Chapter 114

Chapter 114

“Is this the administrative office?”

“Yes. Most administrators work here.”

As she glanced up at the administrative office with a new face, the neatly decorated building faced her.

“It is very spacious.”

“Because there are over a hundred administrative officers working here.”

“Are there that many?”

“Yes. And you’ll have to hire new administrators to set up the institutions you want.”

Zachary answered casually. Hearing his words, Iellie looked rather worried.

“Hey, is the budget okay?”

“Budget?”

Eyes that shine like blue-tinted glass soaked in sunlight look back at Iellie before he smiled confidently.

“It’s okay, Len.”

A large hand gently caressed her cheek. The way he looked at her was full of affection.

“Even if we hire a few hundred more administrators, there won’t be any problems with the Duchy’s budget.”

She was slightly relieved at his confident voice.

‘Well, if Zachary said that, it shouldn’t be a problem.’

Then, he escorted her, and as she moved, she suddenly said,

“Come to think of it, it’s been quite a while since we’ve come this far, maybe?”

“Well, it’s a bit inconvenient to move around without a carriage.”

When he nodded, Iellie paused before she asked him with a puzzled face.

“Then Zachary, what do the people of the territory do when they come and go?”

“Well, that…”

He was speechless. It was also a matter that he had passed by casually and had never truly considered.

“There is no way that the villagers have their own carriage or horse…”

She narrowed her brow lightly. Come to think of it, Korea, where she lived in her previous life, was a country with excellent transportation. The subway, as well as bus routes, were well maintained. Though now here…

“Then, are they moving around this vast Duchy on foot?”

“…Maybe?”

Perhaps this was a bit absurd. Iellie was troubled again, while Zachary felt he had been caught off guard. A means for the people to move within the dukedom… it was a problem he had never thought about before.

‘It’s a worry I can’t think of unless I’m completely in the locals’ perspective.’

As he glanced at his wife, she was thinking so intently that there was a light wrinkle on her pure white forehead.

He immediately remembered something urgent.

“Len, it’s good to think about it.”

“Huh?”

“First of all, we have to meet with the administrators. Right?”

“Oh, right. Yes.”

She came to her senses. Before she knew it, the central conference room where the administrators were gathered was in front of her. She walked into the central conference room first as he followed her.

Iellie looked a bit nervous.

‘Actually, this is my first time. Can I do well?’

She gulped, but it was already spilled water. It was better to try something first than to do nothing at all. The administrators who had been waiting in their seats rose from their seats.

“Hello, I am Iellie Hessenweitz.”

The administrators were official officials of the Duchy, so they treated her politely. Even the administrators bowed their heads.

“Meet Your Excellency Duke and the Duchess.”

“Nice to meet you. Would you all like to sit down?”

She then gestured lightly and sat down in her spot first. Instead of opening his mouth, Zachary silently stayed by his wife’s side, letting her know that she was in charge of today’s meeting. The administrators also take their seats.

“The reason I visited you today is because I want to open a new institution.”

Iellie, who cleared her throat, opened her mouth in a calm voice. The faces of the administrators were full of curiosity.

“The goal is to create an institution for the people.”

“An institution for the people of the territory…”

“Well, is such an institution really necessary?”

The administrators were not particularly favorable. In fact, Iellie was a fairly popular mistress, so at least this kind of limited response was to be expected. One of the young administrators raised a hand and asked.

“Can I ask for an explanation?”

“Of course.”

Anyway, she had already expected this kind of reaction. Iellie straightened her back and opened her mouth.

“I want to establish a new field related to welfare, such as housing, the elderly, and children.”

The administrators who were listening to her explanation involuntarily shrugged their shoulders. It was because Zachary, who was sitting next to Iellie, glared at them with menacing eyes. He was literally yelling with his eyes.

‘If you don’t pay attention to Iellie’s words right now, I’ll have to deal with you after this.’

Seeing the clear meaning in their eyes, the administrators gulped as lights began to glint in their eyes. Iellie struggled to properly convey what she had been organizing in her head.

“I’m thinking of placing administrative staff separately so that they can directly listen to and pass on the complaints of the local people.”

While saying that, she recalled the employees of the district office she had seen in her past. They did not lose their smile even while dealing with the complaints with tired faces all the time. She wondered if it was a civil servant’s sorrow.

“Of course, I’m well aware that you’re all overworked right now.”

Therefore, Iellie spoke more. She was well aware that the Duchy would need this institution in the long term. Still, that didn’t mean that existing people should be overworked.

“So, I’m thinking of hiring the administrators who run this institution separately.”

At first, the administrators ignored her words, but the more they listened, the more they noticed that her opinions were realistic. It was all the more so because they were administrators who had been rolling in the field for a long time.

“If only more people were chosen to share the work…”

“If the number of people increases, it will be okay to proceed with the work itself.”

The administrators looked at each other. In the meantime, an elderly-looking administrator asked a question.

“Then, is the administrative institution’s work and the new institution’s work separate?”

“Some of the work will be shared, and the unnecessary parts will be separated.”

She answered in a friendly voice.

Her eyes sparkled as she continued to explain, “The administrative institution will be the parent institution of the new institution.”

“That means…”

“Also, the new institution will take over some of the excessive work that the administration has been doing.”

With Iellie’s words, the administrators’ faces turned bright. They couldn’t help but welcome the fact that the work would be reduced by a new institution. On the other hand, while quietly observing their facial expressions, she praised them in a sonorous tone.

“So far, you guys have done a great job.”

Looking at her, Zachary was slightly surprised. He never thought she’d be good at dealing with those snarky administrators. She basically seemed to know how to talk and persuade people.

“I just wish I could share a little bit of your work and communicate a little more with the locals.”

She treated people who were not favorable to her, and rather than reprimanding them for their mistakes, she sympathized with them for their hard work. Afterwards, she held out a reward and explained the need for a new institution step by step.

“Oh, and…”

Taking advantage of the favorable mood among the administrators, Iellie opened up about other issues.

“Since I came to the administrative office today, I thought that the dukedom is quite wide.”

“Yes, you are right, but…”

The Duchy of Hessenweitz, which dominated the entire northern part, was one of the largest territories in the Empire. In terms of its area, it was much larger than Lippenberg, where the capital Lippen was located.

The administrators shook their heads.

“So I thought about it. How about creating a transportation system that allows people to move around the duchy comfortably?”

“A transportation system…?”

“Yes. Something like arranging a carriage to cross the dukedom periodically according to the time.”

What Iellie was thinking about was the bus system. She spoke in a cautious tone.

“I don’t think it will be too much trouble if you change horses regularly.”

This proposal was much more well-received than the creation of a new institution. The administrators listened to Iellie with serious faces, and after a while, nodded to her. It would definitely improve the quality of life.

“…Great idea, Duchess.”

“I’m flattered. I’m even more happy to hear you say that.”

Iellie shrugged her shoulders and smiled. She was worried that she would have to haggle for quite some time, but looking at the reaction now, it seemed like it won’t be necessary. People in the conference room laughed heartily.

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