I! Anomaly Cleansing Agent!

Royal Post: “Good News, Robin and Leo Are About to Tie the Knot!”

Critic’s Report: “New King Approaching, Princess May Officially Ascend After Grand Wedding”

New Industrial News: “Princess’s Wedding Looms, Several Sectors May Benefit Soon”

Horn Alley Report: “Countdown, Centennial Wedding in 19 Days!”

Sun Newspaper: “Which Prince Plucked the Capital Rose? Counting 15 Past Romantic Escapades”

“……”

In the dead of night, after knocking on his neighbor’s door to borrow recent newspapers, Leon found himself utterly unprepared for the increasingly exaggerated reports. His defenses crumbled right there.

Good news: I’m getting married soon.

Bad news: Apparently, I’m the last one to know.

“?”

Looking at Leon with an expression of “total surprise,” Anna couldn’t help but ask quietly:

“Bro? What’s wrong? Are you not ready?”

“…”

Am I not ready? I haven’t even had a chance to prepare!

After twitching his lips twice, Leon couldn’t help but say blankly, “The princess… Veronica… what exactly did she tell you? That I agreed to get married next month?”

“That didn’t happen…”

Seeing from Leon’s expression that things might be a little different than she thought, the slim girl blinked and then said surprisingly, “Sister Veronica mentioned that she originally felt the pace was too fast, and with all the recent events, she hoped to spend more time with you before considering marriage.”

“But you were extremely eager, worried about her having other plans, so you kept pushing her. When you returned from your business trip, you gave her a very precious gift, which moved her beyond words…”

“In short, seeing how concerned you were, she had no choice but to accept your proposal… Um… She also asked me to remind you not to worry, as her heart will always only have room for you.”

“…”

After hearing this account, which couldn’t be further from the truth, Leon was left speechless for quite some time.

Noticing Leon’s unusual demeanor, Anna couldn’t help but ask worriedly, “Bro… Did you guys fight recently?”

“…”

We didn’t fight before, but now I really want to! “Nothing… We just had a small misunderstanding, it’ll be fine once we talk it out.”

Facing his sister’s worried gaze, Leon struggled for a while but ultimately said nothing, instead forcing a kind smile.

“I’m a bit sleepy, I’ll go to bed first. You should rest early too.”

“Um… Alright, you rest well…”

“Sister Veronica has been really busy lately. Every time she comes to see you, she looks completely exhausted, so there might be some areas where she hasn’t been considerate enough. But she definitely cares about you. If you two have any issues, just communicate properly, and maybe they can be resolved directly.”

“…”

Even so, isn’t it possible that our biggest issue is that she set the wedding without consulting me? Not wanting to admit he’d been tricked, Leon mumbled a few vague sentences and then yawned his way into his bedroom. The moment the door closed, he decisively climbed out the window, descended along the building’s exterior, and sprinted toward the royal palace.

I need to confront her! Right now! Although… Veronica isn’t unpleasant, and in a sense, she’s not a bad person to marry, but being tied down like this without my consent is just too strange! This absolutely cannot stand!…

It’s late already…

Glancing at the clock hand pointing to 12, the weary lady-in-waiting couldn’t help but open her mouth and sneak a small yawn before continuing to stay alert and handing over the budget sheet awaiting approval to Princess Veronica.

“Your Highness, this is the budget sheet sent back by the Ministry of Finance.

They believe the kingdom’s finances are tight, and directly approving the construction of a new industrial zone would be too costly. They suggest integrating some scholars and workers from the Crocodile Kingdom into the existing factory systems within the kingdom, thus…”

“This way, it would simply amount to doing all the work for them.”

Without hesitation, Princess Veronica took the budget sheet from the lady-in-waiting, scribbled a rather uncivil reply, and gestured for the attendant nearby.

“Draft a response for me. State that the current industrial system of the kingdom struggles to integrate the technology and processes from the Crocodile Kingdom. While this method could save costs, it would dismantle the highly efficient industrial model originally from the Crocodile Kingdom.”

“Furthermore, dispersing the talents from the Crocodile Kingdom wouldn’t benefit the kingdom in digesting newly acquired technologies. After all, the core of industrial development is always scale and… never mind, forget drafting the response. Just draft a direct order instead. Note down the general meaning.”

After pondering for a few seconds, Princess Veronica slowed down her speech and dictated,

“According to the new bill passed by the Upper House, the Ministry of Finance must cooperate with the proposal if it cannot prove significant defects exist, and shall proceed with the proposal while conducting investigations. Before that, they must not unjustifiably reject my submitted budgets. Such behavior, which completely goes against the spirit of the new bill, not only delays the kingdom’s development time but also deliberately increases internal consumption, constituting a crime against the kingdom and all its citizens. Therefore, I shall reprimand the Budget Bureau of the Ministry of Finance…”

Expressing her intention of “do the job or step aside” in relatively elegant terms, Princess Veronica handed the finished document back to the lady-in-waiting and requested, “From now on, review incoming documents from the Ministry of Finance more carefully. If they continue to abuse their power to exploit benefits from the kingdom, reject them directly and handle them as today. If similar situations occur consecutively, don’t hesitate. While rejecting them, send letters simultaneously to both the inspection and audit departments, requesting investigations into these individuals…”

“Is there anything else requiring my signature?”

“Yes!”

After noting down Princess Veronica’s instructions, the lady-in-waiting quickly handed over another prepared document and introduced it:

“This is a note from the Northland Kingdom. They wish to send the former king’s younger sister to attend your wedding with Prince Leon.”

“Ah…”

Upon hearing the words “wedding” and “Leon,” Princess Veronica’s expression softened slightly before quickly hardening again as she refused:

“Reject the response! If the Northland Kingdom wishes to attend, only envoys at the level of Diplomatic Minister are allowed. Higher-ranking diplomats are denied entry!”

(End of Chapter)