Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 888: Prolong It

Chapter 888: Chapter 888: Prolong It

He simply did not know he was doing it and only realized it now.

"Arabella, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to. It wasn’t on purpose. I swear it’s also because I missed you."

Ferdinand wanted to explain more and stopped when he realized he looked even guiltier with his explanations.

"It’s alright," Arabella kissed him on the cheek.

Ferdinand eyed her wondering why he got a kiss instead of a scolding, for using to relieve stress.

"It’s not wrong for it to be both.

You don’t have to feel bad about it.

I’m more than willing to comfort you and help you relieve some stress.

Being with you also comforts me and helps me forget for a moment about everything I need to worry about."

"Really?" Ferdinand looked touched by her words.

"Yes," Arabella smiled and cupped his face.

[She’s so kind. Do I even deserve to be by her side?]

’Why is he suddenly wondering about such things?’

Before Ferdinand could wallow in self-doubt, Arabella said, "Other couples do it, so don’t worry about it. And this is exactly one reason why I’m telling you we have to take care of the issues there, since your knights cannot go home to comfort."

"Oh, right! Yes, of course. The longer they stayed there, the more disheartened they seemed."

[Now that I think about it, it is indeed somewhat unfair that I can return whenever I want while they haven’t returned home even once. But it’s not like I just return here whenever I want. I’ve only returned here when necessary.]

"Exactly. Which is why I was thinking of keeping the people distracted and busy with something else. This way, the knights and magicians can focus on their job without having to deal with the anger and frustration of the people," Arabella explained.

"And that’s what that is for?" Ferdinand pointed to the paper she was holding.

"Yes. These are suggestions from my assistants. Look," Arabella showed him the list of short-term solutions first.

"Hmm," Ferdinand silently read it and pondered over them.

***

(Finalized List)

Short Term Solutions

a. Theatrical Plays

- for adults

- 3-5 plays per location

- 1 play per day

- at most 5 days

b. Storytelling caravan

- for kids

- 5 creative & educational short stories per day

- at most 5 days

c. Hygiene and Puberty Lessons

- for teens

- 1-3 days per location

d. Game Tournaments

- for various ages

- with cash prizes

- 5-7 days per location

- use merchants’ unsold items for the games and rewards

e. Lessons on Reading and Writing

- 1 week per location or extended to months

- from basic to intermediate

- hire locals as teachers if possible

***

"These are divided for each age bracket? Can’t we simply have a specialized version for each age bracket so we can prolong these to last for at least two or three months?" Ferdinand said after reading the list.

"Yes, of course. We can. You want it to last for the whole winter?" Arabella inquired.

"Yes. I think their frustration and fear will be at their peak in winter, so it’s better to keep them entertained and distracted until winter is over," Ferdinand pointed out.

"I see... That’s true indeed. I’ll have another meeting with my assistants with that in mind. But does this mean you agree for these to be implemented?"

Arabella felt a bit shy that she only showed a list. If she knew Ferdinand would consider this immediately, she would have had a more concrete proposal for each of these made.

But then again, this was just an informal consultation.

She merely wanted to hear Ferdinand’s opinion for now.

"Yes, of course. If the people are busy, my knights and magicians can work in peace," Ferdinand easily agreed.

"Then, I’ll have a concrete proposal made for all of these. I’ll inform you once everything is ready," Arabella was pumped up.

"Why do you look so excited to do more work?" Ferdinand sighed.

"Of course! I’ll be going there too, after all!"

"WHAT?!" Ferdinand frowned upon hearing her words.

"The war with Crux is over, so this time I want help as much as I can in the locked-down territories," Arabella reasoned.

"But you don’t have to go there yourself. These are already plenty helpful," Ferdinand said while holding her list.

"Even so. I want to see the scene for myself so I can better adjust these suggestions to what suits them best."

There’s no better way to know what the best course of action is than to be in the scene itself, after all.

They cannot simply implement things without a deeper understanding of the real situation.

"You can have someone else do that. The magicians can do that for you and inform you in detail about what you want to know," Ferdinand contradicted.

"You just don’t want me to go," Arabella pointed out the real reason Ferdinand was against it.

"Yes, it’s dangerous," Ferdinand admitted why he didn’t want her to go.

"It’s dangerous everywhere. There’s no such thing as a safe place. If it’s my time to die I’ll still die wherever I am," Arabella grumbled.

They had already discussed his worries for her safety quite a lot of times. This was the nth time already.

"Arabella!" Ferdinand said with a fiery look in his gaze.

Arabella froze.

Ferdinand raised his voice. He simply said her name louder than usual, but it felt like she was slapped.

The way his eyes looked at her too...

It reminded her of the cold and distant Ferdinand in her past life.

Her chest hurt, and her stomach felt like it was flipping.

’D-did I just make him angry?

But why?

He had agreed to let me work as I pleased.

Why is he getting angry when he’s the one breaking his word?

Should I remind him?

But what if he got even angrier?’

She was suddenly scared to continue speaking.

[Why is she looking at me that expressi- Shit!! What did I just do?!]

"I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to raise my voice," Ferdinand said, and hugged her.

"I’m sorry. I’m sorry," he repeated as he kissed her head.

[She’s not saying anything!]

Ferdinand nervously met her gaze, and Arabella did as well.