■ Royalist Purge Plan □
The next day.
As soon as I arrived at work, I gathered the staff from the Finance Management Office.
Perhaps because of the guy named Martin who got his head chopped off yesterday for taking bribes, everyone moved swiftly.
“Starting next week, we will enter a special audit period. From now on, everyone on the list I hand out must be thoroughly investigated—from their secret accounts to cash hidden in their homes, and even the gifts they received.”
As I spoke, I waved the guest list I had obtained from Gremory yesterday.
Everyone stared at me with tense eyes, and I unfolded the list, reading out the names of the nobles one by one.
“Marquis Quillern, Count Dusseldorf, Baron Hanover, Baron Mannheim…”
Some names I had never heard before, but among the guests entertained at Club Melujin, there were many key figures from the royalist faction.
When you don’t know how they are connected, it’s best to investigate them all.
After all, the number of noble guests didn’t exceed a few hundred.
Proving their connections was easier than eating cold porridge for the staff, who had gained experience over two years of working in the Finance Management Office.
“By the way, this is confidential. If any information leaks, I’ll know it came from one of you. I’ll use hypnosis to check each of you, so be careful.”
“Yes!”
After thoroughly warning the staff again, I sat at my desk, deep in thought.
‘First, collect all the unpaid taxes, send them to prison for insulting the Governor, and then… how should I deal with the royalists?’
While it’s true that insulting the Governor is a serious crime punishable by death, we need concrete evidence to justify such a punishment.
There are records of them using succubus brothels, but no direct evidence of insulting the Governor, so they’ll likely be acquitted soon.
So, I thought of throwing them in prison first and then collecting the overdue taxes.
If the person involved is in prison, there’s no one to interfere when we raid their homes.
That was Plan A. Plan B was to find evidence during this process that the royalists supported the Resistance.
If we could do that, it wouldn’t be about insulting the Governor anymore—it would be treason, and we could send them away for good.
It would be irrefutable evidence.
The best option I could think of was the ledger my master had mentioned. If I could get my hands on that, I could decode it and wipe out all the royalists.
Under the advanced governance of the Ozma Governor’s Office, these people had been persistently rebelling, trying to reclaim their former glory, so I had no qualms about it.
As I pondered alone, ideas began to form on how to deal with the royalists after imprisoning them, and soon, it reached a concrete stage.
‘If rumors spread that we’re targeting only the royalists, most of them will go into hiding…’
A complete sweep would be ideal, but those sly foxes must have prepared escape routes.
While I was thinking of a way to capture them all at once, Aness came in to submit a report, and I asked her:
“Aness, are there any parties this week where the key royalist figures I mentioned earlier will be attending?”
Aness tilted her head and replied:
“I believe I gave you that information yesterday.”
My gaze immediately turned to the trash can under my desk.
I had thrown it away without much thought, but now I suddenly needed it.
I quickly rummaged through the trash can.
Fortunately, since I hadn’t emptied it yet, the invitation was still there.
I unsealed the invitation and pulled out the letter inside.
The letter was written in an ornate, old-fashioned script with long, flowery phrases, but the gist was this:
“On May 12th, you and your partner are invited to the debutante ball of Countess Sophia von Glorious.”
Hmm. It seems to be some kind of ball.
Realizing that a partner was mandatory, I asked Aness:
“Would you like to go with me?”
Aness shook her head and declined.
“Even though I’m the deputy finance officer, I’m of common birth. If I were to be your partner, I’d become a laughingstock among the nobles. You should go with someone of your own standing.”
Certainly, at such events, not only the participants but also their partners are important.
Bringing an unsuitable partner would only invite ridicule, so I understood what Aness was saying.
Thinking of partners, I remembered Dorothea, who was lounging at home, but her former title as one of the Four Heavenly Kings wouldn’t carry much weight among humans.
Besides, her mouth is so sharp that it’s a miracle if she doesn’t start cursing at someone she just met.
Seeing me make a troubled face, Aness tilted her head and asked:
“Wouldn’t it be better to go with Ozma?”
Hearing that, I waved my hand dismissively.
“Ah, do you think she’d wear a dress?”
She usually only wears pants.
Even when she lived in the Demon King’s Castle, I never saw her in a dress, so I doubted she’d agree if I asked.
But Aness gave me a look as if she pitied me and said:
“Chief Finance Officer, you know nothing about a woman’s heart.”
“What? I was quite popular back in the day.”
“…I admit you were popular, but understanding a woman’s heart is a different matter.”
Aness declared firmly:
“Women want to look beautiful in front of someone they like. Even if Ozma doesn’t usually dress up, if you ask her, she might change her mind. Probably.”
“…You’re not even sure yourself.”
“I haven’t been inside Ozma’s heart, after all.”
Anyway, Aness’s advice seemed reasonable enough, so I agreed.
It’s worth a shot to at least bring it up.
—
“What? You want me to go to a ball with you?”
“Yeah, I don’t have anyone else to ask.”
When I asked her seriously, Ozma blinked her eyes in surprise, then turned her head away, her face red.
“There are plenty of pretty girls out there. Why not go with them?”
Ozma pointed to Dorothea, Barnett, and Camilla, who were nearby.
I gently stroked Ozma’s cheek, who seemed to lack confidence in her appearance, and said:
“No, you’re plenty pretty. So, have some confidence, Ozma.”
Hearing the compliment, Ozma’s face turned as red as a tomato.
“If you say so, then I guess I have no choice.”
“Great. The ball is this weekend. Is that okay?”
Ozma nodded and said:
“Despite how I look, I am the Demon King’s daughter. I know basic etiquette and how to dance. So don’t worry too much.”
“No, I was asking about your weekend schedule. You’ve been pretty busy lately.”
“…I’ll finish everything during the week. It’s been a while since you asked me for something, so I can’t refuse.”
“Thank you so much.”
As I hugged her tightly, Ozma awkwardly wrapped her arms around my back.
Seeing us like this, Dorothea, who was playing chess with Camilla, said:
“Ugh, what are you, a teenage couple?”
“Shut up. Home security guard.”
“What? Human? Want to spar after so long?”
—
The long-awaited Sunday.
Ozma, having finished all her work during the week, went to the boutique yesterday to have a new dress made.
Before heading to the Glorious family’s mansion, she was led by Camilla to the second floor to get her makeup done. As I waited in the living room in my suit, I was utterly stunned when Ozma came down the stairs.
“H-how do I look?”
Unlike her usual self, Ozma, with full makeup and voluminous hair, asked shyly for my opinion.
“…You look amazing.”
Countless compliments flooded my mind, but all I could manage to say was this one word.
Ozma, who usually wore the black uniform of a knight, looked devastatingly beautiful in her first dress.
The bold shoulder-revealing design, the abundant frills, and the beautiful lavender dress that matched her hair color.
The red lipstick on her lips was mesmerizing.
Hearing my answer, Ozma blushed, and with Camilla’s help, she descended the stairs step by step, then shyly extended her hand, clad in white gloves.
“I’m not used to this kind of outfit, so you’ll have to escort me.”
“Of course.”
I bowed and kissed the back of her hand, then firmly grasped her right hand.
Her nervous body temperature was palpable even through the gloves.
I led her to the carriage I had called earlier, which was already full with Barnett, the escort knight, and Camilla, the maid.
Ozma, seemingly uncomfortable in her dress, kept fidgeting and adjusting her posture.
Watching her quietly, even though we were just going to work, I felt a warmth in my heart.
Is this why people fall in love?
