Chapter 61
A bright Saturday.
As always, a terrible atrocity called neglect of duty was being carried out today as well.
At the front gate, the royal guards of Silbrenoa Palace were dozing off under the warm afternoon sunlight.
There were plenty of guards on duty, but all of them were either sleeping or doing something else entirely.
Of course, they had their own defense.
‘Even like this, we can still see everyone who comes and goes, you know!’
And technically, that was true. A long entrance corridor was lined with guards.
Regardless of their work attitude, with this many bodies, no one could simply walk through unnoticed.
The Silbrenoa Royal Palace guards prided themselves on their unbreakable security, in their own way.
However, this bizarre form of duty wasn’t designed with that advantage in mind.
Let’s not forget. This is the land of corruption—Silbrenoa.
Which means, someone always benefits from arrangements like this.
If excessive manpower is deployed to unnecessary locations, that means an excessive budget has also been allocated.
In a space where four people would suffice, over ten were currently on duty.
In other words, salaries were being spent at 2.5 times the necessary rate. And of course, it didn’t end there. Ever heard of the creative economy?
Just as a con artist’s hands move faster than the eye, the salary budget was obviously far greater than the actual salaries paid out.
The official who suggested creating unnecessary front gate guard posts obviously expected something in return.
This wasn’t charity—if there were no benefits, why even set things up this way?
And so, a mutually beneficial relationship was formed between the officials and the guards.
It was certainly lamentable, but for Muriela’s group, the lax security was actually a stroke of luck.
Several guards greeted Patrick as he rolled out a cart of documents.
They may have been slacking, but at least a few of them weren’t asleep.
“Sir Patrick, you’re leaving earlier than usual today.”
Even though it wasn’t his workday, Patrick was well-known for visiting the palace every Saturday without fail.
The guards called him the ‘workaholic old man’—though only behind his back.
“I’m feeling a bit unwell today. That’s why I’m taking all these documents home for review. Just look at how many there are.”
“Ah, wow, that’s a lot. How are you going to go through all this? And you’re not even feeling well.”
It was his first time helping the princess escape, but Patrick played his role shamelessly and convincingly.
With impressive finesse, he patted a soldier on the shoulder and had him peek inside the cart.
Patrick himself had invited the inspection, so surely nothing suspicious would be inside?
The guard casually rifled through the top and, seeing no documents marked as confidential, let it pass.
Most of the cart’s contents were non-essential documents Patrick had carefully selected.
The guards knew how to identify the appearance of confidential documents, so he had to be meticulous in choosing what to pack.
“Hahaha, this much is nothing. Shouldn’t a man living off the national treasury be willing to do at least this much? Don’t you think so?”
“Ah, yes, well… Take care, sir.”
He hadn’t been a bureaucrat for thirty years just for show! Patrick was good at passive-aggressive digs too.
That was aimed at the guards, who also lived off the national treasury. He finished with a smirk.
Of course, they weren’t the type to be rattled by such barbs. They just let it slide with indifference.
They simply lacked the refinement or sensitivity to even react—and Patrick knew that well.
And so, Patrick rolled the cart onward, heading out of the palace.
Muriela, the most noble cargo in Silbrenoa history ever loaded into a document cart, grumbled from inside.
“Patrick! The smell of paper and ink is unbearable!”
The musty odor of old paper mixed with the scent of ink—it must have been rather foul.
But it wasn’t time to take her out yet, so Patrick tried to soothe her.
He bent low toward the stack of documents and whispered quietly.
“Please endure just a little longer. There are still eyes watching. I’ll escort you to my home, just as planned.”
“Yes. Please hurry.”
“How could I not?”
Telling an old bureaucrat to push the cart faster was quite the audacious request, but Patrick only chuckled.
Truly, it paid to live long. Who else could say they’d pushed a princess around in a cart?
On top of that, hosting royalty in his own home—he’d never once imagined such a thing in his entire life.
Sir Hamilton and Princess Muriela’s two maids would be coming out shortly with their disguised identities.
With Florina, an expert in this field, there would be no issues.
Once they arrived, they would regroup at Patrick’s house and head out to ‘educate’ the corrupt officials.
In step with Patrick’s gait, the cart carrying Muriela continued its rattling journey.
At last, it stopped in front of Patrick’s home. As he opened the door, his wife greeted him.
“Honey, you’re home early toda— What’s with all these documents?”
Smiling brightly at first, his wife was startled at the sight of the cart.
So this is why he came home early—he brought a mountain of work with him.
“Hahaha, my dear. I’ll explain, but let’s go inside first.”
After closing the door, Patrick let go of the cart handle and rubbed his lower back.
Age was catching up, after all… but there was something more pressing.
“My dear, don’t be alarmed. Alright, you may come out now.”
“Don’t be alarmed?”
No sooner had Patrick finished speaking than Princess Muriela popped out from the stack of papers.
“Phew, it was so stuffy in there.”
Princess Muriela puffed out her cheeks as she brushed off the papers and dust clinging to her body.
“Um, this person is…”
Poor Patrick’s wife was in a state of utter confusion. She frantically searched her memory for Muriela’s face.
It didn’t take long for her to recall the petite princess she had seen just three days ago at the Foundation Day event.
Still a good memory, clearly. Clap clap clap!
“P-Princess?”
A flurry of thoughts raced through the wife’s mind. Did this man… kidnap the princess?
What in the world is going on? Thank goodness our sons have moved out. Are we going to be executed?
No, that can’t be. My husband’s not crazy enough to do something like this.
“Hahaha. Didn’t I tell you not to be alarmed?”
“Whew… the ink smell. It’s finally bearable now.”
Muriela glanced toward the still-awkward and dazed woman.
Then she gave a lively bow with a cheerful voice.
“You must be Patrick’s wife, right? Nice to meet you. I’m Muriela.”
Of course, the wife was so startled she dropped to her knees. Solinor grumbled inwardly.
He was merely greeting people out of habit, yet everyone always overreacted.
‘Back when I was king, we didn’t have these ridiculous courtesies. Can’t even say hello properly anymore.’
Muriela helped the flustered wife back to her feet and then looked toward Patrick.
She’d be staying at Patrick’s house until Sir Hamilton arrived, so she figured she’d better follow the homeowner’s lead.
Of course, his wife was here too, but judging by her current state, it would take a while before she got her bearings.
“Would Your Highness like some tea?”
Patrick preferred alcohol over tea and was the kind of man who usually offered drinks to guests first.
But offering wine to eight-year-old Princess Muriela would have earned him a reputation as a madman, so of course, he offered tea.
Solinor actually preferred wine, but there was no helping it. He couldn’t just treat this grandchild’s body recklessly.
“That sounds great.”
“I’ll prepare it. Please take a seat and wait.”
“Thank you, Patrick.”
Saying he’d make tea, Patrick disappeared into the kitchen. His wife still stood there blankly.
Muriela jumped onto the soft couch as if bouncing into it. Meanwhile, Solinor began to evaluate Patrick’s house.
‘For such a senior bureaucrat, this house isn’t that big, and the interior is rather modest. Truly the home of an honest official.’
Of course, the fact that a high-ranking bureaucrat with thirty years of service lived like this also meant the salary was low.
That didn’t mean embezzling was acceptable—but ultimately, the structure punished honesty.
Eldric was Eldric, but with things in this state, it would be a long time before corruption was ever eradicated.
‘I need to think of a way to properly recognize and reward those who do their jobs right.’
This was a necessary measure for a ruler to govern a nation properly.
Before discussing individual morality, it was unacceptable for those who worked with integrity and honesty to be the ones who suffered.
Silbrenoa’s current system practically encouraged corruption at every turn.
Unless one was truly exceptional—like Patrick—falling into corruption was inevitable.
A short while later, Patrick returned carrying a tray with several teacups.
He set them down on the table in front of the sofa and politely handed one to the princess.
“Here you are. It’s a fine tea.”
In truth, Patrick knew little about tea, but since it was his wife’s favorite, it had to be a good one.
Only then did the wife begin to recover her senses. Or perhaps, not completely.
“What brings Your Highness to such a humble place…?”
That’s the kind of silly question that slips out when one hasn’t fully come to.
Patrick looked at his wife and chuckled softly. Naturally, her face crinkled in irritation.
‘What the heck did this man do now? He’s driving me crazy.’
‘Hahaha. My wife must be really shocked. Well, I was surprised too earlier.’
A meaningful look passed between the couple, but Solinor didn’t notice any of it.
Princess Muriela was too busy blowing on her hot tea and sipping it gently.
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