"...Hey Amanda, look, things aren’t running so smoothly around here. Fix this. This inefficiency in resource distribution is unacceptable." Cypher speaks in a cold manner, tossing papers at me while Vermilion sits at a desk reviewing other documents.

"Cypher, I’m busy right now, you know? I’m trying to see what the nobles are planning while Evelyn-sama is away from the kingdom," I say, buried under all this paperwork in front of me.

After all, I have to keep track of how the nobles are attempting to influence the kingdom. Esther is the prime example; she exploited loopholes in the rules to amass absurd power over the kingdom, so I’m being cautious to prevent anything similar from happening with other nobles.

"I need this section here corrected. Look, if this area isn’t cleared by you, my adjustments to this month’s harvest transport won’t arrive within the stipulated timeframe." Cypher practically ignores what I just said, shoving her papers toward me.

"As you can see, it’s simply imprecise, inefficient, costly, and a delay with unnecessary expenses."

’...’ With a small sigh, I take the papers to review the matter. I examine the routes and the focal points and see that it’s something that will affect the supplies for the soldiers waiting at the [Bridge].

So a delay of just one day would already generate a 3% loss, which amounts to a few million gold coins. Not much, but it’s an expense that grows with each passing day, eventually reaching a disastrous margin of 596%.

"Fine, I’ll see what I can do and send it over to Esther to sign." I pick up a pen to create the document that will resolve this issue. I start writing down everything needed quickly, thinking of the best options.

"Thanks," she says curtly, heading back to her desk. Soon after, Vermilion stands up and brings more papers over to me.

"I want this approved now. Look, some nobles are thinking that just because Evelyn-sama isn’t here, they can do whatever they want. I need approval to confiscate 20% of their daily profits, 5% of their monthly profits, along with 2.3% of their annual profits—all at once—plus a late penalty of 1% per day."

’Hmmm...that’s a truly terrifying cost that will make these nobles think twice about disobedience...’ I briefly glance over her papers, and then with a sigh—exaggeratedly loud so they can see I don’t want more work—I grab another sheet to start another document.

"Hey Amanda, I need—" Cypher returns with yet another paper.

"Guys! I have work too, you know? I know my workload is far less than yours, mainly because I spend most of my time outside the castle talking to nobles and gathering data."

"But still, my work is just as important and difficult as yours. It’s not fair to bully me just because you two spend 16 to 22 hours a day on paperwork."

"I don’t leave the castle to go sightseeing!" I speak the truth. It’s obvious they’re bullying me. Cypher and Vermilion exchange glances, as if they hadn’t purposely formed an alliance to dump more work on me.

"I have no idea what you’re talking about. Such a thing would be simply absurd. Why would I delegate my work to you when I know it’s more efficiently done by myself?" Cypher denies it coldly.

"Of course it’s not like that, Amanda. You’re just good at this, and we need to finish it without having to constantly seek Esther’s help," Vermilion says sarcastically, completely ignoring the fact that they’re doing this on purpose.

"A compliment won’t—" Both of them toss more papers onto my desk, ignoring what I’m saying, reducing their own stacks by practically half while creating a massive pile on my desk just because I wasn’t planning on going out today.

"..." I stand up, grabbing 49% of the papers and starting to carry them off for Esther to handle. She’s the one filling in for Evelyn-sama and making decisions, so she can have the work.

"I’ll be back shortly," I tell them, masking my irritation with a sweet tone and a gentle smile. I slam the door hard so they understand I’m not happy about this.

Carrying this mountain of papers, I quickly head to the Queen’s office, which is where Esther is currently located. I knock on the door just out of politeness and then open it, entering with the papers.

’Those two are going to pay dearly. I’ll find some difficult, tedious, time-consuming work that only they can do...’

"Esther, I brought some papers that you’ll need to review and possibly approve," I tell her, dropping all the papers onto the desk. However, I immediately notice Esther has a look that is dangerous, to say the least.

"Any information sent by Evelyn?" she questions, as always. Every single time any of the three of us comes to see Esther, she asks if Evelyn has sent a letter or a message, since she is forbidden from going after Evelyn-sama or spying on her.

"Nothing yet. Evelyn-sama has been silent lately. She must be busy with something." Through our connection, Vermilion, Cypher, and I sense that for some reason she stopped at some island in the sea and stayed there for a long time, and she’s still there.

It’s a bit strange, but we’re not the ones to question what Evelyn-sama does, so I just tell Esther what I always say.

"Tsk. Fine, then. And what about the ships? Any word on them?"

"That kind of information is with Vermilion, since she handles matters related to the military. All I know is that casualties among the ships are minimal, as expected, and that things are going well. They’ll probably reach the coast of the angelic continent in another month and a half," I say, giving her the absolute basics.

Although I know more details, I’m not the one who should be discussing this. Besides, Evelyn-sama made it clear that we were to keep Esther in the dark regarding her situation as punishment for what she did.

"Is Evelyn’s silence really normal? I feel uneasy, so I really have to wonder if this silence is natural, if you’re hiding something from me, or if something has genuinely gone wrong."

"...I’m sorry, but I have no idea. That’s not my area, unfortunately... but if you need anything else, just ask." I give her a big smile and use my kindest, most polite tone so she won’t question me further, while phrasing the offer to ask in a way that makes it clear I don’t want any questions.

"Fine, get out of here then. Go away. I’ll finish this paperwork in about an hour and a half." She simply waves her hand, shooing me away as if I were a dog.

"..." I stay silent, turning to leave since she doesn’t want me here and has no questions about the task, so there’s nothing for me to do. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

’How annoying... I’ll still have to review everything she approves later... Those two are going to pay me back big time for dumping so much work that has nothing to do with me onto my shoulders!! I’m sure they’ll leave the review for me!!! They’re taking advantage of my goodwill.’ This won’t go on for much longer.

...

...

...

"Esther-sama, here is your meal." A maid serves me a steak drenched in Evelyn’s blood, which she left behind so I could feed without losing control. The steak, unfortunately, is ordinary meat rather than Evelyn’s tail.

"You may leave now," I say, taking the plate and placing it on the table. As soon as the maid exits, Adam appears, dropping down from the ceiling.

"Esther-sama, I have done as you requested." He speaks while bowing to me. I merely give him a nod; if he is here, it means he did a good job.

"Did Elizabeth finish her part in the black market? Did she succeed?" I want to purchase some things from the black market, which has returned to stability after being in chaos.

The black market now has two new leaders, and one of those leaders is my servant, who took the position to control a portion of it. The other leader is some random, capable criminal who managed to seize leadership amidst the chaos.

"Yes, she acquired what you desired, Esther-sama. You now have direct access to goods, materials, and especially artifacts and slaves from other kingdoms."

"Perfect. There are some artifacts and materials from other kingdoms that I need. I want you to deliver this list to Elizabeth, and I want her to obtain these items within one month at most." I hand Adam a list containing 1265 different items.

All of them come from other continents and are faster and easier to obtain through the black market. They aren’t illegal items, but trying to purchase them through normal channels would take nearly a year.

So why would I waste a year when I can spend just one month paying a little extra? That’s eleven months saved, plenty of time I’ll have to utilize these materials and artifacts I desire.

"Understood, Esther-sama. I will leave immediately." Adam speaks, tucking the paper into his pocket as he moves toward the window.

"Adam, before you go... take a look at Amanda for me." Adam watches me for a few seconds before giving a nod. It’s true that I am forbidden by Evelyn from trying to spy on her, and I will respect that.

But it’s not against the rules to spy on her servants to try and discover things, and if by chance I happen to overhear some news, well, that won’t be my fault. After all, I’m spying on Amanda, not Evelyn.

’I wonder what Evelyn is doing...’ My blessing has been active this entire time, emitting a faint sensation that I should remain on alert.