Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Irked by Sycophants
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I'm in a bad mood.
I knew William's body was holding up fine, but now I realize it's only his body that's fine.
It's hard to believe that scraping by on dog food is considered good treatment.
But I suppose that's to be expected.
It's a prison, after all.
If prisons treated you well, why would they even exist?
It's sad, but since William claims he's staying positive in his own way, I can only hope he keeps that attitude until the end.
And what was really souring my mood wasn't even William's dog-like situation.
"Your Highness, congratulations."
It was these slimy creeps sneaking in to offer bribes on the sly.
Their revolting smiles as they slyly presented dazzling boxes made my stomach churn.
"......"
"Heh heh..."
I shot a quick glance at Sera standing behind me, and she stepped forward with perfect timing to take the box.
The sycophant in front of me couldn't hide his ugly grin.
He's just as bad at masking his expression as I am, so why does his feel so much dirtier and more repulsive...
Suppressing the urge to vomit, I forced a smile and addressed the creep.
"Sorry, but what exactly are you congratulating me for?"
"Haha, with the warm sunlight adorning the palace so beautifully, how could I not congratulate you?"
To think he'd so boldly lick boots inside the Imperial Palace just because the Emperor is backing me...
"...I see."
It left a bitter taste in my mouth.
These vile opportunists who lack the guts to openly support me but still want my favor.
I could forgive approaches from neutrals or the noble faction, but some of these were nobles who'd openly backed my sister before, which made it even more infuriating.
"You're the Earl of Sheffield, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"I'll make sure to remember you clearly."
"Thank you. It's an honor."
So I gave him a cold glare and said I'd remember him, but the fool just kept beaming and bowing repeatedly.
Ha, he's not some cunning opportunist—he's just an idiot.
Moths who think they're clever.
Having my time stolen by idiots like this was infuriating.
"Then, if that's all."
"Yes, I look forward to working with you."
I waved dismissively to signal I was done, then turned away, my expression hardening instantly.
I could hear the sycophant muttering something behind me, but it was probably nothing important.
"Your Highness."
As I stormed away from the creep, Sera, who'd been quietly at my side, approached cautiously and called out to me.
A quick glance sideways revealed Sera standing awkwardly with the box in her arms.
"What?"
"What should we do with this?"
"Just throw it..."
I started to say toss it like the last ones, but stopped myself—after a few days, the trash heap would overflow with valuables. Instead, I beckoned Sir Rachel, who was nearby on guard duty.
"You called for me, Your Highness?"
"As you've seen, Sir, the palace is crawling with irreverent scum who misread His Majesty's intentions and dare offer bribes in this sacred place."
"Yes, indeed."
I spoke to Sir Rachel while gesturing for Sera to hand over the box.
Sir Rachel carefully accepted it while listening intently, her face puzzled but composed as she awaited my next words.
"I can't just stand by and watch this."
"A most righteous stance."
"So, confiscate these bribes as imperial property, and report every single one who's offered me bribes so far to His Majesty and the Crown Prince without exception."
"!"
Sir Rachel's eyes flared with intensity, her usual stoic nod breaking for a moment.
"Yes, as Your Highness commands."
Her voice came out a touch higher than usual.
She exchanged glances with the other nearby guards, then headed off with subtly excited steps.
Judging by the direction, she was going straight to the Knights' Order.
"How cute."
Finding a knight so fun to tease lifted my mood a little.
"Sera."
"Yes."
"Let's head to the Atelier now."
"Yes. Shall we return to your room first to prepare?"
"Sure."
_
"You've arrived?"
I pulled my hat low to hide my identity as princess and entered the Atelier. Prince Herbert, already there, stood to greet me and subtly guided me toward William's usual seat at the head of the table.
We usually sat face-to-face just fine, but now he's feeling the pressure, huh.
So amusing.
I was tempted to tease him a bit, but more pressing matters came first, so I smiled and quietly took my seat, slowly scanning the staff.
"Everyone gathered early. Thanks for coming so readily on such short notice."
"With Sir William in that state, how could we just sit still? The Atelier's on the brink of closing!"
"Right? You won't find a workplace like this anywhere else."
"True..."
As Prince Herbert and Mari said, this rare gem of a job—miraculously employee-friendly, where commoners and nobles mingled without formality—was teetering on collapse, and I didn't want it crumbling pointlessly either.
"Since time's short, straight to the point: as you all know, William's in prison. The issue is we don't know when he'll get out."
"Life sentence?"
"No, really, no one knows. If His Majesty orders him to stay longer, he'll have to."
"Why would His Majesty do that to Sir William? What crime did he commit?"
"It's... complicated. Best to just assume he can't leave until His Majesty releases him."
Palace intrigues are too tangled to explain easily.
Even I wasn't told everything—only my mother and father know the full truth.
"So what do we do?"
"First, let's check William's message. He said he'd left contingency plans in his desk drawer for times like this."
I'd overheard that from his chat with Emily.
Not that I'd eavesdropped on purpose—their workshop talk just drifted to my ears, so no harm done.
"Then let's check it quick."
"Yeah."
At Prince Herbert's urging, I stood and went to William's workstation.
I started opening drawers from the top, checking contents.
"Ah."
Finding the paper was easy.
A letter envelope stood out boldly amid sewing and writing tools.
I took it back to my seat and stretched my arm to tear it open near the table's center for all to see.
Out came a palm-sized sheet.
Not too thick—probably just one or two pages.
"......"
An inexplicable unease rose.
For "contingency plans," it was awfully small.
Still, trusting it held something useful, I pulled out the paper, right-side up, and placed it on the table.
As everyone watched expectantly, the note's contents were revealed.
[Act as usual. I trust you'll handle it.]
"Ah..."
We all stared, speechless, until someone's sigh signaled us to look away in unison.
"“......”"
A heavy, prickling silence settled over the workshop.
Adelaide tapped her foot uncomfortably; Mari's claws extended and retracted.
The others openly showed their displeasure too.
"Mari."
"Yes."
"Rip it up."
"Yep."
Mari shredded the note with her sharp claws like she'd been waiting, then crumpled the scraps with her soft cat paws.
Really, why waste paper on something he could've just said?
"So now what?"
"Infuriating, but he's not wrong. If we look shaky, customers will bail. We have to pretend everything's fine until he returns."
"But we're short-staffed, especially pattern makers."
"And two of them, no less..."
The deadliest issue was I couldn't free up time either.
With Mother and the nobles pressuring me, I couldn't visit the Atelier carefree.
In short, until William's issue resolved, I wasn't free either.
"Hmm..."
I exhaled deeply, organizing my thoughts.
Mother and Count Hume wouldn't drag this unease out long.
His two-week term showed Mother's intent to end it quickly.
Assuming smooth sailing, William would return before November.
"Let's plan assuming William's back by November."
"Mm... is that safe?"
"If it drags beyond, we're done for anyway. Right? You think anyone lasts nearly a month in the Knights' prison unscathed?"
"Ah..."
Even the young would emerge half-broken after a month there.
Subpar meals, harsh conditions—recovery would take as long as, or longer than, the sentence.
"So we need to figure out how to hold strong for these two weeks until he returns."
"Yes."
Prince Herbert nodded in understanding.
The others nodded slightly too, no objections, eyes on us.
"Any ideas?"
"Adjust order volume?"
"I plan to, but not too much—we need to look fully operational."
"Then redistribute roles."
"Redistribute roles?"
I tilted my head, awaiting Princess Fanny's input.
No one else could draft patterns to fit...
"Right now, pattern makers draw, cut, and pass on. But if they just draw and hand off cutting, we can keep volume steady."
"Who cuts then? It's not something just anyone can do."
"Walter and Ellen can. Excluding specialty fabrics, they can handle cotton or silk fine."
"Hm~ yeah."
With Adelaide on sewing full-time, it wasn't bad—if feasible.
"Adelaide, can you?"
"Of course. I've been waiting for this."
"Good. Then we'll redistribute as Princess Fanny suggests. She's in charge until then—think you can handle it?"
"Yes."
I named Princess Fanny interim head for two weeks, then scanned the staff.
William handpicked eccentrics, but even in crisis, their eyes burned with fight.
Smiling at them, I said,
"Everyone, just hold firm for two weeks. William—and I—will reward you properly."
"No need. Just get Sir William back soon."
"Yeah, we want to work with the boss and Your Highness, not rewards."
"......"
The empire's princess offers rewards, and these lunatics refuse...
"Ha."
A hollow laugh escaped.
To keep watching these madmen longer, I'd pour all my effort into springing William from prison fast.