TSMMT Ch 90

Suspicious Talent (2)

Forced into the task, Dianna intended to do a half-hearted job. Yet upon observing the inner workings of the royal court, bewilderment seized her.

A complete disaster.

It was literally true. The royal court of Lodbrog was an utter disaster. That the palace somehow functioned at all was a miracle in itself.

Even in her past life, Dianna considered the system of the Lodbrog royal palace strange. Despite the vast number of people present, the actual workforce remained tiny.

Yet examining the documents, she identified the primary issue. The largest deficit stemmed from labor costs.

People—specifically, an excessive number of people—posed the problem. Reports indicated that the servants' quarters, a place Dianna would never visit in her lifetime, had overflowed long ago.

Upon investigation, numerous individuals remained on the payroll, drawing salaries—or more accurately, pensions—long past retirement age. Those retiring received honorary titles, using the status to squat within the palace and leech pensions rather than leaving the grounds.

The issue lay not in their competence, but in their practice of taking bribes from junior servants to pass down positions. Furthermore, their long tenure and accumulated wealth granted them deep-seated influence within the palace. It was a vicious cycle.

What astonished Dianna even further was the discovery of pensions and salaries still paid out to deceased individuals. This corruption was certainly not the work of a single person.

Regardless of their corruption, these honorary officials had managed palace affairs for decades, possessing an extraordinary talent for projecting competence to their superiors.

That was why even the fastidious Revius paid no further mind after seeing the tidy exterior of the palace. Of course, he might have simply turned a blind eye despite knowing the truth.

While some honorary figures were long-serving veterans, others were political plants pushed in by aristocrats. They performed no actual labor, standing above common servants to lord over them. Undoubtedly, at least eight out of ten royal secrets leaked through these people.

With so many people crammed into the system, multiple supervisors received reports for the same tasks, rendering the reporting structure chaotic and twisted while wasting time and resources.

It was a total structural failure.

Inquiring with Mable revealed that even she couldn't clearly define the reporting standards. Fortunately, most palace maids were recent hires rather than long-term employees brought in through personal recommendations.

Furthermore, as Mable's direct subordinates, they bypassed the tangled hierarchy entirely, remaining free from interference by the honorary officials. Lastly, she harbored profound skepticism toward the system.

In Dianna's eyes, Mable was someone who valued efficiency.

She pondered her options. Firing just a few people would save a significant portion of the budget. Moreover, if she ordered fewer dresses and purchased fewer jewels—the typical symbols of extravagance—she might project the image of a frugal queen.

Moderately revered, moderately welcomed……

[Mable] "What do you intend to do, Your Majesty?"

Mable and Leonie looked at her. Studying the documents, Dianna deliberated: choosing an effortless, temporary fix that made no enemies, or cutting out the systemic corruption by its roots……

Naturally, Dianna inclined toward the former. Of course she did. How could she possibly undertake such a daunting reform? She had no desire to become a queen condemned from her very ascension. She didn't even need fancy dresses, having abandoned any attachment to them when she tried to run away.

Yet was that right? Dianna squeezed her eyes shut.

I want to fix this. I want to fix this disaster so badly.

Yet taking action would earn her nothing but condemnation. Even so—

[Dianna] "Very well, let us take a direct look first."

Debating the issue from the outside a hundred times paled in comparison to examining it once from within. Dianna instructed Mable to disguise her in a maid's uniform and headed toward the servants' quarters. Direct observation was the only way to gain full understanding.

[S. Servant] "Can't you rub my shoulders properly?"

[S. Servant] "Hey, bring me water."

Dianna knitted her brows as she observed the honorary officials occupying large private rooms within the cramped servants' quarters, bossing junior servants around.

Occupying an entire floor, these people enjoyed authority rivaling high nobles—or even the King himself—solely because of their long tenure in the royal palace.

Dianna released a hollow laugh. These people operated on a completely different level of corruption than Mirva’s past antics. The servants attending high-ranking nobles lived in the main palace and fared better, yet this sight remained repulsive to witness.

For several days, Dianna quietly wore maid's attire and inspected every corner.

It was unendurable to watch.

Dianna had earned a reputation back home for meticulous household management. While not overly strict, she tolerated a reasonable degree of negligence from subordinates, but this situation exceeded her limits by far.

Though she found most things bothersome, such glaring inefficiency surpassed any acceptable boundary.

[S. Servant] "Hey, girl, come over here!"

As Dianna continued her inspection, an old man stepped forward. He sported a long blond mustache.

[S. Servant] "Ahem, a new girl? I have seen you walking around a few times."

[Dianna] "……"

[S. Servant] "Come closer. You are quite adorable, aren't you?"

A mere servant daring to harass the Queen of the nation!

Restraining her accompanying maids who prepared to spring forward, Dianna approached the man, only for him to grab her hand tightly.

[S. Servant] "The girls under me all live in the main palace. Wouldn't you like to work under me and do the same?"

The hairy hand stroking her fingers was as thick as a sausage. Dianna stared for a long moment at the hideous thing groping her skin.

[Dianna] "The main palace?"

[S. Servant] "Indeed, it is far more spacious and comfortable than this cramped hole. You can observe the nobility up close. Play your cards right, and your fortune will bloom."

Whether he speaks the truth or not, I must investigate if corruption exists among those working in the main palace as well.

[Dianna] "Did you offer the same promise to the girls who used to stay here?"

Finding her question provocative, the man burst into a hearty laugh.

[S. Servant] "Of course! Those girls are currently serving directly beneath Her Majesty the Queen in the main palace."

As Dianna glanced back at her disguised maids, they gestured a desperate denial with repulsive expressions.

She understood the general picture. She now comprehended why Lodbrog appeared so starkly humble, downright pathetic, compared to other realms. Funds were constantly leaking out through hidden channels like this.

Dianna snatched her hand away from the man's grip.

[S. Servant] "What is wrong? Hmm? Ah, did some other guy snatch you up already?"

Thinking about it, if another woman becomes queen in three years, fixing this corruption will prove difficult for her. Since I am already destined to be condemned, I might as well execute it myself.

[Dianna] "No. Her Majesty the Queen instructed me to tell you that you are fired."

[S. Servant] "Huh?"

[Dianna] "So, get out, you filth."

She offered a radiant smile as she drove the pig out.

---

Guiscard would return only when winter concluded. Meanwhile, Revius received reports indicating that the war situation was turning severe. Many monsters hibernated during winter. Nevertheless, monsters ran rampant despite the severe cold.

Their numbers rivaled a full Monster Wave, even though the season for such an outbreak had not arrived. Intelligent Orcs had appeared, invading human towns and cities.

The primary difference between humans and Orcs lay in their thick fur. Humans were fragile against the cold, whereas Orcs possessed natural resistance to frost and blizzards, locking the two forces in a war of attrition.

The knight delivering battle reports addressed Revius.

[Darium] "His Majesty inquires if Her Majesty the Queen is faring well."

Looking at him, who delivered the message, Revius spoke in disbelief.

[Revius] "If he is so curious, ask him why he doesn't write a letter directly."

[Darium] "I must prepare a clear answer regarding her well-being before I return, Your Excellency."

Darium spoke stiffly, prompting a dry laugh from Revius.

[Revius] "She fares wonderfully. Inform him that she generously expended a quarter of the annual budget already."

[Darium] "……"

[Revius] "Is it not magnificent? How long has she been here to spend a full quarter of it?"

Darium's expression hardened. He pondered how to convey this report to the King, letting out a heavy sigh.

[Darium] "His Majesty specifically commanded that you spare no assistance for Her Majesty."

[Revius] "Inform him: how am I supposed to offer assistance to a woman who despises me so intensely?"

Hearing his hostile tone, Darium knit his brows.

[Darium] "Your Excellency the Prime Minister."

[Revius] "Ah, I know. That is precisely why I handed over full authority over the budget to her."

[Darium] "……"

[Revius] "If she is someone he holds so precious, surely she will accomplish something, will she not?"

Revius offered a cold smile. He held Dianna in low regard. Her perpetual lethargy and refusal to act irritated him.

Everyone had to fulfill their assigned role. He understood she became queen against her will, and he recognized her desire to drown in despair. Yet limits existed. How could she surrender everything to those challenging her authority? Revius himself was a commoner who climbed to his current position through sheer grit.

Upon hearing rumors that Saruvia would handle all practical administration, Revius concluded that the Queen was fundamentally flawed.

That was why he forcibly dumped the work onto her—the duties a queen of a nation ought to perform. He intended to display the catastrophic results to Guiscard after a month, demonstrating how thoroughly the royal palace would fall into ruin under her tenure.

Thus, a month passed gradually. Dianna's actions upon taking over budget management and execution consisted mainly of expelling most of the staff. She evicted long-serving workers with a tyrannical intensity rivaling Guiscard himself, reportedly mobilizing knights to enforce the dismissals.

People poured out complaints to Revius over this matter, but he suppressed the discontent by force. His personal creed dictated never interfering once he delegated a task.

Occasionally, the image of the Queen scolding him surfaced in his mind. Her cool gaze shining with a sharp glint as she called out his rudeness sparked a tiny, faint ember of expectation within him.

Yet the actual outcome was mass termination.

Feeling pity for Guiscard fighting on the battlefield, Revius sent Darium away without further complaint, reporting merely that the Queen was faring well.

Even after Darium departed, Dianna's policy remained unwavering. She continued firing people. Revius ignored the rising public outcry.

The end of the month approached. Once the month ended and the chaos persisted, he intended to step in personally.

Dianna was foolish. How could she expect to rule over the royal palace without showing respect to existing workers? Dismissing servants who had served since the previous king's reign so recklessly was unacceptable.

Finally, the month drew to a close. Wearing a cold smile, Revius read through the financial report Dianna had compiled and submitted.

What is this?

He doubted his own eyes.

[Revius] "Is this accurate? Are the figures recorded here correct?"

Revius questioned the Financial Officer repeatedly. He nodded, expressing understanding.

[F. Officer] "They are accurate. Absolutely certain."

[Revius] "……"

[Revius] "How could this be……? Figures like these should have caused massive chaos. Did reports fail to reach my ears?"

[F. Officer] "No, Your Excellency. There was no chaos significant enough to warrant reporting to you. I assure you."

Come to think of it, contrary to expectations of turmoil, the palace remained entirely intact. In fact, a sense of crisp order pervaded the grounds.

Revius examined the document repeatedly. Good heavens.

[Revius] "A digit is missing."

It was true. Dianna had expended merely a tenth of the projected annual expenses. The savings easily covered the funds she had spent previously, leaving a vast surplus.

[Revius] "……"

He let out a breathless laugh. Revius chuckled in disbelief.

What on earth? She is far more capable than I imagined.

---

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