Chapter 373: All Lucas’ Fault
All that being said, the Second Queen also understood that right now, Lucas was too small, too young, and too weak to be making such giant waves. What he needed most right now, was time.
He needed to be protected from the greedy, petty, and vengeful, as well as all the political turbulents and machinations that would surely come his way should he be exposed from both inside and outside the kingdom.
Lucas needed to be and allowed to grow without constantly having to fear for his life and the lives of those he cared about, something she had discussed at length with Celestina in their most recent private conversation.
As the head of the third most powerful force in the kingdom, Celestina was well aware of what Natasha had been up to recently in the capital. The Economic Cultivation Initiative was, even in her opinion, a radical set of reforms, which was really saying something considering how free-spirited Celestina normally was.
She had been quietly wondering where the Second Queen was getting all these strange and eccentric ideas, but after their talk a couple days ago, it all suddenly made sense.
Putting it bluntly, it was all Lucas’ fault.
Needless to say, Celestina had a huge headache during and after that talk with Natasha. She was also extremely tempted to immediately find her loose-lipped First Disciple and beat the living crap out of him.
Celestina had warned Lucas again and again to think before he spoke and to not run his mouth all over the place, especially when it came to information contained in inherited memories.
Unfortunately, despite all those warnings, many of which were accompanied by fists to his head, it seemed the boy had AGAIN failed to keep his trap shut.
Celestina didn’t remember how she stopped herself from carrying out some harsh discipline for her First Disciple, but there was one thing she did know, Natasha was right.
Until Lucas was firmly established and capable of protecting himself, it was up to elders like them to shield him from the malice of the world.
In the mean time, though, Celestina pledged the Balfour Family’s full support for the Economic Cultivation Initiative, partnering with Natasha to advance its reforms as quickly and effectively as possible.
She had already been planning on supporting the Second Queen’s proposal as she found them to be both innovative and logical, but after their recent talks, Celestina decided to take a plunge, rather than cautiously wade into the murky waters.
Celestina didn’t have the Second Queen’s instincts for economics, but she was no novice when it came to governing; after all, she had ruled over a vast, prosperous territory for nearly two centuries now.
On top of that, Celestina had always had a progressive mentality when it came to policies, so she was more willing than most of the other upper nobility to experiment and try new things.
What really gave her the confidence to do this, however, was knowing it was her First Disciple who was the true source of Natasha’s proposal, because Celestina knew something that the Second Queen didn’t.
From Natasha’s perspective, Lucas’ theories on economics and nation building were just that, theories.
They were brilliant beyond their time, but still untested.
It was because the Second Queen had done her own deep analysis and deemed these theories feasible that she had decided to try to implement them, reasoning that even if they weren’t completely successful, they would still lead to great progress.
Celestina, on the other hand, knew that Lucas wasn’t speaking in hypotheticals.
All the knowledge he had passed along to Natasha was based on real-life examples, theories that had been tested and refined by a much more advanced civilization over more than 1,000 years.
Knowing what she did, Celestina advocated for secretly bringing Lucas into the loop. She felt that having him at least be aware of what was happening so they could consult him would be prudent as his participation would surely help them avoid some unnecessary troubles during the Initiative’s implementation.
Natasha, however, argued against doing so, not wanting to further burden or involve Lucas in this risky venture.
In the end, Celestina acquiesced to her request, not because she thought it was the wiser course of action, but because she figured once the changes started taking effect, it wouldn’t take Lucas long to figure out what was happening on his own.
At that point, he was sure to get involved, whether they wanted him to or not.
...
"If you don’t mind me asking, Aunt Natasha, when is the convoy scheduled to arrive?" Lucas asked, trying not to sound too eager.
Shaking off the lingering thoughts about her eventful past few months, Natasha Summers looked down at the fidgeting boy and smiled, "If all goes well, they should arrive at the southern docks this afternoon."
Unable to stop a big grin from appearing on his face, Lucas was about to bow again in thanks, but remembering the finger-flick he had just received, he held his back straight and just nodded, "Thank you, Aunt Natasha."
Reviewing his schedule for today, Lucas quickly followed up, "If you don’t mind, would it be alright if I joined you to welcome the convoy? Ah, that is, if you were planning on doing that."
As the kingdom’s Second Queen, it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if Natasha didn’t go to meet the Vast Ocean Trading Company’s ships at the city docks, even if it was the force her family belonged to.
Fortunately for Lucas, Natasha was actually planning on doing just that, so she accepted his request without any reluctance.
With both the Second Queen and Lucas having their own things to do before the convoy arrived, however, they decided to split up for now, agreeing to meet up later and head to the docks together.
Vanessa, who was serving as a representative of the Golden Wings Legion and Natasha’s escort, naturally went with her as well after bidding farewell to Lucas.
After the two women had left, Lucas rubbed his hands together gleefully, imagining all the things he would be able to do once he got his hands on the materials he had ordered from the Kore Sovereignty.
"En, it’s going to be a good day," the young boy declared to no one in particular, tilting his head back and laughing heartily.