The faces of the maids twitched when they heard those words from their king.
'That's because you're their father!' is what they want to say. But these maids don't say it because they want to keep working here.
They simply exchanged glances with each other.
Still, it's good that the babies cald down and the once-chaotic nursery grew quieter.
At least, their job will be easier.
However, their montary reprieve was short-lived. Riz started to tease the babies.
"Who's my little troublemaker?"
The maids' earlier relief evaporated. Their king's playful tone was hardly comforting. It felt like a prelude to yet another round of crying.
They feel like the king is purposely trying to make their job harder.
"Stop teasing them. Are you going to make them cry again?" Theodora scolds him.
Riz pleaded his innocence, "I was just playing. They seed to enjoy it."
"And who will deal with the aftermath if they start crying again?"
The room becos silent and the maids awkwardly look at each other. They clearly side with Theodora in their hearts.
"All right, all right," Riz relented. He gently handed the baby in his arms back to the maid nearest to him.
"I'll leave them in peace... for now."
Theodora sighed. Then she asked, "Why are you back so late? Didn't you let the staff go ho early today?"
Riz smile. Obviously, Edward has told her everything.
"Unlike them, I still have a lot of work to do. For the peace of mind, I decided to finish so of it before coming ho."
"Is that so?" Theodora seems to be having a mont of thought.
After a brief silence, she looked back at him, "Should I reenter the office?"
He quickly shook his head, "No need. I can still handle this much on my own."
Before the birth of the twins, Theodora is responsible for managing the kingdom's finances.
But now, Riz doesn't want her to take more responsibility. Parenthood consud a lot of her energy.
Despite the existence of maids, she tends to take matters into her own hands and always thinks about children all day long.
Riz couldn't fault her for this. She's just that kind of person.
What he needs is a person who can focus while working. And Theodora no longer fits this criteria.
Being the minister of finance is not a trivial job. It's stressful, requires long hours of analysis, and the ability to make tough decisions without distraction.
He doesn't want to entrust it to soone who cannot dedicate themselves to it.
As much as Theodora had excelled in the position before, her focus has shifted.
Balancing her current responsibilities as a mother and her previous role as a minister would be nearly impossible.
If anyone thinks about it, he's probably the only monarch who had put his queen to work.
Most queens in the world were likely indulging in extravagant luxuries, planning grand parties, or simply spending their days splurging treasury funds.
"You know... You should spend more money. Don't worry, the money in the treasury is our wealth. Not a single one is the governnt's. I've already stored them at another place."
Theodora looks at him, puzzled, "What are you saying so suddenly? Where am I supposed to spend them?"
"I don't know. Order the tailor to make you a new dress. Buy more jewellery. Sponsor so artists. Do what queens usually do," he said.
Theodora sighed, "Riz, have you forgotten? I don't have anyone to 'show off' to. Even if I buy a hundred dresses or enough jewellery to blind soone, on what occasion should I wear them?"
Her words made Riz pause. Only now he regrets killing all nobles.
The once-thriving social circles of the nobility were gone and completely dismantled.
There were no grand balls, no tea parties, and certainly no duchesses for Theodora to outshine.
His wife has no friends.
Riz doesn't know whether he should laugh or cry.
'Maybe I should invite the wife of the rich businessn to be friends with her.' he thought.
'Or... I can expand the rail network to other countries and make long-distance travel easier. That way the foreign noble ladies can co here.'
....
"Oh! That's fast!' said Acellin while sipping his morning coffee.
His eyes were glued to the newspaper in front of him. And it wasn't just any newspaper.
The masthead with the Ryntum crest indicates that this publication was produced in another country. And the publication wasn't available in the city he resided in, Cerdeaux.
A man like him has many ways to obtain it.
The downside is the newspaper took ti to travel from Bideford to Cerdeaux.
However, it is much better to read the news than to hear baseless rumours.
"What's fast?" Across from him, a woman asked.
Acellin simply folded the newspaper and passed it to her, gesturing for her to take a look herself.
"See for yourself, Irene."
Her slender fingers picked up the paper, and imdiately, a bold headline emblazoned at the top of the front page entered her view.
"Shocking! Execution Quietly Taking Place Yesterday!"
Her eyebrows rose.
"Well, this is surprising to ," she said. She looks back to Acellin. "You look calm. Did you already know about this?"
"Considering they're hell-bent on retrieving the traitor, I'm expecting at least this much. They had no choice but to make an example of him. Otherwise, there will be a second uprising."
"Despite their king looking unbothered, he does pay a lot of attention to control."
Irene's words are full of bitterness. She almost got caught when in Bideford but managed to escape in ti.
Years of work by her predecessor and herself go to waste.
For the ti being, Irene spends most of her ti assisting Acellin in Cerdeauxia and living off his wealth.
Acellin didn't seem to mind her presence or how she spent his wealth, so it was probably not a problem.
Since there's no official instruction for her, her superior hasn't totally given up on Ryntum.
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