Divorcing the Duke to Buy the World

Chapter 90: Evelina’s Mood Switched Again

"It... it would certainly reduce their mobility," Ace said as a faint light entered his dark eyes, "The weight of the starch alone would slow their advance by twenty percent."

"Exactly," Evelina said, her mind celebrating the first point, "And what if we threw the nitrogen-fixing legumes at their faces?"

Ace let out a sudden huff of air through his nose.

It wasn’t a full laugh, but his lips parted, showing a brief glimpse of white teeth against his dark stubble.

Ding!

[Smiles Achieved: 2/3]

[Warning: Time remaining is 00:45:12. One more smile required to unlock [Border Pass]!]

Evelina didn’t waste a single second.

She leaned forward, reaching out and directly grabbing his leather-gloved hand.

The contrast between her soft skin and his battle-hardened glove was stark.

Ace stiffened instantly.

His breath caught in his throat, and he stopped breathing entirely.

"Ace," Evelina started speaking smoothly, "If I buy the entire capital customs house with the profit from this winter trade, I will need a very very scary guard to stand at the main door and terrify the revenue ministers. Will you do that for me?"

Ace looked down at her hand wrapping around his. The devotion in his heart swelled to a bursting point.

The ridiculousness of the previous potato talk, combined with the unexpected physical contact, and the fact that she wanted only ’him’ to help her finish off the enemies, broke through his final defenses.

A genuine and breathtakingly handsome smile spread across his face.

The brooding God of War looked completely disarmed as his eyes crinkled at the corners.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

[MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!]

[Smiles Achieved: 3/3]

[Premium Skill Unlocked: [Border Pass]: Active for 24 Hours.]

[Bonus: [High-Efficiency Imperial Textile Blueprint]: Acquired!]

The flashing red emergency warnings vanished instantly.

The translucent blue screen stabilized before gradually fading.

The twenty wagons were saved. The blueprints were hers.

Instantly, the playful glint in Evelina’s green eyes vanished.

She completely shed her relaxed posture and released Ace’s hand before she sat up straight in the bed.

The warmth in the room evaporated in a single second.

Ace’s smile slowly faded, a hint of confusion and coldness crept in his eyes as he realized she had just completely changed gears.

"Duchess?" the head clerk whispered, finally stepping into the room fully now that the strange atmosphere had passed.

"Bring me my ink, my ledger, and a clean sheet of parchment," Evelina commanded.

The clerk didn’t hesitate before scrambling to her desk, grabbing the materials and placing them directly onto the bedcover in front of her.

Evelina grabbed the fountain pen.

Her mind worked at lightning speed, integrating the newly downloaded textile blueprints with her existing knowledge of the northern trade routes.

She didn’t need to beg Prince Elian for mercy nor didn’t need to worry about the destroyed southern warehouses.

After a minute, she looked up from the parchment, her gaze landing directly on the head of logistics.

"Send word to the northern transit lines," Evelina ordered, "The twenty wagons will not turn back into the mud roads. They will advance directly through the capital gates.

If the three hundred imperial guards attempt to touch a single thread of our fabric, they will be stepping directly onto Alvarez military territory."

The clerk gasped. "But Duchess... Prince Elian’s decree—"

"Prince Elian’s decree is nothing but a piece of paper," Evelina turned her head slightly, looking at Ace, who had suppressed his confusion and stood up at some point, his hand resting naturally on the hilt of his broadsword.

The temperature in the room dropped instantly.

"Your Grace," Evelina tilted her head, "It seems the Crown Prince wants an economic war. Let us give them one. Take your cavalry to guard my wagons. Anyone who interferes is to be treated as a traitor to the North."

...

The smell of burnt wood still hung thick in the morning air of the Capital, amongst the public discussions about the fire tragedy with the line.

Inside the guest estate, the mood had completely changed.

Evelina didn’t wait for the cinders on the southern docks to cool down.

The moment Ace thundered down the grand staircase to rally his iron cavalry, Evelina pulled back the velvet curtains of her bedroom.

Her green eyes narrowed as she looked out over the sprawling capital city.

Prince Elian and Isabella thought they had completely destroyed her.

By burning her warehouses and putting three hundred imperial guards at the northern gates, they probably thought would come crawling to the palace on her knees, begging for mercy, just to not suffer a terrible loss.

Alas, they just had no idea.

[System Balance Stabilized]

[Premium Skill Active: [Border Pass] (Time Remaining: 23:42:11)]

[Data Package Loaded: High-Efficiency Imperial Textile Blueprint-Level 1]

Let’s see how much your royal decree is worth when my wagons walk right through your gates without paying a single bronze coin, Evelina’s lips curved at thought.

She turned sharply toward her head of logistics, who was still shaking from how fast things were moving this morning, "Gather our best trusted merchants. I want a full sweep of the burnt warehouses within the hour. Do not let the city guards or the palace officials anywhere near the ruins.

If they try to stop you, tell them the Duke’s personal army is conducting a military arson investigation."

"Y-Yes, Duchess!" the clerk bowed frantically and scrambled out of the room as fast as his legs could carry him.

Left alone in the quiet luxury of her room, Evelina closed her eyes for a moment.

Then, she opened her eyes and tapped into the blue screen floating in the corner of her eyes.

She had been doing things manually for a while now but it was great having the System back.

She could save her energy and get to the bottom of the things more conveniently right now.

"System," Evelina murmured, "Scan the ash. Tell me exactly what started that fire."

A soft familiar chime echoed inside her mind.

[Processing Request...]

[Activating Sub-Skill: Merchant’s Sight (Cost: 5,000 Heart-Wrecker Points)]

[Scan Complete: Rare accelerant found in warehouse sector 4. Substance identified: Blue-Grade Whalefire Oil]

Evelina’s eyes sharpened immediately when she heard the mention of whalefire oil. Whalefire oil.