The capital planet's palace.

Rosetta, who had come to train as a lady-in-waiting, gazed out the window of the corridor at the sky.

The sky of the capital planet was merely a projection, but it was beautifully clear.

"--Darling, I wonder what you're doing right now?"

Serina had chosen her former workplace as Rosetta's training ground.

Training at the palace meant no one would question her status.

Many noble daughters also came for etiquette training, and even among the maids, many were of noble birth.

She was scheduled to spend at least three years here.

Serina had also instructed her to undergo bridal training in the capital, so Rosetta couldn't return to the Banfield family's territory for a while.

Then, a group of girls wearing maid uniforms, who had only recently come of age, approached Rosetta.

"Oh my, what is the heir of the Claudia family doing here?"

The leader of the group was from a Marquis family.

Her followers were from Viscount families, all of them young ladies.

These girls, who were probably princesses in their hometowns, were now just maids.

"I'm on my break right now."

This was the scene of girls who had just graduated from elementary school, looking like high school students, being bothered by girls who had just entered middle school.

"--Aren't you ashamed to be out training at your age?"

When the leader said this, the other two giggled in support.

Most of the girls training as ladies-in-waiting were those who had just come of age.

It was unusual for someone of Rosetta's age to be out training.

"There were various circumstances. I'd appreciate it if you could understand."

"What's with that attitude? Don't be so confident, just look down like you used to."

The leader must have seen Rosetta being paraded at a party.

She was being looked down upon as she was in the past.

"--While I am currently a maid undergoing training, I am also Liam-sama's fiancée. I cannot afford to act shamefully."

At that, the leader's face clearly showed dissatisfaction.

"Liam, huh? He seems to be famous lately, but he's just a country noble, isn't he? He's a suitable partner for you. But I know something. Your fiancé is in conflict with that Barkley family, aren't you?"

Conflict with a pirate noble -- a very dangerous noble.

"What about it?"

"Can you really survive defying the Barkley family? You might not be safe either."

As Rosetta tried to distance herself from the girls bothering her, the three of them laughed.

"Are you running away? As expected, the Claudia family is just a Duke family in name only. If it were me, my pride wouldn't allow it, so I'd fight them to the bitter end."

Being mocked for lacking noble pride, Rosetta bit her lower lip.

(I have to endure. For Darling's sake, I can't be a burden.)

As Rosetta was about to return to work, a silver-haired woman walked towards her.

It was Cattleya, Serina's granddaughter.

She wore a chic maid uniform, but her position was one of authority, leading many of the servants.

She was also Rosetta's instructor for her etiquette training.

"Those girls again."

"Cattleya-sama."

Rosetta bowed, and Cattleya looked with a troubled expression at the children who were noisily causing a commotion nearby.

"I've told them not to flaunt their status here."

They had lived their lives being doted upon as princesses in their hometowns, and their sense of entitlement hadn't faded.

Their family's power also contributed to their misconceptions.

"If I step in and reprimand them, they'll quiet down -- but Rosetta, you try to resolve this with your own strength."

"Huh?"

Rosetta was a little taken aback when Cattleya said she wouldn't intervene.

"Think for yourself, and then deal with it. If you can't resolve something like this, your future will be difficult. --I'll be there to support you, so do as you please as a maid."

As Rosetta watched Cattleya's retreating back, she pondered how to deal with the girls bothering her.

( --Is this a test?)

There were several ways to silence them.

If she borrowed Liam's power, it would be resolved quickly, and she could silence them by retaliating.

But -- if she chose those methods of resolution, would she be worthy of being a Duchess?

(It's no good to rely on Darling's power. If I do that, I'll become like those girls. It's also no good to retaliate against children who haven't even graduated from elementary school.)

Retaliating against middle schoolers as a high schooler -- even with a reason, considering how the world would judge it, she couldn't choose that.

If Rosetta acted that way, it would also tarnish Liam's reputation.

(Then -- the method I'll choose is a fair and square one befitting Darling! I just need to do my job as a maid so that everyone acknowledges it!)

Rosetta, being positive, resolved to do her best as a maid.

◇

Banfield family mansion.

With both Liam and Rosetta absent, Brian was feeling lonely.

"Haa~"

His sighs increased during his break.

Seeing him like this, Serina sighed in exasperation.

"Don't make such a gloomy face."

"--Even the energetic Rosetta-sama is away from the mansion, and I miss her. Liam-sama also hasn't returned from the academy, so it feels like the light in the mansion has gone out."

"It's quiet, which is nice. Once things get busy, you'll miss these days."

Brian worried about Rosetta.

He also worried about Liam, but he felt Liam would likely overcome any challenges on his own.

But Rosetta was different.

"I wonder if Rosetta-sama is doing well?"

"I've entrusted her to my granddaughter, Cattleya. She'll be fine."

Cattleya, Serina's granddaughter, was an extremely capable child.

Serina vouched that there would be no problem entrusting Rosetta to her.

"I'm worried she might be bullied by the other ladies-in-waiting at the palace. You know -- the way women can be so extreme with each other."

Brian, who had served the Banfield family for many years, had witnessed such messy female rivalries.

That's why he was worried.

"--Rosetta has to learn from all of that. Think of it as part of her training and accept it."

Serina's palace was her former workplace.

Having witnessed the conflicts between women there, she knew there were those who would approach Rosetta with malice.

However, as Rosetta would eventually be the Duchess, Serina couldn't afford for her to be crushed by such trivial matters.

"Don't worry, Cattleya will be there to support her."

"There's something else that concerns me. --The conflict with the Barkley family has suddenly calmed down, and it feels rather ominous."

Just a while ago, they were locked in an economic battle, but suddenly the Barkley family became quiet.

Their ceasing to attack them made it even more unsettling.

"Have they given up?"

When Brian said this, Serina stated with certainty, "That's not it."

"They seem to be preparing for war with great effort. Liam-sama is also focusing on strengthening his military. They might both be intending to settle the score quickly."

"What!? Did Liam-sama decide to increase his military might anticipating this? I, Brian, thought Liam-sama was just increasing his fleet on a whim!"

Serina's expression turned serious at Brian's comment, who had been watching Liam closely.

"--There's no way that's true."

Serina's retort was completely natural.

(Perhaps he's perceptive enough to start strengthening his military before the Barkley family goes all out? Or maybe he predicted this -- well, he's as scary as ever with his exceptional abilities.)

Serina thought that Rosetta, who would be supporting such a Liam, would have a difficult time ahead.

◇

Meanwhile.

Tier, who had graduated from the academy as valedictorian, had become a lieutenant.

Normally, she would be in a training period, doing various chores in different departments.

However, she was specially exempted and was now reorganizing the patrol fleet.

She was given an office and was busy working to form a fleet befitting Liam.

"Fourth Thousand Nine Hundred and Eighty-Ninth Patrol Fleet -- there are discrepancies in the number of ships and personnel."

According to the records, it was a fleet of about thirty ships.

However, the number of ships was only about ten, possibly due to desertions.

The number of personnel was also very low.

"Is reusing the ships impossible? If we dismantle them for recycling -- the morale and proficiency of the personnel are at the lowest."

According to preliminary investigations, over sixty percent of the soldiers wanted to leave the military.

They would likely be offered vocational training and then job placement before being released.

However, providing vocational training to soldiers and arranging job placements was not free.

It required a budget.

"So that's why the Imperial Army isn't enthusiastic about reorganization. Even with any budget, it wouldn't be enough."

Their thinking was that it would be better to prepare a new fleet than to reorganize.

Despite various issues, their desire to send even a little usable fighting power to the front lines seemed strong.

Sending a patrol fleet with low morale and proficiency, and only old equipment, to the front lines would require a considerable budget.

First, leave.

Then, re-education and retraining.

It would take time and budget for type conversion training and various other things.

In that case, it would be more time and cost-effective to give the equipment to soldiers who had finished training and could handle new models.

And as Tier actually began the reorganization under Liam's orders, she was overwhelmed by the low quality of the soldiers.

--However.

Tier had been entrusted with Liam's entire personal fortune as a budget.

That amount was more than enough, even enough to form an entire fleet for the regular army.

Tier smiled.

"I see, so that's why Liam-sama entrusted me with such a huge budget. But why go this far?"

It would probably only be Liam who would allocate such a budget to a mere temporary fleet.

However.

Tier, who worshipped Liam, overthought the budget and recent situation.

"If I use this much budget, it would be better to strengthen the Banfield family's fleet -- no, wait. That's it! That's what it is! As expected, Liam-sama!!"

If you invest in the Imperial Army, only the Empire reaps the benefits.

Normally, one would think it's better to invest in their own territory.

But Tier thought, "Liam-sama must have a plan!" and sought a reason for it.

If you look for a reason, you'll find one, and she twisted them to fit.

"I understand Liam-sama's objective! This was a strategy to reduce the Barkley family's future combat power while maintaining his influence within the Imperial Army!"

Although it was a patrol fleet, a considerable number were said to become pirates.

In other words, they were highly likely to become future combat power for the pirate noble Barkley family.

Reducing such future pirates and forming regular fleets for the Imperial Army.

The fleet Liam organized would inevitably have some connection.

The military would feel indebted to Liam, and the organized fleet -- had a high probability of becoming a trump card when fighting the Barkley family.

"The Banfield family alone has a limited capacity for expansion. Securing combat power using Imperial personnel is a brilliant move!"

Tier, who was overthinking, checked the budget.

"Given the scale that this budget can support, I can prepare a considerable number. In the future, Liam-sama will be able to maintain his influence in the military. --I can't afford to slack off."

Tier's motivation increased even further.

Impressed by Liam's profound foresight and planning, Tier became even more devoted to Liam.

"Eliminate scum like pirate nobles and even solve the corruption within the Empire. How noble Liam-sama is."

Tier, whose cheeks were flushed with excitement, spent some time thinking about Liam and enjoying a happy moment -- before returning to work.

Brian (´・ω・｀) "--It's tough. Few people understand Liam-sama -- it's tough."

Young Tree-chan (゜∀。) Wahyaha "Ah, tomorrow the comic version of 'My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!' Chapter 9 will be updated -- Yo. Please enjoy."

Yumelia|∀・)

Brian (´；ω；｀) "A plant that has been modified into a promotional machine has been sent -- it's tough!"