29 Quiet Story Part 5-2 - In the Corner of the Royal ...





Deanna asked me to find out what made His Majesty turn his attention to the rear court. A letter was also sent to me, asking me to investigate the maids and ladies of the court. The chief consort's irresponsible leadership and treatment of the maids and maidservants should certainly not be overlooked.

"Leave the maids and maidservants to us. We'll see what we can find out.

After reading the letter, Elizabeth smiled and agreed to do so, and Dualis decided to leave the matter of women to her. If Elizabeth smiles and declares that she's going to do something about it, it could get in the way. It's been a long time since I've seen such a furious expression on my wife's face.

Anyway, the issue that Dualis has left to explore is the reason why His Majesty began to pay attention to the rear court. I'm sure that Edward could have found that out in a heartbeat if he had asked Alford, but he didn't.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

It seems that Alford is so busy every day that he can't even leave the palace, let alone go home.
Furthermore, this is the social season, and even if he is able to go home once in a while, there are tea parties and soirées waiting for him. In fact, even the Cresta family, which seems to be taking it easy, goes out every day to gather information in the name of socializing. At this time of year, all the nobles are secretly quite busy.

Since the letter from Diana arrived yesterday, Elizabeth has been sending out several letters and rearranging her social schedule with a smile on her face. Edward, who had his mother's parts, followed suit, and the two of them made arrangements to attend tea and evening parties here and there from today. It's quite an impressive feat.
Duarisse, on the other hand, is a counted nobleman, and although he has received invitations from many places, he is not suited for gathering delicate information like this. He is aware of the fact that his face frightens others unnecessarily.

As a result, he arrived at the following place.

"The basis of research is paper, huh?

A reference room in the royal palace. He ended up in a dusty corner of the room, which had become a pile of papers due to being neglected for a while.
In this archives, all sorts of information about the kingdom from at least a hundred years ago is neatly stored in paper form. It's a pity that it tends to lack the latest information, but it's enough if you just want to find out how the nobles run their estates. ...... Aside from the lack of organization.

I'm not sure what to make of this. I'll bring Ed next time.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do that. It's Dualis' job to organize this room. Even though it's probably something that no one cares about.

This is an unusual person.

A cool voice called out from behind Dualis, who was busy cleaning up. I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not.

What's up, Keith? If you're not busy, open that window, it's really dusty.
It's your own fault, you're neglecting your own work. Besides, I don't have time for this.

A young man with glasses opened the window, cutting off Dualis's words, but still willing to help. He was a young man with glasses. He was dressed in modest but well-tailored clothes, which showed that he had been raised well. His name is Keith Hyzet. He is the eldest son of the current Baron Hysett and an official in the royal court.

For the general public of the Kingdom of Elgrand, the Royal Palace is mainly associated with the castle where the King resides in the Royal Capital, but for the aristocracy, the Royal Palace has a slightly different meaning. It is a place where the royal family resides, of course, but at the same time, it has a strong meaning as an administrative organ that assists the king in his duties and conducts the affairs of state. The main part of the palace is called the Outer Palace, and it is completely separated from the Inner Palace, where the king and other members of the royal family live. Needless to say, the rear palace, where Diana and her entourage are gathered, is part of the inner palace.
The place where Duarisse is now is at the very end of the Outer Palace, in a room called the "Archives," which most nobles probably don't even know exists. Duarisse's title is the head of this room. There is no one else in the room, and the head of the room is the only person in the room, a typical window-dresser.

So, what did you want?
Not for you, but for the archives. --Where are the documents about the royal capital's pharmacy?
Oh, it's in the back over there. Hasn't business been slow lately?
It's a project His Majesty the King had been working on in the first place.
It's impossible for him to take over the throne, isn't it?
But it's a necessary facility for the people. ...... Ah, there it is.

In the event that you have any questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can contact us at the web site. She knew that this young man, who was the picture of calmness and composure, was a surprisingly passionate person.

"By any chance, is the Outer Palace now taking care of the business that's been stagnant due to His Majesty's replacement?
"No one else will do it but us, so it can't be helped. Normally, this is a job for the Ministry of the Interior.
Yeah, they're...
Yeah, they're all fighting for power. I'll leave them alone. I don't want to be bothered by useless people.
But you can't go home if you're doing that.
I wonder how many days I've been staying in my room today...
Hey, hey...

It's hard to believe that it's the middle of the social season.

I hear Alford's pretty busy, but you guys are pretty busy too. Tell me before you die of exhaustion.
Thank you for your concern, sir. But our work is directly related to the lives of the people. We can't afford to neglect it.
That's supposed to be the job of the Home Ministry. ......

I knew that the current Ministry of Home Affairs is full of incompetents, but it seems that the burden on the Outer Court Office has become much greater than I thought. It's a matter of concern, Dualis muttered inwardly.

The Kingdom of Ergeland is currently governed by three ministries, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of the Interior, and two bureaus, the Mediation Bureau and the Inspection Bureau. Of these, the Ministry of the Interior is responsible for deciding and promoting domestic projects. The Ministry of the Interior, which plays a fundamental role in the country's politics, is the closest of the three ministries and two bureaus to the King, and has many roles to play. If the Ministry of the Interior is full of incompetents, it is obvious that the work that needs to be done will fall by the wayside.


However, I didn't realize that it had fallen through the cracks and was now a burden on the Outer Palace. Their duty is to follow up on the three ministries as a whole, not to cover for the incompetence of the Home Ministry.

Just leave the paperwork and such to them. You don't have to cover everything.
"Of course, we'll take care of the highest-priority tasks first, but ...... if we put off the paperwork too long, we'll make too much noise.
I'm sure you're aware of that. ...... Are foreign affairs and finance any better?
They're ...... yeah, still.
Well, that's better than the worst.

I'm not sure what to make of that. In short, it is a miscellaneous office that is forced to do minor chores. However, because of this, the workload is large and varies from paperwork to physical labor. It was the perception of the Cresta family, including Dualis, that those who had served in the Outer Court for a long time were competent.

--Of course, Keith Hi-Zet, who was appointed assistant director of the outer court at a young age, is no exception.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm here. I'm sure you're not in the palace for nothing.
...... Sometimes I come here purely for business.
Once or twice a year, the director summons me, right? This time, the archives aren't in such disarray that the director has to go blue.

Dualis turned his head away from the painful point, but he couldn't say anything back because of the fact. After a few moments of silence, he reluctantly opened his mouth.

...... I'm doing some research today. I'd like to understand how a nobleman with a daughter in the inner court manages his estate.
"Oh? It's related to the Red Rose, isn't it?
Don't call Diana that. You sound like a queen.
However, a junior official such as myself would not be permitted to call a member of the Hall of Names by name.
Well, not outside. But this is our territory. I don't know about the public perception, but we didn't give Diana to the royals.
"You're very clear.

Keith chuckled. He is not unaware of how much the youngest daughter of the Cresta family is valued.

"And what did you say, Master Diana?
Did you know that you've been taking turns to visit the Hall of Names lately?
Apparently, yes. The papers have been coming down.
According to Deanna, there must have been a reason for his sudden behavior.
"Other than the fact that ...... Miss Shayla Callerd was taken by the Peony Faction?
What, you knew that much about her?
One of the chamberlains is a friend of one of the members of His Majesty's Guard.
I see.

I'll pick up all the information I can, public and private. That is the motto of the outer court.

If you wish, I can get the details for you.
Can you do that? The guards are busy at the moment.
Of course he has time to rest. The man in question is from a lower family than the other knights in the guard, and seems to be stifled by the "prestigious royal palace," so he often comes to the outer court during breaks. Normally, it should be time for a break.
"Oh, you've come at a good time, me. Can you help me?
I'm on it. Can you wait here at ......?
Yeah. I'll just wait here and tidy up my room.
That's very constructive. It'll save the director a lot of trouble.
...... You're really relentless, aren't you?

It's hard to tell because you don't change your expression, but this is quite a painful irony. It is rare to find a courtier who can say so much to the head of the Crester family. Of course, I mean that in a favorable way.

As Keith bowed and left, Dualis brushed off the dust and wondered in his own way if he should get some cleaning tools first.