/
After the meeting, Carnan was troubled.
“His Majesty Prince Raymond did a great job with the ministers today.”
Robert praised Raymond.
Today Raymond handled the nobles well on almost every issue. To the extent that the emperor, Carnan, didn’t need to add any words.
At this level, even after succeeding to the throne, he would be able to lead Ubera well.
However, Carnan’s expression was not as bright as it was.
“On the other hand, Dorothea didn’t say anything.”
When he was told that Dorothea would attend the meeting, he thought she was finally going to play a role as a full-fledged member of the imperial family.
But Dorothea watched the meeting silently throughout today’s meeting.
“Is it my fault?”
Having left her unattended for a long time, Dorothea may be unfamiliar with the laws of dealing with nobles and the social and court atmosphere.
“I heard that Princess Dorothea also prepared very hard for the meeting instead. I heard that she also met with Prince Raymond separately to discuss state affairs.”
“What?”
“The Crown Prince has said that Princess Dorothea gave him the first clue about today’s farming method.”
“Really?”
“Princess Dorothea has always had an extraordinary side. She, of course, turned it into her eccentricity.”
Robert recalled Dorothea’s getting a 0 point on the Episteme entrance test.
“Since she is attending a meeting for the first time in your life, it must be difficult to deal with the ministers. But she didn’t even fall asleep, and she listened the whole time.”
“She still doesn’t get close to the nobles.”
“Yes, but I heard that she met Ethan Bronte, the second son of the Bronte family. I heard she was taking piano lessons
“Ethan Bronte?”
Carnan remembered him as incredibly beautiful.
“Isn’t he a bastard?”
“Yes, but I heard that he has been close to Princess Dorothea since Cerritian.”
‘Come to think of it, they’ve known each other since childhood, so they can be close, but…’
“Ethan Bronte has a lot of gossips.” Carnan said, furrowed his brows.
Rumors about Ethan were widespread in Lampas, as even the Emperor knew.
‘I heard that a woman from a certain family was lovesick, that he had a date with a woman from a certain family, and that he received attention at a social party…’
‘Maybe he’s the most famous person in the empire?’
“With that kind of beauty, it’s hard not to be gossiped about.”
“His first impression is not very good either.”
“Is that so? He’s well-spoken and skillful, though his origins are quite flawed.”
Robert was puzzled by Carnan’s words.
This is because the last time he entered the Imperial Palace with the Duke of Bronte, Ethan Bronte didn’t tremble in front of Carnan and had answered him brilliantly.
But Carnan didn’t like that.
“So I don’t know what’s inside.”
the unpleasantness of facing an exquisite and fine mask.
At such a young age, he showed the same attitude as the scoundrel-like ministers, so it’s impossible to know what was inside.
Besides, his appearance conformed to his words, so if he swung his tongue a little, Dorothea would be easily fooled.
“Maybe he’s aiming for a connection with the princess or something more.”
Perhaps that’s why the Duke of Bronte also put Ethan, the bastard, in the vacancy.
“Isn’t the princess young? She can still enjoy such things.”
There’s no way she’s going to marry a bastard, and there’s a handsome man she might be attracted to, so it’s okay to let her enjoy that for now.
“But hanging out with Ethan Bronte is a problem.”
Wouldn’t it be better to meet other people besides Ethan to see more broadly?
“Come to think of it, Dorothea never properly greeted the ministers,” Carnan murmured, touching his chin.
Although she greeted the nobles during her debutante, it was not just for her.
In Raymond’s case, since he was young, Carnan has been taking him to greet and keep him close to his ministers in important situations, but Dorothea has never done that.
It’s no wonder Dorothea found the nobility so intimidating and withdrew from meetings, feeling alienated and ostracized.
“All this time, I’ve been a bad Milanaire.”
He remembered what Dorothea had said to him.
‘Yeah….’
He admitted that he didn’t want to recognize Dorothea as a Milanaire. That he couldn’t accept the existence that symbolized the death of Alice and the decline of Milanaire.
But no more. Dorothea Milanaire is the daughter of his blood and a member of the Milanaire.
He didn’t want Dorothea to lose her temper in front of the nobles.
“By the way, isn’t Dorothea’s birthday soon?”
“Yes. Yes, Your Majesty.” Robert replied with a smile.
‘He was asking about Princess Dorothea’s birthday, not the Empress’s death.’
“Perhaps we should set a place for Dorothea on that day.”
Dorothea needed a place to formally introduce herself in front of the ministers and greet them.
* * *
Meanwhile, Ethan, who couldn’t attend the meeting, melted into the social world.
Fortunately, he handled society more comfortably than Dorothea.
He naturally blended in with people, as he had done before his return. No, not blended in. Does he stand out?
At times he thought he would like to associate with Dorothea, but he hoped that he could use his talents for Dorothea.
The social circle was very useful in that regard.
And the sudden discussion of mail at the midday tea party was all because of Ethan.
This is because Ethan said that he would only receive letters or invitations by mail.
“Uh, only by mail?”
“The front of the Bronte mansion was always noisy and the carriages were blocked every time, so they blamed me. I have to find a way…”
The nobles used to send invitations and letters by sending their servants to ensure accurate delivery.
Sometimes, they waited for Ethan himself, saying it was polite to see and give him in person.
Now, suddenly, he would only receive them through official mail.
“But Ethan. Mail is inefficient.”
“Last time, I got a reply after three years because the mail was misdirected. Even though it was the neighborhood next door!”
“Sometimes they are returned because they can’t pay the postage. In some places, one penny is enough to receive a letter, but there are times when even one blanc, is not enough. It’s very uncomfortable!”
They all complained about the imperial postal system.
For that reason, the postal system, which was not systematic, was always levied on cash, and sometimes the postal cost alone exceeded 10 blancs.
The recipient, who couldn’t afford the postage, would send it back, then the price was doubled or tripled and returned to the sender.
Because they couldn’t afford the exorbitant postage costs, the recipient and sender returned letters to each other, eventually leading to lawsuits.
The reason postage rates are so absurdly inconsistent is that postal rates are all decided at the discretion of the postal service.
And in many cases, they overcharged, lining the pockets of the postal service, the villagers, and the local nobility.
As a precaution, those who feared that the mail would be returned also sent money for the postage in the mail.
However, when it became popular, thieves or unscrupulous mail carriers were now stealing mail.
Addresses were also unclear, so mail delivery was often wrong.
“It would be good if the postage rates are systematically set, so the sender pays in advance. Wouldn’t it be nice to not have to spend money on receiving unwanted mail?”
Ethan took a sip of his tea and threw the topic indifferently.
Those who wanted to win Ethan’s favor nodded their heads as they answered the topic of discussion.
“You’re right. We have to get rid of or fix that stupid system.”
“Right. I can pay whatever I want for a precious letter, but I don’t want someone to satisfy their own self-interest with that.”
“Besides, so many times it goes to the wrong place!”
They also considered postage a minor but very inconvenient problem.
How ruthless, how could there be an idiom that says, ‘It’s like a postman’s mind’ for a capricious thing!
However, as they usually did, the nobles were able to find other ways to do important work without using the postal service, so they didn’t bother to criticize it.
But the word “inconvenient” has been around for a very long time.
As people’s complaints grew, the Young lady, who was on one side, opened her mouth quickly.
“The post office is aware of that, and we’re thinking about how to improve it.”
It was a Young lady who worked in the post office.
However, the other reactions were unpleasant.
“It’s a problem because you have been thinking about it for years.”
“You should not be able to trust and send letters. The imperial family doesn’t leave even the smallest letter to the postman, is it?”
The status of the post office, which even the imperial family didn’t trust, had fallen to the ground.
Moreover, the postage was expensive due to local self-interest, but the amount of money collected by the post office was ridiculously small.
“It’s not a simple matter. The empire is so large and the addresses are complex, and when you send a letter, the postman can’t check whether you paid the right amount or not. What can you do other than pay on delivery?”
“You just have to number your address and mark the letter that you have paid.”
“Numberings and markings? How?”
Everyone tilted their heads at Ethan’s words.