Thread by @TheEdVerse

1)
“Ha ha. The PEOPLE.”
“Ah. No, Lord, but then, I’ve never been this high up in this wing before. The Palace is befittingly large.”
“How many staff are supposed to be up there?” the King asks Wolf.
#epicfantasy

2)
“No living quarters, so just duty staff, though no duty roster right now, thanks to the invasion and lack of ready pay, let alone supervision. Duty strength for the floors above us, one shift, is forty-seven.”
#epicfantasy

3)
“Real count? Or Palace Purse strength?”
“Real. I handle Security as well as the Treasury, Sire.”
“I’m aware. As are my coffers. You didn’t think I knew there are two counts, did you?”
#epicfantasy

4)
“Of course I did, Elvar. ‘Security’ isn’t just a word. It means I know which staff you’ve personally inspected, too.”
“I…am gratified to learn that. Is that why the inspection budget has risen so sharply, the last few years?”
#epicfantasy

5)
“Of course. The moment we had envoys from other realms visiting the Palace, a heading change on all documents was necessary: ‘inspection’ replaced ‘spying.’ Expected court etiquette, and all that.”
#epicfantasy

6)
“EXPECTED? By whom?”
“The outlander spies. We can’t have them reporting home that we’re uncouth in Neverune, now can we?”
“Why not? Wouldn’t that have made us less attractive to invade?”
#epicfantasy