A week had passed since Lord Radford’s demise. There was a frantic knocking at my door, and a bureaucrat burst into the room.
“Report! Every official from House Radford has refused to work.”
“I see.”
The man seemed perplexed by my nonchalance, but my only thought was, Sure took them a while.
I could only remain so calm thanks to Tommy. He’d postponed his visit to the Radfords’ region for more than Barbara’s comedic affair—though he had certainly wanted to enjoy the show. By staying in the royal capital a bit longer, he’d been able to track our enemy’s movements. The region was functioning well enough on what we’d identified to be the minimum work required, so there was no need to panic.
“I have already been informed,” I told him. “Tell the other ministers we will hold an emergency meeting in thirty minutes.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
After he left, I looked at Gilbert beside me.
“You seem to be having fun despite the crisis,” he said.
“Really?”
“Absolutely. I imagine you’re brimming with excitement, knowing you have the opportunity to strike at the rebels in the palace.”
“So that’s how it looks. You’re right, in a way,” I said, chuckling. “Listen, Gilbert. I’m actually fuming.”
Gilbert’s face twitched. He didn’t need to be so afraid—I wasn’t going to gobble him up.
“Who can forgive those who confuse responsibility with power and act so foolishly?!”
“Calm down, Your Majesty… They are essential personnel.”
“I know. Besides, they might have been ensnared by someone’s silver tongue.”
“Yes, I think so, too.”
“I won’t pardon Nate or his accomplices, of course. They will receive the appropriate punishment. Manipulation aside, though, shouldn’t everyone involved with the Radford family be held accountable?”
“Well…”
“No need to fret, Gilbert. I don’t wish to trouble you—I merely took the joke too far. I’ll make sure to lecture them thoroughly so they never do something so imprudent ever again.”
“Try not to overdo it.”
“Then stop me if I do.”
“Can I stop you, though, Your Majesty?” he said. “No, if it really comes down to it, I shall do my best.”
“I’m counting on you. Now, shall we get ready for our meeting and head over?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Once I’d discussed a few plans with Gilbert, we headed to the conference room. Every minster was already seated when I entered.
“Seems like I’ve kept you all waiting,” I said.
They all stood up and bowed their heads.
“At ease.”
Tension zipped through the room like lightning. I supposed it was difficult for anyone to be optimistic about this situation…except for Nate, the Minister of General Affairs, that is.
“There is only one reason why I’ve summoned you all here. Are we on the same page?”
Everyone nodded silently.
“When you submitted the reports, we discussed the minimum tasks required to maintain governance, didn’t we?”
Another round of nods.
“All right. It’s time to fulfill your duties. To start, assess the number of remaining staff and allocate them to tasks of utmost priority. We will make this room the headquarters for our countermeasures. Immediately report any shortages or excess of personnel. Additionally, by the end of today, provide a report on the status of all tasks and an estimated workload for the near future.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” replied every minister in the room.
“We shall operate under these conditions for the next two weeks.”
“A-a moment, please!”
It was Nate who’d interrupted my instructions.
“What is it?”
“Well, my ministry has a wide range of tasks, not to mention a heavy workload. Maintaining operations under these circumstances would be quite difficult.”
“Difficult, you say?”
“Um, well…”
“Oh, right. You haven’t submitted your report yet, have you? Which means you haven’t discussed it with me.” I snickered, staring him down. “I daresay that’s your own fault for failing to submit. You should endure the consequences of your actions, no?”
“You…! As I said, my ministry has too much work, and it takes time to write a report.”
“Too much work? I asked you to submit a report because I don’t know your workload… There is no way for me to know.”
“But—”
“Moreover, even if you had difficulty making the time, you could’ve at least communicated that. Yet you didn’t, and now you tell me it’s impossible.” I watched him carefully. “What should we do to make it possible? What do you need?”
Nate did not reply.
“If you can’t answer, fine. I’ll relieve you of your duties as Minister of General Affairs. Minister of Defense, detain this man.”
“No! Over something so trivial?!”
“Trivial? You consider this trivial?!” My rage-filled voice reverberated through the room along with my magic. When it hit him, Nate collapsed on the spot. “Those who govern the country, especially the ministers, bear heavy responsibility. My father lived by one principle: ‘Be bold as a soldier but cautious as a coward.’ Prepare thoroughly enough to be considered a coward, and be cautious with your duties. Should abnormalities occur, do not overlook them—solve them, because the lives and livelihoods of the people in this kingdom rest on our shoulders! There is nothing ‘trivial’ about this situation. Why do you not understand this?!”
I caught my breath and shifted my gaze to the Minister of Defense.
“Detain him. Now.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“And the vice minister, Ted, as well.”
“Understood!”
“Sorry for wasting your time, everyone. Hurry off and get back to your work.”
Everyone bowed in response to my instructions and left the room.
✦ ✦ ✦
After skimming the reports from each ministry, I sighed. “Seems like there’s no problem with the number of staff.”
“Indeed,” Gilbert replied. “Though many officials involved with House Radford were in Finance and General Affairs, we can relax since we were able to allocate staff from Defense and Justice.”
“I don’t wish to drag this out. Gilbert, let it be known that Nate and Ted have been relieved of their duties. That is bound to rattle anyone still associated with House Radford.”
“Yes, especially now that their supporters have been captured.”
“Exactly.”
“I shall see to it immediately.”
Gilbert turned to leave, so I called out, “Oh, wait.”
“What’s the matter?”
“Deliver this command letter to the Minister of Defense. It’s a list of those who conspired with Nate.”
“Ah, to apprehend them? I do think it’s best to act quickly. Once they know of Minister Nate’s capture, they’re sure to flee.”
“Precisely. Please deliver this as soon as you can.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
With Gilbert gone, I sank into my chair and let out a long breath. This incident had granted me the opportunity to eliminate my opposition in the palace. Though there were still some suspicious individuals, we’d get to them eventually. They were also outsiders, somewhat removed from any of the Great Five.
I was sitting on a castle built from sand.
Another sigh escaped my lips, and then I smiled despite myself. I knew this would happen. I knew, yet I chose this path. I could’ve easily gone on pretending to be a doll, but I didn’t. After all, when I decided I wouldn’t stay a doll, I anticipated obstacles such as these. A gradual decline or a dramatic transformation… Prolong the battle or confront my opposition head-on… It was one or the other.
I made my choice. I decided for myself, and that led me to where I was now. I refused to be shaken up by something so minor.
“…All right, time to work.”
With one final sigh, I returned my attention to the documents.