After he arrived back in his room, he immediately opened his system as he sat down on his bed, wanting to see what had happened during his time of absence.
[Kingdom Building System Protocol Activated]
[Ruler: Justinian Alarys Thirell]
[Rank: Duke]
[Resources:]
Gold: 657 KG
Food: 34-52 Weeks
Military: 769 Units
[Map:]
Snowkeep (Capital): Unrest (0.6%)
Herdrin: Unrest (0.7%)
Bridgeton: Unrest (0.6%)
'Incredible... I didn't even have to do anything, yet my capital is still growing in strength.'
Justinian swiped down, seeing a new scroll bar showing up; it meant he had a new system, something that his book of war really liked to do.
'Come to think of it... I still have the horse system.'
He grinned. How many more systems could he unlock at this point?
On the other side of his kingdom-building system was a new area, much more detailed and focused on economics than the general overview on the first page. This section outlined all the current trades of his duchy, something that had been impossible during the rebellion. But now, it seemed that peace had finally made it possible.
'Let's see...'
[Trades]
The Holy Patriarchal States - (324% Beneficial)
Veneral - (145% Beneficial)
Farhill - (87% Beneficial)
Justinian hovered his hand at the percentages, more information filling his vision as it explained how the numbers work.
And it was deceptively simple; all it revealed was how good the current trading deal was, if it was slowly destroying his duchy or improving it.
As for the three? They were definitely positive.
'Another one?'
[Construction]
Sewage System - (3 Years of Construction)
Modified Aqueducts - (5 Months of Construction)
Irrigation System (Snowkeep) - (1 Year of Construction)
'I'm guessing the person I blessed is finally starting to work...'
He looked at the construction time, surprised at its speed. He expected each to take two years minimum.
'I'm guessing that's the guild's work.'
And even better, under all those piles of new information was another system shop, also using prestige; it meant he now had more uses for his currency than just simple supplies and power.
He could finally use it for actual kingdom-building.
[Prestige: 1095]
Miracle Construction: 500 Prestige
Worker Enlightenment: 1000 Prestige
'I can already afford one of the most expensive ones, but if I buy them then I'll be left with barely anything...'
'I should save up more, they've already shown they can help in a bind, I can't just spend my lifeline so suddenly.'
Justinian closed his system for today; he had already seen enough, enough to grant him months of peaceful laziness and slumber.
He didn't even need to do his job, and his duchy would still be thriving due to his competent administrators; he was living the dream.
'All that's left for me to do is to build up legitimacy and attend balls...'
Justinian chuckled. That was barely a problem; he might not have experienced it firsthand, but the memories he inherited certainly did.
Even if they were mock balls for royal children, they were still good enough.
To the outside, Justinian looked crazy, suddenly touching the air and even relaxing without a clear reason, and for Cassia, who was just standing guard. That was exactly her thought.
At least, before she knew Justinian had a connection with the gods, to her, this was just divine intervention through weird hand gestures.
"Did you use your... arcanist powers?"
"You could say that, I was just checking on the current status of the duchy."
"You can do that remotely!?"
"Yes, I'm sure that explains a lot of questions, yes?"
"Certainly! No wonder you seemed to be able to plan so quickly..."
She placed a hand over her mouth, pondering Justinian's past actions as the puzzle pieces came together in her mind.
"But I certainly do have a concern."
"The marriage?"
She nodded to confirm.
"...We're you... serious about it?"
Justinian sat back up, thinking deeply about her question.
"Your father's right, I need to make sure my succession is stable, and to do that I need an heir."
"No... I wasn't talking about that. I meant... would you really consider me as your wife?"
"...I've certainly thought about it."
Those words alone were enough to rile Cassia; marriage was always an issue, with her unique appearance and situation and all that, and as already experienced, Justinian didn't treat her differently.
She was definitely serious about not letting him out of her grasp.
"My lord..."
Cassia spoke in a whisper, enough for Justinian to hear.
It was weird; they had a deal to call each other by their first names, so why change that now?
"Is something wrong?"
"Can I ask you something selfish just this once?"
"Of course, you more than deserve it."
Justinian replied with a smile, sitting straight as he looked at Cassia straight in the eye.
"If it's within my power, then you'll have it; it's the least I could do for helping guard and guide me during a time of strife."
Cassia steadied her breath. If Justinian really meant what he said, then this was her chance, her chance to cement herself not just in the duchy, but to Justinian himself.
At first, she liked him due to his competence and skill, something she had undeniably seen during their first battle together. But despite his cruel and brutal tactics, he seemed sincere to his own people.
She herself wasn't sure if she was being too rash; they hadn't known each other for long after all, but she also wasn't willing to take the risk. Justinian had already shown he would do a lot of things just for fun.
And what if that extended to other women?
She would punch him straight in the face if that happened.
So now she took her chance.
"Justinian!"
She yelled out, approaching him fast and holding him by his shoulder, both of them at eye level.
"W-Would you... actually consider marrying me!?"
Cassia spoke, her words coming out more awkward than she initially thought, but she didn't care; she knew Justinian wouldn't mind.
"C-Cassia..."
Justinian froze. Wasn't he supposed to be the one to propose!?
The role reversal was enough to make him completely stop momentarily, his mind trying to make sense of the entire situation.
'No! Stop thinking! This woman is laying her feelings out to you, and you're thinking about the role reversal!?'
Justinian forcefully yanked himself out of his inner thoughts, facing the current situation, this time using his emotions as a basis instead of logic.
He didn't want to use his brain for this situation.
"I will, and truthfully, I think I already have."
Justinian had already liked her before they even met—she was his favorite heroine in the novel, after all, but now, instead of watching from the sidelines and rooting for her, he was an active player.
And he also wasn't going to let this chance slide.
"I'd love that..."