“Is this the rush?”
Pastel, having completed the pending approvals, collapsed onto her desk, her pink hair spilling over the surface.
“Phew! Leaving my post unattended like this feels a bit wrong. I had no choice but to rush because of the Emperor’s summons!”
“Even if you leave the approval stamp behind, there will still be matters that require your signature due to your position,” Elly said, sorting through the scattered approval documents while her boss lounged around.
“Right, right.”
Pastel rubbed her cheeks against the cool surface of the desk.
“So with me receiving the governorship, I think we should reorganize the structure.”
“You’re planning to set up a governor’s office, right? I’ve already selected some potential sites for buildings. Melissa.”
“Yes.”
Melissa was about to bring a prepared report.
“No, no, no! I appreciate your hard work, but we don’t need the sites.”
Pastel hastily waved her hands.
“The governor’s office will only be established in name, just on paper.”
Turning over the rejected approval documents, she drew an organizational chart with her fountain pen.
“Currently, the Imperial Palace has left the governor’s office in limbo after abolishing it, leading to a makeshift management by the academy president in Sky Island. Now, we’ll properly set up relevant titles and departments under the governor’s office, allowing President Horace to hold multiple roles, thus neatly organizing territory and authority on paper. The actual roles and personnel won’t change much!”
It could be said to be moving towards a more modern bureaucratic system.
Elly looked at the organizational chart.
“In this way? It might be worth a bold reform! Sky Island is wide, but residences are clustered together, so centralization could be strengthened.”
“True, but this is a high-risk move in the long run. Elly, it seems you’re getting carried away with power; we haven’t even been in charge for a year. It’s more important to solidify our foundation.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Melissa approached hesitantly, acting like a rookie eavesdropping on the conversation between her boss and mentor.
And when she saw the doodles on the organizational chart scribbled over a rejected proposal for a great idea to enhance student performance through morning exercise, she wore a slightly glum expression.
Pastel looked at Melissa.
“Hmm? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing… Just listening, and I couldn’t understand. So, you’re saying you can be the governor, but you just want to organize the existing tangled duties neatly and continue as before?”
“Yes, yes! You’re quick to understand!”
“Then can’t we just create a governor’s office?”
Melissa seemed disappointed since she had worked hard to select sites for the office only to find it becoming unnecessary.
“Authority and dignity aren’t created just by titles. Even if the Emperor’s sword is present, ideas alone can’t break through ignorance. Sometimes it’s necessary to express things in visible ways.”
Melissa pointed towards the direction of the Imperial Palace.
“The palace needs to be splendid and grand to reflect the royalty, and similarly, there should be a governor’s office building for the dignity of the governor. There’s no clearer visible change than construction.”
Wow!
If the republican Pastel heard this, would she suggest erecting a statue of Pastel the popular figure?! That’s a good, no, a bad idea! Completely a bad idea! But if someone else raises the funds to build it, accepting it would feel like a waste of money, wouldn’t it~? She thought in exasperation!
Furious!
Fuming!
Clenching her fists, Pastel expressed her anger as she imagined the statue of the popular figure Pastel.
A sparkling statue of Pastel.
The corners of her mouth spread into a smile.
Since there was no response, Elly answered instead.
“I agree. However, as Pastel said, we haven’t even finished our first year in power yet. The academy, the core of our authority, isn’t perfectly regulated, so there’s no need to create a governor’s office building just to give off the impression of transferring authority there.”
“Ah, I see. It’s similar to how the royal commanders of noble joint forces make efforts to avoid command disputes by being present at the scene on purpose. Thanks to Pastel living in the academy, there haven’t been any unpleasant conflicts or resistance within the academy.”
“Exactly. We haven’t been in power for long enough that we can relax about our family’s internal affairs without living close by.”
“Yes, exactly!”
While there were some shortcomings in Elly’s explanation, Passtel readily accepted it to honor the seniority of her top senior and turned on her device.
“Uwah!”
Her arms stretched out and then relaxed.
“Ah! So refreshing.”
She glanced over the pile of approved documents.
“There aren’t any more documents to approve, right?”
“None.”
“And nothing to report?”
“None.”
“Really? Elshire!”
The silver-haired girl, who was bad at handwriting and had been turned away from office work to water the flowerpot by the window, turned around.
“Yes?”
“I was wondering why the leave of absence form wasn’t submitted.”
“Yes?”
“Leave application!”
“Eh?”
“Huh?”
Pastel and Elshire found themselves in a state of confusion.
“Is something wrong?”
Melissa looked puzzled.
“Wait, didn’t you hear? I heard from the Emperor that the heir to the Duke of Bellamont was unfortunately killed by radical demons!”
She assumed that Elshire would have already submitted a leave of absence and prepared to return to her dukedom, but that wasn’t the case.
“Why the strange reaction?”
This serious news should have been something Melissa found out about along with everyone else, but she seemed completely unaware.
Then, what could be the reason…?
Pastel scanned the student council room. Her eyes passed over Melissa, Elly, and Elshire before landing on Dustin, who was just there.
“Dustin! Get some water!”
“Huh?”
“The flowerpot friend wants more water! Get it! And since you’re getting it anyway, go to the back mountain and bring back some good water from the top!”
“Why the water from the top of the mountain…?”
“Hurry! Hurry!”
“What’s taking so long?”
When Elly scolded him, Dustin seemed bewildered and moved.
“Wait, the top of the mountain, no.”
The student council room door closed.
Pastel turned back to Elshire.
“Elshire! The leave of absence form wasn’t submitted.”
The silver-haired girl tilted her head.
“Why repeat the same thing?”
“Eh?”
Pastel’s expression turned serious. She crossed her arms and pondered, alternating her gaze between Melissa and Elly.
Her eyes stopped on Melissa.
“Melissa! You should also go to the top of the mountain and get some water—”
“If we’re going to discuss a secret, please be straightforward.”
Elly tapped Pastel’s pink crown lightly with a stack of documents.
“Ouch!”
Pastel rubbed her head, her face turning into a sad expression.
“Uwah!
I’ve been usurped…!
I’m fine with doing it, but I don’t want to be on the receiving end…!
Elly looked at Elshire.
“It seems something has happened that would require a leave of absence application, but what is it? If it’s too uncomfortable to talk about, should I ask Pastel to leave?”
“Huh?”
Elshire thought for a moment and then realized.
“Oh that? It’s fine to say.”
“Oh, really?”
Then, Dustin went out for no reason!
I hope the water from the top of the mountain is good!
Pastel cleared her throat.
“Ahem!”
She put on a serious expression.
“I have bad news. The Duke of Bellamont’s family was attacked, and Elshire’s brother? Rival? Either way, someone like that has passed away.”
“Yes.”
A calm response.
“What?!”
Melissa was more shocked than the party involved.
“What kind of tragedy is that? No, even more importantly, the Bellamont family. You seemed to know already, so why didn’t you tell us sooner?”
“Huh?”
Elshire looked surprised.
“Why would I?”
“Huh? We’re friends, right?”
Elshire’s expression grew serious. After a brief moment of silence and contemplation, she slowly nodded.
“That’s true.”
“Were you contemplating just now?!”
Wow.
“Wait! Wait!”
Pastel hurriedly stepped in between the two.
“Since we’re at work, let’s keep our personal conversations to a minimum!”
As the conversation halted, Pastel cleared her throat once more.
“Ahem!”
What to say…
“Anyways, I figured you’d submit a leave of absence due to that, but it wasn’t there. What’s going on? You don’t have to return to the Northern Mountains?”
This enormous incident that entangles the succession problem is surely a time-sensitive matter, right?
No, rather, it’s about a family member’s death.
Huh.
Thinking about it, since she was a blood-related rival who tried to assassinate Elshire, maybe it’s a bit harsh to call her family?
Elshire finally showed another reaction, hesitating and murmuring in a tired voice.
“I don’t know. My sister sent a letter urging me to return quickly, though….”
She looked somewhat worn out.
Ah, I see.
After all, she was chased from the Northern Mountains to the Academy due to being controlled by her blood relatives, and on top of that, she faced assassination threats.
Rather than feeling motivated, she might just want to detach completely from this situation to find some peace of mind.
Pastel took Elshire’s hand.
The snow flower-like friend born in the Northern Mountains had a cool body temperature, just like her birth.
“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to! Forget about that troublesome matter and let’s have fun here! It’s always enjoyable to hang out with me!”
Elshire stared at her blankly.
“Is that so…?”
“Of course!”
The pink-haired girl smiled brightly.
“Sit here! I’ll make you warm cocoa—”
“No. I have to go.”
Melissa stopped Pastel’s actions. Her blue eyes firmly gazed at Elshire.
“Everything you have grown up with is thanks to the sacrifices of the territory’s people. Even if they’re muddied and roll along mountain paths, their blood is worth more than yours. Don’t run away, but prove your worth as a noble, Elshire Bellamont.”
Oh?
Elshire stared silently at Melissa for a long time.
Then, she broke into a subtle smile.
“That’s true.”
It didn’t take long for the girl to pack her things and leave.
Shadows of the evening fell across the student council room.
Pastel leaned back in her chair.
Propping her chin, she began to smile gently.
“How terrifying~.”
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