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Chapter 91
A Difficult Task
It happened a month before Rivus received the report.
“Why is she taking this so seriously?!”
Princess Lebian was flustered watching Diana at work. She had excluded both herself and Princess Kragel, instead consulting only with the maids. Just the maids!
Her heart raced. Becoming queen was the longstanding wish of her family—and her own. Yet Diana Brien had entered, pretending to be gentle, all while subtly undermining her.
Why?
Why, exactly?
However, her worries were brief. She heard that even the palace informants had been dismissed. Princess Lebian breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.
“What? She’s actually dumber than I thought.”
It was one thing to boldly dismiss those settled in the palace, but why hadn’t Diana anticipated the backlash? Princess Lebian immediately rose and prepared to meet the informants she had secretly placed.
Anything a foreign queen did would naturally draw resentment. Diana’s grand schemes would spark fierce opposition, yet all Princess Lebian needed to do was create the spark. Diana’s efforts were destined to fail. She smiled bitterly.
Even though Rivus had delegated all budget matters, the work was not easy.
Diana reviewed documents and continuously tracked budget movements. Giskar was not a Panborough-style king who gained power through socializing, so the budget for hosting guests was small. The palace, built during the early days of the kingdom, had fixed maintenance costs, and no extra luxury items like interior decorations or artworks were purchased.
The Kingdom of Rodbrock had undergone repeated civil wars, with its name changing multiple times, and art had never had the chance to flourish. There was neither the time nor the funds to refurbish and beautify the palace.
As expected, the largest expense was labor. Fine—just focus on that. After all, they would complain anyway, so she might as well do it all. Diana began by expelling the trash she had previously tolerated, then ordered the dismissal of honorary positions.
She also cut pensions to one-tenth of what they were, eliminated excessively redundant officials, and raised salaries for those who actually worked. Some were tasked as inspectors to report on internal matters. Diana gathered detailed reports, even down to the families of laundry staff.
The palace was a large estate. In fact, because staff in different departments weren’t closely bonded, it was relatively easy to sway some of them. Diana noticed the hardworking ones and placed them in management positions.
But was it really that easy?
“Your Majesty, this is terrible!”
Princess Lebian burst in, shouting at Diana. Diana frowned slightly at the princess, whose eyes gleamed with a strange excitement.
“What is it?”
“All those you ordered to leave are staging a sit-in!”
“…….”
“They claim they cannot take a single step out of here and are sitting in protest, criticizing Your Majesty!”
The way they looked around, it gave Diana the strong impression that this was Princess Lebian’s doing. Diana rose from her seat.
“We cannot allow this!”
“After giving our loyalty to the palace, this is the thanks we receive!”
“We cannot leave. This is our livelihood!”
“We cannot, we cannot!”
It was a spectacle. Diana could only think of it as such. People lay in front of the servants’ quarters, shouting, while passersby stopped to watch. Any signs they carried contained no direct insults to Diana.
“Do not expel those who have given their loyalty!”
“Please respect the foundations of the palace, new arrival!”
“The Kingdom of Rodbrock respects and honors its longstanding citizens!”
“Please respect the laws of our kingdom!”
All these were veiled criticisms aimed at Diana or demands that could be dismissed as desperate. Such phrasing was undoubtedly the work of Princess Lebian.
Diana glanced at Princess Lebian standing behind her.
“What should we do… they’re so pitiful.”
Tears glistened in the princess’s eyes.
“Your Majesty, can you show mercy to them?”
Speaking loudly, she clearly wanted to assert her presence.
‘If you feel so sorry, Princess, you can rehire them yourself.’
If Princess Kragel were here, she would certainly have said that. Diana missed Kragel, who happened to have the day off.
Having escaped into her own thoughts, Diana’s rising irritation boiled. If Giskar or Rivus had ordered them out, they would have obeyed, yet here they were defying her.
To the queen of a nation…
“You cannot change everything in the Panborough style!”
“We are not mere tools for Your Majesty’s dignity!”
Diana turned around. One royal guard, one lady-in-waiting, and her accompanying maids. Her party was small, while the protesting servants numbered a hundred.
“We cannot leave!”
“We cannot!”
Among them stepped a leader of the protest. Diana glared at him.
“Your Majesty, we understand that as a foreigner, you may not know the customs of this palace. Still, we ask that you respect the ways of the Kingdom of Rodbrock.”
Ah, so this is how it will be? Diana frowned and whispered to one of her maids. The maid bowed and stepped aside.
What if they suddenly turned hostile? Authority is an illusion in the face of fists, and Diana had little of it. If they attacked, what would happen? Showing weakness now would make them laugh.
Diana looked around and saw a man kneeling before her—the same honorary official whose hand she had once held. She had told him to leave, yet he too had disobeyed.
“You remember me, yes?”
The man cleared his throat.
“Uh, how could I know Your Majesty’s wishes?”
“I remember you. Do you not remember me?”
The maids, sensing her prompt, spoke fiercely.
“Yes! He mocked Your Majesty!”
“Please bring down the iron fist!”
“His hand must be cut off!”
“No, also his tongue!”
Rodbrock people… ignoring the excessively violent maids, Diana glared at the man. The middle-aged man glared back.
“Are you trying to corner me with your maids?”
“Me? Why would I?”
Diana smiled faintly.
“Why would I corner a worthless worm I wouldn’t even look at? Are you worthy of that?”
Her expression showed disgust.
A new queen would have faced no such opposition.
“Do I even need to mention that you harassed the maids?”
“It’s a lie! Your Majesty is also slandering me!”
Wow, he persisted. Anger surged, but Diana spoke quietly.
“This is your final warning. Do not make noise, leave quietly.”
They all scoffed. They would not be intimidated by a single warning. What authority did the Panborough queen even have? As Princess Lebian had said, they had the right to challenge a foolish queen’s decisions.
“We absolutely cannot leaveee!”
At that wailing, Diana resisted the urge to cover her ears.
Truly, in any life, past or present, she had always seemed ridiculous to others. She had chosen to die rather than return here.
She had not sought meaning in anything, yet watching them pretend to be weak was nauseating. The money they had amassed alone could buy a minor noble’s estate.
Had truly desperate people expressed themselves this way, she might have listened.
Seeing those who usurped the weak and failed to recognize their mistakes, Diana decided, in that moment, to show no mercy.
“Your Majesty!”
Diana turned toward the voice. Her smile froze.
Hooves echoed through the quiet courtyard. Knights on black steeds appeared, clad in gleaming armor.
The chaotic atmosphere instantly cooled.
The Barghati knights—directly under the king—had arrived.
“Your Majesty, are you safe?”
Giskar had not brought the entire Barghati force, leaving some behind. Diana’s relationship with them had been terrible, and she had avoided all interaction except with Rogafl.
Diana glared at the maid she had sent. Her eyes sparkled as she gave a thumbs-up. Diana was incredulous.
‘I never told her to call them.’
She was astonished. She had intended to summon the royal knights, not the king’s Barghati.
Royal knights must obey her orders; Barghati answer only to the king. Their presence here was unusual.
Diana looked at the mounted knights. With helmets covering their faces, they seemed like grim reapers ready to take a life.
Seeing Diana, they immediately dismounted and bowed.
“Your Majesty?”
Princess Lebian’s voice brought Diana back to focus. She could not show any fluster. She needed to act as if their arrival was expected.
“We have come at the summons of Your Majesty.”
A knight saluted with precision. Their training grounds were close to the servants’ quarters, so arriving mounted seemed excessive, and Diana felt a flush of embarrassment.
“What is your name?”
“Sir Bill Varda.”
Diana furrowed her brows. Bill. She remembered—he had called her foolish before. She swallowed the bitter memory.
This man dislikes me.
Then why is he here? She wished it were Rogafl instead. Bill’s face was hidden by his helmet, which was some consolation.
At least their presence indicated willingness to follow orders. She needed to decide her next move. One thing was certain—she could not back down. Diana spoke in a low, measured voice, hoping it sounded arrogant yet calm.
“I would like Sir Bill Varda to explain the laws of the palace.”
“Speak.”
“What is it called when, in the absence of the king, his wife issues an order that is refused and not carried out?”
The knight looked up at Diana and replied in a low voice:
“Treason.”
The word, though quietly spoken, cast a shadow of fear over the assembly.
