Arc 5 Wavering Thoughts

Recently, just as Charlotte’s suspension ended and the trial of the Elms family was over, she was informed that Dexter had passed away.

A few days later, Charlotte was able to attend the funeral, which proceeded smoothly. It was a large-scale ceremony, attended by many people, including not only relatives but also people of the fief and other aristocrats.

The love everyone had for Dexter was obvious.

Thomas was freed by the time of Dexter’s death. However, he spent his time in a daze at the marquis’ house, feeling a sense of loss and so on. He needed time to recover.

“You didn’t cry.” Thomas said to her at the funeral.

When she was informed of Dexter’s death, Charlotte didn’t shed a tear. Even during the funeral and afterward, she didn’t cry.

Thomas looked at her as if she was a cold-hearted person who, despite having often interacted with Dexter in the past, didn’t even say a single word about his passing.

Charlotte became skeptical. Was crying the only way to prove sadness?

If someone didn’t cry—if someone couldn’t cry, they’d be judged as callous. Regardless, only the those in question knew how sorrowful they were, and sometimes they weren’t even aware of it.

“Your Highness.”

Charlotte was recalling the funeral, but Quentin’s voice brought her from her thoughts. Quentin placed some documents on her desk.

“This a plan for the survey on the income and the poverty of the people. Following is a progress report on the hospital being constructed, along with amendments to new support measures, and so on…”

After finishing explaining the documents, Quentin looked down at the document in Charlotte’s hand.

“Is it a mine survey report?”

“Yes.”

The survey reporting on the mine that Frederick owned contained detailed results, such as the strata and forecasts of resource reserves. It also contained state secrets such as how to process special ores.

“The mines are under His Majesty’s jurisdiction, but I want to learn about them. It’s a special resource, so it piqueed my interest.”

These mines made up the majority of the natural resources of the Kingdom of Lymore. It was no exaggeration to say that Lymore was what it was today thanks to those mines. Frederick’s efforts alone weren’t enough to develop Lymore so rapidly from its desolate days.

While thinking such, Charlotte remembered something. She took out some documents from a drawer and handed them to him.

“What is this?” Quentin tilted his head and asked.

“The case for the orphanage attached to the school, the school lunches, the cheap housing for the students’ families, and the job placements. I won’t interfere with those matters from now on. I entrust everything to you, so do your best.”

“But… but Your Highness?”

“If you have time to play around with Juliet, you have time to spare.”

“But that’s…”

Quentin probably wanted to argue that it was Juliet’s wish, so it couldn’t be helped. But Charlotte cut him off midway, because she had something else on her mind.

Charlotte deliberately sighed at Quentin’s indecisive attitude.

“Haven’t you realized that your work speed has slowed?”

“!”

“I heard your grades at university aren’t improving either. And this is the future king’s vassal we’re talking about. How embarrassing. You complain about me being suspended, but you’re no better yourself. For a crown princess’ fiancée, you have such a low level of awareness.”

Faced with her reproachful gaze, Quentin clenched his fist. He knew that it’d affect his work, which was why he hesitated earlier.

As a student, he was both young and inexperienced. If he neglected his work, of course his discipline would drop and his efficiency would decrease. That was exactly the state Quentin was in right now.

“Keep this up if you want to tarnish the reputation of the royal family and the Sargent family. But if you understand the responsibilities that come with your position, then stop playing around and fulfil your duties.”

“…I understand.” Quentin muttered.

She turned away from Quentin and turned to the documents.

One of the reasons Quentin’s work had slowed down was that Juliet had fallen in love with someone for the first time. He couldn’t ignore it, as it upset him a great deal.

George Elms turned down the marriage offer, but Juliet doesn’t seem ready to let go.

After the trial of the brothers was over and things settled down, Frederick asked George to marry Juliet at her urging. However, he flatly refused, saying that he had no feelings for her.

In spite of that, Juliet was still adamant. She sent him letters and occasionally went to visit him, using the excuse of going to a merchant’s shop as an excuse.

Despite Juliet’s proactiveness, George surprisingly didn’t seem to be attracted to her in the slightest.

Now that George had become a commoner, he showed no signs of reciprocating Juliet’s feelings. But rather than cooling down, Juliet’s feelings for him only grew stronger. It caused a headache to everyone around her, including Frederick.

I feel sorry for George.

After all that happened with his brothers, even as a commoner, he was still being followed by a member of the royal family.

…Ah.

As she was looking through the documents Quentin had brought, something caught her eyes. It was a graduation party to be held at the royal castle.

Unlike the ones hosted by the academy, this one was being hosted by the king. As such, the guests were either high-ranking officials or influential nobles.

As a matter of course, the participating students were those who were about to graduate the high school and university departments of the Chester Academy. Even then, they had to be outstanding and have achieved a certain level of academic prestige. Their families, fiancées, and other related parties were also invited.

Most of the outstanding graduates had secured employment in important national institutions, or were expected to be in a position to make some kind of connections. The purpose of the royal graduation party was probably to deepen ties with them. Also, in rare cases where students hadn’t decided on their career paths, it was also an opportunity to recruit them.

Among the guest list was Ethelbert’s name.

Although he was enrolled as a university student, he wasn’t a graduate. Nevertheless, he was due to return to the empire after completing his study abroad program. Above all, he was the youngest brother of the empire. They probably invited him to deepen relationships in anticipation of the future.

Frederick was probably aware that he was disliked by Ethelbert. But considering their respective positions, he must’ve felt the need to make amends.

To be honest, Charlotte didn’t really want to see Ethelbert anymore. She didn’t want to be exposed to his kindness any more than necessary. However, she was in a position where she couldn’t be selfish. If she didn’t fulfill her duty as the crown princess to the best of her ability, her actions might be restricted again.

She couldn’t miss the party just because she didn’t want to see Ethelbert.

I’m sure Juliet will be attending as well.

Frederick must’ve been well aware of the massive risk presenting Juliet before royal families of other countries in an official setting would be. Even more so when Ethelbert made his dislike toward Juliet and Frederick apparent.

But this time, Charlotte was the protagonist of the party. Juliet most likely wouldn’t back down, and Frederick most likely would give in like a doting father he was.

Although it was in a public setting, the party was ultimately to thank, congratulate, and say farewell to the graduates. The main protagonists were the graduates—those with student or pupil status. Many of them were of noble birth, but since they were still young, it was expected that they’d have some flaws in their etiquette. There were also some commoner students who received scholarships, so it was also an environment to learn about such issues.

Despite attending as a relative of a graduate, Juliet was still a student. Frederick was probably being naïve again, thinking that people would just overlook her shortcomings.

Of the participants, Ethelbert was the only one who could openly criticize his decision, and that would only be if he was treated rudely in some way. As long as Juliet kept minimum contact with him, she could do as she pleased.

Shaking the depressing thoughts of the party from her mind, Charlotte began to look over the next document.

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***T/N: O she finally calls out her incompetent fiance?!

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