"Ahem. Anyway, Your Excellency, I have several recommendations about the situation." I explained, "You see, the nature of the problem stems from the abuse of royal authority, which is represented by the crown prince himself. And because of that, I think it would be beneficial for your cause, as well as for the kingdom, to limit the power of the monarch, as well as his officials."
"How do we do that?" the Duke doubtfully asked, "The von Alberts have been ruling this land simply because they have the power to do so."
"Dad?" Eris suddenly interjected into our conversation, "Don't you think that the king's power was because the people supported them? Eris read those in the books..."
"Eris. Don't just barge in adults' talk." Lady Ulrika Marie Hanna sternly rebuked her.
"E-Eris is sorry, mom..."
What the young duchess said had substance to it, "Well, I agree with what Eris—I mean, Lady Eris said. If you put it into practical terms, their power is from the support of the military and the guilds, both of which are in personal allegiance to them. And with those, the powerless common folk had no alternative but to give their support to the monarch as well."
"See?" Eris had a triumphant look on her face, "Eris is right!"
"Shh! Eris, please be quiet!" Lady Ulrika Marie Hanna tried to hush her up once again.
The Duke chuckled, but eventually never paid attention to what happened, "Hmm...I get your point, Sir Kuro. But how do we limit their power?"
"First, codify your laws. Write them down, complete with specific terms and punishment system." I asked for a pen and paper, then wrote my concept, "For example, what is considered a 'debt'? What are the options for your people to pay the 'debt'? In case they cannot pay it, what happens to them? What punishments can be applied, according to the severity of their violation? For how long will it last? Questions like that, Your Excellency."
"Mister Kuro!" Eris' eyes were sparkling, "If the king did that, then he will have a factual basis for our laws, right?"
"Yep, it's like it would be set in stone: no one could easily break or bend it." I also added, "Codifying your laws would also help you identify which applies to the actual situation, and what should be kept in the 'tradition' department."
"Hoh..."
"M-Mister Kuro!" Eris once again raised her hand.
"Eris. One more time and we would have to send you out of the room." Mistress Johanna finally gave her a warning, "You're interrupting the talk of the adults."
"S-Sorry...mother."
"It's okay, Madame." I told Mistress Johanna, "Lady Eris could learn a lot from this."
"She's still of tender age." Lady Ulrika Marie Hanna replied, "I doubt she'll have any useful ideas in this matter."
Well, it's quite true. But hey, sometimes, a kid can offer insights that can lead to resolving the problem...
I stole a glance at the young duchess from the corner of my eyes. She remained silent and meek, but I could tell from her face that she had a lot of things to say. Really, what's the harm of listening to a child sometimes?
I continued, "Another benefit of codifying laws is that every time a violation happens, you could always consider it for reference. For short, your kingdom will have a legal 'basis' for judgment, potentially curtailing the abuse of those in power."
"Oooh! Mister Kuro, so if it is not in the code of laws, then it is illegal judgment?"
"Precisely, Lady Eris." I'm surprised that the young duchess could perceive that concept, "And such pronouncements should be disregarded."
Because of me praising her, Eris had a proud look on her face. Well, I got to give it to her. She's pretty smart.
"Are you taking this down, Joanna?" the Duke asked his wife.
"I do! It's really interesting."
Maddie and Lily's smile on their faces was extraordinary, as I continued with my recommendations.
"Second, once you codify your laws, form a parliament as a counterpart to the royal authority. A parliament is basically a group of prominent people of the land, focused on creating laws aimed at improving the government system of the country. Its secondary purpose is also to scrutinize the king's government thru investigations and inquiries so that they could take preventive measures from his abuse."
"Is parliament like the Council of Nobles, Mister Kuro?" Eris could not keep herself from speaking, "Because their functions are the same!"
"Eris!" Lady Ulrika Marie Hanna finally raised her voice, "You've taken this too far! Please return to your room at once!"
"B-But Mom—"
"No 'buts' young lady! A child should act like a child and leave serious matters to the adults. Off to your room you go!" the lady then turned to the Marquise, "Luisa, could you please..."
"Okay mother." the Marquise had an indifferent expression on her face; contrary to her personality when she's with Eris back at the Holy Palatial Gardens, "Let's go squirt!"
"But sis, I'd like to listen to Mister Kuro..."
She took Eris' hand, and...
"What the fu—" I almost blurted out that expletive when I saw the Marquise suddenly grabbed the young duchess and swung her over her shoulders like a sack of rice, and left the room.
What the heck happened?
----------
We went back to our conversation once that episode was over. I asked about the 'Council' Eris referred to earlier.
"It's our kingdom's advisory body to the king. Sometimes, they would also recommend decrees to His Majesty." the Duke explained.
"Well, is this 'council' sanctioned by law?" I asked.
"Nope. But it's established by tradition."
"Then the king can dismiss it anytime?"
"Yes. It's one of our problems here for a long time now."
"Then you should make that council into a parliament, with legal foundations written on your code of laws. For example, who could sit in the parliament? What are their functions and responsibilities? How long could they sit in the parliament? And, also add, in case of absolute necessity like an emergency, what would happen to the parliament?" I took a sip of the tea that was served, "So that, the king would have a tough time in dissolving it."
"I see...",
"And third, which is equally important, take away the interpretation of the law from the king as well."
"What do you mean?"
"Isn't it that your king has the right to pronounce judgment? I'd say you give that power to someone else. Appoint several persons who know the laws well, and under them, give the authority to appoint judges as well. Basically, this council of judges would be the supreme authority in reading the laws throughout the land, and in whatever way, they interpret it would be the basis for future judgments. Not only this would save time for passing a judgment on a certain case, but it would also break down the authority of the king as the supreme ruler."
"Hoh...sounds plausible." the Duke commented, "But how do you take away the authority of the king over the military? You haven't answered that question of mine earlier."
"Oh, that? Well, let's get back to the codification of the laws. Have a clause in your codes that specifically requires the military to swear loyalty not only to the monarch but also to uphold the laws created to govern the land. However, make sure that you guys put the laws in the first line of precedence over the king, so that, if he directly violates what was written, the military would know where they should stand without legal repercussions."
"Ugh...all that talk about laws sure is headache-inducing," Maddie commented.
"I'm really admiring Kuro for keeping up with all of those things in one sitting..." Lily added.
"..."
Seriously, guys?
"Sir Kuro, I have one last concern though." the Duke continued, "If the power to create laws and interpret it was taken off the king's hand, then isn't the royal authority will be rendered useless?"
"No, it's not, Your Excellency." I defended my position, "The responsibility that the king could do is to make sure that the laws of the land are followed. It'll be like this, the parliament is the law-giver, the supreme judges will be the law-interpreter, and the king would be the law-enforcer. That way, the power of governance is not centered on one person alone."
"Wow...those ideas sure are sound and promising." the Duke commented, "Now I could see the reason my daughters are always telling me about you!"
"My apologies, Your Excellency, but those ideas aren't from me. It's how my country is run. We believe all men are created equal, and could advance due to merit, not by his birth."
"What a blessed country that is, then!"
Hah! You wish! It's not an open secret that my land was full of self-serving people in authority, and they always get away with it. However, this was another world, and I didn't want to get too political with things, or this would become a political thriller rather than a fantasy.
"See Johanna? It matters not if a country is ruled by a noble or a commoner; it's the personal character of the leader that would make a difference!" the Duke of Braunhauer boasted to his first wife as if he pioneered that idea in this world.
In contrast to him, was the Lady Ulrika Marie Hanna who asked another question, "Sir Kuro, is it? I'm quite concerned about the royal officials. Most of them were capable, yet they often serve themselves, rather than do their duties. How do we curb them?"
"For that, Lady Ulrika Marie Hanna—"
"Please, just Lady Hanna is fine, Sir Kuro."
"Alright then, Lady Hanna. For the situation you raised, the parliament and the council of supreme judges would come into play." I elaborated as everyone listened intently once again, "First, the parliament could look into their performances as royal officials, and to recommend to the king whether to keep them or demand their dismissal. As for the council of supreme judges, one could appeal to them to pass judgment whether the actions of these officials are in line with the laws of the land or not. And then the royal authority could do the correct course of action."
"Haa...so what do you think, Your Excellency?" Maddie asked the Duke, "I know it's a lot of work, but Sir Kuro's plans are sound and practical, right?"
"Indeed." the Duke was convinced by my suggestions. However, it's clear that he had his reservations, "But I need to talk to my colleagues about these; I'm sure they'd be interested to hear these recommendations."
"Yes, please do. Time is of the essence." Maddie pleaded.
"I agree, Your Holiness." the Duke turned to his assistant, the Ban of Kistral, "Sir Stefan, may I ask you to send for the nobles for an assembly later, after one long sleep?"
"Yes Sir, I understand." Sir Stefan bowed, "I'll have a courier dispatched right away."
"Be swift." the Duke gave him his blessing as he left the room.
"Alright." Aware that we're already done with the first round of talks, Maddie happily clapped her hands, "And with that, I guess we have to take our leave for now."
"Oh?" Mistress Johanna was surprised upon hearing that, "Won't you stay at least one long sleep with us, Your Holiness?"
"Really?" the Duke and Lady Hanna were equally shocked.
"Oh, no! No!" I quickly entered the conversation, deliberately cutting off Maddie, who was about to answer them, "What Her Holiness meant was we're taking our leave for the beds. I apologize Your Excellencies, but we're exhausted from the long journey."
Maddie, don't give them an idea that we're aware of someone among them sabotaging our negotiations, no matter how much you wanted to get out of here as soon as possible.
"Ah, y-yes!" she was quick to back me up. Fortunately, Maddie's reading my thoughts.
Besides, it's not like the Braunhauers would stay here. This is their guesthouse, after all.
Lily was all calm, preferring to sip silently at the tea that was served. I'm sure she's also concerned about us staying here; earlier she was urging us to move away as soon as possible, after all.
"Ah, right! While we appreciate your tireless efforts, you really need to take your rest, Your Holiness!" Mistress Joanna then stood up and motioned us to follow her, "We prepared several rooms to accommodate you and your servants. Please, come this way."