Chapter 145

Constantine groaned as he took the glass pen as suggested and dipped it in ink to see how it felt to write. The nib did indeed run much smoother than the quill, and even after writing several lines in a row, the ink had yet to run out.

“I certainly like it, Alexei, this is good stuff.”

Constantine smiled.

An innovative writing instrument that was both beautiful and practical. His beloved Empress would definitely like it.

“But where did you get something like this? I have not heard that Yurinova has branched out into glass work.”

Alexei hesitated for a moment, then answered.

“My sister Ekaterina had them made in her own workshop.” Alexei replied matter of factly.

“What?” (Constantine)

“She’s always been a selfless girl, but suddenly she wanted me to buy her a glass studio, so I gave it to her, and on my birthday she gave a glass to me as a gift.” (Alexei)

Alexei then pulled out a blue velvet box from within his overcoat and opened it to reveal a light blue and indigo glass pen.

“The craftsman was ingenious, but it was Ekaterina who came up with the idea of making a pen out of glass in the first place. She is now very eager to turn this glass pen into a business to pay the craftsmen of the glass workshop.”

Constantine laughed as Alexei spoke as plainly as he could.

(Editor’s note: This sistercon of a brother is trying to do a poker face reply to THE Emperor, the irony of it)

It was hard to believe that a young lady of the house had come up with such a revolutionary idea. But Alexei was not foolish enough to lie about what Emperor Constantine could find out on his own. In fact, the child did not want to tell Emperor Constantine that this was his sister’s idea.

Alexei did not want the royal family to further elevate his sister’s reputation.

After all, Yurinova had no intention of making Ekaterina the Empress.

So he hesitated for a moment, but then spoke. The emperor’s questions could never be answered with deceit or falsehood. The wise Alexei knew this very well.

(But Ekaterina?)

Constantine thought back to the way Ekaterina had greeted the royal family on the day of their visit. She was a slender girl dressed in a dark dress that showed off her almost translucent pale white skin. Her mature good looks were not outdone by the gorgeous jewelry, and she looked no older than fifteen.

She was not afraid to exchange words with the empress, and her eyes lit up when she talked about tariffs and insurance, which would not interest an ordinary daughter. Above all, Alexei’s sister is the grandchild of Prince Sergei. If Ekaterina had indeed come up with this glass pen, she might have taken after her grandfather.

“You want to make a business out of glass pens, or is Duchess Yurinova going to run a workshop herself?”

“…She asked me to buy it for her, so I think she should be responsible for it.”

Constantine finally broke into laughter.

“She would like to pay the wages of the craftsmen, and she should be shouldering responsibilities for them? That sister of yours is truly noble and endearing.” (Constantine)

And Alexei smiled, he couldn’t help but be proud of his sister, even though he didn’t want the imperial family to appreciate her.

“Then tell Ekaterina. I will buy this glass pen as a gift for the Empress, and I will have a craftsman make one as beautiful as this one.”

Those who were close to the imperial family knew for a fact that Emperor Constantine would personally order the purchase of any items that were offered to the Emperor or the Imperial family that was worthy of his attention. This was so that he could give it as a gift to the Empress. As expected of a man who had been using every trick in the book to woo his wife since he was a student, Constantine was very diligent.

Anyway, if it was a gift for the emperor, everyone would recognize it as a first-class item, but if it was a gift from the emperor to the empress, the reputation would be elevated to an even higher level.