The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 1

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 1
Prologue
The Scroll Department Office had been in turmoil since morning.
A middle-aged man—the Minister of Education—had barged directly into the Minister’s Office without warning.
“I saw the cooperation document your department sent to us this morning. I’m certain I called for you to visit the Ministry of Education?”
Regardless of whether the Minister of Education was fuming, there was a woman observing him with perfect composure.
At merely twenty-three years old, she was Namia Loapi, the Minister of the Scroll Department.
She replied slowly, as though the situation hardly surprised her.
“Ah, was that so? I was too busy to notice.”
The Minister of Education caught his breath sharply.
She sends a discourteous cooperation document first thing in the morning, and then claims she was too busy to see it?
He suppressed his fury and lodged a protest.
“While we both hold the title of Minister, you are considerably younger than I am, and the Scroll Department is far smaller in scale than the Ministry of Education. Surely it is not proper etiquette to force me to come here in person?”
“I suppose you’re right.”
Namia answered without sincerity while filing her nails.
“The etiquette was indeed a bit lacking.”
Namia Loapi.
Just days ago, she had been a low-ranking civil servant in the Scroll Management Department—a division openly derided as the “hopeless department” within the bureaucracy.
Yet recently, due to the Tower Master’s baseless tantrum, she had suddenly found herself seated in the Minister’s chair.
After the Crown Prince’s blade had eliminated all the higher-ups in the Scroll Management Department, the newly reorganized “Scroll Department” required a new minister.
In other words, from an external perspective, she was the perfect example of a “parachute minister”!
“Though if you had waited a bit longer, I might have come to you.”
At that infuriating tone, the Minister of Education’s anger reached a boiling point.
Yet he could neither raise his voice nor physically confront this minister—because the Empress and the Young Prince were currently visiting the Scroll Department Office.
‘So she receives the favor of the Imperial Family, and now she’s grown arrogant without a shred of sense!’
The Minister of Education glanced briefly at the Empress and Young Prince beyond the glass door.
Though the glass was transparent, he and Namia were separated within the Minister’s Office.
Save for the Black-haired Secretary standing behind Namia, they were effectively alone.
He ground his teeth and issued a warning.
“Now that I’ve come in person, I see your thinking is far too shallow. You don’t even attend to the Imperial Family—you simply sit idle in your office? This is truly… unacceptable.”
“Pardon? Why would that be?”
In the Empire, the authority of the Imperial Family was immense.
They were “dragon-blooded ones” whose veins carried dragon’s blood. Even in silence, the overwhelming pressure they naturally emanated compelled ordinary people to obey instinctively. Yet despite this, she displayed such brazen insolence.
The Minister of Education seized the moment and bellowed.
“Is it proper for a minister to conduct herself so disrespectfully before the great dragon-blooded ones? Hmm?”
“Oh, is that improper? I had no idea. There’s no such law that I’m aware of.”
Namia tilted her head with an expression of complete indifference, and blew gently on the nails she had been filing.
“Personally, I simply think the Imperial Family should be comfortable as well.”
“What? Have you lost your mind?”
As the Minister of Education erupted in anger, Namia finally opened her eyes wider and crossed her legs.
“The Crown Prince himself said not to think it’s difficult to be informal with him—please treat him comfortably.”
“…What?”
“He told me, ‘My cute, clever, and lovely girl can do whatever she wants. Your big brother will protect you. Just marry me. Actually, I’ve secretly prepared the wedding ceremony too.’ That’s what he said.”
Behind her, Namia’s Secretary stifled a cough. She shrugged and added.
“So that’s why I’m not afraid of anything?”
“You really….”
“So please have the Ministry of Education cooperate with this event.”
“No, what….”
“Otherwise I’ll tell big brother. The big brother who’s completely smitten with cute, lovely me won’t just sit idle.”
The Minister of Education bit his lower lip and swallowed a groan.
The rumor that Crown Prince Kiaros was holed up after being rejected by Namia had spread throughout the Imperial Palace.
But to think he’d still be this obsessed with a single woman, unable to come to his senses!
‘Setting everything else aside, that tone of voice is so infuriating!’
He glared at Namia while trembling with rage.
* * *
After a few more words, the Minister of Education eventually stood up with an indignant huff.
He surveyed the department with an irritated expression.
He was ready to seize upon any flaw he could find. But….
‘There’s no way there’s anything to criticize!’
I watched his retreating figure with a satisfied expression.
Just days ago, this place had been the Scroll Management Department, where criticisms poured out endlessly.
The employees’ attendance was chaotic, the office environment was filthy, and security documents were scattered everywhere.
But ever since I, Namia Loapi, became director as an unprecedented special case.
‘How is it? Perfect, right?’
Documents were organized neatly, employees sat at their stations, and everything was in order.
Even the Empress and Young Prince who had visited the Scroll Department were comfortably and pleasantly viewing the scrolls.
In the end….
“You’ll regret this, Director of the Scroll Department.”
The Minister of Education left the Scroll Department with heavy, thundering footsteps.
I watched his departing figure intently and chuckled to myself.
‘Wow, now that I’m a director, I can even get under a minister’s skin. This is the best.’
Normally, I wouldn’t have been able to pull off this act of arrogant, thoughtless young girl.
Playing the role of someone relying solely on imperial favor and acting recklessly.
‘Of course, I set this trap for the greater good… but honestly, I’m pretty good at this kind of acting.’
I reached for the documents again with a posture and expression different from before.
“Director.”
Seeing me focus back on work, Kibon, my secretary who had been standing like a shadow behind me, spoke carefully.
“Um, that… big brother… that’s, well, a bit…”
It seemed my earlier reference to the Crown Prince as “big brother” had been shocking to him too. I chuckled and waved my hand dismissively.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. The Crown Prince has already approved everything. He said I can use his name freely.”
“…I doubt you ever imagined they would go this far.”
“Then you should have refused. If you’d truly believed they’d go this far, you wouldn’t have approved it in the first place, would you?”
“….”
“Besides, you’ve already given your consent. Are you really going to nitpick about it later? Everything is for the sake of the Imperial Family, after all.”
“….”
“Just do what you’re told. Since when do you have time to worry about the Crown Prince?”
At my words, Kibon seemed to snap back to attention, burying his face in the pile of documents once more. The dark circles beneath his eyes were unmistakable as he toiled away under my command.
Of course, I had plenty of work myself—far more than a mere secretary like Kibon.
It was inevitable for a minister of such a small department. But!
‘If I were still a lowly clerk like I was just days ago, I’d know every dark secret of the Minister of Education and yet be powerless to do anything about it.’
There were truly many advantages to suddenly becoming a minister.
The increased salary, the ability to attend all sorts of glamorous and important events, not having to listen to an incompetent superior, not needing to hide my competence, being able to freely exercise my abilities, directly leading this organization well….
But the best part of all was this.
‘Being able to act like a villain toward the villains from the original story, throwing my weight around and getting under their skin!’
After recalling the original work, I had somehow achieved sudden success thanks to the Crown Prince and the Tower Master.
I never would have sworn I’d end up wearing such a prestigious position.
But… unexpectedly, the taste of power was far too intoxicating.
‘Power is wonderful! Fame is wonderful! Being a minister is wonderful! Promotion is wonderful! The air at the top is wonderful!’
Initially, I hadn’t planned for things to go this far….
I’d only meant to prevent a few of the tragedies from the original story….
‘I will never let go of this path to success!’
Now the original story meant nothing to me.
The listless, vacant-eyed Namia Loapi who once dragged through each day was gone.
My eyes gleamed with the hunger for power that consumed me more with each passing day.
‘Absolutely not!’
So how did all of this begin in the first place….

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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