Chapter 70: Chapter-70

“Then those merchants should improve their services,” Elara interrupted. “Competition drives quality. Basic economics.”

Kessler’s smile vanished entirely. “Your Highness, with respect, you’ve only been in Port Crestfall a short time. You may not understand the local dynamics—”

“I understand that you own three shops in the market district and lease space to seven others,” Elara said calmly. “Your rental income is approximately two hundred gold per month. A successful supermarket would reduce foot traffic to that district by an estimated thirty to forty percent, cutting your revenue significantly.”

The color drained from Kessler’s face.

“So this isn’t about ’economic stability,’” Elara continued. “This is about your personal finances. Please don’t insult my intelligence by pretending otherwise.”

Silence.

One of Kessler’s guards shifted uncomfortably. The workers had completely stopped pretending to work.

“Your Highness,” Kessler said slowly, voice tight with controlled anger, “I came here as a courtesy. To warn you that continuing this project will make you many enemies in this city. Powerful enemies.”

“Noted.”

“I don’t think you understand—”

“I understand perfectly.” Elara’s expression remained neutral. “You’re threatening me. Politely, but that’s what this is. ’Stop building or face consequences.’”

Kessler’s hands clenched. “I would never threaten a member of the imperial family—”

“Then what are the six armed guards for?” Elara asked. “Moral support?”

His face flushed red. “Your Highness, I strongly advise you to reconsider this venture. For your own good—”

“Baron Kessler.” Elara’s voice cut through his building rant like a blade. “Let me be very clear about something.”

She took one step forward. The fox knight behind her shifted slightly, ready.

“I am the Fourth Princess of the Blackwood Empire. Daughter of Emperor Zhao. Operating under his direct authorization with full documentation filed with the merchant guild, the port authority, and the city magistrate.” She spoke each word precisely, clinically. “You are a minor baron whose title was purchased three generations ago and whose influence extends exactly as far as the three blocks around your rental properties.”

Kessler went rigid.

“If you attempt to interfere with my legal business operations,” Elara continued, “I will file a formal complaint with the imperial administration. They will investigate. They will find your threat of ’consequences’ against a princess on record.” She paused. “How do you think that investigation will go for you?”

“I never—”

“You brought armed men to a construction site to intimidate me into abandoning a legal project,” Elara stated. “Multiple witnesses. Including that clerk over there who’s been taking notes since you arrived.”

Kessler’s head whipped around. Near the wall, a young man with a writing board quickly looked away.

“Your Highness, this is—”

“Over,” Elara finished. “You’ve delivered your message. I’ve declined your ’advice.’ Now leave before I have you removed for disrupting imperial business.”

Kessler’s face was purple now. His hands shook slightly—rage, humiliation, both. “You’re making a mistake, Your Highness. When the other nobles hear about this—”

“They’ll hear that Baron Kessler attempted to bully a princess and failed.” Elara’s tone didn’t change. “Excellent publicity for them to consider before trying the same thing.”

She turned to the fox knight. “Escort the Baron and his men out. Politely. But if they return without a formal appointment, treat them as trespassers.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The knight moved forward. Kessler’s guards tensed, hands going to sword hilts.

Very bad decision.

Elara raised one hand slightly. Throughout the construction site, beast knight workers stopped what they were doing. Twenty-three sets of eyes locked onto Kessler’s six guards. The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

Kessler noticed. His face went from purple to pale in seconds.

“This isn’t over, Your Highness,” he said, voice shaking slightly.

“It is,” Elara corrected. “You just haven’t accepted it yet.”

She gestured toward the exit. The fox knight stepped aside, creating a clear path.

Kessler stared at her for a long moment—trying to salvage something, some shred of dignity or authority. He found nothing.

He turned and walked out, back stiff, movements jerky with suppressed fury. His guards followed, casting nervous glances at the beast knights who watched them leave with predatory stillness.

The door closed.

For three seconds, nobody moved.

Then the construction noise resumed. Hammers. Saws. Voices. As if nothing had happened.

Lisa appeared at Elara’s elbow, voice low. “Your Highness, he’s going to cause trouble.”

“Yes.”

“What do we do?”

“Wait,” Elara said. “He’ll go to his consortium. They’ll meet. Argue. Try to decide on a response. That takes time.” She walked back toward the stairs. “Meanwhile, we keep building.”

“But Your Highness, if they organize—”

“They won’t.” Elara stopped and looked at Lisa directly. “I just demonstrated that threatening me has consequences. Word will spread. Some of Kessler’s consortium will back out rather than risk imperial attention. The rest will argue about methods.” She paused. “By the time they decide on a unified approach, we’ll be open. And once we’re open and successful, the political cost of shutting us down becomes too high.”

Lisa looked uncertain. “You’re gambling that they’re too slow to stop you.”

“I’m calculating that bureaucracy and fear work in my favor,” Elara corrected. “Which they do.”

She continued up the stairs, already dismissing the confrontation from her thoughts. Kessler was predictable. Scared merchants were predictable. The response would be legal challenges, permit delays, maybe some minor sabotage attempts.

All manageable.

The fox knight followed her up the stairs. “Your Highness, permission to speak?”

“Granted.”

“That was… impressive.”

Elara glanced at him. “Which part?”

“All of it.” His ears were forward, tail slightly raised. “Most nobles would have tried to negotiate. Offered compromises. You just… crushed him.”

“Negotiation suggests equals,” Elara said. “We’re not equals. Acknowledging his concerns would have legitimized them. Better to establish hierarchy immediately.”

“The other nobles will hear about this.”

“Good.” She reached her office and paused at the door. “Let them know that political pressure won’t work. Saves us both time.”

The knight bowed and resumed his post outside.

Elara entered and sat at her broken desk. Pulled out the list of potential problems she’d made earlier. Drew a line through “Baron Kessler – rental properties.”

Status: handled.

She moved to the next name on the list and began drafting a preemptive letter. If Kessler was already moving, others would follow. Better to control the narrative before they organized.

Outside, hammering continued. The smell of sawdust drifted through her window. Construction was on schedule.

Everything else was just noise.

The chair wobbled. She shifted her weight automatically and kept writing, expression unchanged, while somewhere in the city Baron Kessler was probably screaming at his consortium and learning the hard way that threatening imperial family members—even unfavored ones—was a losing strategy.

—

# Inspection Day

Three weeks into construction, Elara walked through the building with Dimitri and Gregor, checking progress against her original timeline.

The ground floor had transformed. Walls were up, dividing the massive space into distinct sections. The food court occupied the center as planned—an open area with space for tables and counters. Around it, shelving units were being installed along marked lines.

“Kitchen equipment arrived yesterday,” Dimitri reported, checking his notes. “Installation starts tomorrow. The ovens are… substantial.”

“They need to be.” Elara walked into the kitchen space—currently just an empty room with pipe connections jutting from walls. “We’ll be cooking for hundreds daily. Small equipment would create bottlenecks.”

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