236 - It is Impossible for an Amateur to Reform a Detached Palace
Breakfast was the white rice, lightly pickled vegetables, and tonjiru I had requested. The recipe I got from Ethelbert's detached palace must have had a proper explanation of how to cook rice in a pot, so even though it was not cooked in a rice cooker, the rice was delicious. Since they also let me taste a trial batch of the lightly pickled vegetables last night, this morning the salt level was to my liking.
...I wonder if the tonjiru could use just a little more miso?
Whether it was because the cook was starting to realize that my preferences were for lighter flavors compared to the previous master, or because miso was a seasoning not commonly used, it seemed they added it quite cautiously. It was a little thin, but not a problem.
...And the salad and fruit were delicious no matter what.
I was the one who requested the white rice and tonjiru, but it seemed they expected me to say I did not need the usual meal, so the regular food was also prepared. I passed on the bread and soup since I had the white rice and tonjiru, but I gratefully accepted the salad and fruit. There was no way to alter the fruit's taste, and since I could adjust the amount of dressing on the salad, I could enjoy it even with the previous flavor.
"Tina, have you taken a liking to rice?"
"It was a staple food in my previous life, deshu"
Whether keeping me company or not, Leonardo was also eating the white rice and tonjiru. The difference from me was that he was also eating the prepared bread-based meal. For Leonardo, the white rice was probably just a taste test. He had eaten it at Ethelbert's place too, but seeing him still eating it today, he might be starting to like it.
"The Napaji rice we got from Ethelbert-sama has a slightly different shape."
"...Do you know of rice in other shapes, deshu ka?"
"In Quebia, they eat a slightly different shape, a long-grain variety as a staple."
The staple food in this country was mostly wheat, but apparently it was different in the Divine Kingdom of Quebia. From Leonardo's explanation, it seemed to be a fluffier rice suitable for paella and pilaf. I remembered eating it in my previous life, but whether it was my cooking method or just not to my taste, I remembered not liking it.
"If you like it, Tina, I could have some brought over from Quebia..."
"Since it seems different from Napaji rice, I shall decline, mashu"
Saying I would prefer Napaji rice if we were going to order some anyway, I hastily took it back. I had casually wished for it, but Leonardo would seriously try to order it. Quebia was a country you could still reach by land, but Napaji was across the sea. Even if it was the same ordered rice, Napaji rice would be far more expensive.
"This time, I was fortunate that Ethelbert-sama shared some with me, deshu"
"...You do not need to hold back, you know?"
"In that case, please give it to me next year as a birthday gift, deshu"
If I wanted to eat it frequently, it would cost an enormous amount, but I felt it was fine to indulge occasionally. Once a year at most, that is.
Once I had been living at the detached palace for a week, my interest started turning outward just a little. Since I had no real plans besides Hermine's lessons in the afternoon, I decided to observe the work of the maids and servants as a kind of independent study.
...For starters, I understood that the four maids divided their work by social rank.
Kalisa and Salisa handled my personal care alone as my nurse maids, but the maids at the detached palace were different. Wet or physically demanding work like bathing duties went to Stina of the Flower Peerage, clean but not dirty physical work like pushing food-laden carts went to Ulrika of the Merit Peerage, mending and wardrobe duties like sewing and changing clothes went to Rebecca of the Loyalty Peerage, and serving food that entered my mouth or braiding my hair in intricate styles went to Valerier. The content of their work seemed to change based on the power dynamics of their peerage ranks. I sometimes consulted Valerier based on personal favorability, and apparently that worked out well in terms of their power dynamics. If I had casually approached Stina of the Flower Peerage with my consultations, my concerns would not have been passed on to others as orders, and as a result Stina alone would have ended up shouldering everything.
...It was more complicated than I expected, the maids.
Understanding that, my first consulting with Hermine must have seemed quite incomprehensible to them. A maid was, after all, a servant. They were lower in status than the ladies-in-waiting. Since Hermine was also my private tutor, they seemed to understand that I treated her somewhat differently and were considerate of that, but apparently the person I should have been consulting first was Nadine. Relying so much on Hermine was not very good, considering I would be staying at the detached palace for a while longer.
Once I noticed my own missteps, I began to see other things too. Ethelbert had told me that capable people were gathered at my detached palace, and in a sense, I keenly felt that was true.
...When I give detailed instructions, they do things that a noble young lady would probably never think to ask for, like Valerier and Ulrika.
Especially Valerier, she really surprised me. When I consulted her that there seemed to be someone feeding information to Ethelbert within the detached palace, by the next day she had narrowed down the information leak route and suspects to three people, and by evening she had identified them and even uncovered leverage against them. When I asked what method she used, apparently she disguised herself as a laundry woman to collect information while gathering the washing, and tailed the suspects. I also heard she engaged in combat with one of Ethelbert's dragonfly people midway, so although she had helpfully identified the information leak route, Ethelbert might not use that person anymore.
As for Ulrika, who had been making eyes at Leonardo, she apparently used the same tactic on both men and women to build an information network. Since I had consulted Valerier about this matter, Valerier investigated first, but along the way Ulrika came to me with information. Advertising that she was better at gathering information.
...She certainly was capable. Capable in many senses of the word.
Personally, I would have liked someone like Rebecca who refused to care for the sick to go elsewhere immediately, but she was the same type as Kalisa. She was good at thinking and quick at calculation work. I wondered where calculation speed would be useful in a maid's work, but when I tried teaching her bobbin lace, she quickly learned the basics. Rather than being good at thinking, she was probably good at memorizing. She also seemed good at remembering people's faces and names, apparently memorizing every visitor who came to snoop around the detached palace and who they were and where they were from, and cross-referencing them with what seemed to be a memorized noble directory to report to Nadine. Personally I found this quite unpleasant, but as a means of spreading bobbin lace, I wanted to keep Rebecca around.
...It is difficult, is it not?
Regarding the abilities of the four maids, Hermine told me I could freely change things within the detached palace, but when I actually tried to touch upon the servants' working conditions, I could not find a good starting point. I thought to myself, "Twenty-four-hour confinement in the workplace with no vacation, what kind of black company is this?" But when I listened in detail to the maids' and servants' job descriptions, I realized reform was difficult. In Japan, if you wanted to light up a room, you just flipped a switch and the electric lights came on, but in this country it was different. To light up a room, you had to lower the chandelier from the ceiling, place candles one by one on the stands, light them, and then raise it back to the ceiling. The effort required for daily life was incomparable to Japan, so I could not simply shorten the working hours even if they seemed too long.
...In those common other world reincarnation stories, the protagonist with power casually snaps their fingers and reforms their territory, but it is not that easy, is it?
Hermine assigned me the task of freely reforming the detached palace, but after understanding each job and thinking about it, I realized it would be unworkable in various ways. Considering the friction between existing common sense and what would arise after reform, it was not something that could be done overnight. If I were to seriously tackle the matter, I would need to slowly change things over many years.
...What I could probably do was improve working conditions?
I wanted to make sure they could properly take at least the vacation they apparently had set every two weeks. Though in theory a vacation was established, since the workplace was also their residence, it had become normal for them to be called in even during vacation if needed. In that case, even if it was called a vacation, they could not relax and stretch their legs.
"...I think if we simply increase the number of people, they would have more time to rest, deshu"
But then, I consulted Alfred, who had come to visit the detached palace, that increasing people would also increase the wages paid. By the way, Nadine, who usually stayed in the back working, had also come out to the front as a lady-in-waiting since a prince had arrived. Today's tea snack was a baked cheesecake that Alfred brought as a souvenir. It was quite delicious.
"The current staff at the detached palace is the minimum gathered to manage it even when you are not staying here. It is only natural there is no leeway."
I told you you could increase the staff if you thought it necessary, Alfred replied casually. If I increased the staff, I could give them days off without worry, he said.
"But then I would feel unsettled with unfamiliar servants increasing, masu wa"
"Keeping track of the servants is Nadine's job. They even assigned you one lady-in-waiting, did they not? A walking directory of people's names."
"...Are you referring to Rebecca?"
"Was that her name?"
I caught on at Alfred, who was eating cheesecake with an innocent face. So there were not only Ethelbert's people, but also Alfred's people within the detached palace.
...Well, since Alfred-sama apparently also cooperated in selecting the personnel for the detached palace, that was natural... I suppose?
According to Ulrika, many of the personnel gathered at the detached palace had originally worked at other detached palaces. Apparently each detached palace selected and gathered capable people so that I would not be inconvenienced.
...Thanks to that, this detached palace had apparently become a demonic realm filled with people from various factions.
I wanted to stay uninvolved, but Ulrika amusingly told me that intermediaries who could help me connect with whichever faction I wanted to align with, and intermediaries from other factions who wanted to block that, were all crowding around. The directive came from the First Prince, but Nadine was apparently a completely neutral person who belonged to no faction.
...Factional strife is a pain. Please do it where it does not concern me.
If I could increase the staff, I would think a bit more. As I was thinking such things, the cheesecake on my plate had disappeared.
"Would you like another serving?"
I hastily stopped Nadine, who was already cutting another piece even as she asked. This cheesecake was indeed delicious, but if I ate too much, I would surely become a pig. I wanted to eat a little more, but I could not overeat. As I was umming and ahing between reason and desire, Leonardo suggested we split it, so I gratefully accepted a bit more.
"That said, I heard you did not want to become a noble... but you have started thinking about managing servants, have you not?"
"My feeling of not wanting to become a noble has not changed, deshu ga, but when I heard that the maids and servants worked twenty-four hours, I thought that was really not right. Also, Hermine-sensei has taught me that managing the household is a lady's refinement, mashu"
"To be precise, managing and operating the servants is the role of a wife or mistress."
Alfred put his hand to his chin as if thinking, but his next words made Leonardo's face turn into an expression so dark that Stina, waiting behind him, trembled and clinked her teacup.
"If you are thinking about improving workers' treatment, how about becoming my bride?"
"Being Alfred-sama's bride would mean having more influence and responsibility than being Leonyaldo Big Brother-sama's sister, so I do not want that, deshu"
The reason I was thinking about improving workers' treatment was solely to apply it to the detached palace during my stay, and to the Grenore residence when I returned. It was not bridal training to become Alfred's wife.
"I thought if I made Grandfather's favorite my bride, I might get closer to the throne..."
"Eh? Did Alfred-sama want to sit on the throne, deshu ka?"
I stared intently at Alfred's face, finding it a little surprising. Alfred made a face as if he was deeply wronged, and shrugged.
"I am prepared to do it if there is no one else, but I do not particularly want to."
"...So marrying me was a joke, then, deshu ne"
"If I married you, Leonardo would come along. It would be a powerful move in terms of solidifying my position... but well, the one said to be closest to the throne right now is my Sixth Sister."
"The Sixth Princess, you say..."
Hmm, I felt like I had heard a rumor about that somewhere, I tilted my head. I must have heard something somewhere. There was a strange familiarity with the number six.
"I think I have heard a rumor about her somewhere..."
"Probably about my sister's clothing."
"Clothing, deshu ka?"
I did not remember gossiping with anyone about someone else's clothing. Lately my preferences had started to be reflected in my own clothes, but still my clothes reflected the tastes of my guardians. I never had clothes made solely according to my own preferences. So I almost never heard rumors about other people's clothing.
...Ah, I think I am starting to remember.
Was it when I was surprised by Hermine's overly serious costume at the Divine King Festival? I heard that nobles sometimes favored eccentric clothing to surprise people. In that context, I thought I heard something about the Sixth Princess also wearing eccentric clothing.
"My sister is a beauty so stunning you would think a goddess had descended to earth... but she is also a bit of a troublesome person."
"As far as I recall, all the members of this country's royal family are troublesome people, deshu nyaa..."
When I spoke too freely, Alfred pinched my cheek. Apparently I had spoken a bit too freely.
"My sister is very aware of her own beauty. She says that hiding the beauty the gods bestowed with cloth is an insult to the gods..."
"Eh? Surely she is not naked, is she, deshu ka?"
I thought I had made an off-base comment, surely that could not be the case, but Alfred made a face similar to Alf's and gave a slightly troubled wry smile.
"When she appears in public, she does wear cloth, at least."
"So in private, she is naked, then, deshu ne"
"If you ever happen to encounter her within the royal castle, be careful. She is almost not wearing anything to cover herself, so even though she is my sister, I do not know where to look."
She was indeed a beautiful sister, but being almost fully nude was a bit much, Alfred said, looking away. Surely there could not be a princess who was almost fully nude, I thought, turning my gaze to Leonardo to confirm, but he too looked away. Apparently, the princess of this country really was almost fully nude.
...Is this royal family not a bit too free-spirited!
It was scary that Alfred, who declared his love for his own sex, seemed cute in comparison, and the tyrannical brat Dietfried seemed almost harmless. Compared to full nudity and stalkers, Dietfried who was merely selfish seemed truly adorable, I thought.
"Speaking of princesses reminded me, deshu"
I consulted Alfred about wanting to return the 5000 gold coins the Eighth Princess had paid for the embroidery painting. I intended to at least recover the material costs, but 5000 gold coins was too much.
"As a little retaliation, I said it was enough to buy a detached house with a garden, and she actually paid it, so I am at a loss, mashu"
Also, that was definitely paid from tax revenue, was it not? When I confirmed, Alfred nodded with a bitter expression. The people's tax money was being paid for Leonardo's nudity.
"...Well, I will convey your desire to return it to Father, but I think it will end up becoming your money anyway."
"Eh? Why is that, deshu ka?"
"Considering what you are about to do, you will probably translate that thing afterward. There is the pretext of compensation for translation."
"...I think that is too much, deshu"
Though various things were being obscured, what Alfred was referring to was the information leak I had caused. From my attempt to convey the medicine prescriptions I had extracted from Saint Yuuta Hiraga's research materials to Aurelia, he was pointing out that I probably intended to translate the medicine prescriptions from the research materials. Indeed, even I thought that material needed to be translated, and I thought I would not mind cooperating that much.
...Only if they properly sent me back to Grenore, though.
"Considering the value of what you bring, even 5000 gold coins is cheap."
"It is the people's tax, you know? Please use it more carefully, deshu"
"It is something that will save those people's lives. I think it is reasonable after all."
Moreover, the lives that would be saved by the revival of medicine would not only be those of the people of this country. Through the Sedovara Church, it should also be possible to save the lives of patients in other countries.
...I was being overestimated, and it was more than a little scary.
Time is up. By the way, if someone wanted to compete for the throne, having Leonardo as an ally would be equivalent to gaining the support of a quarter of the Black Knights belonging to the country.
Typos and omissions again another day. Fixed any typos and omissions I found.