Chapter 6: Royal Trading Company
"Royal Trading Company?" Alicia repeated, tilting her head with a puzzled look. She had expected reforms, maybe a new tax code or an anti-corruption edict—not... a commercial venture.
"Yes," Lancelot replied without hesitation. "The Royal Trading Company."
Alicia blinked. "You already named it?"
"I’ve been thinking about it since the second hour of those reports," he said, stepping away from his desk and toward the blackboard. He picked up a stick of chalk and began to write quickly, outlining a triangle between Madrid, Manila, and Callao.
"I’m not trying to make a business, Alicia. I’m building a lever. One I can use to move the empire."
He turned to face her, chalk still in hand.
"The Royal Trading Company will be a state-chartered commercial empire. A more centralized trade and directly under crown authority."
"Wait—are you saying it’s going to operate outside the existing ministries?" she asked cautiously.
"No. I’m saying it will replace them—at least in the realm of commerce. Think of it as a shadow government for trade and finance. One that answers only to the regency." He pointed the chalk toward himself.
Alicia crossed her arms. "That’s ambitious."
"That’s the point."