Chapter 88 : Chapter 88
Chapter 88
“……?”
I naturally assumed Olivia would ask for money, land, or at least some goods. Because, frankly, all the officials were currently underpaid.
But what Olivia wanted was so different from what I had expected.
“Full authority over internal affairs? Does that mean…… you want more work?”
“Yes.”
There probably isn't anyone in the world who wants more work.
“Why? If I recall correctly, Sir Heinshtangl seemed to dislike it when I said I would entrust him with full authority over internal affairs, saying it was a burden.”
At my question, Olivia answered immediately again.
“The reason is simple. I want to earn Your Highness's recognition.”
“……”
“Because I am interested in Your Highness.”
Interested?
The moment Olivia said that.
Clang—!
The sound of something falling was heard from a corner of the room. My gaze was reflexively drawn there.
“S… sorry! My hand slipped.”
Elly, whose eyes met mine, spoke awkwardly as she picked up the fallen pitcher from the floor and placed it on the table.
“I'll go get something to wipe it up with……!”
“Ah, yes. Are you okay? Isn't the pitcher broken?”
“N-no, it's not broken! I'll be right back!”
It was broken.
After saying that, Elly scurried out of the room. Her unusual behavior was a bit strange, but Olivia was the priority.
I turned my gaze back to Olivia and asked.
“What do you mean by you're interested in me?”
“I mean that Your Highness's policies and choices are intriguing. Because Your Highness's policies and choices are very different from my common sense.”
Different from her common sense…… That's understandable. I'm not from this world in the first place.
“I also heard a little about what Your Highness did in Misty Port this time. That you persuaded and recruited the pirates who dominated the South Sea. Your Highness's choice to meet those who could one day become enemies in advance and make them allies was also very, very intriguing.”
Olivia looked straight at me, her eyes sparkling even within her expressionless face. It's a pleasant thing to be stared at by a beauty, but since Olivia was so young compared to my 'actual age', I didn't feel particularly thrilled.
“I wish to take charge of internal affairs to meet with Your Highness more often. So I can watch the methods and processes by which Your Highness makes various judgments, and learn from them. If possible, I would also like to bring a desk into this room.”
“Hmm…… I see. But I like to think alone, so I even send Elly out of the room when I'm thinking about something. We can't share an office.”
If Olivia tried to share an office, it would be an unexpected crisis for me. Because then I wouldn't be able to read the <Future Diary> at ease.
“……”
Olivia paused for a moment, looking at me, then nodded.
“I understand. It is a pity, but I will use a separate office then.”
It seems Olivia really was thinking of sharing an office. I'm glad I drew the line before she said anything.
“Instead, please permit me to move my room to the one next to Your Highness's. And please permit me to visit you at any time of the day.”
“That much seems fine.”
“Thank you. And may I ask for one more thing?”
“Please, go ahead.”
Olivia is a skilled administrator who volunteers to work hard. That's why I intend to support her in any way I can.
“I heard you held a banquet for the knights and soldiers. In the banquet hall right now.”
“Yes, that's right. I gave them the banquet that the officials had prepared. It was to both reward the knights and soldiers and to make use of the budget the officials had wasted.”
“I would like you to go to that banquet hall with me.”
“Go to the banquet hall with you?”
“Yes. And in the banquet hall, please officially declare to the knights and soldiers there. Something along the lines of, 「“From now on, Olivia will be in charge of internal affairs, so I hope you will cooperate.”」”
It wasn't a particularly difficult task for me. All I had to do was say a few words…… wait a minute.
‘Ah, Olivia has a purpose.’
The knights and soldiers gathered in the banquet hall now are the core of the kingdom's military power. Most of the knights of the 3rd Knight Order, including Jereuth, are there, and the soldiers are veteran soldiers who distinguished themselves not only in the past war with the demons but also in the purge.
To put it another way, they could be called my personal guard.
Olivia is trying to get their cooperation and support on this occasion.
‘Since the various policy projects currently underway are related to the military, the cooperation of the military will be absolutely necessary. And also, to pressure the officials when I'm not around, she'll need actual military power.’
Even as this short conversation continued, Olivia was trying to get as much as she needed. She might have thought of all this before even coming to my room.
‘That might be thinking too far ahead, though.’
“I understand. Then let's go to the banquet hall right now—.”
“There is one more thing.”
“……Again?”
“Yes. At today's banquet, please allow me to dine with you as your ‘companion’.”
Dine with her as a companion? Does she mean like a partner to a party?
“That might be difficult. I was planning on just showing my face at the banquet hall and leaving. I have a lot to think about.”
“……”
When I refused, a sense of disappointment colored Olivia's clear gaze at me. The disappointment lingered in her eyes for only a fleeting moment, but I could clearly see it.
“I understand. Instead, please make sure to state clearly that Your Highness has entrusted me with full authority over internal affairs, as I requested.”
“Yes. Ah, just a moment. Before that, I think I need to tell Sir Heinshtangl that I've entrusted you with full authority over internal affairs. I can't proceed without telling the predecessor. You'll also have things to take over from Sir Heinshtangl.”
“My father will welcome it if Your Highness tells him you are entrusting me with internal affairs. He was feeling very burdened while Your Highness was away. So I don't think you need to tell my father.”
“Still, there's an order to everything. Especially for sensitive matters like handing over duties.”
“You don't really need to……”
I don't know if it's just my feeling, but it seemed Olivia didn't want me to tell Heinshtangl that I had decided to entrust internal affairs to her.
‘Did she have a fight with Heinshtangl?’
That thought crossed my mind for a moment, but it seemed unlikely. Considering Heinshtangl and Olivia's personalities, they weren't the type to raise their voices over trivial matters.
“……I understand. Then I will go and bring my father. He should be back from his inspection by now.”
Just as Olivia was speaking in a slightly reluctant voice.
—Knock, knock.
—Y-Your Highness, it's Heinshtangl! May I enter?
Heinshtangl's slightly urgent-sounding voice came from outside the door. It was a voice I hadn't heard in a while.
“Yes, come in.”
***
Click-!
At Leonardo's permission, Heinshtangl opened the door and entered. Seeing his daughter inside the room, Heinshtangl let out a sigh so quiet that others couldn't hear it.
Haa…….
‘I came back to the office and she was gone, so I thought she might have gone to see His Highness, and I was right. It looks like she brought all the reports she wrote, too.’
The reason Heinshtangl sighed.
It wasn't because he was worried that Olivia would surpass him and take his credit.
Heinshtangl had no greed for power, and he was certainly not the type of person to block his daughter's promotion.
Nevertheless, the reason Heinshtangl sighed was because his daughter had approached the crown prince directly.
‘In the end…… has Olivia decided to completely become His Highness's person?’
Before Leonardo left for Misty Port, his daughter had said she was ‘interested’ in Leonardo.
Since his daughter had never given any man a second glance before, Heinshtangl knew that the meaning of those words was quite significant.
That wasn't all. Heinshtangl also knew that while Leonardo was away from the royal capital, Olivia had been cultivating her interest in Leonardo on her own.
‘Olivia would smile while looking at the written orders His Highness left behind or the official documents that summarized the policies he had executed so far. I couldn't understand being happy while looking at written orders or official documents, but…… anyway, it's certain that Olivia has been captivated by His Highness Leonardo.’
To describe her appearance at that time, Olivia looking at Leonardo's written orders was like a young girl who had received a love letter.
‘Of course, I'm not opposed to my daughter becoming the crown prince's person. In fact, I'm in favor of it. But…….’
Just as Heinshtangl was about to think a somewhat negative thought.
Olivia broke Heinshtangl's reverie.
“Father. If you have come to report on your work, you don't have to. I have already finished.”
“……”
“And at my request, His Highness has decided to grant me full authority over internal affairs. The role you were originally in charge of, Father.”
“……What? You'll be assisting His Highness in my place?”
“That is correct. It is already a decided matter.”
His daughter's words, ‘It is already a decided matter’.
To Heinshtangl, it sounded like, 「“I have decided to become His Highness Leonardo's person, so don't say anything unnecessary.”」
In fact, that was what Olivia intended to say.
“And His Highness has also decided to tell the knights and soldiers in the banquet hall right now that I have become the person in charge of internal affairs. His Highness himself.”
“……Olivia, to that extent—.”
“That, too, is already a decided matter.”
At his daughter's firm words, Heinshtangl could not say anything more. He could only worry for his daughter.
‘The side of a person in power is safer than any other place, but for that very reason, it is also a dangerous place. Because there are always those who aim for the throne.’
His daughter says she will go to such a dangerous place on her own. Naturally, as a father, Heinshtangl couldn't help but be concerned.
‘Still…… Olivia will do well. Since she's already made up her mind, it can't be changed.’
“I understand.”
Heinshtangl replied briefly to Olivia and looked at Leonardo.
“Your Highness. Please take good care of Olivia. My daughter will surely be of great help to Your Highness in many ways.”
***
The expression ‘please take good care of my daughter’ is generally used during an engagement. So when Heinshtangl said that, I was honestly flustered.
‘It must be a difference in expression. Or a cultural difference.’
“Are you alright with this, Sir Heinshtangl? Entrusting the position you held to Lady Olivia?”
“I do not mind at all. I also believe my daughter will do a better job in that role than I would.”
“I understand.”
With the predecessor's approval, the only thing left was to officially announce that Olivia had become the person in charge of internal affairs.
However, there was something to do before that.
‘I need to check the <Future Diary>. I need to confirm whether entrusting internal affairs to Olivia is the right decision or not.’
“Then, Lady Olivia and Sir Heinshtangl, please go to the banquet hall first. I will go with Elly when she returns.”
“I understand.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Heinshtangl said he understood in a voice that sounded a little less burdened, and Olivia simply replied in her usual calm voice.
“Then, we will take our leave.”
Thud—.
Heinshtangl closed the door and left the room with Olivia. As soon as I saw that, I took out the <Future Diary> and opened it.
‘First, let's check the future closest to the present. The details about giving Olivia power will probably be in there—.’
As I was thinking that.
Shwararararak—!
The pages of the <Future Diary> turned on their own. In an instant, the last page, the part containing my ending, was opened.
‘……Why is the ending suddenly opening? Was giving Olivia power a big mistake? Don't tell me Olivia seizes power and betrays me?’
It was only natural to have such concerns.
But fortunately, my concerns were wrong. My ending did not contain any mention of Olivia's betrayal.
Instead…… as befitting my ending, it contained a truly bleak content.