I! Cleaner!

Narrow-minded man~

Upon hearing Leon's answer, knowing the reason he said that was to retaliate for her earlier "teasing," the princess couldn't help but glare at him in feigned annoyance.

"Stop messing around, I genuinely want to hear your opinion."

Putting away any thoughts of "flirtatious banter," Princess Veronica straightened up and said earnestly:

"What you said just now was interesting. Although it was a bit blunt, it indeed captured the essence of power. You haven't been involved in politics, but you don't seem dull to these matters. In fact, there's a kind of... um... very unusual sharpness.

So, if possible, could you talk to me about your thoughts? For example, what do you think about the things I've been doing these past few years, from your perspective?"

What do I think?

Looking at the princess across from him, who was genuinely eager to hear his thoughts, Leon pondered for a moment, then replied somewhat insincerely:

"What you've been doing... is great. At least you're always doing the right things, and indeed many people's lives have improved because of your efforts."

Is that really what you want to say?

Sensing something else in Leon's somewhat perfunctory "praise," Princess Veronica looked into his eyes and then cautiously asked:

"Leon, do you... not agree with what I've been doing?" The full series is hosted on My Virtual Library Empire, known as MVLEMPYR.

"I do agree. What you're doing can indeed make the Kingdom better."

Considering that he was still relying on her to pay for this meal, Leon thought carefully and said as tactfully as possible:

"But your goal is probably not just to make the Kingdom a little better. You've put so much effort into dealing with the military for something more, right?"

"Hmm..."

Princess Veronica hesitated upon hearing this, feeling the topic might not be quite appropriate, but after looking at Leon across from her, she seriously admitted:

"I do want more. I don't just want to be the next Queen of the Kingdom, but the best Queen!

You know, Joshua doesn't have the talent necessary to be a good King. If he becomes King, the entire Kingdom will fall into the hands of the Finance Minister and the Queen, and all my efforts for over six years will be in vain. I absolutely cannot let that happen!

Leon, although you might not believe it, I don't have a strong desire for power. What I truly hope for is for the Kingdom to become strong and maintain that strength, so that tragedies like the War of Defense never repeat on this land again."

"I've never doubted that."

Indeed, you are not someone with a strong desire for power. To you, power is more like a tool to achieve your goals. What you are truly pursuing is something else.

Having seen the essence of the princess's soul, Leon nodded, indicating his willingness to believe her words. However, after seeing the clarity and determination in her eyes, he couldn't help but gently remind:

"But I think your reforms might be very hard to succeed.

Even if there are some results, they're unlikely to reach the kind of outcome you hope for. The final situation will most likely differ greatly from the result you want... Are you mentally prepared for that?"

"..."

The things I'm doing... might likely end in failure?

After hearing Leon's words, Princess Veronica slightly pursed her lips. However, she didn't immediately argue back but instead looked into Leon's eyes and softly asked:

"Can you tell me why you feel that way?"

"..."

Am I starving so much that I've lost my mind? She's a princess, after all, and I'm actually saying these things to her...

Seeing the stubbornness in her eyes, clearly not willing to relent without an answer, Leon couldn't help but feel a hint of regret.

Regarding the princess's so-called reforms, he did feel they were unlikely to succeed. In fact, he had thought so even earlier than today.

Yet he was only partially knowledgeable, so not very certain about this idea; plus, though the princess's reforms had issues, they did indeed improve the lives of ordinary people in the Kingdom;

Moreover, he and she didn't have a deeply established "relationship," so discussing this seemed somewhat presumptuous, and thus he had never mentioned these things.

However, he had just caught a glimpse of her "ten-thousand-men-I-go-forth" essence from her eyes, and feeling reluctant to see her dreams shattered in the future, he instinctively shifted the conversation toward this topic.

Since I'm already here... might as well say something?

...

"Actually, right now it's just a thought, not necessarily the correct one."

Slightly raising his head to meet the princess's calm gaze, Leon gently said:

"Take it with a grain of salt. If you find what I say makes some sense, perhaps consider it.

But if you think what I'm saying doesn't make much sense, then simply forget it and continue doing what you want to do, because no matter what, what you're doing now is not wrong."

After setting the stage for himself, Leon didn't directly express his views but instead posed a question:

"Your Highness, if you were to simply categorize the political forces of the Kingdom based on their camps, what might it look like?"

"In terms of camps..."

Princess Veronica thought for a moment and then responded:

"The ones represented by me and the Minister of Defense should be considered the reformist faction; those promoted by the Lower House, the Prime Minister and the cabinet officials he appoints, along with some of the new nobility risen through commerce, they should be considered the parliamentary faction;

Finally, the Old Nobility holding the Upper House, along with the remaining new nobility, collectively count as the noble faction.

Currently, there are mainly these three factions, but with Joshua having the support of the Finance Minister and the Queen, constantly wooing the nobility, it barely counts as a half-faction."

So it's the reformist faction, parliamentary faction, noble faction... hmm... and a marry-the-monkey faction!

"Not much different from what I learned before."

Nodding towards the princess, Leon continued to ask:

"Then, can you tell me, these three and a half factions, whose interests do they specifically represent? Whom are they speaking for?"

Whose interests specifically?

Upon hearing Leon's question, Princess Veronica frowned slightly, not quite understanding the point of his question, but still answered truthfully:

"As the leader of the reformist faction, I'm backed by the royal family, naturally representing the royal family; the Old Nobility represents themselves, while the parliament represents mainly the interests of big merchants; the remaining Joshua, although also representing the royal family, differs somewhat in 'meaning' from me;

I represent those who wish to suppress the nobility, trying to reclaim power for the royal family, whereas Joshua represents those royal family members who have familial ties but value the original family, leaning towards 'coexistence.'"

"Are you sure?"

"What?"

"I mean, are you certain you represent the royal family's interests? Are you really speaking for the royal family?"

"..."

?!!!