49 Quiet Story Part 10-2 - Fraud Discovery -





Juke looked over the report that had been delivered to his office first thing in the morning, and at first he tilted his head, and as time went on, his expression became grim. The number of matters that the king had to decide on was so large that he could have left the report alone, but even as the sun approached the horizon, the report was still on Juke's desk. In the evening, when the ministers' visit had finally come to an end, Juke ordered all the knights of the Kingsguard except Alford to leave the room. As the knights left, Juke reached for a stack of papers on his desk.

"Alford, take a look at this.
That's the one you were looking at this morning, right? Are you sure you don't want me to look at it?
The report's in order. It'll be fine.

Juke's face was pale as he presented the stack of papers to Alford. Alford took it without saying a word and skimmed through it, his eyes widening lightly, not caring that he was already familiar with the contents.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.
"Yeah, that's what it looked like to me, too. What do you think of ......?
"Before I tell you what I think, Juke, tell me what you think. What do you think?
Strange. I look over the financial reports every year, but when I look at them like this...

The tone of voice was heavy, but there was no hesitation on Juke's part. He looked up at Alford and said clearly.

Two years ago was the year your father was struck down. Naturally, there should have been some increase in spending, but I don't see anything like that in this report.
"Well. There's some funeral expenses in there, but it's not supposed to be this small.
And this year, too. Now that the palace is functioning, the burden on the treasury should be considerable. But...
"It's too extreme, the way it's increasing. It makes sense that the number of people in the inner palace has increased, but it's unnatural for the bills to keep coming up so suddenly, no matter how much you want them to.

The two men looked at the report, which was quite detailed and easy to understand, and made a bitter face.

"At ......? What possibilities did you consider when you saw this report?
I don't like to think about it, but ...... there's only one possibility that could explain this unnaturalness.

Public money, embezzlement-- .
I'd like to think there's only one possible explanation for this unnaturalness. Alford clicks his tongue.

"Who the hell did this?
"If he was manipulating the documents coming up to me, he's pretty high up. The matriarch, and possibly the ministers of finance. ......

Juke has always been a diligent and good worker when it comes to his office. The sooner he realizes something is wrong, the better.

Anyway, we need to talk to him.
Talk? What do you want to talk to me about?
If you ask the Chiefess ......, she won't tell you, will she?
If she's the killer, she'll just say nothing. Not if there's evidence, but at this stage.

If you ask me what's wrong with this, I'll tell you that it's because I was cheating! There is no villain who will say, "That's because I was cheating! The right villain is the one who still tries to do his best even when confronted with incriminating evidence.

But if the embezzlement of public funds is true, we can't just let it go.
Yeah, right. ...... Speaking of which, where did that report come from? If you're looking for hard evidence, they may have already moved on.
"Oh, yeah, I see!

In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at the most effective way to get the most out of your time.

I'm sure you've heard of it.
"Yeah, it's an auxiliary organization of the three ministries. I'm sure they didn't have the authority to report directly to the King's office, so they took the form of a report.
Does that mean that the outer court is aware of the inner court's wrongdoings and is secretly investigating?
Isn't it highly possible? They've got a lot of work to do, but they've got a lot of talented people to do it.
"......, do you happen to know anyone there?

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.

I know a lot of people. --I can get the assistant to the head of the outer court office, what do you want?




--Keith, who had never been in the King's office before, walked quickly to the center of the room and took the retainer's bow.

"Assistant to the head of the outer court, Keith Highzet. I'm here at your service, sir.
"Ah, look up, Keith Hi-Zed. I'm glad you could make it on such short notice.
When His Majesty calls you, you can't ignore it.

I'm sure you'll be glad to hear that. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it.

I'm not sure what you mean by that. If possible, please keep it short, as I have a lot of work to do.
"Oh, I see. I'm sorry about that.
No need to apologize, just tell me.

Even Juke, who has a reputation for being slow, seemed to sense the aura that Keith was giving off, "I'm busy, get on with it. He called Alford with his eyes and asked in a whisper.



"Hey. This is the assistant director of the Outer Palace Office?
He's decidedly lacking in charm, but he's unparalleled in competence. You have no idea how much the turnover rate in that room has increased since Keith joined the outer court.
"Your Majesty. Please speak to me.

Keith's voice was so chilling that not only Juke but also Alford jumped lightly. In the event that you have any kind of questions concerning where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.

Your Majesty, let's get down to business.
"Yes, let's do that.

In the event that you've got any questions regarding the way to use the internet, you can contact us at the web site.
Keith, who had been silently listening to the king's words, waited for him to finish and exhaled heavily.

"Thank you, sir.
"Keith?
I'm sure you'll be able to understand why I'm here.
Well, then, it's still ......!
Yes. The current headmistress, Sarra Maris, has been embezzling and cheating since two years ago when she took office. It was obvious from the unnatural nature of the ledger, but it was rewritten as soon as we noticed it, and it was crafted in such a way that you couldn't tell just by looking at it year by year.

Keith's words were not stagnant. Since the outer court had also been aware of the irregularities and failed to report them, they must have a strong desire to uncover the whole story on their own.

Sarla Maris's misbehavior did not stop there. According to our research, since she took over the position of the chief consort, a large number of low ranking maids and consorts have left the palace. I talked to some of them, and they said that they were forced to quit the palace halfway through because the chief mistress made it difficult for them to stay in the palace.
"What? You're telling me that the chief mistress was harming people who serve the palace out of her own personal feelings?
Yes. Although she doesn't seem to be showing it to the public, I heard that she is also making a big difference in the way she treats her aides. I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.
This is ridiculous. ......!

A real rage is rising in Juke's face. He is much more powerful now than he was when he was throwing a tantrum at Deanna.

"We have no authority to investigate. Therefore, all investigations are conducted unofficially and in secret. We are currently working in shifts to investigate the area surrounding Sirah Maris, but there have been some ...... unpleasant reports.
What's more unpleasant than what you just said? What kind of things?
No, Your Majesty. We don't have any proof of this yet. As soon as I find some solid evidence, I'll report it to you.
I don't care. --Speak.

Alford, who was listening to the exchange right next to him, noticed that Juke was unconsciously wearing the face of a king. He was understandably upset by the fact that the empress was tormenting her own people, and not just embezzling public funds.
Keith also noticed the same thing as Alford, and behind his glasses, his eyes slightly changed to look at the king.

"Your Majesty. You can't judge the people without evidence, even if you are the king.
"I know that. I understand that, but I can't leave people who embezzle the royal family's wealth, which is made up of the people's blood tax, and then repeatedly trample others based on their status because they can't get enough of it. If there are any additional crimes, they should all be revealed and punished according to the severity of the crime. If we don't have the evidence, we'll get it. We just need to know.

Before he knew it, the sullenness that had been swirling around Keith was gone. His eyes simply stared straight at the king, and then he bowed deeply.

"Yes, Your Majesty. As you wish.
"And what is this disturbing report?
I can't say for sure, but it seems that items that are supposed to be kept in the palace treasury are being transferred through her house.

Juke's eyes only widened as he remained silent, but Keith continued.

The outer court's job is to assist the three ministries. When the inner palace was to be established in the spring, we accompanied them to inspect the furnishings of the inner palace. I am not well versed in art, but some of us were delighted to see the treasures of the inner palace up close, which are usually difficult to see. ...... When that person was guarding the Chief Magistrate's residence, there happened to be an exchange of goods.
Are the eyes of the watcher reliable?
I've been told that if I fail the government exam, I should become an appraiser.

One of the characteristics of the outer court is that there are many talented but eccentric people. Incidentally, being an appraiser is much more lucrative than being a government official.
Juke did not speak when the conversation was interrupted. He was sitting in his office chair with his fingers crossed, his eyes closed in thought. Alford and Keith just watched him quietly.

"Alford. I'm not sure what to make of it. ...... so that no one will know.
"Yes. At once.

He looked up and focused on a point, and Juke had the most mature expression Alford had ever seen on his face.