“Your Highness, regarding the tax revenue from the Silkjeet territory, which you instructed me to verify recently, it appears that Baron Silkjeet suffered a business failure and concealed the losses by falsifying the figures in the submitted documents,” reported Courtgain Deres Uradil in the office where I was attending to the morning’s work.
He had been working to root out corruption in the country, collaborating with Marquis Noches, Bertia’s father, since our academy days. Originally possessing a sharp intellect, his abilities were further honed through practical experience under Marquis Noches, the Chancellor. As a result, by the time of his graduation, he had become a reliable asset ready for immediate deployment.
After I graduated, and a year later when he did, I appointed him as my assistant for office work to act as my hands and feet. Incidentally, he had been acting as a spy to expose the corruption within the Uradil Count’s household by becoming an adopted son there. By the time I graduated from the academy, I had managed to eliminate that corruption, leading to the fall of Count Uradil.
Subsequently, the question of what to do with the Uradil family arose, but since he had already been adopted into the family, it was decided that the house’s affairs would be left to him. Of course, it was a house stained with corruption. Although Courtgain was originally a spy from our side and had proven his innocence, continuing the house unchanged presented a bit of a problem before the other nobles.
Thus, the title was downgraded from count to viscount and bestowed upon Courtgain. For Courtgain, who originally came from a minor branch of the Noches family with no prospects for inheritance, this represented a significant promotion.
As for his standing among the nobility… Normally, taking over a house known for its misconduct could have led to his ostracization, but his role as a spy for the royal family in the Uradil house had been made public. Furthermore, since he had become one of my close aides, few would dare to belittle him. Doing so would be akin to admitting to being poorly informed.
“What about the response?” I asked.
“It’s all settled. Here are the details…” Courtgain said, handing me some documents.
I accepted the papers from Courtgain and skimmed through them quickly. Baron Silkjeet, it appeared, was inexperienced in crime and had been involved in a minor offense. A sanction was justified, but the proposed measure seemed reasonable.
“Thank you; this appears to be in order. Now, could you manage this next?” I said, presenting him with another bundle of documents.
Courtgain’s expression tightened slightly at the sight. A significant backlog of tasks had amassed during his recent engagement. Given his espionage background, he was exceptionally qualified for both overt and covert assignments. Marquis Noches had rigorously trained him in the art of intelligence gathering.
He was truly a handy and reliable presence. That’s why I inevitably ask him to handle various small tasks. It can’t be helped, right?
“Well, Your Highness, this volume is…” Courtgain began, glancing at the documents with a hint of trepidation.
“You can handle it, can’t you?” I said confidently. It would take me no more than an hour to complete.
Although my aides frequently express concerns that the workload is too much for them.
Well, all things considered, my aides—including Courtgain—are competent, and they always manage to accomplish the tasks in the end. Furthermore, after meeting Bertia, I’ve learned not to expect others to act exactly as I would, so I ensure to adjust the workload accordingly… right to the very limit of what they can handle.
“Uh… Yes… Please leave it to me,” Courtgain consented, his shoulders drooping slightly yet resolutely.
“Thanks. You may find it easier to collaborate with Charles on some parts, so feel free to ask him if needed.”
Charles, who became one of my aides after graduating from the academy, was primarily responsible for diplomatic duties. Since his practical experience was still limited, I had him focus on domestic tasks for the time being. Eventually, though, I’ll have to assign him to international assignments.
“I will do that,” Courtgain acknowledged.
Since Bertia and I got married and became involved in national affairs, the camaraderie among my aides and Bertia’s lady friends, who also served as her aides, had strengthened.
The other day, when I told Charles, “You all seem to be getting along even better lately,” he had snapped back quite sharply.
“We have to unite to stand against the demon lord’s assaults!”
When did they become heroes fighting a demon lord? Surely, they don’t see me as the demon lord?
At any rate, to provide such an entertaining tale, I decided to “reward” Charles with an extra task as a token of my appreciation.
Noticing that Charles wasn’t exactly thrilled with the extra workload, I decided to make it up to him by asking Bertia to reach out to Anne—the woman he had feelings for—to suggest that she bring him some refreshments since he seemed tired. It turned out to be a good move, as he diligently completed the additional work.
“Ah, it’s almost noon, isn’t it? Bertia is visiting the orphanage again today, correct?” I called out to Zeno, who was standing in a corner of the room.
“Yes. She’s gone to the Shauldneat Orphanage. She plans to return by lunchtime, but…” Zeno replied with a wry smile. And for good reason. Bertia’s visits to the orphanage always ended up running late because the children would plead with her to play, keeping her there longer than intended.
“Then, since we’ve reached a good stopping point with work, let’s go pick her up. There’s a meeting about that matter in the afternoon, after all.”
The afternoon meeting couldn’t begin without Bertia. If she returned late, missed lunch, and then rushed straight into the meeting, it would undoubtedly distress her—especially given her love of food. Going to pick her up seems like the best option.
“Courtgain, join us. There could be some valuable information available.”
“Yes, I believe that’s a good idea. I’ll accompany you,” he replied after a moment’s thought, nodding as if he had reached a conclusion.
Normally, the idea of seeking valuable information at an orphanage would have been met with skepticism. However, the Shauldneat Orphanage was an exception. This was because the facility also trained individuals for clandestine information gathering on behalf of the country. The operator of this establishment was a former “errand runner,” who retired around the same time Bertia moved into the castle to become the crown princess, having handed over her duties to her sister. This former errand runner had even provided me with updates about Bertia’s condition when I was unable to observe her myself.
Despite these covert operations, it wasn’t as though all the children at the orphanage were coerced into participating. The orphanage had been established because the former errand runner, having observed Bertia since childhood, had developed a fondness for children and wished to care for them.
An establishment founded specifically out of love and compassion for orphaned children would never endorse practices that disregarded their feelings. It was obvious that the former errand runner, now the operator, would firmly refuse any such practices.
Therefore, only children who seemed suited for espionage activities would be approached. After gauging their interest, the operator only proceeded with training upon receiving their consent. This method ensured no coercion was involved. Naturally, such an approach carried a higher risk of the orphanage’s true nature being exposed, potentially leading to various complications. However, these risks were carefully mitigated by initially providing recruits with only the most essential information.
I can defer these details to the previous errand runner. Our long association has built enough trust for me to feel confident everything will be fine.
“Then, Zeno, could you arrange the carriage?” I asked.
“As you wish,” Zeno replied, bowing slightly before he left. He wasn’t going to prepare it himself but would give instructions to someone else, so he should be back shortly.
“Let’s set off once everything is ready,” I said to Courtgain, who remained standing with the stack of documents I had handed him. He asserted that he would prepare to go out and left the documents behind before exiting the room.
“I wonder what my dear wife is doing right now?”
The thought of Bertia brought a spontaneous smile to my face.