Chapter 15 Sorting, Sorting, Sorting
"Miss Rebecca, can you please separate the documents that need to be recorded in the ledger from those that don't?"
"Okay."
Sara turned to the bureaucrat on the left and asked for his name.
"Excuse me, may I know your name?"
"I'm James."
"Then, Mr. James, please select only the documents from this period that need to be recorded in the ledger, out of the ones Miss Rebecca has sorted. As for the past documents, we'll prepare a large box for each year, so please put them away in their respective boxes. We'll get to them once we've finished this period's work."
"Understood."
Next, Sara turned to the bureaucrat on the right, who had already responded.
"I'm Benjamin. Please call me Ben."
"Then, Mr. Ben, can you further categorize the documents Mr. James has selected and rearrange them by month?"
"Should I prepare separate boxes for each category?"
"Of course, let's hurry up and prepare them."
Sara decided to put Robert, who was still spaced out in the corner of the room, to work.
"Uncle, it's clear we don't have enough manpower."
"I know that. That's why I called you all here."
"Of course, but we don't even have enough people for simple tasks. We should ask the butlers and maids in the mansion for help."
"What, ask them for help?"
"Obviously. Especially if they're butlers or housekeepers, they can understand the ledgers and become an immediate asset. If there are any maids who are good at reading and writing, call them all in."
This shocked not only Robert but also the bureaucrats. They were aware that they were elites and were doing their jobs with that mindset. They thought that only new elite bureaucrats could support them.
Borrowing Sara and Rebecca's hands was an order from Robert (their superior), so they couldn't refuse. They could understand asking the butlers and housekeepers for help with miscellaneous tasks, but having maids assist with office work was unthinkable.
"Sara, you're really something, expecting a maid to do this."
"Then, please don't ask someone like me, a kid, and that governess to do it. Can't the bureaucrats handle it on their own?"
"Th, that's..."
"It's just a matter of assigning tasks to capable people. I don't want to waste time on unnecessary discussions."
Sara continued to examine the documents without pause, speaking nonchalantly. When she switched to work mode, her emotional fluctuations became smaller. To those who didn't know her well, she might seem unfriendly, and they would often ask, "Isn't Ms. Uno angry?"
Robert and the bureaucrats had limited interaction with Sara, so they took her response as a sign of anger.
"Alright. Let's gather the necessary personnel."
"Yeah, and we'll need a large number of empty boxes, so please bring them over. While you're at it, have them help with transporting the documents too."
As Robert instructed, a group of people arrived at the office building from the main residence, including the housekeeper, 2 butlers, several maids, and footmen carrying boxes.
The housekeeper and butlers were tasked with the same work as Rebecca, and they set up a system to review unclear documents together in a group of 4. Two maids were assigned to support them, and they were instructed to put the sorted documents into boxes.
James would separate the documents into this period and others each time a box arrived, and they would also prepare a box for returns in case of mistakes. A maid was assigned to support him as well.
The burden of categorizing documents by month and type was significant, so Robert decided to participate in Benjamin's work. Two maids were assigned to support them as well.
Incidentally, the footmen who brought the boxes were tasked with helping with document transportation.
Sara herself was making notes on what kind of documents there were. Ultimately, she planned to create a document list for sorting purposes. She also thought it was necessary to decide on the format for each document as soon as possible.
At this point, it was already around 4 pm in the evening, and Sara's available work time was dwindling.
"Uncle, I'm so sorry for taking care of things like this."
"No, that's not a problem at all. You're doing it at an amazing speed, too."
"But, Uncle, I'm not allowed to work overtime by Miss Rebecca's rules, and I have to finish my work by 5 pm and return to the mansion."
"Ah, yes, that's right. We did make that promise."
"So, I was thinking, could I just have permission to work overtime for the first few days? Just this once?"
Rebecca, who was listening, hastily interrupted.
"Ms. Sara, that's no good. At your age, you need to eat and sleep properly, or you'll harm your health."
"Miss Rebecca, it's not just kids who get hurt from overworking. Adults do too if they push themselves too hard. In fact, some of the bureaucrats have already collapsed."
"That's especially true for kids."
"I understand that. So, I was thinking, what if we have a quick dinner delivered from the mansion? We can be careful not to mess up the documents, and we'll save time. Let's use our free time for work today. I'll pretend I got homework."
Rebecca looked at the mountain of documents that didn't seem to be decreasing at all and let out a sigh.
"I guess it can't be helped. If we keep going like this, it'll never end. But I absolutely won't compromise on bedtime. That's non-negotiable."
"I understand, Miss Rebecca."
After that, a maid from the mansion came running to deliver dinner instructions, and meals for everyone, including the bureaucrats, were brought to the office building. While quickly eating dinner, Sara planned out her schedule for the next day.
"Miss Rebecca, until we finish this task, can I put my studies on hold and focus on work? I know studying is important, but this is more urgent."
"Yes, that's true. If we leave things halfway, we might not be able to focus on our studies either."
"Ah, and Uncle. We're borrowing a lot of people from the main house, so if we keep going like this, it'll interfere with their work. This is an emergency, so shouldn't we have the butler and the housekeeper adjust the main house's work?"
Then, the butler Joseph appealed to Robert.
"Yes, just as young lady Sara says. We'll get everything in order by tomorrow morning and give instructions to the servants, so may we have young lady Sara accompany us to the main house today?"
"I see. I understand, Joseph."
"But, Uncle, I'm the one who said I wanted to work overtime, but shouldn't everyone else pace themselves and not overwork?"
"That won't do, Sara! We'll fall behind!"
"Isn't that what happened to the bureaucrats? If they keep going like this, Mr. James and Mr. Ben will collapse too. It's already clear that this will be a long and difficult task. In the long run, it's more efficient not to overdo it. I know it's impolite for a child like me to say this, but..."
"Sara, are you trying me to push a child to the front lines after going this far?"
"But I'm really 8 years old, you know."
""Whaaaat?!""
The 2 bureaucrats stared at me in surprise.
"I'm sorry, Miss Sara, are you really 8 years old?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I thought you were hiding your fairy's blessing or something."
"Haha, I'm just a regular kid, sorry."
It was hard to believe, but Sara, who was actually an older soul reincarnated, couldn't say that.
"No, if you're talented, women and children are welcome too. It's just that, in this situation..."
"Yeah, that's right."
After everyone finished dinner, they resumed their work. In the end, they finished the first day's work about 30 minutes before Sara's bedtime, and left the rest for the next day.
By the way, they finished sorting the documents for this period on the evening of the third day. On that day, everyone finished work at 5 pm and decided to have a light dinner and drinks in the castle's play room.
However, Sara was the only one who had grape juice, and her bedtime was strictly enforced.
"Ugh... Leaving the party early is..."
She was greatly dissatisfied.
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