The Martial Unity

Secretary Claris walked out of the Royal Office in a hurried manner, carrying a stack of paper with her. She had served as the Royal Secretary of the Emperor for more than eighteen years, not having aged even a single day, thanks to the immortality that she had benefited from the Emperor's blood.

That day, she was especially busy, having received several assignments from the Emperor regarding the Blood Cult that was being indicted and sanctioned by the Interstellar Court of Justice for the crime of High Treason in an expedited trial. She had also been given several instructions regarding the Gaian Alliance's war preparedness, having been instructed to set into motion several processes that would improve it very quickly in the short term.

"Pssht!"

She paused, certain that she had heard someone make anything but an inconspicuous rustling sound.

"Pssht, here, Claris!"

The woman turned to her right to find the princess of the Kandrian Empire sticking her head from behind a wall leading to a secluded room. Her eyes softened at the sight of the princess as the smallest of smiles cracked at the edge of her mouth.

She had watched the young princess grow up from the day she was born, even though her interactions with the princess were generally reserved due to her professionalism while at work, she had grown to develop a sense of affection for the girl.

She walked over to the corner with a deadpan expression. "Yes, Your Highness? May I inquire why you are hiding like you are trespassing upon royal property?"

She found the princess wearing a simple, baggy t-shirt and shorts, as if she were on a vacation.

Ria scowled as she looked around. "I don't want any of these people to spot me and then start with the 'Your Highness, your highness!' cooing."

"I see… Your Highness."

Ria glared at the woman before gesturing for her to enter the secluded office. It wasn't long before Ria had had the secretary seated, explaining everything to the woman.

Secretary Claris listened patiently, like a grandmother listening to their grandchild yap about incomprehensible things, one after another.

"…So to summarize, you would like me to help you hire a person who can handle the management of your new exo-planet exploration business?" Claris raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes. You're able to handle being the Royal Secretary to the most powerful empire in the world, I'm sure you know people who can help us create our business venture," Ria replied with expectant eyes, leaning forward. "You can, can't you?"

"What kind of person are you looking for, Your Highness?" Claris asked with a hint of curiosity.

"Someone who can handle the business such that we never have to worry about it," Ria flatly replied.

"That's very unspecific, but if I'm interpreting your circumstances correctly, then you seek someone who is highly competent, experienced, trustworthy, and is able and willing to commit to this company, correct?"

"Yes yes yes, that! Exactly that!"

"…Such individuals are in high demand, Your Highness," the woman replied with a thoughtful tone as she used her neural inlay to connect to highly elite and online networking platforms for executives, managers, and administrators looking for employment opportunities. "The kind of individuals who possess the traits that you seek are usually highly sought-after for managing large enterprises, where they are afforded a very high income and even influence. This would ordinarily not be a problem, but…"

She turned towards Ria with a skeptical expression. "I presume that you are unwilling to use your true identity to lure such prospects in, correct?"

Ria nodded vigorously, knitting her eyebrows. "Nobody can know that I'm the royal princess."

"And I presume that they're not going to be employed by the Kandrian Empire in any capacity and thus cannot be remunerated handsomely?"

"This is my venture. No Kandrian money. But I can promise them very high salaries nonetheless," Ria grinned. "My business venture is guaranteed to be a boom!"

"…Even if that is the case, you will have to pay them high salaries up-front because you simply do not have any credibility or reputation if you refuse to use your identity or the Kandrian Empire's name," Claris remarked plainly, shifting her spectacles.

"We can arrange for that," she nodded vigorously.

"How long do you foresee this employment lasting, Your Highness? Do you merely want this person to set up your company and then depart shortly after, or remain to manage and oversee the entire business over a long period of time?"

"The latter."

"How standardized do you believe your business model and business strategy will be?"

Ria beamed with anticipation in her amber eyes. "We're going to be unprecedented. It's going to be super different from anything that has ever happened before."

"How much discretion do you want this person to have?"

"Absolute!" Ria stressed. "They must be extremely committed to our trade secrets!"

"…In that case, it will be preferable to have someone a little younger, then," Secretary Claris remarked thoughtfully. "The executive and manager labor market at the upper echelons is a smaller world than you might think. There are networks, relationships, connections, and often, that is why they are highly paid, precisely because they have networks and connections that they bring with them. But since you insist that your business is going to be highly successful, unique, and you seek absolute discretion, then it is better to have someone who is a bit of an industry outsider."

She nodded.

"I shall find someone for you, Your Highness."

"Yay, thanks! We're so lost trying to navigate this field that I frankly have no idea what to do. It would be good to have somebody who understands all of this stuff very well, because I don't think I would have any idea of how to hire all the people needed for this company."

"I shall endeavor to find you a suitable person within two days, Your Highness."

"Nice, I look forward to that! Let me know the moment you get them, ok?"

"Yes, Your Highness."