Hearing the princess's question, spoken as if something must be done, I grabbed my head in confusion. What was she even talking about?

After thinking about it for a moment, a hypothesis came to mind.

Could it be that?

Was this some kind of bureaucratic procedure?

"Government-style work? Don’t tell me it’s that nonsense…?"

Any time the word “government” was involved, it usually meant having to show something to a higher authority. And naturally, that entailed endless formalities and ceremonial nonsense.

As a taesu—a provincial governor—he was essentially this era’s equivalent of a high-ranking bureaucrat. That meant he probably needed something presentable to show his superiors.

But if there was one thing I hated the most, both in my previous life and in this one, it was this kind of bureaucratic work.

A show, that’s all it was.

Back in my past life, I had suffered enough when some ridiculous law passed, forcing me to build an impractical breeding facility just to meet regulatory standards.

Taking a deep breath, I asked the princess:@@novelbin@@

“Shouldn’t we be focusing on reassuring the people rather than just putting on a show? If we just wait a few days, everything will settle down on its own. Wouldn't it be better to ease their concerns first?”

I deliberately left some wiggle room in my tone, just in case she found it rude.

“But… it sounds like you do need something to show. Is there a particular method you had in mind?”

At that, both the princess and the taesu flinched, then exchanged startled glances.

They looked guilty.

It seemed I had hit the mark.

The two of them silently exchanged glances, as if communicating through some secret method. Probably a sound transmission technique.

After a moment, their silent exchange ended, and both nodded in agreement. Then the princess finally spoke, her tone carrying an air of reluctant acknowledgment.

“At first, I just thought of you as a young sohyeop, but you’re quite a bit sharper than I expected. Yes, you’re right. As you said, I do need something to show. How should I put this…? I wonder if you’d understand…”

And then, suddenly—

A creaking sound echoed through the reception hall.

That was strange.

Hadn’t the princess ordered everyone away?

Yet, the door was slightly ajar, and the sound of its rusty hinge echoed through the room.

—Creeeeak…

“Who’s there?! Didn’t I clearly say that no one was to come near until we were finished?!”

The princess snapped, her voice sharp as a blade.

I expected to hear someone stammering out an apology from outside.

Instead, what poked through the slightly opened door was—

Not a person, but two venomous creatures.

It was none other than Cho and Bini.

—Tsrrt?

—Tsrrrrr?

They tilted their heads sideways and peeked through the gap, antennae twitching curiously.

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