I! Cleaner!

"What kind of attitude is this!"

Perhaps the Queen, with high cheekbones and a stern demeanor, was irritated by the mocking look in the Princess's eyes. She forcefully slapped the armrest of her chair and angrily rebuked:

"If it weren't for your insistence on imposing a tax reduction, would your uncle's Ministry of Finance be in turmoil? News leaked, you were trapped in the Prime Minister's residence, that's your own fault!

And, forcing the replacement of officers is one thing, but adding people from the royal family and your uncle to the list, what exactly are you trying to do?"

"..."

What am I trying to do?

Looking at the Queen full of anger and listening to her harsh reprimands, the Princess inexplicably found it somewhat amusing instead of feeling the expected surge of fury.

Though the Queen was nominally her mother and they lived in the same palace, she had never been on the same side as her. In terms of "distance," the faraway Leon, residing several streets over, felt closer to her.

Ah, it's rather funny; in this magnificent palace where I grew up, I lived through nightmares for six whole years, enduring countless nights without sleep.

Yet, in that modest apartment on Bridge Street, I could sleep soundly until the sun was high, amidst some absurdly wonderful dreams.

Even more laughable is that when I injured my arm with a stone, the only one who cared about my injury was Leon, who wanted to call off the engagement, while upon returning to my real "home," no one even gave a glance to the bloodstains on my sleeve.

"Veronica!"

Noticing that the Princess opposite was somewhat distracted, with a slight upward curve of her mouth as if she wasn't listening, the stern-faced woman became even more furious.

"What are you laughing at?!"

"Nothing, I just thought of something happy."

"You... I am, after all, your nominal mother, and this is your attitude towards me?"

"Mm-hm."

Casually responding, unwilling to indulge the Queen's tantrum, Princess Veronica turned to the Minister of Finance, calmly saying:

"Your Excellency Minister, the day after tomorrow is when the parliamentary meeting of both Houses will be held. I've been very busy recently, so if future exchanges continue in this tantrum-throwing manner, I ask you to forgive me for not accompanying you."

"What are you..."

"Shut up!"

Shushing the enraged Queen, the old King in his wheelchair coughed for a while, then raised his scepter, pointing at the Finance Minister—sitting formally with his eyes observing his nose, his nose observing his heart—with a hoarse and indistinct voice:

"You speak." The full series is hosted on My Virtual Library Empire, known as MV7LEMPYR.

"As you command."

The Finance Minister nodded slightly towards the old King, then looked up at the Princess opposite, speaking with a gentle demeanor:

"Your Highness Veronica, my late-night visit this time is chiefly to discuss two matters with you.

Firstly, though the root cause of today's incidents may lie with me, your replacement decree indeed has parts that were inappropriate themselves, otherwise it wouldn't have escalated this far. I believe you have neglected some considerations in certain measures."

"Is that so?"

Upon hearing this, the Princess looked at him calmly and said:

"What omissions are there in the replacement decree I implemented? I hope your Excellency can advise me."

"You're too kind, Your Highness."

With a slight nod of courtesy, the Finance Minister began:

"Firstly, it is about the scope of the replacement targets.

Though Your Highness had noble intentions in reorganizing the military, it was somewhat too hastily executed. There's no need to include all officers in the replacement evaluation at once; a family background of Earl or higher officers can be assessed more gradually.

Additionally, the evaluation criteria are excessively strict; some officers, even though they haven't reached the standards prescribed by the military manual, have ample experience and demonstrable loyalty to the royal family, and thus warrant exceptions.

Finally, many officers hail from families with past merits; if entire replacements occur just because they didn't meet evaluation standards, it would undeservedly treat them poorly—in fact, several have come to me complaining, and I sympathize with their situation. Therefore, I hope Your Highness would reconsider."

"Why not say it more straightforwardly, Your Excellency."

After hearing the so-called suggestions from the Finance Minister, Princess Veronica chuckled lightly, then subtly mocking, summarized:

"Don't touch the ones with a significant background, don't touch those willing to support the royal family, don't touch those who might feed benefits to you... Is my summary accurate, Your Excellency?"

"The meaning is somewhat similar, but Your Highness's wording isn't quite right."

The Finance Minister laughed:

"If I were to summarize, it should be those affecting Kingdom stability, willing to act as aids to the royal family, and wishing to stand with us.

These three types of officers might have slightly inferior capabilities, but stirring them up would be troublesome beyond yield or they could become allies, so please ponder carefully."

Ponder... is there any need for it?

Glancing at the smiling Finance Minister opposite and then at the expressionless King, the Princess took a deep breath, feeling utterly weighed down as though she hadn't slept for three nights.

Not to mention whether this universally compromising replacement decree can achieve the anticipated effect, just the policy changes themselves are already a catastrophic blow to her credibility.

If, after being troubled once by the officers, she immediately compromises by altering policies, it will certainly make any future legislation attempts immensely obstructed, essentially halving the reform before it even starts.

"I believe there's nothing to ponder."

Instantly seeing through the insidious intentions behind the Finance Minister's proposal, the Princess resolutely refused:

"Your Excellency, you might think amassing more power is a good thing, but if the military continues to deteriorate this way, the national defense war six years ago will inevitably replay one day, this matter has no room for compromise; you may speak of the second matter."

"Alright."

Being rebuked by the Princess, the Finance Minister was unperturbed and, with a calm nod, continued:

"The second issue I'd like to discuss with you is about the parliamentary meeting the day after tomorrow.

The incident today where officers besieged the Prime Minister's residence indicates their standpoint; if you attend the parliament and insist on pursuing the replacement decree, it might exacerbate conflict, hence I believe you shouldn't attend the parliamentary meeting the day after tomorrow."

?!!!

Upon hearing the Finance Minister's words, Princess Veronica's pupils slightly constricted, and she coldly retorted:

"What do you mean?"

"I mean perhaps Prince Joshua could attend in your stead."

The Finance Minister smiled:

"Prince Joshua is your brother, equally qualified to represent the royal family. Though he may be somewhat inexperienced, a bit lacking in expertise, with my assistance, he should be able to manage..."

"Absolutely not!"

Never expecting the Finance Minister to come up with such an idea, the Princess couldn't help but feel a mix of shock and anger, standing up to argue:

"Joshua is incapable! This time aside from the replacement decree, there are proposals for expanding suffrage, support for the energy sector, and a series of..."

"You needn't worry about those."

Interrupting the Princess, the Finance Minister smiled warmly:

"I've already sent someone to fetch the relevant documents from your bedroom; with the preliminary preparations you've made, alongside my assistance, Prince Joshua will undoubtedly control the situation smoothly and advance these proposals."