The Young Male Protagonist Who is Destined for Ruin Fell for Me - Chapter 77

Kyle’s calm demeanor as he reassured me not to worry showed not the slightest hint of hesitation. I couldn’t help but wonder why he seemed so confident.

“What exactly has my fiancé prepared that makes him so self-assured?”

“If I said it was Operation Love and Peace, she’d probably think I’m crazy.”

Huh? What was that supposed to mean? I squinted, silently urging him to answer, and Kyle finally opened his mouth to speak.

“I’m planning to put on a performance soon—one that the entire Keltman Empire will witness.”

“…A performance?”

“Certain actions can achieve the desired effect simply by being seen. Soon, you’ll have the peace you’ve been wanting.”

He spoke as though he were merely gathering capital or goods. I began speculating how Kyle might leverage his immense wealth to buy peace.

A few days later, the Imperial Palace announced it would award the Imperial Lily Medal to Amelia Diane. Amel read the news in the newspaper while riding in her carriage.

“I can’t believe they’re giving me a medal even though I didn’t finish the delegation’s schedule.”

Either Chaield had intervened, or Kyle’s presence had made them hesitant to rescind the award. While she felt a twinge of guilt, Amel decided to accept it without hesitation—she had her own struggles in Keltman, after all.

“Who else could deserve it after protecting Kyleian Chaield, the heart of the Haile Empire?”

Originally, the medal was supposed to be given for her efforts to restore diplomatic relations between the two nations. However, since the delegation hadn’t completed its mission, the Imperial Palace had issued a vague explanation for the award.

“They’ll have to come up with a proper reason during the ceremony anyway. That’s for the ministers to worry about, not me.”

With that, Amel refocused on the task at hand. Soon, her carriage would arrive at the Haile Times building, and she needed to finalize her manuscript.

“I never thought I’d live to see the day when I’d be manually analyzing all this data.”

In her previous life, she’d used spreadsheets and calculators for such tasks, but now, every calculation had to be done by hand. Despite the grueling effort, Amel’s sharp mind still retained everything she’d learned.

“I must be low on sugar from all this thinking. I’m craving something sweet.”

Wrapped in her cloak and wearing gloves, Amel entered the Haile Times building and headed straight to the editor-in-chief’s office. The moment she opened the door, Mr. Pringles, the company president, sprang to his feet.

“Miss Anne! I’ve been waiting for you. How about a refreshing drink first? I’ve prepared iced lemon tea for you.”

He had also prepared a drink for Vanessa, who often ran errands for Amel. As they recharged with their snacks, Pringles gingerly accepted the precious column Amel handed over.

His face lit up with excitement as he flipped open the first page but quickly scrunched up in confusion when he saw the illustrations filling the pages.

“Miss Anne, what is all this?”

“It’s the article for the Haile Times, of course. The illustrations beside the text are graphs I carefully drew with a ruler. They summarize the data you compiled for me.”

The article set to appear in tomorrow’s Haile Times wasn’t merely Amel’s opinion—it was an analysis of Keltman’s current economic situation, particularly how it was influenced by Chaield. Amel had spent three days and nights meticulously crafting it.

“What do you think?”

“Looking at the text alongside the graphs really makes the information pop. I had no idea Chaield capital was so deeply intertwined with Keltman.”

“I was surprised too while organizing the data. Particularly how much money Chaield has deposited in Keltman’s largest bank.”

“It’s certainly a topic people will find fascinating, though I suspect that’s why you wrote this piece.”

The relationship between Keltman and Chaield was indeed a hot topic. But Amel hadn’t chosen the subject just for its popularity.

“Mr. Pringles, what do you think would happen if Chaield withdrew its deposits from Keltman’s banks right now?”

“Well… People would envy them, I suppose. They’d probably assume relations between the two sides had soured. Why do you ask?”

Amel sipped her tea silently. She suspected Kyle’s “performance” would involve Chaield withdrawing its money from Keltman’s banks.

“This is just speculation, but I think Chaield will soon withdraw its funds from Keltman’s banks.”

And Amel could already envision the chaos that simple act would unleash.

“I’ll finally get to witness the bank run phenomenon I only studied in theory back in school.”

“Think about it. If Chaield pulls out its money, Keltman’s banks will run out of cash reserves, won’t they?”

“True, they must have deposited a considerable amount.”

“The banks will probably try to conceal the fact that Chaield withdrew such a large sum, but Chaield will likely make it public instead.”

“Why would they do that?”

“Because banks don’t just store the money they receive from clients—they invest it.”

Amel’s tone was calm, but her words painted a grim picture. The repercussions of Kyle’s bold move would soon unfold, and it wasn’t hard to predict the storm ahead.

Banks operate on credit, lending money to businesses or the royal family and generating profit through interest. In other words, they don’t simply store customers’ deposits—they actively use them elsewhere.

Ordinarily, this isn’t an issue because depositors don’t withdraw their money all at once. However, if Chaield were to withdraw a significant sum, it could trigger panic among Keltman’s depositors, causing them to rush to withdraw their own funds.

“Fearful people will try to withdraw their money. The banks won’t have enough cash to pay them all. And once rumors spread that deposits can’t be retrieved, the same panic will spread to other banks.”

“So, Anne, are you saying…”

“If this continues, Keltman’s banks will collapse.”

Pringles sat silently for a while, rereading Amel’s article over and over. It detailed the approximate scale of Chaield’s deposits with remarkable precision.

There was no official news of any major actions by Chaield yet. But if this prediction from the woman before him came true, the Haile Times would see unprecedented success.

“Anne… how do you come up with these ideas? Uh, would you like more cake?”

“I’ll take more, thank you. But don’t get your hopes up too much—this is all speculation without solid evidence.”

Pringles’ face, however, was already alight with anticipation. Amel simply shrugged and took another bite of cake.

“If I were Kyle, this is how I’d handle it.”

Meanwhile, Gedima had been issuing government bonds and essentially forcing the wealthy to buy them to resolve the miners’ unpaid wages.

While this might temporarily put out the fire, it was clearly a warning sign—proof that the royal treasury was so empty it needed to borrow money from the rich.

“I don’t know what Count Gargoyle told them to make them hoard miners’ wages, but…”

Regardless, miners on the brink of losing their wages wouldn’t stay quiet. Gedima’s situation was bound to deteriorate, and the thought made Amel smile faintly.

“That confidence of hers… I should probably renegotiate her compensation soon,” Pringles thought, mistaking Amel’s relaxed demeanor for the composure of someone already victorious.

More than two weeks had passed since Lien settled in at the Chaield mining dormitories, where she was under the protection of pro-Chaield forces.

Thanks to her bold and outgoing personality, Lien had grown close to the miners’ wives, finding an unexpected sense of peace in their company.

Assuming today would be no different, Lien let down her guard and slept in until noon.

Stretching lazily, she greeted a maid who brought her a bowl of water. The maid’s face was marked with anxiety and worry.

“Princess, please be especially cautious today. The Chaield executives have left the premises.”

“The executives have left? Where did they go?”

“I heard they received orders from the Duke to head to the capital’s banks.”

Wiping her face with the towel the maid handed her, Lien fell into thought. Why would Chaield send people to the banks in the current political climate?

“What could they be planning?”

Though she had willingly chosen to present herself as a “monster” before him, the mind of the so-called Monster Duke was still impossible to fully grasp.

Rising from her seat, Lien headed to the dining hall as she usually did. The miners’ wives always had hot stew and bread prepared, and Lien enjoyed the warmth of the atmosphere they created.

But as she neared the hall, she heard their raised voices. Hiding behind the wall, Lien listened in on their conversation.

“There must be some issue for Chaield to withdraw its funds so suddenly. A wealthy family like that doesn’t act without reason.”

“Ladies, did you read the Haile Times article from a few days ago? It said that if Chaield withdraws its cash, the banks might run out of money.”

“Can the banks really run out of money? What about our deposits? Will we not be able to withdraw them?”

The wives were clearly worried about the possibility of being unable to access their savings. Meanwhile, their children chattered innocently in the background.

“I’ve never seen so many grand carriages before! Even when the Marquis visits, it’s not that fancy.”

“When the horses moved, gold coins kept falling to the ground, and some men followed the carriages just picking up coins!”

“Isabelle’s parents went to the bank to withdraw money, but they were told to come back later. Mom, should we go too?”

The mothers sighed, comforting their children. Listening to their exchange, Lien could piece together what had happened while she slept.

“So the Duke of Chaield put on quite the show.”

There was no way a wealthy family like Chaield was so desperate for cash that they needed to withdraw their deposits from foreign banks. Even if liquidity was needed, they would have used checks, not cash.

The fact that they had deliberately brought grand carriages and made their withdrawals so ostentatiously meant there was a larger purpose at play.

“That column I read a few days ago… It predicted this, didn’t it? The timing couldn’t have been better.”

The Haile Times article, which had gained traction due to its relevance, likely amplified public anxiety even further.

“From what I’ve overheard, people are already rushing to withdraw their money…”

Lien rubbed her arms as a chill ran through her. She had always known the Duke of Chaield to be meticulous, but this felt as though he had foreseen the future and acted accordingly.

“If miners—already unpaid—realize their savings are at risk, they’ll erupt. I wonder how my father will respond.”

There’s an old saying: a cornered rat will bite a cat. Resistance was inevitable, but that analogy only applied when the opponent was a cat.

“Chaield isn’t a cat. He’s a tiger.”

Lien’s eyes gleamed with intrigue as she prepared to witness the unfolding drama.