"This is the princess's carriage. Ladies, is something the matter?"
Miya, the secretary, asked in a dignified tone.
"We're here to make an appeal. Is it true that a guest from another world is riding in that carriage?"
The girl at the front of the group of women, blonde-haired, spoke out. Her voice was clear and beautiful.
"A guest from another world"... That must be me.
"Yes. The princess's guest from another world is inside the carriage."
"Is it true that he is going to become the princess's advisor?"
"Yes, that is correct."
"Then we have something we need to say. Please listen to us."
The blonde girl stepped closer.
Miya looked troubled and turned to face the carriage.
"I'll hear them out."
Before I could think, my body moved on its own.
I stepped out of the carriage and stood in front of the blonde girl.
It was strange, but I truly wanted to hear what she had to say.
"Oh!"
"That's the visitor from another world!?"
"Such unusual clothes..."
The women whispered among themselves. My clothes seemed quite strange to them.
Princess Ellis didn't try to stop me, she just watched silently from the window.
"Please, this way to the back of the seamstress workshop."
I followed the blonde girl deeper into the workshop.
"Please, have a seat."
Ellis, Miya, and I were led to a sofa in the back of the workshop.
Seated in front of us was the blonde girl.
"My name is Reina. It's a pleasure to meet you."
She bowed politely. Her tied-up golden hair floated lightly in the air.
"This is Lord Seiou, known as the 'Seiou' from another world. His rank is baron."
Miya introduced me on my behalf. Though, to be honest, it's more like "Sex King" than "Holy King."
"So, what is this appeal? What do you want me to hear?"
"Yes. We have done everything we could for the kingdom. But we can't keep cutting costs any further. Before you offer advice, we want you to understand that first."
Her eyes were strong and firm.
But I felt her gaze wasn't really aimed at me, it was directed at Miya.
The air grew tense.
(Hmm. It seems something happened between her and Miya in the past.)
"Tell me everything. I want to understand what's happened until now."
"Certainly. I'll begin explaining."
Miya spoke.
"Sewing is the kingdom's largest industry and also our main export. But three years ago, cheaper and higher-quality clothes from our neighboring country began to appear in the market. As a result, our clothing stopped selling. So we had no choice but to lower our prices."
It seemed Miya had ordered cost cuts to the workers on site.
"But..."
Miya hesitated, rare for someone usually so composed.
"Because of that, the workplace fell apart. The seamstresses could no longer survive."
Reina continued the story in Miya's place.
"From morning to night, we worked as hard as we could sewing clothes. Even so, we could barely make a living. On top of that, defective products increased, and the Freesia brand lost its reputation."
"Quality control is the responsibility of the workers."
"If you reduce the number of people, the quality will obviously drop!"
"If the waste at the site was cut properly—"
"Are you saying we were lazy!? The taxes are just too high!"
"You all should understand the current situation of our country!"
Maya and Reina began to argue.
"I understand now. I get it, I get the situation."
I stepped between them, putting an end to the argument.
The management, losing in the price war, had forced impossible cost cuts on the workers. As a result, the workplace collapsed.
Sadly, it was a situation I'd seen too many times back in my own country.
What would the management at my company have done?
Most likely, they would've used their authority to transfer someone like Reina, the workers' representative, to some faraway branch office.
With her gone, the rest would quiet down. They'd buy a few years of peace that way, enough time for the upper management to retire comfortably.
A cruel trick, developed by companies with powerful HR control.
I could use that same tactic and probably calm things down for now. But that wouldn't solve the real issue.
A company that ignores the suffering of its workers has no real future. I knew that from my own experience.
"You think we hate this work? We love it! We take pride in it, in Freesia textiles! But we can't take any more cuts to staff!"
Looking closely, Reina's beautiful eyes were filled with tears.
The women behind her, who had been quietly listening, were all holding back tears too. It was clear that everyone in the workshop supported Reina's words.
Reina was young and beautiful. Maybe she had ways to save herself if she wanted. But that wouldn't help the others. She was fighting for her friends, for younger girls working beside her. Her fierce resolve was like a mother lion protecting her cubs.
The air was still tense.
But I was thinking about something entirely different.
Reina's gaze met mine, and her eyes sparkled like living gems.
How beautiful they were.
Not just her eyes.
Her golden hair gleamed like sunlight, even the ribbon in her hair seemed to shine.
Her long limbs, the full curves visible under her clothes, her waist wrapped in a corset, her cute hips under the long skirt, even her dust-covered cheeks, everything sparkled in my eyes.
*Thump.*
I felt a strong heartbeat. A warm feeling spread through my body.
(What the hell, me!?)
This feeling, I hadn't felt it in years. It confused me.
(Could this be… love at first sight!? I'm not some teenager, what am I thinking!?)
Even though my mind tried to resist, my instincts screamed something else.
(If I can make this woman mine, I'll do whatever it takes.)
It was a savage, primal feeling, like that of a wild beast.
"I understand your situation. Don't worry! I'll solve this country's economic crisis."
Before I knew it, the words had left my mouth.