Soon, the young man who was an officer cadet in name but a professional manservant in practice had cleaned the room again and helped Yu Lian tidy his desk. He sorted all the documents Yu Lian was permitted to consult into paper copies and arranged them by category.
These records could easily have been handled as electronic files, yet they had to be printed out. Partly, that was for security: with his current clearance, Yu Lian still couldn't access the database through a terminal, only the entertainment systems. And partly, it was probably a matter of ceremony.
In any case, the Tirillo people really were the most damn ceremony-obsessed people in the universe.
"Please get some rest. I'll take my leave now. If you need anything, just ring the bell." Corporal Emil Morista saluted, then turned and left with the meticulous, disciplined stride of a soldier on the march.
It had to be said: the boy really was an excellent kid. Even at such a young age, he was careful, diligent, and organized. He could serve as a competent butler and handle some of an adjutant's duties, too. If he made it safely to adulthood, it was hard to say whether he'd become a famous general, but he was sure to make an excellent officer.
Whatever the Alliance might say, the fact was that having the children of the upper classes receive paramilitary training from their youth was an effective way to ensure the Imperial Army's combat strength. To put it in a darker light, it was also an effective way to ensure the Tirillo military aristocracy's hold over the army and the state.
Of course, to avoid certain predictable problems, young attendants were chosen to be the same sex as the senior officers they served. Even so, it was