Until the Exiled Duke’s Daughter, Wilhelmina, Becomes Happy

Chapter 99: Pulling Researchers Out of the Field

His Highness Elias continue

“Even if I am beheaded in front of the people, I don’t care. I committed that much of a sin. But Ina hasn’t committed a sin.”

I laugh at that statement.

“Because Miss Ina is in love with someone else’s fiancé, that is a sin. And if the person she loves is the Crown Prince, and the person she stole from is the Duke’s daughter, then that sin is not light.”

His Highness Elias looks up at me.

“If she is judged to not be involved in my downfall and other conspiracies, then that may not be a crime worthy of death.”

I don’t particularly hate Miss Ina enough to want to kill her. And even you, Your Highness, should be punished justly, but I don’t have the hobby of cutting off heads and enjoying it.

But I don’t have to say this, don’t I?

His Highness remained on his knees and started talking.

“Before breaking my engagement with Vilhelmina, Duke Periknen was already talking about eliminating her and adopting Miss Ina as his daughter.”

“Stop it, Your Highness!”

“Lord Periknen, please be quiet.”

“Duke Periknen instructed his steward to send an assassin from his subordinates to move against Vilhelmina. And if one knew about it, appropriate protection could be provided by the knights of the crown prince faction.”

Ah, I had imagined that there was a secret agreement between the Duke and the Prince, I see. Was it led from there? Indeed, it was unnatural that Duke’s assassins failed to kill Miss Ina.

It’s that thing called Match pump!

Thus, names of Periknen Duke, Cardinal Johannes, nobles and knights of Prince’s faction, and even the private use of the shadow of the royal family came out from his mouth.

“His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen are not involved in this matter. Neither are any other princes or princesses. After returning from his trip, I was scolded by the king and suggested to be removed by the Prince, but in the end it remained the same.”

“Why did you choose her as my partner?”

Lex asks.

“Sorry, anyone would have been fine if they were a commoner. But to bestow the problematic duke’s daughter was just a convenient excuse, and it wouldn’t be wise to marry a high-spirited noble daughter to a wealthy merchant or anyone who is not particularly affluent. The head of the research institute where you used to work was part of my faction, and you were recommended from there.

His Holiness says.

“Will that noble also be interrogated?”

“No, it’s okay. He’s not going to make it anyway.”

“Really?”

“A&V company is poaching all of the talented researchers from the commoners. It is a fact that nobles’ children have an easier time receiving advanced education, but it’s not right to treat the commoners who are capable of keeping up with it badly.”

His Holiness laughs pleasantly.

“I see, so it means that they will lose their status without being punished.”

“Yes, they are competent and happy to work with us. It’s understandable that the king tried to steal our research findings. They probably couldn’t develop the magic stone production machine themselves. The behind-the-scenes work, such as preparing for the research, putting in long hours, and summarizing the results, can’t be done without the people who were at the research institute.”

His Majesty averted his eyes from the aspect of the decline in quality of the institute. Indeed, Lex was saving those who were in the same position as himself while also striking the opponent at the same time.

“To make a major poaching from the National Research Institute… “

“It was simply too much to expect a significant change in treatment simply because of the difference in status between nobility and commoners. The average working hours for commoners were nearly double those of noble researchers, and their pay was less than half.”

I nod too.

Yes, that’s right. I’m in charge of the accounting management at the company, but the researchers we are currently hiring are clearly high-earners as commoners, but cheaper than the noble researchers. Although their working hours are much less than before, even if it’s unpaid, they often appeal to be let go to a good place.

In the end, it doesn’t reflect on the salary, but they are given as performance pay whenever the version of the magic element accumulation and crystallization Lex and Mina numbers increase…Oh? If we include that, I feel like they’re earning more than the noble researchers.

“The director is a nobleman, and the man who audited the institute is also a nobleman. Their jurisdiction belongs to the King and the Prime Minister. I don’t know if they failed to notice the reports being altered, or if they ignored the reports that were made. However, it’s difficult to blame someone for their incompetence and shift the responsibility to them.

“Incompetence is such an insult!”

“The responsibility for incompetence is not being questioned here. However, it was supposed to have been normalized even before Alex Peltra entered the Institute. The national policy of hiring researchers and opening the doors of scholarship to the general public with a view towards the next hundred years of the country has been neglected in such a way that one cannot describe it as anything but incompetent.”

If not us, for example, we could have been taken over by a neighboring country.

His Holiness nods.

“Is that okay? Shall we go back to the story where Mr. Peltra was accused of being a heretic?”