I Added D*ugs to Romantic Fantasy

The day I received Siena’s gift, I headed toward the poppy fields.

The location was the main garden at Temseugung Palace. It was called a garden, but it was practically a farm.

According to the contract, the garden spanned an area of 31 hectares. And this massive garden was entirely filled with poppies.

‘Truly, a mad idea, filling this place entirely with poppies.’

Poppies were, at their core, beautiful flowers. In my previous life, people often got caught cultivating poppies but tried to justify it by saying, “I planted them because they’re so pretty.” And yet, here, these were plants carefully tended to by skilled gardeners.

But what good was their beauty? The flowers would wither anyway, leaving behind nothing but opium.

“K-, Knight!”

The gardeners stopped their work of extracting sap from the poppy pods when they noticed me. They were supposed to be gardeners, but each of them looked vacant as they scraped opium.

“You’re extracting sap by hand, I see.”

“Yes, we must finish before the pods ripen.”

“It doesn’t need to be that way. If you prick the top of the pods with a needle, let the sap inside partially harden, and then collect it, it reduces waste and saves manpower. Do the same for whatever is left.”

“Will the efficacy of the drug decrease?”

“No, it won’t.”

I replied dryly. The gardeners, upon receiving my instructions, bowed deeply, showing they were aware that I had received ownership of the place from Siena.

It’s really mine now. Finally.

In my previous life, opium was dirt cheap. I heard that during its lowest prices, you could buy a kilo for around three to four hundred thousand won in Afghanistan.

But in this world, the very concept of large-scale poppy cultivation didn’t exist. Only small-scale farms cultivated poppies for personal use.

The opium I already had on hand was in impressive quantities.

“Knight. There’s 350 kilograms of raw opium in the warehouse.”

“……”

“Would you like to see it?”

“Yes, please.”

As soon as I agreed, some of the servants brought out blocks of raw opium that had been neatly hardened in square molds. There were hundreds of heavy black lumps.

‘No matter how I dispose of this, money will surely follow.’

The question was Siena’s intentions in handing this over to me.

Did she give this purely as a reward?

‘No way.’

She probably wanted to observe how I plan to handle the opium and then expand the business if it appears profitable. Naturally, she will still use me as the front-line manager.

There was a way to thwart Siena’s plans.

‘If I dispose of it carelessly, she’ll be disappointed.’

If I wanted, I could do it immediately.

“What would you do if I instructed you to dispose of all the opium here?”

“Well… of course, we’d follow your orders. Sir Alan instructed us that no matter what he says, we must obey without question.”

“And if I asked you to transport it outside the palace, would you follow?”

“Yes, absolutely.”

Right now, transporting it outside and selling small quantities to numerous hospitals within the State could easily be done without any trouble. Or, I could bury it all in the ground to make Siena give up. To declare I’m not interested in the opium trade.

But that wouldn’t be wise.

‘If I destroy the opium, she’ll grow suspicious of why I’d pass up the chance to make such a fortune. Knowing her nature, she’d definitely want to find out why. And if I slowly dispose of it, it’ll take too much time and effort.’

No matter what I do, the cunning woman has already taken interest, and that’s irreversible.

Even if I buried it, she could use her power to set up a massive farm and production facility that would dwarf the poppies cultivated here.

There’s no ending this by just burying it.

‘What the hell is this situation, anyway?’

I sighed as I glanced at the lump of raw opium in my hand.

Its unique sweet and sharp aroma tickled my nose.

—

Ideally, I wanted to drop everything and retire.

But Alan Medoff, the man I had possessed, was a man burdened with too many sins.

He had killed or permanently injured over eighty people. There were hundreds others he had harmed, leaving them disfigured but alive through massages.

The victims varied.

Gamblers causing trouble at casinos, chronic debtors who borrowed money and couldn’t repay, their families, palace servants or soldiers and officers who were punished by Siena for some transgression. It was hard to estimate how many people held grudges against me.

And yet, he had never been investigated by the military police, thanks solely to Siena’s protection.

But I didn’t want to spend my life protecting Siena from consequences not even of my own making.

That was why I had asked for a sabbatical along with one million talers — to create a safe distance from Siena. But now, with the opium situation, that was becoming difficult.

‘If I do nothing, this will probably continue indefinitely.’

I would scheme to stop Siena’s misdeeds, and Siena would use these schemes as teaching tools for her increasing cunning. A terrible cycle.

Just thinking about it made it a horrifying life.

Even if I devoted my life to stopping Siena, there was no guarantee I could.

She was the type of woman who could instinctively conjure up something as advanced as “lemon tech.” If I tried to block her outright, it might only irritate her, leading to even greater harm in the future. She might even see me as an obstacle and eliminate me.

Perhaps, at this point, it would be better to make a compromise.

I didn’t need to think too hard about alternative solutions.

Focusing on myself rather than the world, the solution was surprisingly simple.

‘I don’t need to overthink this.’

As soon as I reached a decision, I headed directly to Siena’s Audience Chamber.

Siena was ridiculously diligent and spent a lot of time in her office.

Today was no exception. Dressed in a simple dress unsuitable for a princess, she was issuing various instructions to her aides.

“Prince of Camburden’s charity event? Of course I’m not attending. The emotional scar from Anais’s conspiracy theories has not healed yet. I won’t leave the palace until she resigns.”

“Victorian Anais wants to mediate between me and Anais? She probably thinks it’s a good opportunity to play mediator. But why would I accept that? Politely reject it.”

“And place some people around the Academy…”

Typical orders. She was trying to completely undermine the third princess and check the first princess.

However, as soon as I appeared, Siena’s eyes turned toward me.

Predictably, with a nod of her chin dismissing the others, she sent away her aides. Soon, only the two of us remained in the Audience Chamber.

“Alan, did you like my gift?”

“Yes, I have received it.”

Her simple attire made me realize again how young she was.

Nineteen years old.

Her youthful appearance made her look even younger. There was no ferocity in her expression, which, in its own way, made her more intimidating.

“Alan, thanks to you, opium has lost its purpose. If it were grown in nearby farms, I might not care, but because this was cultivated within the palace, it’s difficult to transfer it to someone else. I mulled over it and thought of you. Is that okay?”

“There’s no need for that. You’ve done me a great favor.”

“Are you really fine with that?”

“Of course. In fact, you even processed it for free, and I’ve already been granted leave to have enough time to sell it. I’m very grateful.”

Hearing this, Siena gave me a wide grin, but I could sense her curiosity.

Before she could speak, I preempted her.

“Your Highness, I know why you gave me the opium.”

“…Hmm?”

“You were probably watching from afar to see how I planned to sell it. If you judged it to be a profitable business, you’d probably have intended to jump in.”

“Why would I care that much? I was just…”

“If that’s true, then why did you give it to me?”

“…”

“Your Highness owns several businesses now. Gambling houses, loan companies, farms around the State, and even several trade ships. But how you handle opium could potentially surpass the profitability of all those businesses.”

“You seem confident.”

“Yes, and I know the methods to maximize its profits. It’s also true that my interest in business started because of your gift.”

At my words, Siena’s face brightened.

It wasn’t hard to predict what would happen if I stayed quiet.

She would probably suggest setting up a company and start a business in earnest. She would give me plenty of money, grant me a certain degree of autonomy, but ultimately, pull the strings.

“Well, if you cooperate like this, Alan, I don’t need to beat around the bush. How would you feel about a proposal?”

Predictable.

“What is it?”

“As you said, I’m interested in the opium business. Silocybin too, of course. If you manage it for me, I can conduct business with peace of mind… What do you think?”

As she spoke, her eyes were filled with expectation. Slight blush on her cheeks, fidgety fingers—extras to her excitement.

But I couldn’t meet her expectations.

“I appreciate the offer, but I must decline.”

“What?”

“I mean I don’t want to be the manager for Your Highness’s business. I have opium already, and I have some savings that aren’t much, but enough for initial capital.”

“…”

“To be honest, I’d like to build my own business. A company that operates under my own name, where I make direct managerial decisions.”

The surprise was evident on Siena’s face. The consummate actress who excelled in front of Empress Lianhua was unable to control her expression here. She probably hadn’t anticipated this response from me.

“So… you’re just leaving?”

“Not at all. If you become the first investor in my business, I’d be delighted to welcome you. You’ll get dividends later too, of course.”

By this, I meant she should sit back and collect profits.

Siena looked at me, utterly confused.

For a while, silence reigned. But I wasn’t uncomfortable.

Because I had already made my decision. Since it was inevitable, it was better for me to hold the reins instead of the wicked woman.

“This will also be beneficial for Your Highness. If I succeed as an entrepreneur, you, who lacks a proper faction, will gain a powerful supporter, won’t you?”

“That’s true…”

“I’ll handle everything. Your Highness, you can simply stay as an investor.”

Of course, just because I would spread drugs on her behalf didn’t mean the harm would disappear.

But at least fewer people would die. Drastically fewer.

And that was the best I could do now.

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