Inside my office, I was receiving a report from Wards Quards.
"Today at noon, the death sentence for one condemned prisoner was carried out."
"I see. And how was the mood at the execution grounds?"
"Sir. It drew a large, impassioned crowd just like before, but some among them reacted to his dying words and questioned why the execution hadn't been stayed."
"Ah."
I nodded.
"Up until now, embezzlement between ten thousand and thirty thousand Rien warranted a suspended sentence, after all."
"Yes, sir."
"This time, because the crime occurred during the post-disaster reconstruction, the punishment was increased by one degree of guilt, resulting in immediate execution. It is entirely within the law. Well, there is no need to explain that to the public anyway. In the first place, a suspended sentence legally only means 'it can be carried out at any time.'"
"Yes, sir..."
"Hm?"
Suddenly, Wards's reaction caught my attention.
Ever since he began his report, he had offered only the most subdued, monotonous responses. Wondering if something was amiss, I studied his face.
He had gone stark white.
"What is the matter?"
"I-I am terribly sorry... It was due to my own lack of foresight..."
"Ah, he was one of the new officials you shortlisted, wasn't he?"
With those words, everything clicked, and I understood why he looked so pale.
The man executed today was one of the officials recently appointed to fill the vacancies left after I became governor-general and purged the corrupt administration.
Wards had drawn up the list of candidates, and I had approved them as submitted.
Yet barely a month after taking office, he was caught embezzling around ten thousand Rien, leading to his immediate arrest, conviction, and beheading.
For this to happen so soon after his recommendation—Wards was clearly terrified of his own culpability and whatever punishment I might hand down.
I spoke calmly.
"This illustrates the fundamental difficulty of dealing with corrupt officials."
"Excuse me? W-What do you mean by that, sir?"
Wards, who had been staring at the floor to avoid my gaze, snapped his head up in sheer surprise to look at me.
"For example, suppose someone amasses thirty thousand Rien through bribery and embezzlement over the course of three years. Do you think that person steals a steady ten thousand Rien each year?"
"Um..."
Wards looked completely bewildered.
Knowing he would struggle to answer for a variety of reasons, I continued without waiting.
"The answer is no. While individual tendencies vary, the vast majority of people slow their pace of bribery and embezzlement once their personal wealth reaches a certain threshold."
"Because... they are satisfied?"
"That is part of it, but others simply believe that since they can take whatever they want at any time, there is no need to rush. I refer to this state as being 'full.'"
"Full..."
"Once they are full, they limit themselves to a light nibble whenever the mood strikes."
"I see..."
"Now, what happens if you purge those who are full and replace them with starving men?"
"—! They will start gorging themselves ravenously."
Realization dawned on Wards, and I nodded.
"Exactly. They sweep up as much coin as they can all at once. Naturally, extracting massive sums in a short period strains the system at every level. Often, that burden falls directly upon the common folk."
I turned my head.
Looking out the window, I cast my gaze into the distance.
"It goes without saying that corrupt officials cannot be forgiven, but it is equally inevitable that removing the sated will only invite the ravenous in their place."
"That is..."
"Which is why I increased the punishment by one degree of guilt this time."
"Ah..."
Wards was struck with understanding.
Only now did he realize the method behind my answer to the public's doubts.
Another thought crossed his mind, widening his eyes further.
"C-Come to think of it! You said something similar during the very first executions!"
"Did I?"
Did I really? I wondered. Well, my principles hadn't changed since then, so even if my memory was a bit hazy, I probably had said it.
"Incredible... You had already anticipated this even back then..."
Wards looked on, deeply moved.
"So there is no need to worry yourself."
"Yes, sir!"
Now then, I thought.
I've provided a negative example to deter them; next, I need to present a model worthy of emulation. With that in mind, I began considering how best to proceed.
☆
A few days later, late at night.
The hour had grown late, and the eastern sky was on the verge of turning pale.
As I was sorting through paperwork in my office, a light knock sounded at the door.
"Enter."
Without looking up from my work, I answered with my voice alone, and a young maid stepped into the room.
"Pardon the intrusion at this late hour, sir."
"What is it?"
"A pair claiming to be your retainers have arrived. Seeing how late it is, I wondered—"
"Show them in."
"Y-Yes, sir."
Cutting off the maid's hesitation, I gave the order.
The maid bowed flusteredly and left.
I turned back to finish the document before me.
In the middle of disaster recovery, there was never a shortage of work. I wanted this directive issued by daybreak, so I chose my words carefully to ensure the orders could not be misinterpreted.
Just as I set down the final stroke, another knock came at the door, and the maid ushered in a man and a woman.
The two walked in side by side.
Depending on their bond, people naturally projected a distinct presence, and these two radiated the unmistakably seamless air of a married couple that any onlooker could recognize in an instant.
Together, they dropped to their knees before me in traditional retainer etiquette.
"John."
"Mary."
"We have arrived, Master."
"Umu."
Setting my pen aside, I raised my head.
Just like Zoe, who had arrived a few days earlier, John and Mary bore the unmistakable fatigue of having rushed here from distant lands.
I've really been running the people I summoned ragged lately, I thought, feeling a slight pang of guilt.
I looked at the two who had served me for so many years.
A long time ago, my eldest brother, Gilbert, had his subordinates run an illegal slave merchant ring.
Given the nature of the trade, they treated the slaves in their captivity with unspeakable cruelty.
Unable to endure the abuse, several slave children had escaped.
By pure coincidence, I crossed paths with those children in the city, condemned the illegal slave merchants on the spot, rescued the young runaways, and took them into my household.
Two of those children were John and Mary, now kneeling before me.
After working as servants in my residence for a time, John was promoted to a civil official. Around the same time, Mary married him, and they left the estate together.
Because of that shared history, they knelt not with the formal posture of vassals, but with the deferential etiquette of household retainers—servants of my personal family.
"You made good time. Mary, you could have taken things slowly and arrived later, you know."
I praised their arrival while voicing my concern.
John was a vassal and a public official whom I had summoned by official decree, but Mary was merely his family; there would have been no issue whatsoever had she traveled at a relaxed pace.
Despite that, Mary had accompanied John on what must have been an exhausting, relentless journey, the weariness plain on her face.
"I tried telling her that, but..."
Still kneeling, John raised his head and shot a wry smile at his wife beside him. It seemed the grueling pace had been entirely Mary's doing.
Mary looked up, her expression bearing a faint pout that couldn't conceal her delight as she spoke over him.
"That wouldn't do at all! The moment I knew I could see you, Master, I simply couldn't sit still. I wanted to see you as soon as humanly possible."
"And that's how she's been the entire way here."
"I see."
I let out a quiet chuckle, stood up, and walked over to them.
Reaching down, I personally helped both of them to their feet.
They were fiercely loyal; left to their own devices, they would likely remain kneeling indefinitely, and I felt I could afford this much familiarity to two people who had served me for so long.
"Did you only just arrive in Larak?"
"Yes, sir. We considered passing by the estate and waiting until morning, but..."
John trailed off, casting another glance at Mary.
Mary chimed in with a bright smile.
"The lights were burning, so we figured you were still hard at work, Master."
"Oh? You could tell just from that?"
"Yes. The servants were bustling about in a way that gave it away."
"Haha, indirect deduction, then. Did it bring back memories of your servant days?"
I laughed and gave Mary a fond pat on the shoulder.
Mary beamed with joy.
"And how are the two of you getting along?"
"Er... well, that is..."
Looking distinctly uncomfortable, John repeatedly darted his eyes toward Mary, gauging her reaction.
His flustered behavior made the dynamic of their marriage abundantly clear.
"What is it? Has something happened?"
"Listen to this, Master! This man went and found himself a little favorite on the side!"
"Oh?"
Now that sounds entertaining, I thought.
A grin crept onto my face as I turned my eyes toward John.
John's face had flushed crimson. He hung his head, occasionally casting sheepish glances up at me through his brow.
Mary drove the needle in a little deeper.
"She's apparently a novice singing courtesan. He started looking after her, and one thing led to another, but he went and did it behind my back!"
"Oho. Quite the ladies' man, aren't you, John?"
"No, well... um, you see..."
Looking increasingly contrite, John shrank into himself.
Now then, how should I resolve this mundane domestic spat? I mused, but Mary's next words caught me slightly off guard.
"Doing it behind my back is what I won't stand for! Creeping around in secret means you can't take proper responsibility if something happens, can you? If a retainer of the Master—a man who has risen to a respectable rank—cannot even take responsibility for a single singing courtesan, it will make the Master look small!"
"Hm. You do have a point."
I nodded, genuinely impressed.
From my perspective, Mary's stance wasn't unreasonable in the slightest.
Over the past few decades, particularly after the realm stabilized under the reign of my father, the late Emperor, society had come to expect that a man of standing should openly take a woman as a concubine rather than keeping a secret mistress outside.
Hiding a mistress was viewed as irresponsible; formally welcoming her as a concubine and providing for her was considered the true measure of a capable gentleman.
The imperial consort system was simply an elevated version of this principle.
Women were brought in as primary consorts, side consorts, or low consorts, and their standing was raised if they bore children.
Bearing that heavy responsibility openly was considered a virtue. It had become the standard among the nobility over the last several decades, and high-ranking ministers and wealthy merchants had eagerly followed suit.
By extension, the retainers of noble houses were held to the very same expectation.
Every action of a retainer reflected directly upon the honor of their master, and romantic entanglements were no exception.
If a retainer who was elevated to an official kept a mistress without taking responsibility, people would inevitably gossip behind their lord's back, asking, 'Has his master not even taught him basic propriety?'
In that sense, Mary's logic was entirely sound, adhering strictly to the accepted norms of the nobility and their households.
"So please, Master, tell him yourself! Tell him not to skulk around in secret, but to act honorably and take her in openly as a concubine or second wife!"
"Ahaha! I really can't best you, Mary."
Hearing her bold declaration, I was genuinely amused and threw my head back, laughing toward the ceiling.
I have many retainers.
Compared to other imperial princes, a remarkably high number of retainers had served me since my days as the Thirteenth Imperial Prince, and I had subsequently elevated many of them to external official posts.
Even among those who remained, plenty still served me as eunuchs and court ladies.
Yet out of that vast multitude, Mary was the only former servant bold enough to make such a shameless plea to my face.
Delighted by her spirited demeanor, I decided to play along.
"You hear that, John?"
"Y-Yes, Master."
"It seems your wife hasn't just learned from her master, but from her master's legal wife as well."
"Ah..."
John gasped in realization.
Indeed, Mary's logic mirrored Audrey's almost perfectly.
The legal wife of a noble was expected to carry herself with dignity and magnanimously welcome concubines into the household.
In that regard—
"At this rate, people might say Audrey managed to raise her people properly, while I failed to instill any discipline in mine, wouldn't you agree?"
I teased John with a broad grin.
It was all in jest, of course, but logically speaking, that was precisely the case.
Come to think of it, perhaps it was rare for me to crack jokes like this.
Yet seeing how Mary—once a helpless girl I rescued from illegal slave merchants—had matured into such a spirited, self-assured woman, the familiar warmth between us felt pleasant and put me in high spirits.
It was an indulgence, but a thoroughly enjoyable one.
Meanwhile, the former slave boy rescued in that very same incident frantically bowed his head.
"I-I am terribly sorry! I will follow your example, Master, and handle it properly!"
"And there you have it."
"Thank you very much, Master."
Prompted by my words, Mary bowed her head with a satisfied smile.
"Now then—Mary, please step outside."
"Understood, Master."
With our lighthearted exchange concluded, I implicitly signaled that it was time for official business. With a gentle bow and a warm smile, Mary turned and quietly left the room.