I Was Framed, Now I'll Take The Throne

Chapter 87: Helping Them Out

After a few hours, the celebration in the ballroom had become much livelier than before.

Elegant music continuously played in the background while the nobles danced gracefully near the center of the floor.

Servants still moved around endlessly carrying trays of wine, desserts, and expensive dishes prepared specially for the occasion.

At the far end of the ballroom, a group of performers had already begun entertaining the guests.

Several musicians played beautifully while dancers dressed in flowing, ornate outfits performed near the stage under the bright chandelier lights.

The atmosphere genuinely felt grand and almost unreal.

Meanwhile, for Lionel was thankful that he was now surrounded by his peers. After some time, those young noble women eventually left him alone

But there was still a number who kept approaching him here, and there.

"There you are!" And among all them, he was thankful to meet Rufus here.

Rufus immediately walked toward him while carrying a glass of juice in one hand.

Rufus still looked exactly the same as usual. Though tonight, he was dressed properly in dark formal attire befitting his noble status.

"You were pounced on by all the ladies earlier," Rufus commented while crossing his arms lightly.

"Yeah," Lionel answered honestly.

Several nearby young men immediately laughed at that.

"Honestly, I don’t blame them," one nobleman commented. "After tonight, almost every family here will probably try getting close to your family."

Lionel only sighed helplessly at that.

The group around them laughed lightly again before the conversation slowly changed into more casual topics. Unlike the earlier conversations with adults, talking with people closer to his age felt much easier.

"My father made me memorize tax records last week," he muttered with visible despair.

"That sounds horrible," another one immediately replied.

"It was."

"That’s what I hate too. I’d rather train with swords all day than stare at numbers," another young noble complained.

"You say that now," one boy scoffed from the side, "but once you inherit your territory, you’ll see the real work."

"That’s exactly what my father said!"

Lionel quietly listened while holding a glass in one hand. Unlike military training or swordsmanship, conversations about studies and what they’re doing in life was mostly the topic for their age.

After all, noble families survived through wealth, land, and influence.

"My older brother handles most of our business matters," one nobleman admitted. "So thankfully, I only assist sometimes." freewebnøvel.coɱ

"You’re lucky," another one muttered immediately. "My father suddenly became obsessed with teaching me everything after hearing I barely passed economics."

Several boys burst into laughter.

"No wonder Lord Varentin looked furious when I visited you last time."

"That old man terrifies me."

"What about you, Lionel?" one noble asked curiously afterward. "Do you also study estate management already?"

"A little," Lionel answered honestly. "My parents insist that I learn about it already."

"That sounds exhausting."

"But I guess you need it."

"Yeah, after all, your territory is large."

The others nodded one after another.

Lionel just smiled at them. How could he say that he’s actually having a nice time, since he already knew everything?

In his previous life, Lionel had ignored almost everything related to administration and politics during his younger years. Because of that, he suffered greatly later on when he took over their estate.

That mistake alone made him learn a lot. Now, he no longer wanted to repeat the same mistake.

"But honestly," another boy lowered his voice slightly afterward, "my father has been talking nonstop about trade lately."

"Trade?"

"Yeah. Apparently, the western regions have been making ridiculous profits from maritime trade recently.

Lionel’s attention turned to the man who said that.

Maritime Trade? He forgot about that...

"That reminds me," another noble joined in, "I heard some merchant groups are beginning to invest more into ships."

"My uncle said the same thing."

"Apparently, they can transport more goods into faraway places faster."

Lionel quietly listened to their conversation afterward. Although the boys around him were just casually gossiping, their talk was valuable.

Several of the young nobles immediately became interested after hearing about the growing maritime trade.

"My father should probably invest in that too, then."

"Same here," another boy agreed. "If maritime businesses are really becoming profitable, entering early sounds smart."

"I heard some merchant families already started buying additional ships."

"They’re probably expecting the profits to double within the next few years."

"Honestly... maybe I should mention it at home too," he muttered while rubbing his chin lightly. "Our territory is close enough to one of the ports." Even Rufus found it interesting.

Meanwhile, Lionel remained quiet while listening to all of them.

Maritime trade...

In the future, he knew that it would truly become incredibly profitable since it’s one way of transportation. But not now.

Lionel’s eyes lowered slightly toward the drink in his hand. If his memories were correct, something major would happen within the next few weeks.

A large merchant vessel from the western regions would sink near one of the Empire’s major trade routes. At first, everyone would think it was just an ordinary accident.

But later, it would be discovered that the ship had been transporting dangerous oil substances improperly.

The spill would contaminate large parts of the ocean nearby and destroy several coastal fishing areas.

The incident would become such a massive issue that the empire would temporarily halt portions of maritime trade to investigate and implement stricter laws regarding sea transportation.

And because of that, many nobles and merchants who invested heavily in ships too early would lose enormous amounts of money.

"Don’t invest in ships yet." Lionel suddenly spoke calmly to them.

The conversation around him immediately stopped.

"Huh?"

"Uhm?"

"What?"

Several young nobles turned toward Lionel in confusion.

"Why not?" one of them asked curiously.

Lionel merely smiled lightly.

"Just trust me."

The others looked even more confused afterward.

"..."

"..."

"Let’s just say... I have a bad feeling about maritime investments right now." Lionel calmly took another sip from his drink before answering. Of course, he couldn’t exactly explain the real reason.

Others still looked confused, but hearing Lionel made them somehow hesitant about the business. After all, they knew that Lionel had good connections backing him up.

"’ I guess there’s nothing wrong with what Lionel said..."

"We’’ll just wait then."’

"Yeah. I guess it’s fine since the trade is just starting."