Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 124

And in less than half a day, the ledgers arrived from the Ministry of Finance. Those who delivered the ledgers were Viscount Manere and several officials.

“May the goddess’s… glory and blessing be upon the highest.”

“Yes, I saw you on the day of the coronation,” Miesa responded.

Viscount Manere, who had paid respects at the coronation as the head of his family, was the husband of the chief lady-in-waiting. Miesa found his pale, sweat-drenched face awkward to look at, knowing he was being deceitfully manipulated by his wife.

“Leave the ledgers here, and you all may leave.”

“Oh, no, Your Majesty. In case you have any questions while reviewing them…”

Viscount Manere was visibly intimidated. Miesa inwardly clicked her tongue, convinced that the chief lady-in-waiting must be utterly heartless, deceiving such a weak-hearted man and having several children with his younger brother.

In truth, Viscount Manere was a man with a suitable shamelessness and below-average morals, who had only been given a few words of caution about the queen from his wife. Miesa misunderstood the situation, unaware that those few simple words were enough to chill Viscount Manere to the core.

“No need. I’ll summon you separately if necessary. You must be busy, so you should go.”

Miesa didn’t want to trouble the middle-aged man before her. As Viscount Manere and the Ministry of Finance officials hurriedly retreated under the firm dismissal, Duke Salachez picked up the ledgers.

“Your Majesty, should I place all the ledgers on the desk?”

“Yes, do so.”

In the past few days, Duke Salachez had become quite accustomed to his role as Chamberlain. With quick movements, he placed all twelve thick volumes on the desk and stacked them neatly. As he moved the last ledger, Miesa asked him.

“Doid, what are the major festivals hosted by the country?”

“Every autumn and winter, there are the Harvest Festival and the New Year’s Festival. In spring, we have the Founding Festival. Additionally, there’s the queen’s birthday…”

“Wait, speaking of which, Your Majesty’s birthday is on February 10th, isn’t it?”

At Eirik’s sudden remark, Miesa asked again. “I have a birthday, too? I thought only Vermel did. What is that?”

“The day you were born is called your birthday. I saw it on the documents during the royal wedding ceremony.”

“Oh, my birthday. That’s right. It was cold. I ate lots of delicious food on my birthday, and it was wonderful.”

On Miesa’s childhood birthdays, Celia Palace would make a thick stew with the butter and cream they had saved by freezing for days, dipping hard bread into it. It was such a happy memory that Miesa smiled unconsciously.

Because of the modest means of Celia Palace, Miesa was unaware of the existence of birthday gifts. Therefore, she didn’t even think to consider what Eirik was already pondering, instead directing her curiosity towards Salachez.

“What kind of festival is it, as you mentioned? Is it like the Founding Festival or the birthday?”

“Though food is given to the poor on birthdays, the real fun is at the Harvest Festival. Everyone eats, drinks, dances, and has a joyful time.”

“Then we should check the Harvest Festival budget to see how much it costs to host a festival of that scale.”

At Miesa’s words, Duke Salachez waved his hands quickly. “Ah, Your Majesty. Since this year’s Harvest Festival was lackluster, please restore it to the scale it was four years ago if possible.”

“I see. It’s easier when you specify clearly.”

Miesa opened the ledger she had received and began reading from the first page.

***

The whole day, Miesa was buried in a mountain of ledgers.

“Okay, that’s enough for today,” Eirik said, indicating it was time for bed as the late night approached.

Miesa, who had been struggling with the ledgers all day, muttered in response, “I just can’t seem to get a grasp on it. Compared to the bountiful Harvest Festival four years ago, much more was spent on this year’s lackluster festival. I’m trying to set a standard, but I don’t even know where to begin.”

“Perhaps Count Silanz urgently needed money this time.” Having already been briefed by her, Eirik continued with a wry smile, “You’ll need the detailed breakdowns, won’t you? You won’t know where everything is without them.”

“A detailed breakdown. Ah, if I had that, I could see exactly what costs what.”

Early the next morning, she sent an attendant to the Ministry of Finance to obtain the detailed breakdowns. However, it only added to her confusion.

“I’m so confused because I don’t know what costs how much. I understand the price varies by quality, but I don’t know what is generally considered reasonable.”

Sighing, a thought suddenly crossed Miesa’s mind. She turned to Eirik and asked, “Are the ledgers at the Cladnier estate accurate?”

“Yes. The butler is trustworthy, and my mother is known to be meticulous.”

“That’s right. Mother used to verify even the price of butter. Could you perhaps get this year’s ledgers from there?”

Eirik understood her request and instructed Vallek to bring the Cladnier family ledgers. Half a day later, the thick ledgers arrived, cartload after cartload.

“If I’d known there’d be this much, I would have only asked for a month’s worth.”

Miesa’s eyes widened, but thanks to them, she could quickly gauge the elusive market prices.

“The Cladnier estate uses purpleheart wood too? Wait, it’s imported, yet it was only 3 jeres for 1 karil?”

Absorbed in reading the ledgers, Miesa clicked her tongue.

“They said it was 10 jeres for Vermel. They’ve been pocketing quite a bit.”

A long-standing misunderstanding Miesa had from a past conversation between Madam Cladnier and the butler at the Cladnier mansion was finally cleared up.

“I thought they used 10 jeres wood in the palace, but the Cladnier estate uses a mere 2 jeres Marjo wood fence…”

She murmured, glancing at Eirik, who burst into laughter for the first time in a while.

“You must have thought we were terribly poor.”

“Yes. I really didn’t know.”

Meanwhile, at a table far from her desk, Gella and Duke Salachez sat side by side. Miesa had ordered them to sit since there was no need to stand, but after days of just sitting, Duke Salachez grew restless.

“Your Majesty, if you don’t mind, I’d like to take a walk.”

“Ah, take Gella with you.”

“No, Your Majesty. I’m fine,” Gella said, half-opening her eyes as she woke with a start and waved her hands. However, as Miesa’s attention quickly returned to the ledgers, she slyly glanced around before slipping out after the Duke.

With the guards stationed outside the study, Vallek remained inside to provide security, making it easier for Eirik to speak freely.

“Your Majesty, you’re planning to remove Count Silanz from the Ministry of Finance, aren’t you?”

“Yes, that’s right. We need funds for the festival,” Miesa replied as Eirik handed her the list of officials.

“Before that, it seems we need to fill the position of Minister of State. Isn’t the seat vacated by Count Carlisle?”

Of course, she had dealt with him a few days ago, so he was no longer there. Miesa took the list of officials and scanned the names.

“Who do you think would be good?”

“Your Majesty’s opinion is the most important. What kind of person would you like as the Minister of State?”

Miesa pondered for a moment. It wasn’t just Salachez who was unfamiliar with the people.

“I want someone who knows a lot of people. Someone who gets along well with various individuals.”

As she skimmed through the list, she found a familiar name.

“What about Count Raviate from the Executive Department? You attended a banquet for his second son’s engagement, didn’t you?”

Eirik nodded. He had attended the banquet to connect with various families before the major event, and many different families were present at Count Raviate’s gathering. Since his predecessor had a strong reputation, it certainly wasn’t a bad choice.

“If it’s Count Raviate, he’s practically the head of the moderates and quite moderate himself, so he’s suitable for the position of Minister of State.”

“Good. Let’s call him tomorrow and appoint him.”

The position of Minister of State was decided with remarkable ease. Eirik gazed silently at the list of officials.

Among them were several names he originally intended to replace. But was replacing them all at once truly the right decision?

Moreover, could he really say his judgment was solely for the kingdom’s benefit? Was he considering it only from the perspective of the Cladnier family? As he mulled over this carefully, Miesa noticed his silence.

“What is it? Is the appointment too quick? But we can’t leave the position of Minister of State vacant for too long, can we?”

“No, I have no objections to that. It’s just…”