One would think that a Duke who was loyal to the King until his dying day would receive a bit more respect. However, each time one of the apprentices checked the compartment in the mana pillar where a letter would be delivered, they were disappointed to find nothing there.
This went on for days.
Irene checked seemingly every couple of hours, and there were plenty more who were behaving the same. The girl would often pass others going to and from the tower.
The obsession wasn't merely because they thought the Duke deserved respect, but because whatever the King sent to them was a deciding factor in how the knighthood would keep going forward. There wasn't a knight, apprentice, or squire who wanted the Duchess to have any sort of decision making power when it came to the duchy or the knights.
Her instability while bringing various religious leaders to the tower to bless the place and plan the funeral was indicative enough of that.