Common Sense of a Duke's Daughter

CHAPTER 74: My Little Sister's Strategy

"My body feels a bit stiff, so I am going to go and exercise for a bit." (Dean)

"... Are you planning on sneaking into the military's training session again?" (Ludy)

"Yes. General Gazelle has returned, and, since he is the one instructing it, it would be a waste not to attend." (Dean)

General Gazelle took care of me since I was a child. He used to train me all the time in this castle. A knight order exists as well, but I feel that the military is more diligent. Also, since they maintain public security throughout the city, they also train in street-fighting.

"Brother, it is fine to move your body, but please use your head and hands first." (Leticia)

She sighed as she entered the room. My little sister's name is Leticia, but I prefer to call her Letty. She has soft, emerald-green eyes and blonde hair, like me. She is the third princess and third in line for succession. Everything about her appearance reminds me of our mother. My sister has truly grown into a beautiful lady.

"Letty, have you finished already? As expected, you work quickly." (Dean)

"Yes, brother. Please, control yourself." (Leticia)

Her smile, while seemingly cute, was laced with immense hostility. She placed a stack of documents on my desk.

"Here is the favor you asked me to take care of. There is a place that has a bit of a problem with their finances, so please check it." (Leticia)

While I am away, Leticia deals with all of the documents and compiles reports. Since the King fell ill, my work increased exponentially. I would be unable to leave my desk were it not for her help.

She has been trapped here since she was quite young. My position at the time was weak, and I could do little to help her situation. She said she did not want to participate in the power struggle for the throne and put all her energy towards her studies.

Her ability and skill at doing paperwork was praised even by the Prime Minister.

"You have improved greatly. If it is the current you, I will be able to 'leave' more frequently in the future." (Dean)

"Brother, before you plan your next outing, please, look over these documents. Rather, please do not go out for a while." (Leticia)

I quickly leafed through the reports and documents she compiled and reviewed and could not find a single mistake. On the contrary, she even took note of minor details and sent out people to investigate issues.

"The minister of human rights is in the second prince's faction. Even if she wants to carry out a small project such as this one, it will definitely get rejected." (Leticia)

"Indeed." (Ludy)

The country's operations are split into seven administrative departments: finance, military affairs, legal affairs, foreign affairs, human rights, education, and infrastructure. The Prime Minister organizes all of them and reports their activities and matters to the King. The administration jobs also include negotiations with each lord to create policies that would benefit the country.

The power of incumbent lords of the land is significant. As such, it takes a long time to make compromises with them, especially while running the country. Because of this, I proposed a policy to further centralize this process. However, it lacked majority support, resulting in continued rejections.

The finance minister, Earl Sagittaria, the military affairs, and foreign affairs ministers are all on my side.

The human rights, education, and infrastructure ministers all side with the second prince.