I felt somewhat sorry for the Late King.
“Phew.”
I had summoned Count Tranquia to the Sanctuary, the royal tomb where the Late King and the Queens slept.
There was a taboo that no irreverent act of any kind could be committed here.
Thus, it was easy to let one’s guard down, believing nothing would happen to oneself in the Sanctuary.
Thanks to that, I easily took the head of the Finance Minister, who had come defenselessly.
“Well, there are human sacrifices, and rites have existed from the beginning. This is not the custom here, but since I am reclaiming what is yours, please excuse me.”
Even in the Sanctuary, there had been occasions when the head of the culprit who assassinated a king was brought and offered up as a performance.
Sprinkling the blood of someone who had stolen the King’s property could hardly be such a breach of etiquette.
Those in politics could try to find fault, saying, ‘He claimed to be acting for the royal family, and then committed murder in the royal Sanctuary!?’
But the royal Sanctuary was under the King’s management.
So long as Her Majesty Casertania turned a blind eye, we could let it pass unless the Sanctuary itself was destroyed.
‘If it truly does not seem right, I can apologize to the party involved later. In about eighty years.......’
The Late King would understand as well.
“Your Highness, you summoned us. Uh, wha?”
The subordinates I had summoned to the Sanctuary arrived soon afterward.
“Clear this away, then immediately relay my command to the Shield Unit. Raid Count Tranquia’s estate without delay and recover the gold he has embezzled. If there are signs that he spent it, slaughter every member of his household.”
“Yes, ah....... Yes.”
“Then have the mountain-tribe soldiers who are coming as further reinforcements raid Count Tranquia’s fief within the Royal Domain, and let me see.......”
I closed my eyes for a moment.
“The eastern outer wall of Tranquia Castle should have collapsed in the last heavy rain. Tell them that attacking the eastern outer ward will make it easy to take.”
“Understood.”
“And.”
“Yes?”
I tossed a pouch to my vassal, who commanded the Northern Army and was currently captain of the Lord Protector’s Guard.
“What is this?”
I whispered quietly.
“It is evidence that must be found in the Finance Minister’s home. Do you understand what I mean?”
“......I will handle it properly.”
He had worried that there was no evidence, but if there truly was none, it could simply be made.
Judging by the extent of the taxes he had siphoned away, this was no different from raising an army and starting a rebellion.
I had intended to compromise to a degree, but the amount was too great to compromise over.
In any case, I had drawn my sword now, so there was no turning back.
I would pick out the unusable members of the Privy Council assembled by the Late King and replace them with my loyal northern personnel.
After having the bloodstains in the Sanctuary wiped away, I left the follow-up measures to my subordinates.
Then.
“At any rate, I must consult Her Majesty.”
I had slaughtered the Finance Minister, so I needed to report it to the new Queen.
It was not decided according to Her Majesty’s wishes, but Her Majesty had a duty to hear it and pass judgment.
And she, too, needed to remind herself of the position that was.
“Hmm.”
But would it be all right if I brought the head with me......?
I thought treating the new Queen exactly as I had treated the Late King was respect toward her.
Besides, the new Queen would not want to be treated as a child, and from the standpoint of early education, the bodies of those who had received punishment.......
‘Th-the, um, the thing inside the red bundle, um, uh, uhhh.......’
“No.”
She was still a child.
In the end, I left the head behind.
“Your Majesty, it is the Lord Protector.”
CLATTER.
CLANG, BANG, BANG.
“......?”
What was that sound?
It sounded like the Late King’s armor, which was still beside the head of the royal bed, had been struck and its helmet had slid down.
“Is there an emergency?”
The new Queen’s bedchamber was guarded by two royal guard knights and Countess Dvari, Her Majesty’s nurse, caretaker, and tutor.
Together with the head lady-in-waiting, they were the attendants serving Her Majesty at the closest range.
“Her Highness—no, Her Majesty—is not yet accustomed to using the royal bed.”
“That makes sense.”
The new Queen had changed rooms from the bedchamber she had used as a Princess to the royal bed.
She had not been in the new room long, so it was only natural that she was unaccustomed to it.
“Is it urgent?”
Countess Dvari asked.
“I will wait.”
I had earned the Late King’s trust to the point of entering deeply into the royal bedchamber, but I must not commit an even greater discourtesy toward the new Queen.
One might think it did not matter because she was still young, but that would be an act of disregarding the Queen for her youth.
Thus, I waited in a small office near the new Queen’s bedchamber.
Before long, Countess Dvari entered the royal bedchamber, and then.......
“P-Princess, no, Your Majesty. What is this?”
With her startled words came a barrage of Countess Dvari’s scolding.
I thought she certainly scolded Her Majesty a great deal, but she was the nurse Her Majesty had followed like a mother, so there would be no problem.
“Guard. Just a moment. Please help me.”
“Pardon? Yes!”
Seemingly unable to manage on her own, Countess Dvari came out of the quarters and called one of the guard knights.
Judging by the high pitch of the voice, the guard knights seemed to have been Her Majesty’s guards since her days as a Princess.
“Yes, Grand Duke. Her Majesty is ready to receive you, so please enter.”
“Very well.”
Only after Countess Dvari and the guard knight emerged, sweating, did the doors to the royal bedchamber open.
There were signs that water had been splashed about in the royal bedchamber and that something had been cleared away. Her Majesty, hurriedly dressed in full formal attire, was waiting at the reception table beside the bed.
“Grand Duke!”
“I pay my respects to Your Majesty.”
“Yes, ah....... Yes. No, um.”
You should speak down to me.
“Ahem, ahem, ah. What is the matter, Grand Duke?”
I almost laughed, but barely held it in.
It seemed Her Majesty had at least tried practicing an authoritative tone of voice.
“Are you feeling well?”
After the Late King died, Her Majesty had fainted and then awoken about a day later.
She was still a crier, but after gritting her teeth and holding it in for about two days, she had regained her composure.
Until the official funeral, she only stared blankly at the King’s frozen body, which was being preserved, but she did not cry any more.
She must have accepted it to a degree.
I had found that admirable, but.......
There was no lack of things to point out.
“I-I am fine! No, I am well.......”
“Please speak comfortably.”
I thought it was good for her to force herself to use an authoritative manner of speech.
But how the Queen treated me, her subject, did not matter.
It was a disloyal thought, but her inability to find her footing was rather cute as well.
The thing I actually needed to point out was elsewhere.
“However, you must wear the crown. A sovereign may remove it only while sleeping and when wearing a helmet.”
“Th-that is right. I will!”
Her Majesty wore the crown, symbol of royal authority, upon her head.
Of course, because she was Queen.
There were exceptions, such as sleeping and going to war, so she could put it on and take it off as she pleased.
But that was behavior only a Queen whose royal authority was established could afford.
For Her Majesty now, who had to learn what it meant to be Queen.......
‘Fundamentally, never separate the symbol of royal authority from one’s body.’
That idea should be planted in her like a fixed notion.
Only then could orders such as telling soldiers never to separate their weapons and armor from their bodies at all times carry weight.
That was why I began by saying a word about it.
But.
“Ah.”
The crown, which Her Majesty’s abundant long golden hair had covered and supported to a degree, seemed to press down on her head with its weight.
It gradually began to slide crookedly downward.
“Mmph. Hup.”
This was driving me crazy. She was wearing the crown crookedly.
Afraid that I would burst out laughing, I curled my hand into a fist, covered my mouth, and turned my head.
Her Majesty adjusted the crown and put it back on her head, but it still continued to slip.
Was her head still too small to wear a crown?
For now, I clenched my teeth and tried not to pay attention as I reported what I had done.
“I came to speak about the Privy Council’s reorganization.”
“I heard Your Lordship would handle everyth.......”
This time, the crown passed through her hair and caught on her ear.
The crown seemed to be no ordinary weight.
It was so heavy that I could not lift it or wear it myself.
“Ah, ah, really.”
Her Majesty, deeply embarrassed, kept adjusting the crown, but in the end it went beyond merely sitting crookedly.
It slipped straight through her hair and down to her shoulders.
“Khhup.”
I could not bear to hold back my laughter and let out a strange groan, but fortunately Her Majesty was too busy pulling up the crown to notice.
For a moment, I considered replacing it with a crown sized to Her Majesty’s head, or with a tiara worn by queen consorts.
The crown looked heavy. At this rate, she would develop a turtle neck.
Her Majesty was still young. Would she walk about the royal citadel with a turtle neck, her head bent halfway over?
‘Turtle necks on teenagers will not become natural for another five hundred years.......’
That would be impossible to view as a good look, too.
And thinking seriously about it.......
If the crown slipped down to her neck, I also had to worry that its points might jab or cut her neck, cheeks, or chin.
The crown’s points rose in the pattern of the Frost Sword, with the purpose of honoring the former king who founded the country through force. If I was not careful, they could truly cut or pierce Her Majesty’s neck or cheeks.
Her Majesty kept trying to readjust the crown, then finally dropped it.
“Ah.”
Then she tried to pick it up and looked at me with trembling eyes.
They were exactly the eyes of a child who had done something wrong.
‘I dropped the crown—in other words, I drove royal authority into the ground. I am sorry.’
It seemed she was still afraid of me.
It was understandable.
A Regent who held complete authority.
She might have the lofty title of Queen, but in the end, her life had been pawned to her subject.
It was fortunate that she seemed to understand at least that much.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“I-I will not cry.”
So she meant she felt like crying because she was scared.
I picked up the fallen crown and handed it to her.
I could not let a Queen bend at the waist. Bending was a subject’s duty.
It was my first time touching the crown, and it was quite heavy.
“Ah.”
“Your Majesty, do not bow before your subjects. And though it is disloyal of me to do so.”
If I tied Her Majesty’s long golden hair into two side buns, it seemed it would not be impossible for them to support the crown.
The ties on my attire happened to be gold thread, so I pulled out two strands and tied her hair for her.
Her Majesty was startled and went, “Uhhh,” but once I twisted up her hair and set the crown on top of it, it was supported roughly as I had thought.
At the coronation, the Archbishop would place the crown upon her, and there was no restriction on hairstyle, so this should roughly work.......
“Hya?!”
Of course, Her Majesty’s hair did not seem able to bear it. The crown, which had rested there for a moment, caught on her ear again.
Phew.
The founding King of this kingdom, the ‘Conqueror,’ might rightly have had the epithet ‘Big Rock Face.’
It was so large that I could not even try it on myself.
I might enjoy all authority, but I must not enjoy even the ceremony.
“I spoke wrongly. Your Majesty, do not try to display royal majesty by relying on something like a crown. It is all right.”
Rather than let her struggle with that crown, it seemed better to simply leave it alone until her head grew a little more.
“Pardon?”
“This subject will eliminate every person who mocks Your Majesty for being unable to wear the crown properly, or who harbors the thought that they cannot acknowledge Your Majesty as Queen because of it, so that Your Majesty need not be constrained by the crown’s weight.”
“Ah, th-then I do not have to wear it when I meet the Grand Duke?”
“Yes, you may set it down. I will also tell Countess Dvari not to scold you for it.”
“B-but in the office, if it is not by the bed.......”
“It is all right. I will execute every person who points out that you are not wearing the crown in the office.”
“E-execute and eliminate are frightening words. Please do not do that....... Could you merely scold them?”
“Hmm?”
“To the extent of a proper scolding....... Would that not do?”
I gave a snort of laughter.
“I am pleased by Your Majesty’s kindness. Yes, I will give them a proper scolding.”
When Her Majesty, who had been watching my reaction, smiled at me, she seemed to relax a little.
Then she looked me up and down, pointed a finger at me, and asked.
“Grand Duke!”
“Yes.”
“Are you hurt somewhere? What is that?”
Oh, no.
I had debated whether to raise Her Majesty to be a little tougher, but I had restrained myself from bringing the head of the man I killed and waving it around.
Yet it seemed the blood had not been completely removed.
“No. This is merely strawberry syrup.”
“You are lying! It does not smell at all like strawberries. I can tell the smell of strawberries apart.”
Ah, of course you can.
“I apologize. Your Majesty, do you perhaps like chicken?”
“Yes, I do! I like it steeped in wine and boiled furiously!”
When Her Majesty talked about food, the uneasiness in her eyes lessened.
Her voice became clearer as well.
Wine....... Well, the water around here was not clean, so even children drank wine to a degree.
Besides, if it was boiled, the alcohol would be gone, so it should be fine.
“Yes, wishing to serve Your Majesty food, this subject personally slaughtered a chicken, and it seems its blood splattered on me. You need not worry.”
“The chicken was injured?”
If you put it that way, the chicken had been injured rather badly.
I had come to report the Finance Minister’s slaughter in person, but it seemed better to submit a report instead.
The question of whether the chicken had been injured made me think there was no point in telling her such a story.
Still, I would need to inform her that I intended to appoint a new Finance Minister.
I was about to say that I would replace him with a northerner worthy of entrusting with the new Finance Minister’s office, when I saw several books in Her Majesty’s quarters.
Among them were mathematics books related to calculations.
Hmm.
She was young, but she was Queen. She would not remain forever a child with two buns and a crown that could not rest on her head.
She had to fulfill her share.
“Your Majesty, can you do calculations?”
“Of course I can. When I was learning the arts, my teachers praised me as sufficiently proficient in arithmetic!”
What teacher would call a Princess a dumbass?
Not unless they wished to research the inventive method of suicide called involuntary suicide.
Even so, Her Majesty truly seemed confident in her arithmetic.
It was the first time since I had met her that I had seen her look confident.
Let us see.
Was managing the nation’s finances not also a monarch’s duty?
Even if she later used an agent, she needed to know how the taxes offered to her were spent.
“I am glad that Your Majesty enjoys reading and studying. In that case, this subject has one request.”
“For me? Uh, yes. Please tell me anything, Grand Duke. What should I do?”
“Are you willing to personally oversee the collection and spending of the nation’s taxes? I speak of the Finance Minister’s work.”
I had no intention of making her manage it full time.
But it would be good for her to experience it, even just once, and learn how it worked.
“Pardon? Do you mean that I should perform the Finance Minister’s role? Uh, uhh. That requires quite a lot of study, and.......”
“You will learn even more by doing it yourself.”
“I-I feel somewhat burdened. You must have ruled territory broader than the Royal Domain, Grand Duke, but I-I?”
Her Majesty’s face reddened as she waved her hands.
She seemed terribly burdened and lacking in confidence.
Though I urged her several more times, she was already frightened and retreating.
“I-I am good at calculation, but difficult matters....... Is that truly something the Grand Duke cannot do?”
I was not going to keep serving as this country’s Regent for a hundred or ten thousand years.
Her Majesty had to learn about state affairs.
Rather than teach her state affairs one by one for a hundred days, it would be more effective for her to try handling receipts and disbursements and learn for herself.
If any part was a mess enough to become a problem, I could quietly correct it.
Practice was best for everything.
“We must count the kingdom’s gold and silver coins, but because I have only one eye, looking at gold and silver coins reflecting sunlight is too dazzling.”
“Ah, ahhh.......”
Her Majesty finally looked back and forth between my covered eye and my sound eye.
“I am asking Your Majesty to pity someone like me and lend me your help. Please grant my request.”
“Yes, yes, I will do it. I will try.”
Her Majesty decided to take on the Finance Minister’s work of counting taxes for my one-eyed sake. Though it was work she lacked confidence in and could have delegated, she considered the health of my eye. She was as kind as marigold-flower extract.