Chapter 5: Loyalty test of the stingy king.
Sigrid threw her entire body to the ground and hit her forehead on the carpeted floor the way she had seen actors and actresses do in movies and dramas. It hurt, but to achieve her goal, she did it again and again, a total of three times.
"How presumptuous!!" The King exploded in fury.
A number of swords were pulled out immediately, Sigrid did not know how many, she only heard the sharp sound of swords being unsheathed. Even though her eyes were still staring at the carpet, she could fell the dramatic shift in the atmosphere. It was loaded with tension.
She tilted her head to the left a little and peeked at her grandfather, Lukas Menecius Thorin, the fifth Duke of Thorin. He was was standing tall and proud, his face revealed no fear or sense of panic, he was stoic as if nothing significant was about to happen.
Sigrid's little heart calmed itself, if her grandfather was not afraid, why should she be?
"I have already stirred the hornet's nest, I might as well dig my feet in" She thought.
She roused herself, and repeated her pleas, followed by the head banging.
King Raff maintained his silence, hiding his displeasure behind a plastic smile of dishonesty. His nails however scratched the two golden lion heads on the armrest of his throne.
"Small business!" he said slowly. "In the last two years your father has held the monopoly on salt trade in this kingdom. He also obtained management rights of the South port in Doriah, nothing goes in and out without his knowledge. I hear he makes no less than five thousand silver coins a day. In another five years, he might be wealthier than this royal family. This king would also like to own a small business like that." he said, sarcastically.
Sigrid clenched her hands, that darn salt monopoly was one of the reasons why the Thorin family was brought down.
According to the plot, the fake female lead wormed her way into the heart of the royal family initially by offering a fine salt formula. Currently, the salt being used in the kingdom was still clumpy.