fluvia 84: Fluvia Requesting to Visit the Royal Palace

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Chapter 84: Fluvia Requesting to Visit the Royal Palace

Housing employees in living quarters on the workplace’s premises isn’t uncommon for businesses and organizations in Valed.

That’s true for the Dellarose Earl’s Household as well.

Back in the Dellarose Estate in Roseat, we have over 100 servants, aids, and guards with various duties who also live with the Earl’s family.

Of course, it’s only the personnel who either need to be on the premises 24 hours a day or those who don’t have their own living arrangements – and just saying, we DO pay enough for our employees to buy and maintain a modest lifestyle even if they did buy or rent their own lodging.

In other words … outside of the duties that require an employee to live onsite, the only ones who lodge with us are the ‘slaves’ (which I’m attempting to change to being called ‘contract workers’, despite being nothing like the contractors in modern day Japan), whose room and board need to be provided for since their wages are paid to a third-party, and … well, people who just can’t be bothered to take care of themselves.

Unsurprisingly, the bulk of the live-in employees are made up of single young women who have just left their families and bachelors of all ages.

In addition to these obvious ‘employees’ of the Earl’s Household, there are also some government officials living in.

Similar to the Royal Palace, our Estate is both the living space for the Earl’s Household as well as a building that tends to official bureaucratic business.

Unlike the Royal Palace, however, the Dellarose Estate is not a campus made up of multiple buildings.

This means there are quite a few people who come in and out of the house I live in on a regular basis.

At first I was uneasy at the idea of so many people I didn’t know coming in and out, but our living quarters are so far removed from the ‘business’ part of the mansion that I honestly didn’t even know about it for over a year after I had returned from the Capital’s House of Healing.

Not a single unrelated person is allowed past a certain point, and the Estate Guard Barracks divides the business part from the living part of the mansion.

Plus, we have Lysander and his crew hanging around the mansion too.

So despite my misgivings, I think we’re actually pretty safe.

Anyway, only the governmental dealings that require Father’s attention are done in our Estate.

The Royal Palace has all forms of bureaucracy headquartered within its walls, from military to treasury, law enforcement, court hearings, all of the Ministries, and even public services, so it seems obvious that multiple buildings are required within it.

For our Estate, and for most Earldoms, although all those governmental dealings might be done within the Estate at one point or another, their actual headquarters are held elsewhere – sometimes even in another part of the Earldom.

Our Militia, for example, is headquartered in the south near the Alibrand borders, since that’s where most of the battles were fought in the past.

Conversely, the Guard’s headquarters is located just on the outskirts of Roseat.

And there’s no way there’d be court hearings inside the Earl’s Estate.

Those would be held in court houses all across the Earldom, with the most serious or convoluted cases being held in either the Roseat Courthouse or the Roas Courthouse in the south.

So what happens in the Earl’s Estate?

Reports from various bureaucratic bodies, consultation about major issues from each of those bodies, and legislation, mostly.

Only the highest-ranking officials of our Earldom are involved with that type of business, so only those high-ranking officials are allowed to enter the Estate.

Now, logically speaking, those types of high-ranking officials tend to be older, married, and own property and a home.

They may even have their own mansions, although smaller than the Dellarose Estate with its conference rooms and grand halls.

So, logically, there wouldn’t be anyone who needs their room and board provided for, right?

Edgar … is an exception.

As the Steward, he’s almost always attending business in the Estate, although he does have to call on the other bureaucratic bodies more often than not, and, well, it isn’t unheard of for Stewards to have a room in the Earl’s Estate for busy seasons.

It’s just that they also usually have their own homes (mansions) as well.

But, well, he is the youngest Steward ever recorded, and he’s been so busy ever since he became our Steward that there’s no way he was able to look into purchasing his own home, let alone being able to manage it himself.

Furthermore, although he’s been of age to get married… well, it’s more common for people not born of high nobility to be married in their 20s.

He’s only 19 now, after all, and is to-tally living a lifestyle where he’s married to his job.

Although I feel apologetic towards how the affairs of our Earldom has essentially sabotaged his romantic life before it even started, I have to admit, it does have its perks to having him around all the time.

“Ah, Edgar. Good morning.”

Edgar raises an eyebrow as he entered the communal dining room.

The communal dining room in the Dellarose Capital Estate is quite a bit smaller than that of the Dellarose Estate, so I was able to spot him pretty easily.

“Lady Fluvia. It’s rare to see you up so early. What do you want me to do for you?”

Even if it’s true, you don’t have to be so blunt about it, jeez.

If you stay this uncute, you won’t be able to get married, you know?

… Although his status as an Earl’s Steward would probably expedite the process.

“Somehow, I feel like you’re thinking something rude…”

“Oh no, it must be your imagination~.”

“Try looking directly at me and saying that… And? What was it you needed?”

Edgar yawned ungracefully as he sat down at the table.

Dignity doesn’t exist until you’ve had your coffee after all… although there’s no coffee here.

Instead, Edgar takes his tea strong and black with a bit of dark treacle.

“You and Father were going to give your official greetings at the Royal Palace, correct?”

“…Yes…”

“I want to come along~.”

“…”

Ah.

It looks like Edgar’s brain was working hard trying to figure out why I suddenly made this request, and it seems to have shorted.

I think it was a little too early in the morning for this.

It’s currently right at sunrise, after all, since Edgar has a lot of things to prepare before going to the Palace.

It’s really painful for me, too, with the low blood pressure, but now that I’m awake I’m fine.

The power of youth and all~.

“It seems that there are a lot of nobles and officials bringing their debuting daughters to the Royal Palace these days.”

“… There are.”

“They seem to be aiming for Prince Anthony’s escort position.”

“… So it seems.”

“Ah, of course I have no intentions of doing that, or rather, my escort partner is already determined, but I thought it was a good opportunity to familiarize myself with some of the other debuting girls.”

“…Haah…”

“You know, since the Princes and Mattias aren’t exactly your average children either, I thought it would be good for me to take some notes on how other 8-year-old girls act before entering society.”

“… That’s… not entirely a bad idea, but … ”

Edgar seems conflicted about the idea.

Well, yeah, I guess there are some risks to bringing me along to the Palace to see Prince Anthony.

There will be questions of what the Dellarose intentions are in trying to further the Earl’s daughter’s relationship with the Princes.

Will it mean that we’re trying to pair me with Prince Anthony?

Will Fedor be free as an escort partner?

Or are there other reasons besides the Debut Season that I’m being brought in to see the Prince?

Even if it’s just because I’m innocently showing up to play, there are going to be tons of speculations from… everyone.

That’s why I’m asking Edgar about being brought along.

If I ask Father, I’m definite he’ll just agree without thinking about the consequences whatsover.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to have you see what a real 8-year-old girl is like…”

I think so too, but you shouldn’t just say it outright.

“… But can you consider them normal girls when they’re being pushed to seduce the Prince at their age?”

“Don’t say ‘seduce.’ It makes it sound so much worse. It’s just to try to get along with him, right? I mean, we’re only 8 years old.”

“…Sure. … …”

Edgar stares at me for a moment with his brows furrowed.

“… Lady Fluvia, please don’t underestimate the interest in the opposite gender of an 8-year-old boy.”

“… … …”

“As long as you keep it in mind, it’s fine.”

“… Anyway, surely there aren’t parents who would tell their 8-year-old girl to seduce a boy.”

“Don’t underestimate a noble’s greed either.”

“It’s not about underestimating or not. I simply don’t wish to believe it. But even so, I believe they will act more like children than I do, and it would be better for me to familiarize myself with a few faces before the Debut Season really begins to pick up.”

Plus, little boys are cute and all, but I really want to play with some girls!

I may be eternally 20 inside, but being reincarnated into this body has made me want to let loose a little and act like a child again.

And, really, the things I’ve had my hands in these past 3 years, can’t be considered relieving any sort of childhood from any era.

Besides, once I start debuting, I’ll HAVE to interact with the girls in high society.

Socializing with the boys isn’t taboo or anything, but if I’m a Lady who only goes out to see gentlemen … well, it doesn’t have a good feel to it.

Anyway, socializing with other nobles’ daughters is the job of a daughter of an Earl in order to show off favors and good relations, and I do intend to take it seriously.

Of course my main goal isn’t to make sure I have a group of girl friends I can chat with in the future, and of course I’m not taking advantage of Prince Anthony’s current situation of practically having girls thrown at him in order to meet with a lot of them at once.

And of course I’m not at all curious about a real-life harem-like situation at all.

Edgar sipped his tea as he thought for a bit before saying,

“…Those words sound good, but you’re not just doing this because you want to see how Prince Anthony looks while trying to deal with a bunch of girls he doesn’t know, right?”

“…Even if that is an amusing side bonus, it isn’t my main reason for going.”

Edgar heaves a loud sigh, holding his face in his hands.

“Even though I had to work so hard to dissuade Lord Earl from dragging you along last night after he heard about the nobles and officials bringing their daughters into work…”

“… … …”

Since it’s Father, it’s definitely not because he wants me to ‘get along’ with the Princes.

The reason is definitely just to show me off, isn’t it?

Um…

“…My apologies for making such a troublesome request.”

“…As long as you understand. Well, I don’t think there will be much trouble with getting permission from Lord Earl, so you might as well make your preparations.”

And so, it appears I’ll be able to go to the Royal Palace today.

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