Scarlett quickly grabbed both Lunatic and Reiza by their collars and pulled them apart.
"Enough! Both of you, stop acting like spoiled brats!" she shouted, her voice loud and firm.
The room went quiet. Lunatic puffed her cheeks and looked away, while Reiza crossed her arms with a pout but didn't say anything. After a moment of scolding, they finally calmed down, still grumbling under their breath.
Once things settled, Scarlett turned and quietly walked out of the kitchen, leaving them behind. Her footsteps echoed through the grand marble hallway as she made her way toward another part of the palace—in yumi's office.
As she walked, her mind drifted into a storm of confusing thoughts.
"Why? Why didn't I feel anything after what I did to Lórien and his family?", she thought with a blank stare. "I ripped his daughter's neck apart with my own jaws… right in front of him… and I didn't feel a hint of guilt."
Her brows furrowed as she tried to understand herself. "But when I saw Lunatic cry... when she showed me her Heart Pact... why did I feel bad? Why did I feel like I was the one in the wrong?"
Her thoughts grew heavy.
"Is my personality broken? Just what is my actual personality?",
Before she could find an answer, another silly thought jumped into her mind.
"I wonder if True Dragons have heat seasons too…"
But she quickly shook her head and answered herself, "It's already been more than a year, and I've felt nothing at all. That means… they probably don't."
Finally, she reached a large wooden door and gently knocked three times.
Within seconds, the door opened, revealing a young maid who bowed politely. "My lady," the maid said in a soft voice, "Miss Yumi is waiting for you."
Scarlett nodded slowly, though a bit awkwardly. "These formal titles still make me feel weird… 'My lady,' 'Praise the lady,' 'My liege'... I just can't get used to them!",
Trying to act graceful, she lifted her chin slightly and walked into the room.
Inside, the air was calm and quiet. Yumi sat behind a large desk, Right now she was wearing glasses slightly down her nose as she scribbled on some documents. She looked up the moment Scarlett entered.
A small smile appeared on Yumi's lips. "Do you know how much paperwork I had to do while you were off doing whatever you wanted?" she said with a little frown.
Scarlett laughed softly and walked toward her. "I can't thank you enough, really",
Just hearing those words, Yumi's anger vanished like snow under the sun. She let out a tired sigh and leaned back in her chair.
"I just wanted to talk about a few things," Yumi said, rubbing her eyes. "So take a seat."
Scarlett nodded gently and sat across from her, folding her hands on her lap. "Alright. I'm listening. Go ahead."
Scarlett sat straight in the chair, trying her best to keep her gaze focused and not drift off from all the heavy talk. Yumi, sitting across from her with a serious look, leaned forward and spoke in a calm but clear tone.
"So first," Yumi began gently, "I managed to make the deal with the Merchant Queen Liorra about the golden apples. So, you don't need to worry about that anymore. I'll handle everything related to it."
Scarlett blinked and nodded slowly, relieved. "That's great… thanks."
Yumi's tone then became firmer, her posture more business-like. "DreadHaven has now successfully built a basic economic system. We are still importing more goods than we export, which means we rely more on buying than selling. So, at the moment, we are more of a consumer nation than a seller one."
Scarlett nodded again but a little slower this time. She had some basic knowledge about money and trade from her old world, but nothing compared to Yumi's skills. "Umm… yes, that makes sense," she said, trying not to sound too clueless.
Yumi continued without slowing down. "That's why we need to focus more on exports now. We should offer something unique—something that only we can produce—like the golden apples. We also need to make more things ourselves. That way, we won't need to depend too much on others, and we can give people jobs while lowering prices on goods."
She took a breath and continued in one long sentence, "Not only that, but we should also consider investing in promising areas of other kingdoms. That way, in the future, we can earn profit from those places and have more influence as an investor kingdom."
Scarlett's brain was starting to spin. She placed her hand on her forehead and let out a tiny sigh.
Yumi noticed her expression and smiled slightly, letting out a sigh of her own. "Alright, alright. That was a lot. Those are future plans. Let's focus on the present."
Scarlett gave a small nod, still trying to catch up.
Yumi then adjusted the papers in front of her and spoke again. "Now, here's the good news. The infrastructure is mostly done. Even banks are open now. And we've already explained to people what a bank is and how it works."
Scarlett raised an eyebrow, surprised. "That's fast…"
"Yeah, peaple here are very great at catching up, There are three banks currently," Yumi continued proudly. "First is the Nova Federal Bank—our main central bank. Then we have the DreadHaven National Bank, and lastly, the Human-Demon Union Bank. All three are government-run banks. For now, there are no private banks, but that might change in the future."
Scarlett nodded quietly, impressed by how far everything had come.
Yumi clapped her hands gently, signaling that they were reaching the most important part. "Now that most systems are ready and working, I think it's time to set up taxes, import and export duties, and other rules. Since you're the ruler, the final decision is yours."
Scarlett blinked, feeling the weight of those words. Taxes… duties… policies… She gulped slightly but kept her calm face.
"Keep it as low as possible. I don't care about money like those greedy nobles from the human kingdom," Scarlett said firmly. "If taxes stay low, people can live a happy life without worrying about high prices or struggling to feed their families!"
She meant every word. As someone who came from a poor family and poor area, Scarlett had seen the worst sides of the world—people losing their homes, skipping meals, working endlessly and still having nothing. She hated the way the rich got richer while the poor were crushed under heavy taxes and lies.
But just as she finished speaking, Yumi stood up from her seat. Her face was calm, but there was a sharp glint in her eyes.
Then—smack!
She gave a light, playful smack to the back of Scarlett's head.
"Ow—!" Scarlett blinked, confused.
"This is not how it works!" Yumi scolded, crossing her arms tightly. "Do you think people here are fools? Did you never study economics or how inflation works?"
Her words shot out like arrows, fast and fierce.
"If taxes are too low. People will start taking big loans, and everyone will spend more money than they should. But the amount of goods will stay the same, and when there's more demand but not enough supply—prices go up! And if that keeps happening, the value of our money drops. That's inflation! And it's way more dangerous than you think!"
Yumi said all of this in one breath, her voice firm, eyes glowing with the fire of knowledge. For a moment, even Scarlett—who had faced monsters and battles—felt small in front of her. An invisible pressure surrounded Yumi, like a teacher scolding a stubborn student.
Scarlett raised both hands like a child caught stealing cookies. "Umm... I'm sorry!" she said, giving a nervous smile.
Yumi let out a deep breath, calming herself down. Her serious expression softened.
"And also," she added in a quieter voice, "you need funds to pay salaries, run government projects, buy defense and attack equipment for DreadHaven, invest in new technology, improve our spy network, and so many other things. We can't do all that without proper income."
Scarlett glanced sideways at Yumi and smiled secretly in her mind. "Prez sure thinks a thousand years ahead..." she thought, but didn't dare say it aloud.
Instead, she lowered her head slightly and spoke from the heart.
"I know… I know there's no such thing as a perfect world where everyone is equal. There'll always be rich and poor, strong people and weak ones. But what I want is… even the poorest person in DreadHaven should at least have a roof over their head. A small house, a steady job, and enough money to live comfortably with their family",
Yumi's eyes widened slightly. The anger in her face melted away, replaced by something gentler.
"...Really?" she asked softly. There was warmth in her tone now, and her expression turned kind.
"Leave it to me," Yumi smiled, her eyes shining. "I'll set fair taxes. And I'll try my best to make your dream come true."
Scarlett looked up at her.She didn't say anything back, but a small smile appeared on her lips.
"Cough… cough…" Yumi lightly cleared her throat twice, trying to ease the tension in the room.
She adjusted her posture and looked at Scarlett again, her tone turning casual.
"Also, since spring is coming soon, I heard from Li Feng that the heat season is about to start too. So… most people in DreadHaven won't be stepping out of their homes for the next few weeks. That includes many of our security guards and defense workers."
"But thankfully," Yumi continued, tapping her finger on the armrest, "there are two kinds of monsters and demons. Some have their heat season in spring, and others in winter. So we'll be rotating security teams. The ones who go into heat during spring will rest, and the ones with winter heat season will take over."
Scarlett's lips twitched.
"Why didn't Li Feng tell me about this personally?!" she thought. A vein popped on her forehead as she clenched her fist tightly. "That guy seriously needs a beating!"
"Oh, and one more thing. Martial demons are very close to humans. Li Feng told me that both he and his sister evolved into Martial Devils. Neither of them—nor martial demons in general—experience heat seasons. So that's a good thing, especially since Li Feng is the one managing the military area."
She let out a tired sigh, leaned back in her chair, and closed her eyes for a moment, as if resting.
Scarlett, still annoyed, spoke up again. "Anything else?"
Yumi lazily opened one eye and waved her hand like a queen dismissing her knight.
"Nope. You can leave now."
Scarlett forced a smile and waved back. "See ya," she said, walking out calmly like nothing was wrong.
She gently closed the heavy door behind her, keeping up the act.
But the very next second—
Thud!
She dropped to her knees outside the room, her calm expression completely breaking down into one of defeat.
Her shoulders slumped, her head hung low.
"…Fuck, I'm never gonna have a financial talk with Prez again…"