations to invade and carve up its riches.
By last year, word of the high yields of corn and sweet potatoes had already spread beyond Pradi. This year's harvest only confirmed the rumors. These crops were tempting bait. Under the pretense of helping a nation in turmoil, and lured by the promise of high-yield food, not to mention the seductive influence of the Berldo princesses, several nations agreed to join Berldo in his alliance.
But right as everything was falling into place, news broke that the Pradi King had allied with a distant but powerful country, offering them the high-yield crops in exchange for benefits—and in return, the ally promised to provide military support if Pradi were attacked.
In other words, if Berldo and his coalition did invade Pradi, that distant empire would retaliate and invade them instead.
When this news was confirmed, the alliance quickly began to unravel. Several of the newly committed countries backed out, claiming the agreement never existed.
What choice did they have? They were all small states, squeezed between larger empires. Taking advantage of Pradi's chaos was one thing, but provoking two allied great powers was something none of them could afford.
What's more, that allied country had always had decent relations with Pradi. There had been royal marriages between the two, and the monarchs were even distant relatives. Neither were particularly warlike. So the announcement of their alliance seemed very believable.
Soon after, spies from all over confirmed that Pradi had indeed sent ships laden with goods to its ally—and brought back loads of supplies in return. There was trade going on, and probably regular communication as well.
At that point, even King Berldo lost all hope. He kept a low profile, pretending nothing had happened, and prayed daily that the Pradi King wouldn't connect the dots between him and Mirabelle.
But of course, the King had made the connection.
The very letter he sent to King Berldo had been a veiled warning. Though Berldo's plan to secretly build an anti-Pradi coalition had been discreet, Pradi's spies—though not of high rank—still noticed his sudden flurry of diplomatic missions. With a bit of deduction, it wasn't hard to see what he was up to.
Still, the King couldn't afford to deal with him just yet. He had his hands full with internal strife. Though small, a coalition of minor countries could still pose a serious threat under the current circumstances.
That's why Wei Wei's suggestion came at the perfect time—it gave the King a way to scare them off.
So he carefully selected an ally that did not border Pradi directly, had familial ties to the royal family, and was powerful enough to serve as a deterrent. In exchange for corn and sweet potatoes, he secured an alliance. Of course, the food wasn't free—the ally paid, though at a rate lower than the market price. Additionally, the King passed along a critical piece of intelligence: that Berldo possessed a dangerous secret medicine. Coincidentally, that ally had a Berldo princess as queen—and they'd recently experienced the sudden death of an heir.
One deal and one key piece of information was enough to secure a promise—spread the word that they'd help Pradi in a time of crisis. Whether they actually would remain to be seen, but the mere rumor was enough to scare off the smaller nations.
And if the ally did investigate and discovered something real, they certainly wouldn't go easy on Berldo.
Naturally, the King didn't sell all his corn and sweet potatoes to this one ally. After finalizing the deal, he contacted a few other friendly countries and used the opportunity to further expand Pradi's international standing.
Wei Wei knew none of this. She only knew that she had completed a very lucrative transaction—selling off her corn and sweet potatoes and earning a handsome sum.
The payment was made by the King himself. His business with the ally was handled separately—Wei Wei had no part in it. Once the King agreed to the deal, Sardinson delivered the goods, his people confirmed receipt, and Wei Wei received the payment: a bank draft worth as much as Pradi's entire annual revenue.
Good fortune lifted the King's spirits. With this major threat removed, his health improved further. Once Wei Wei finally confirmed that his condition was stable, the King, who had originally planned to wait for Felix's victorious return to throw a celebration, decided he couldn't wait any longer. He wanted to hold the banquet immediately—to formally announce his recovery and show off his now-healthier Crown Prince, who'd gained some weight and looked far better.
And, for reasons everyone could guess, this time the King decided to invite all the nobles. The invitations explicitly asked that all eligible unmarried young ladies in each household be brought along.
The invitations were quickly sent out, and the banquet was scheduled for one month later—enough time for nobles in distant territories to make the journey. Though some who lived too far wouldn't make it, those who could attend began preparing in earnest. They purchased new dresses and jewelry, hoping their daughters could win the Crown Prince's favor. Failing that, perhaps they could catch the eye of another eligible young nobleman.
This would undoubtedly be the grandest banquet Pradi had hosted in years—more lavish even than the King's birthday celebrations. Over a thousand noble families were invited, and no one could predict how many family members each would bring. The palace, recognizing the scale, planned to host the banquet outdoors in the royal gardens instead of the banquet hall.
Given the Crown Prince's illness, fresh flowers—the usual decorative highlight—had to be avoided. Elina personally consulted Wei Wei about which flowers wouldn't trigger allergies and selected suitable varieties to adorn the garden.
Guests were also warned not to wear flowers. They didn't know the reason, but they followed instructions and removed floral accessories from their outfits.
The capital's commercial district finally came back to life. Stores bustled with customers buying gowns, jewels, and accessories. In one hat shop, two noble girls nearly came to blows over the same design. Every unmarried girl viewed the others as potential rivals, judging whether they'd become competition at the banquet.
Everyone now knew that the King had relaxed the criteria for the future Crown Princess. Unlike before, it wasn't just about status and family background. This time, anyone had a chance. If the Crown Prince took a liking to you, your position was all but secured.
Even though rumors swirled that, due to his ongoing treatment, the Crown Prince wouldn't be able to consummate the marriage right away, that hardly mattered. As long as they could secure the position, they were willing to wait.
Meanwhile, Wei Wei was preparing a formal outfit for the banquet—not for herself, but for Crown Prince Edward.
She had come to the capital in a rush and didn't bring many formal outfits. Now that she was appearing as the Marchioness, she needed to be properly dressed—she couldn't embarrass Felix. Fortunately, she had a well-stocked wardrobe, including custom-made dresses from her old tailor, as well as outfits she had designed herself. Even Dolores, despite being busy with wedding gown preparations, would occasionally whip up a hat or a sketch for her. Once it was decided she'd be staying in the capital for a while, Qin had packed up all her outfits and sent them over along with her medicine stock.
So she had no shortage of clothes.
But the Crown Prince did. One of his asthma triggers turned out to be wool, meaning he could no longer wear many of his formal outfits. Luckily, the allergy only flared when inhaled—not through contact—so leather garments were still fine. But most of his old formalwear was now unusable. Wei Wei had to help the tailor test which fabrics he could safely wear.
That would've been a simple enough job.
But Crown Prince Edward had recently developed a fascination with Sardinson's knight uniforms. Since he'd be selecting a bride at this banquet, he was quite excited—and even a little shy when he asked Wei Wei if she could design a dashing uniform for him.
It wasn't a big request, so Wei Wei agreed on the spot. She didn't have to make it herself. The efficient steward even brought Sardinson's old tailor to the capital, so the outfit could be completed on time.
But word of the Crown Prince's new outfit reached the King and Prince Andrew, who both immediately asked for matching uniforms. Wei Wei had no choice but to draw several designs for them to choose from.
Truly, military uniforms had universal appeal—for both men and women.