RBRP Chapter 4 - 2
Redemption of the Blue Rose Princess
Translator: Baobao
Proofreader: Dream
Chapter 4 - 2: The Dark-haired Aide is Reaching Out His Hand
Some changes from previous translation: …-dono (ex. Nizel-dono) - Sir
* This chapter is in Lord Chancellor Nizel Otto's POV
"Clovis, can you take a look at this report?"
Nizel Otto observed all thirty clerks who lined up over at his desk from the Lord Chancellor seat in the Chancery, and called out the name of the newly hired clerk.
It had been two weeks since this young man blessed with extraordinary beauty was appointed personally by Princess Alicia as her aide. Despite being a greenhorn, he was given a heavy task to read through every single record within a given time and ordered to depict it according to his knowledge.
How far would he manage?
The other clerks were aware that it was a quick test from Nizel, yet their eyes sparkled in interest while glancing at the Lord Chancellor desk to avoid being noticed by Clovis.
Clovis, who was called over, stood beside Nizel and looked over the report from the regional branch which was just handed over to him. His collected face turned into a slight frown.
"This is…"
"What do you think?"
What he just showed Clovis was the "Financial Statement Report of Marquess of Rosen" submitted by the regional head chancellor.
Though it was filled with complex words and numbers, to put it simply, the document proposed, "The lord of the territory is too frivolous that the territory should be confiscated."
Speaking of Marquess of Rosen, Jude Nicole was well-known for being an eccentric psycho. Despite being from a long-standing family, he rarely showed his face in high society and almost never interacted with old noble households. Furthermore, he was seen often in a port city, barhopping with eastern merchants while singing joyfully.
Some even said that in order to collect eastern porcelains, he sold off paintings which were part of his family's heirloom.
A famous painter who was said to have the best skill, was scolded for including greeneries while drawing his portrait, and got sent home for making him angry.
According to other nobles who were close to him, Nicole's household discarded their ties with merchants who had been favored by their predecessors for having no eyes to discern goods.
There were various well-known rumors about him, that they should have reached Clovis's ears already. Given those preconceptions, the proposal mentioned in this report would seem to be "on point".
Clovis kept reading the report in front of Nizel who watched over him attentively, when he raised his head and narrowed his sharp eyes.
"It's a lousy proposal. May I send it back to the regional branch?"
"What do you mean?"
When Nizel asked for detailed explanation, Clovis turned the report's page and pointed at a chart.
"For instance, please take a look at the tax report of Marquess of Rosen over the past ten years. Indeed, the amount of tax paid to the Kingdom has decreased after the change of head."
However, the black-haired young man shrugged.
"The first three years after he succeeded the territory were also around the time when crop failures persisted due to the Great Cold Wave in the north, which includes Marquess of Rosen's territory. Without taking that into account, comparing his tax revenue with southern territories which were less affected by the cold wave is a pointless attempt, I would say."
Clovis had no other data except for the report, yet he accurately referred to the cold wave that happened over five years ago. On top of that, he also correctly speculated which territories were used for the tax comparison. A whistle could be heard from one of the clerks who was secretly watching.
While Nizel himself was satisfied with Clovis's answer, he still prompted further.
"What do you think about Jude Nicole?"
"I've never met the person myself, so I'm not one to judge. But..."
He rested his fingers on his fine jawline, as he carefully selected his words.
"There are countless rumors saying that Lord Rosen is a peculiar man. On the contrary, Marquess of Rosen is rather tranquil and his people's livelihood is quite high according to the Chancery's records. So, judging from his territory management, I could say that he is doing quite well."
"You passed."
Nizel let out a wry smile towards the young clerk who looked puzzled.
"Sorry that I tested you. Actually, the head of regional chancellor, Dreyfus was a troublesome one. He doesn't get along with Lord Rosen, and he already knew that his proposal got denied in the Royal Court, yet he still regularly sends this kind of reports."
Nizel laughed. Thanks to that, he could make a proper test to see if one was able to "make a fair decision based on extensive information", in purpose to the essential abilities of his clerks.
"Sir Nizel is really mean."
"I was shown the same report, and I answered horribly at that time."
"I carelessly agreed with the proposal, and got teased badly by the seniors after that."
The senior clerks who completely neglected their work and listening for the whole time grumbled simultaneously. Looking at them, Clovis's eyes widened, and Nizel, who was beside him slammed his desk two times.
"It can't be helped that you guys let your guards down since an ultimate newbie just arrived. So, who will bring me their first report after this?"
"Oh! I'm scared."
"Good job, newbie. You're promising, but we won't lose either."
Clovis made an irritated face towards those senior clerks who were cheering loudly while giving him back and shoulder slaps. But a slight, red tinge on his cheeks showed that he was happy.
It's going well.
While clasping both his hands, Nizel, who watched over that scene squinted his indigo colored eyes which showed deep knowledge within, as he smiled gently.
Nizel's standard to select subordinates was through a complete merit system. Soon after he was appointed as the new Lord Chancellor, he cut down all clerks who relied on their social standing and lineage. And as their replacement, he had been gathering those thirsting over knowledge and also eager to devote themselves to the King and the Kingdom.
Nizel's method was a complete opposite from the Kingdom's tradition. Especially for the old aristocratic households, which turned to his enemies due to their relatives being driven out from the Chancery after Nizel disrupted the Kingdom's existing system.
However, Nizel believed that he needed to gather talented people through the merit based system no matter how many enemies he would make, for the sake of Heilland. Looking outside the Kingdom, it was evident that they didn't put value on individual's lineage anymore.
Especially the neighboring Empire, Ealdar. Despite being less developed than Heilland, they had the upper hand in economy, military, and politics. Perhaps because they protected their merchants from the early stage and supported them, rather than suppressing their rise.
According to a report by delegation, the nobles of Ealdar were merely overbearing but could no longer be the privileged class. The tide of fervent learning had spread around the commoners, and if anyone stood out, they could earn tremendous wealth despite being a commoner.
As a result, commoners, merchants, and newly emerged nobles were eager to reach their dreams which were no longer restricted, and old aristocratic households were fulfilling their duty again as if they didn't want to lose.
Fortunately, through the reform that Nizel made, members of the current Chancery were those who were chosen based on individual instead of looking at their lineage. Still, Nizel was uneasy whether or not they would accept Clovis. Yet, the competence of this new clerk had entirely convinced the senior clerks.
Clovis himself seemed tense at first due to his concern about his origin, but now he had an expression which showed that he already accepted other clerks. Furthermore, compared to his dim enthusiasm at the beginning, his mind had seemed to clear up.
Nizel was deeply grateful towards the young princess, who held the hands of Clovis, and had stood out among his other subordinates and amazed everyone in a mere two weeks.
Princess, you had picked up someone outrageous without even realizing it.
Nizel went back to his pile of work, feeling delighted that the young princess who was thought to be innocent and adorable had grown to be a princess who was able to protect her subordinate before he knew it.
Nizel Otto observed all thirty clerks who lined up over at his desk from the Lord Chancellor seat in the Chancery, and called out the name of the newly hired clerk.
It had been two weeks since this young man blessed with extraordinary beauty was appointed personally by Princess Alicia as her aide. Despite being a greenhorn, he was given a heavy task to read through every single record within a given time and ordered to depict it according to his knowledge.
How far would he manage?
The other clerks were aware that it was a quick test from Nizel, yet their eyes sparkled in interest while glancing at the Lord Chancellor desk to avoid being noticed by Clovis.
Clovis, who was called over, stood beside Nizel and looked over the report from the regional branch which was just handed over to him. His collected face turned into a slight frown.
"This is…"
"What do you think?"
What he just showed Clovis was the "Financial Statement Report of Marquess of Rosen" submitted by the regional head chancellor.
Though it was filled with complex words and numbers, to put it simply, the document proposed, "The lord of the territory is too frivolous that the territory should be confiscated."
Speaking of Marquess of Rosen, Jude Nicole was well-known for being an eccentric psycho. Despite being from a long-standing family, he rarely showed his face in high society and almost never interacted with old noble households. Furthermore, he was seen often in a port city, barhopping with eastern merchants while singing joyfully.
Some even said that in order to collect eastern porcelains, he sold off paintings which were part of his family's heirloom.
A famous painter who was said to have the best skill, was scolded for including greeneries while drawing his portrait, and got sent home for making him angry.
According to other nobles who were close to him, Nicole's household discarded their ties with merchants who had been favored by their predecessors for having no eyes to discern goods.
There were various well-known rumors about him, that they should have reached Clovis's ears already. Given those preconceptions, the proposal mentioned in this report would seem to be "on point".
Clovis kept reading the report in front of Nizel who watched over him attentively, when he raised his head and narrowed his sharp eyes.
"It's a lousy proposal. May I send it back to the regional branch?"
"What do you mean?"
When Nizel asked for detailed explanation, Clovis turned the report's page and pointed at a chart.
"For instance, please take a look at the tax report of Marquess of Rosen over the past ten years. Indeed, the amount of tax paid to the Kingdom has decreased after the change of head."
However, the black-haired young man shrugged.
"The first three years after he succeeded the territory were also around the time when crop failures persisted due to the Great Cold Wave in the north, which includes Marquess of Rosen's territory. Without taking that into account, comparing his tax revenue with southern territories which were less affected by the cold wave is a pointless attempt, I would say."
Clovis had no other data except for the report, yet he accurately referred to the cold wave that happened over five years ago. On top of that, he also correctly speculated which territories were used for the tax comparison. A whistle could be heard from one of the clerks who was secretly watching.
While Nizel himself was satisfied with Clovis's answer, he still prompted further.
"What do you think about Jude Nicole?"
"I've never met the person myself, so I'm not one to judge. But..."
He rested his fingers on his fine jawline, as he carefully selected his words.
"There are countless rumors saying that Lord Rosen is a peculiar man. On the contrary, Marquess of Rosen is rather tranquil and his people's livelihood is quite high according to the Chancery's records. So, judging from his territory management, I could say that he is doing quite well."
"You passed."
Nizel let out a wry smile towards the young clerk who looked puzzled.
"Sorry that I tested you. Actually, the head of regional chancellor, Dreyfus was a troublesome one. He doesn't get along with Lord Rosen, and he already knew that his proposal got denied in the Royal Court, yet he still regularly sends this kind of reports."
Nizel laughed. Thanks to that, he could make a proper test to see if one was able to "make a fair decision based on extensive information", in purpose to the essential abilities of his clerks.
"Sir Nizel is really mean."
"I was shown the same report, and I answered horribly at that time."
"I carelessly agreed with the proposal, and got teased badly by the seniors after that."
The senior clerks who completely neglected their work and listening for the whole time grumbled simultaneously. Looking at them, Clovis's eyes widened, and Nizel, who was beside him slammed his desk two times.
"It can't be helped that you guys let your guards down since an ultimate newbie just arrived. So, who will bring me their first report after this?"
"Oh! I'm scared."
"Good job, newbie. You're promising, but we won't lose either."
Clovis made an irritated face towards those senior clerks who were cheering loudly while giving him back and shoulder slaps. But a slight, red tinge on his cheeks showed that he was happy.
It's going well.
While clasping both his hands, Nizel, who watched over that scene squinted his indigo colored eyes which showed deep knowledge within, as he smiled gently.
Nizel's standard to select subordinates was through a complete merit system. Soon after he was appointed as the new Lord Chancellor, he cut down all clerks who relied on their social standing and lineage. And as their replacement, he had been gathering those thirsting over knowledge and also eager to devote themselves to the King and the Kingdom.
Nizel's method was a complete opposite from the Kingdom's tradition. Especially for the old aristocratic households, which turned to his enemies due to their relatives being driven out from the Chancery after Nizel disrupted the Kingdom's existing system.
However, Nizel believed that he needed to gather talented people through the merit based system no matter how many enemies he would make, for the sake of Heilland. Looking outside the Kingdom, it was evident that they didn't put value on individual's lineage anymore.
Especially the neighboring Empire, Ealdar. Despite being less developed than Heilland, they had the upper hand in economy, military, and politics. Perhaps because they protected their merchants from the early stage and supported them, rather than suppressing their rise.
According to a report by delegation, the nobles of Ealdar were merely overbearing but could no longer be the privileged class. The tide of fervent learning had spread around the commoners, and if anyone stood out, they could earn tremendous wealth despite being a commoner.
As a result, commoners, merchants, and newly emerged nobles were eager to reach their dreams which were no longer restricted, and old aristocratic households were fulfilling their duty again as if they didn't want to lose.
Fortunately, through the reform that Nizel made, members of the current Chancery were those who were chosen based on individual instead of looking at their lineage. Still, Nizel was uneasy whether or not they would accept Clovis. Yet, the competence of this new clerk had entirely convinced the senior clerks.
Clovis himself seemed tense at first due to his concern about his origin, but now he had an expression which showed that he already accepted other clerks. Furthermore, compared to his dim enthusiasm at the beginning, his mind had seemed to clear up.
Nizel was deeply grateful towards the young princess, who held the hands of Clovis, and had stood out among his other subordinates and amazed everyone in a mere two weeks.
Princess, you had picked up someone outrageous without even realizing it.
Nizel went back to his pile of work, feeling delighted that the young princess who was thought to be innocent and adorable had grown to be a princess who was able to protect her subordinate before he knew it.
Comments
Post a Comment