Harold Luan Autoclase-Egerea, King of the Kingdom of Egerea, was in a melancholy mood.
"Your Majesty, how shall we proceed?"
Braorot, the Minister of Finance, asked the question with a weary face, his eyes fixed on the documents in his hands.
"Three years of the national budget, vanished just like that?"
The cleanup following the recent Golem Party incident had finally reached a stopping point. Repairing the damaged castle, replacing the destroyed golems (most of which had been smashed by Reiko), implementing countermeasures for the new golems, paying compensation to domestic and foreign dignitaries, and managing the flow of information to other nations... there simply wasn't enough coin in the treasury to cover it all.
And on top of that—
"Good morning, Father."
"Good morning, Your Majesty."
Prince Ernest, the King's third son, had arrived. As always, he was accompanied by his favorite maid golem, Lotte.
Ernest was not the child of the King’s primary queen, but rather the son of a concubine. Consequently, his right of succession placed him behind his uncle, the King’s younger brother.
The boy himself didn't seem to mind his position at all, growing up with a free-spirited nature. While Harold found this endearing as a father, as a King, it was a constant source of frustration.
"Mm, good morning. Ernest, what is your schedule for today?"
"Yes, Father. In the morning, I have my academic studies and etiquette lessons. In the afternoon, I have practice in horsemanship and swordsmanship."
"I see. See that you apply yourself."
"I will."
The busy King exchanged these few brief words with his son before returning to his paperwork.
"Then there was the matter of Lotte and that carriage..."
Harold let out a sigh as he recalled yet another headache.
Twelve years ago, the kingdom had begun using golems to compensate for the labor shortage caused by its small population. Even Prince Ernest, who had just been born at the time, had been raised primarily by golems, with only his wet nurse providing a human presence.
Trust was the primary requirement for those serving the royal family, but such people were in short supply. Reliable staff were prioritized for the older princes, the King, and the Queen. It was perhaps inevitable that Ernest, being fourth in line for the throne, would be neglected.
This upbringing had turned Ernest into a devoted golem enthusiast.
"And yet, he has turned out to be the most capable of my sons."
The first prince was a kind soul but lacked any sense of reliability. The second prince was hot-headed and completely unsuitable for the nuances of politics. While the King believed his younger brother possessed the proper temperament for a ruler, it was only natural for a father to wish for his own flesh and blood to inherit the crown.
Ernest was bright and had a charming personality. He was well-liked by the soldiers and ritter alike. Currently, the right of succession was determined purely by bloodline and age, as a crown prince had not yet been formally designated. Harold intended to assess the aptitudes of all his children when Ernest turned fifteen before making a formal appointment.
"...If only he wasn't so obsessed with those golems."
One of a king's duties was the maintenance of the bloodline. An internal struggle over royal succession was the outcome Harold most wanted to avoid. Although he had sowed the seeds of this situation himself, he worried about Ernest's future if things continued down this path.
"I heard there is a girl who served as the model for Lotte, but she is a commoner and engaged to Count Kuzuma."
Given that he was only thirteen, it was difficult to judge his level of sincerity, but Ernest had reportedly proposed to the girl, Beena, on the spot.
"I suppose I should be relieved he has at least some interest in human women."
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the King of Egerea forced his attention back to the documents on his desk.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Phew, I'm exhausted."
"Your Highness, thank you for your hard work."
Prince Ernest had finished his session with his tutor and was currently relaxing with a cup of Te-e brewed by Lotte.
"I still have the etiquette teacher coming after this."
"That is true. Please do your best with your lessons."
"Yeah, thanks."
＊ ＊ ＊
"What? You cannot do it?"
"I am terribly sorry, sir."
Kelichdore, the minister of magic, caught his breath as he listened to the report from his subordinate. The report stated that they were unable to replicate the carriage Jin had gifted to Ernest, nor the golem horses that pulled it.
"Even with the original models right in front of you?"
"Yes, sir."
The golem horses Jin had left behind were identical to ordinary horses in size and shape. That much was simple enough. The true mystery lay in their movement.
Walking on four legs was not as simple as merely alternating left and right. In modern Earth, high-speed cameras would allow for motion analysis, but the magi and magi craftmen of this world had no such technology.
In the era before the Great Magic War, the "Trans Info" magic that Jin used so frequently had been commonplace. With it, one could extract movement data even from living horses. However, that magic had been lost for a long time.
Because of this, Minister Kelichdore had failed to realize that the magic Jin had used on Rianna—which she had reported to him—was exactly what they needed. Preconceptions were a dangerous thing. To be fair, Rianna herself hadn't been able to identify the spell, so her report had been somewhat vague.
"Hmph. I suppose we have no choice but to settle for something similar."
After seeing the golem carriage Jin had made, the King had ordered several more to be built for royal use. It seemed the minister of magic, like his King, would be clutching his head for the foreseeable future.
＊ ＊ ＊
"Come to think of it, didn't we have a member of the Royal Secret Maids assigned to Jin?"
During a lull in his duties, the King suddenly remembered and turned to Judle, the minister of defense, who was standing nearby.
"Yes, you mean Lyla Soluce?"
"Ah, that was her name. She is the younger sister of Airi Soluce from the Royal Guard magi-ritter corps, correct?"
"That is correct. Both sisters possess significant potential mana, though it seems the younger sister's power has yet to fully manifest," Judle explained.
The King waved his hand to dismiss the technicalities. "That isn't what matters. Is it possible to assign her to Ernest?"
"Well, the Royal Secret Maids have no immediate assignments, and... how should I put it? Lyla doesn't seem particularly suited for that kind of clandestine work anyway."
"I see, I see. Then there is no problem. Very well, I shall appoint this Lyla Soluce as Ernest's personal maid. Officially, list her as a guard."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Under the pretext of increasing his protection now that he was thirteen, Lyla was assigned to Prince Ernest.
"I heard the news, Lyla! Congratulations!"
"What an incredible promotion!"
Her colleagues in the Royal Secret Maids were quick to offer their congratulations.
"If you catch the Prince's eye, you might even become a lady of the court!" teased Leeza, the maid who had been assigned to Beena.
"I-I don't know if someone like me is up to the task..."
Lyla herself felt more anxiety than joy, and more confusion than excitement.
Rianna, the unit leader, offered a gentle word of encouragement. "You'll be fine. I hear the Prince is a very kind young man. Besides, this was a personal request from the King himself."
If anything, that only made Lyla shrink even more.
"Fueee... why would the King choose me?"
"I couldn't say."
"Fueeee..."
Filled with trepidation, Lyla made her way to Prince Ernest’s chambers.
She knocked and entered the room. There, she found the Prince being attended to by Lotte. As soon as Ernest saw her, he offered a warm smile.
"Hello, Lyla. It’s been a while. You look a bit pale; are you feeling alright?"
Lyla was stunned that the Prince even remembered her. "Y-Your Highness, you remember me?" she asked, her voice trembling.
In truth, this was a serious breach of etiquette. She had spoken to the Prince without so much as a greeting. However, Ernest didn't seem to mind in the least.
"Haha, of course. You're the one who brought these clothes for Lotte, aren't you? That was the last time we met. That's why I said it's been a while."
Only then did Lyla realize she hadn't even performed her formal introduction.
"A-Ah! As of this moment, I am Lyla Soluce, the maid assigned to Your Highness! I am still inexperienced, but I shall strive with all my heart and soul to serve you-deshu...!"
Lyla had been speaking desperately, but because she was forcing herself to use formal language she wasn't accustomed to, she bit her tongue at the very end.
"Ahahaha!"
Ernest let out a cheerful laugh at the slip.
"Lyla, there's no need to be so nervous. My father told me not to treat you so stiffly, but rather as someone I can talk to and rely on. I look forward to working with you."
"Y-Yessh!"
Lyla bowed in a frantic hurry. At the same moment, a dull thud echoed through the room.
"Auuu..."
Forgetting the table was right in front of her, she had bent at the waist with such momentum that she slammed her forehead straight into the edge of it.
"L-Lyla, are you okay? That was quite a sound."
"Y-Yesh, I am perfectly fine-deshu..."
Lyla’s life in her new position had only just begun.
Hang in there, Lyla.