Chapter : 142
The official name for the gemstone that amplifies innate abilities had been finalized as the Stella Gemstone.
Even without this, people who considered Liriope’s return to life on her wedding day as a divine blessing now began to believe she had truly been sent as a representative of the gods. Not only had she created protective facilities for children who had lost their parents in the Empire and the North, but she had also found gemstones essential for the Empire.
“Some villagers say they pray to Lady Liriope every morning and evening.”
For a moment, Gemma wondered what meaning there could be in praying to someone who was alive, but her amazement was completely overtaken by Gemma’s excitement.
“There are so many titles for Lady Liriope, but the most common one is ‘Goddess of the Empire,’ can you believe it?”
‘Goddess of the Empire…’
“And they even believe Lady Liriope was resurrected with a special mission from the gods and is carrying out all of these deeds because of that.”
‘What on earth…?’
“Actually, even I felt that way a little, seeing Lady Liriope so quickly handling so many tasks for the Empire and the North after waking up.”
‘That’s only because Theo listens to everything I say…’
“Did you really come back to life with a special mission from the gods…?”
Gemma asked cautiously, her expression filled with a mix of curiosity and seriousness.
“No. There’s no way that happened.”
“Right…? …Well, actually, Lady Liriope has always been extraordinary. Even when you created Lynix as your academy graduation project, the whole Empire went into chaos.”
“Ah, Lynix.”
At last, Liriope remembered Lynix, which she had momentarily forgotten. She had intended to revive Lynix but had been too busy with other matters.
‘How could I forget Lynix, who gave me life… I need to focus.’
Liriope let out a short sigh and got up.
“Where are you going?”
Gemma asked, puzzled.
“To Rose’s office.”
“Ah, I’ll escort you.”
Hurrying toward the door, Gemma followed. There had been a small issue at one of the protective facilities, which needed checking.
Reviving Lynix would take at least two days, and Theo had also offered to help create Lynix with the spark of life, so they needed to find a day that fit his schedule as well.
The Empire had ten protective facilities in total, and the North had six, which added to the workload.
Teachers for the children had been found for each facility, but they also needed servants to feed and clothe the children and maintain cleanliness, adding to the tasks.
“Lady Liriope!”
Seeing Rosearin smiling brightly at her arrival, Liriope’s thoughts scattered.
“Busy?”
“No, I was just evaluating the chefs who will be sent to the facilities.”
Quickly responding, Rosearin gathered the scattered papers on the desk and sat next to Liriope on the sofa.
Liriope studied the numerous documents and paused to think.
‘There are sixteen facilities in total across the Empire and the North. Isn’t it inefficient for us to personally select all the servants for each one like this?’
There were already far too many other matters requiring her attention.
Three of the teachers preferred commuting, which was another consideration.
As she pondered the best way to handle all this, an idea struck her, inspired by the butler of Baron Brantio, who had been the first choice among teachers for the facilities.
“You know, Rose.”
“Yes, Lady Liriope?”
“What if we assign a person in charge for each protective facility?”
“A person in charge…?”
Leaning slightly toward Rosearin, Liriope explained.
“Someone like a family butler or a head maid.”
“…Ah!”
“Of course, the person responsible for the facility must be trustworthy. Finding such people won’t be easy, but if we continue to handle everything ourselves, including minor issues that arise, we might not be able to manage it all eventually.”
Indeed, managing every little detail would make the roles of Grand Duchess or Empress anything but leisurely.
Thus, having a responsible person at each facility was essential.
“That’s a good idea.”
Rosearin smiled brightly and nodded.
Then, with a slightly worried expression, she asked,
“But what if the person in charge is bad…?”
She had seen many cases where those in charge treated the servants as their personal slaves. Assigning a rank to commoners often led to worse abuses than even nobles committing atrocities against commoners.
“That’s definitely a concern,” Liriope admitted.
Finding people who would never do such things wasn’t easy, and even someone who seemed trustworthy could change when given rank.
‘These are protective facilities for children. In the old world, children in orphanages suffered terribly under cruel directors. The person in charge here must be chosen with extreme care.’
As Liriope pondered how to select responsible people to ensure the children’s happiness, she suddenly clapped her hands in realization.
“Do you have a good idea?”
Rosearin asked. Liriope suggested a method:
“Have an evaluation form for the person in charge at each facility, collected monthly from the children and servants?”
Theo raised an eyebrow, and Liriope nodded enthusiastically.
“Yes. With the protective facilities nearing completion, Rose and I are both busy selecting and assigning each servant. So we’ll assign a responsible person at each facility, like a family steward, to hire and manage the staff and oversee the facility.”
Theo nodded lightly.
“But how do we know if the person in charge is good or bad? They could bully the children or embezzle funds, and nobody would know.”
“That’s why everyone at the facility will have the authority to evaluate the person in charge monthly.”
“Exactly! This is similar to employee evaluations in some companies in my old world. The person in charge can’t act carelessly; if they do, they risk being removed based on the evaluation.”
Theo chuckled, then asked,
“But what if the person in charge is clever like me? They could manipulate the evaluation forms.”
“…Ah.”
“If someone can commit corruption in their position, threatening others to falsify evaluation forms would be easy. They hold the power, and powerless people can be easily controlled. You know this well—just see how servants of barons or counts fawn and act cautiously.”
“…That’s true.”
Powerful people can easily exert psychological control over others.
If a person in charge threatened children and the staff, the evaluation could be falsified.
‘Then what should I do…?’
An idea that had seemed ideal and rational suddenly revealed a flaw, leaving Liriope troubled.
Theo noticed and said,
“Don’t worry. There are other ways.”
“What other ways?”
Liriope’s eyes sparkled, and Theo, smiling, leaned in. He kissed her softly on the lips and then straightened, saying,
“There are three methods.”
‘Three?!’
“First, place a spy to monitor the person in charge.”
“A spy…?”
Liriope echoed Theo, who nodded.
“Yes. The person in charge must not know about the spy. They observe silently and report regularly. And if the first spy is bribed, a second spy should monitor the first, ideally from a different faction to avoid personal biases.”
Liriope nodded vigorously.
“Second, send someone to the facility monthly or on weekends to check. This has pros and cons, so it’s not always ideal. Someone unfamiliar observes the facility for a day and writes a report, so there are gaps.”
In the old world, this would be like local government officials checking on elderly welfare recipients.
Liriope understood the concept.
“Third, conduct the evaluation unexpectedly, not on the scheduled date, and bring the evaluators to the palace to write it.”
Her eyes widened.
“Even if the person in charge threatens them, being away from the supervisor increases the likelihood of honest evaluations. Children feel safe and adults won’t interfere, so evaluations written in the palace should be accurate.”
“Of course, human psychology isn’t perfect, so results may vary, but it should be quite effective.”
Theo smiled confidently.
Watching him, Liriope realized anew how incredibly clever he was.
“Theo, you’re amazing.”
Muttering in admiration, she began pondering how to implement these methods effectively.
