"Well... Selena, Selew. If you like, take Miss Laurier and show her around the garden."
After a while His Majesty said so. I guess I'll get to the point. I said it with a smile as I turned to Laurier.
"Laurie, the garden here is beautiful, so you should see it."
"What about you?
"I'd like to come with you, but I need to talk to Your Majesty. You should teach Serena and Selieu a lot."
"I understand!
The three of them leave well after saying so. I smiled at my daughter and then turned my gaze to Her Majesty.
"Well... Your Majesty. May I ask why you invited me to this tea party this time?
"Fumu, that's right"
After saying so, His Majesty said with a slight tightening of his expression.
"There is a reason that I have called you this time. The first is an internal investigation into our country."
"Internal investigation?
"Yeah, I'd like to ask you to keep it confidential."
Probably asking me to do it is an internal investigation among the nobles. But I didn't know it was confidential.
I looked around and asked His Majesty.
"Why to me? There will be many other men of His Majesty's trust."
"For one thing, it is due in large part to the breadth of your lordship and your fellowship. But... the main reason is that I can't trust anyone but you."
"... Your Majesty has grabbed something, hasn't he?
"Oh. If my proprietary information is certain, it's likely that the Chancellor, the Duke of Green, has tipped off into another country."
I almost sighed at those words. I didn't know the prime minister of this country was a betrayer.
"He just has to cut it off when it's time. The question is whether anyone other than him has entered another country, and his cauldron."
"So is it an internal investigation? But are you sure you can trust me? With that logic, I would be suspicious."
"Um, but it's a decision based on how your lord is doing today and his recent reputation here. That's why I asked your wife and Miss Laurier to come all the way."
I see... you called Laurier and Sasha because you want to see how I normally am. His Majesty probably decided that after finding out if the information coming in via Serena from Laurier here recently was true. Well, unless Laurier and Sasha get hurt, I'm gonna be as friendly to this country as possible, but...
"The second requirement is to ask your lord for the next Chancellor."
"Is it to me? On the boulder. It's..."
Saying so modestly because it is too much trouble, His Majesty nodded and said what he had mistaken.
"I know what your lord is trying to say. Indeed, there may be rebellion from other nobles to make any more connections to the royal family in the Duke of Fall. But there's no one but you."
"Your Majesty... it is a great honour for you to appreciate my abilities, but that is a very overrated assessment"
"Don't be modest. Your performance over the past six months is highly appreciated even by me."
The last six months? Maybe since I became Mr. Callis, the administration of the territory, the evaluation of the country's work? Sure, I'm doing it differently than Mr. Callis, but... has that changed?
Well, I'm switching from being thoroughly managed when Mr. Callis was around, getting rid of slams, getting more work done, donating to orphanages, spending money on building towns, doing them well around without raising taxes... but I'm not supposed to have changed that much.
His Majesty kept smiling when I kept my mouth shut.
"Well, I hope you decide this matter slowly later. And finally, my lord... or I'd like to apply to Miss Laurier for an affair."
"Is your opponent Master Sellew?
"Oh. Inside, but Selieu has already decided on Prince Wang. Think of that fiancée as Miss Laurier."
Was there still such a prospect? Is that why it said to bring Laurier or Sasha? I said as calmly as possible after a sip of tea.
"Laurier has just turned four. I think it's early to get engaged, though?
"But eventually you should decide on your fiancée, right?
"That being said, the target is Prince Wang. It is not my preference to impose a harsh queen education on my daughter."
After I said that, I smiled at Sasha looking at me worryingly next door and then told Her Majesty.
"Your Majesty. It's an honor to tell you, but what I want above all is family happiness. So I'm going to protect my daughter until she can be wholeheartedly loving of her own accord."
His Majesty laughed and said.
"Then you just have to let Miss Laurier like Selew, right?
"I would not object if it were my own will. You just can't force it around you. I'm not marrying my daughter politically."
His Majesty said, laughing joyfully at the words.
"Then let's give up this time. But it doesn't change that Miss Laurier is Selieu's fiancée candidate. Sooner or later I'm going to officially sign up for a friendship, but hopefully I'll look forward to seeing Selieu drop Miss Laurier by then."
"Then let's obey adults. Because all I want is the happiness of my family."
That's what I answered as I sighed to His Majesty, who had been pushed to do a nasty job and even brought Laurier to the brink.