"These old nobility are the rotten flesh parasitic on the Kingdom, which must be excised. However, if not done properly, the wound will bleed incessantly.
Father once ousted three consecutive Ministers of Finance and eliminated many small to medium families in an attempt to control the Kingdom's finances personally, which then triggered an intense backlash.
The result of their struggle was that the entire Kingdom's finances were paralyzed for half a year, successively revealing a deficit totaling nearly six trillion, almost collapsing completely. Six years ago, the national defense war couldn't even fully cover the military expenses, and the deficit has been accumulating to this very day."
She paused here, picked up a pen, and scribbled something on Leon's file, then continued,
"So one mustn't rush such matters. If the cost of excising the old nobility is temporarily paralyzing this nation, it will only cause an even greater disaster, so it must be done step by step.
And the current situation is actually just right, especially with our newly appointed Duke of Lionheart... hmm... do you know what he once said?"
Looking at the part circled in the file, the Princess recited in a calm voice,
"As for the royal family and the nobility, they are just lice growing in the crotch. Once the blood-sucking pains, they should be grasped and squeezed to death!"
Completely unaware of Leon's 'Rebels' identity, the Minister of Defense was utterly shocked upon hearing the Princess's words.
However, just as he was about to speak, he noticed the Princess's usually steady mouth curve slightly upward almost imperceptibly.
"Though it's not the most appropriate metaphor, it's not wrong."
Not angered by being compared to lice in the crotch, the Princess closed Leon's file, opened the report regarding the inheritance situation, and then smiled as she said,
"Duke of Lionheart... hmm... Duke of Louseheart... upon thinking about it, it's quite ironic.
This Duke who sees the nobility and the royal family as lice has now become one of the most robust lice in this nation, possessing the ability to leech extensively off the Kingdom. I am curious to see how he will act...
Oh, by the way, take a look at this."
After handing over the report, the Princess, who usually furrowed her brows, surprisingly chuckled lightly and then pointed at the records in the report with interest, saying,
"The Earl, who fainted on the spot after being scolded by him, actually placed a cabbage in his bedroom and then proclaimed that this Duke of Lionheart, Leon Laine, will rot faster than his cabbage!"
Cabbage... does that mean at most two or three months?
After glancing at the report, the Minister of Defense couldn't help but frown, recalling the look of adoration in his daughter's eyes when she mentioned Leon.
"Princess Veronica..."
The Minister of Defense sighed internally and then took the initiative to ask,
"What do you think, how long can this Duke sustain himself? Will he be liquidated after the Ryan Family is completely divided?"
"He won't be liquidated."
The Princess shook her head after thinking,
"Except for that Earl whom he offended to death, the other nobility wouldn't care about an empty-shell Duke. However, the Ryan Family might not live longer than that cabbage.
After losing family members from the military and the Department of Road Administration, the Ryan Family's influence in the military has completely bottomed out, leaving only one seat in the Upper House in the political arena. In business, there seems to be a bit left, but it's all propped up by military and Department of Road Administration orders.
In military, politics, and business, the Ryan Family now holds none. What kind of person would it take to support this soon-to-collapse setup?"