A Gentle Noble's Vacation Recommendation

A story about His Majesty and the others in the original world.

As always, you can skip this without missing anything in the main story.

The time axis is right about here.

Our king stands aloof, yet he is not alone. He is like the moon, hanging in the night sky with an overwhelming presence, drawing the stars in his wake. People say he is like the sun, and yet it is the moon’s color in his appearance that convinces them.

Many are fond of him, and thus many follow him. They do not stand at his side as equals; they kneel, not because his position as king forbids it, but because his very existence engraves into them the knowledge that they cannot stand beside him. He is simply that powerful.

The king grieves not at all over this. If anything, he has chosen and brought it about by his own will. He laughs in amusement, laughs like a beast, and laughs at his leisure as he accepts those who kneel before him. He must have been born to stand above others. It is impossible to imagine him ever standing beneath anyone.

Everyone accepts this and reveres him. Yet the one person whom this king alone wished to keep at his side is my direct superior, Lord Lizel, the royal secretary.

“He’s the sort of child who never claims credit because it’s a hassle. So now that he’s gone, the people he left behind have no idea how to fill the hole.”

“They just went back to how it was before Liz showed up in public. The idiots who got used to the easy life are the ones at fault.”

“That’s true. As his parent I find it hard to accept that there are so many who only realized they’d been enjoying his benefits after he was gone.”

“Can’t argue with that.”

Lord Lizel’s Honorable Father was at that moment visiting the king’s office and talking with His Majesty.

While Lord Lizel is away, the duke’s seat is held in proxy by his father, now the previous duke. Lizel took the position of prime minister several years ago, but he only inherited the dukedom quite recently. Because of that, his father has been able to temporarily return to his former post with almost no issues.

I’ve met him a few times and always thought them a very similar pair. Gentle, at his own pace… though in His Lordship’s case that “at his own pace” contains absolutely no consideration for those around him, which may be the decisive difference.

Yet I always wonder: why does this man speak to the king so casually? As a vassal, speaking to His Majesty in a familiar tone, and being allowed to—I know of no one else granted that privilege.

“But as long as the capable ones realize his value, it’s fine. Explaining worth to incompetents is a waste of breath.”

“That child rather enjoys that too, in his own way.”

The conversation drifting over as we exchange documents is, in a subtle way, quite dangerous.

I’m quietly relieved no one else is here, and keep sorting the stack that’s been passed to me. As a mere secretary there are some papers I absolutely shouldn’t be reading, but I’m long used to pretending I saw nothing.

Just then, I heard the click of shoes approaching from beyond the door. The two in discussion must have heard as well, but neither reacted.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty the King!”

After a knock, the door was opened by the guarding knight, and a young man stepped inside.

Recognizing him, I stopped my work mid–motion and stood at attention. He comes from a house utterly incomparable to mine, and yet he still properly waited for the king’s permission before approaching.

His gaze flicked briefly towards me, and his brows drew together.

“I’ve told you before, I am more than capable of performing your secretary’s duties. Someone who stands at your side should not be a low-ranking noble.”

“He’s fine. He’s useful.”

“If it please you, in that fellow’s absence—no, even if he were present—I have said repeatedly that I will serve at your side as prime minister!”

“The post was made for Liz. Put you there and it’s pointless.”

As I said earlier, there are many who revere and are devoted to the king. He is foremost among them. Perhaps because they are the same age, he seems to harbor a sense of rivalry, and is forever picking fights with Lord Lizel, who is always at the king’s side.