The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 186

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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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Side Story 15
“These numbers are a mess. This section too. And this one. How did 30394+39182 end up calculated as 702837?”
Namia arrived with roughly a dozen government officials.
I couldn’t quite remember, but apparently according to some law or other, the Imperial Family could conduct private audits on certain matters concerning noble houses.
Seeing Father, who never compromised on noble authority, silently retreat without protest suggested it was legitimate.
“However, Your Highness the Provisional Crown Princess, this document isn’t mentioned in Article 37, Section 2 of the Nobility Audit Law….”
“Ah, look at the exception clause in Article 22, Section 10. Since the Enacalid Duchy possesses over 3820 Antars of ducal territory, it falls under the exception.”
Father did his best, but ultimately, he lost every argument against that woman.
And remarkably, she uncovered an enormous number of errors.
“My, this warrants a fine.”
The government officials beside Namia frantically scribbled down every discrepancy.
I was startled when I looked into Namia’s eyes.
Wait, those eyes….
‘She seemed so dim yesterday?’
They gleamed with fervor and something almost manic—completely different from yesterday. The more documents the officials brought, the brighter those eyes shone.
“My goodness…. You shouldn’t use cultural promotion subsidies like this. It was clearly restricted to book purchases, so why was it spent on snacks?”
I couldn’t understand a single word that woman was saying….
But I could sense that Father, my older brothers, and all the retainers were on high alert.
“Pardon me… Your Highness the Provisional Crown Princess, surely no noble house is without minor errors of this magnitude….”
“Errors…. Not embezzlement?”
Namia spoke matter-of-factly.
“Since I’m not from a high noble house, it doesn’t strike me as minor at all.”
Throughout all this, she didn’t spare me a single glance. The way she flipped through documents with those gleaming eyes was unsettling.
Finally, Father clenched his fists and exclaimed.
“Then where is this person who can be shaken down without a speck of dust falling out?”
“Me.”
Namia answered promptly.
“From my days as a junior official until now, feel free to scrutinize thoroughly. I’ve never even violated attendance records.”
Father was immediately at a loss for words, and she handed several documents to the accompanying officials while speaking.
“Well, as the Duke said, it’s true that no noble house is without errors of this magnitude.”
My eyes flashed with indignation at her words, which had left me speechless.
Standing dumbly at the door, I immediately interjected.
“Then our ducal house has done nothing wrong either!”
Only then did Namia’s blue eyes turn toward me.
“Whether minor or major, whether errors or embezzlement, there’s clearly a problem either way. And does something stop being wrong just because everyone does it? That’s quite a logical leap, Young Lady.”
“If you’re now taking out unfair frustration on our house under the guise of being Provisional Crown Princess….”
“Unfair frustration? Young Lady, is the Etacalid Duchy really a house that someone like me can take frustration out on? I’m simply here in my capacity as a government official, conducting an unscheduled private audit. There’s nothing procedurally improper about it.”
“But just now, you clearly said there’s no house without errors of this magnitude…!”
“That’s also true. The Imperial Palace is already aware of these matters. The reason we haven’t conducted audits until now is simply because overlooking them doesn’t cause much trouble, and we’re short on personnel….”
Namia smiled at me. It was prettier than I expected, but in that moment, it was chilling.
“Well, if we’re short on staff, I can just handle it myself, can’t I?”
“But isn’t that retaliation? I insulted Namia yesterday, and now your household is being treated like this…”
“Oh, was that an insult? I had no idea.”
She smiled quietly and turned her attention back to the documents.
“But even if I was insulted, I wouldn’t report it to the Crown Prince as you taught me, so don’t worry. However, I’ve come to realize something now. I’m a civil servant who does my job well, so I can retaliate in ways like this too.”
“That’s…”
Just as I was about to strike back, my Older Brother suddenly realized something and clamped his hand over my mouth.
“My apologies, Provisional Crown Princess.”
My Older Brother suddenly became formal and bowed his head. Namia, having already reviewed all the documents once, calmly replied while organizing them.
“You understand that private audits must remain confidential until the end, yes? If word spreads to other nobles, it could lead to document tampering. Other noble houses are also undergoing surprise inspections, so I trust you’ll maintain discretion. It’s referenced in Article 9, Section 2 of the Audit Law.”
“Ah, understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Namia rose with a bright smile. Without even glancing at me, she bowed respectfully to Father and left.
What in the world…was this?
I immediately chased after Namia.
I quickly stepped in front of her, forced my trembling lips upward into a smile, and spoke.
“Really…yesterday’s incident…it has nothing to do with this?”
“Private random audits can happen anytime. All noble houses know this.”
Namia looked at me steadily without any sign of surprise.
“I simply did it because I wanted to. There is a law requiring at least one such audit per year, after all.”
This was just a slight variation of what I said yesterday! Unbelievable!
[I simply said what I wanted to say. There’s no law against saying what you want to say.]
“As you heard earlier, you must keep this confidential. If it becomes known that the Duke’s Household underwent a private audit, they could face severe penalties.”
Namia smiled gently.
“We wouldn’t want the Young Lady to cause trouble for the Duke’s Household, would we?”
* * *
That day, my Older Brothers and Father all wore expressions of utter exhaustion.
Father tried to resist until the end, but she recited the exact legal provisions, leaving him with no way to counter.
“I’ve never seen a Crown Princess like this. Is it because she came from the civil service…? I’ve seen Empresses causing chaos in High Society before, but this is the first time I’ve witnessed retaliation like this. A private audit, no less…”
Father took my hand and spoke.
“Don’t touch that woman from now on. And naturally, keep this matter completely secret.”
Only then did I understand.
Why Calisa, Countess’s Daughter, Onti, Marquis’s Daughter, and Felina, Marquis’s Daughter had all fallen silent and backed down yesterday!
“The Imperial Family hasn’t interfered with High Society for so long that I completely forgot. What authority the Imperial Family holds. It seems the Imperial Family itself may have forgotten…”
Father pressed his forehead with an expression of distress.
“Grace, from now on, don’t openly insult anyone like that. That woman knows exactly what weapons she possesses. Fortunately, she doesn’t seem to be the type to nitpick over nothing, so you don’t need to go out of your way to impress her.”
I could only bow my head while trembling.
That’s right…I couldn’t cause any more trouble for the household…
She hadn’t used the Dragon-kin—she came directly herself, so there was nothing we could say.
After that, Namia didn’t make many appearances at social events. That said, she didn’t deliberately refuse invitations either. Each time, I would quietly avoid her or sit at a different table. When other Young Ladies asked why, I couldn’t answer.
Fortunately, Namia didn’t deliberately humiliate or torment me after that. She simply conveyed a silent message—looking tired of such social circle matters—”don’t touch me.”
And not long after, on the opening day of the Capital Art Museum.
“My younger sibling had their engagement broken off this time. It turned out their fiancé’s biological mother was a criminal.”
The Grand Duchess of Net Duchy, who had been invited after donating several artworks, stood beside Namia with a smirk.
Well, she had been eyeing the Crown Princess position for so long, so her mood must be quite sour.
But… she had been at the Convent with me for a year and stayed abroad, so it seems she doesn’t know the detailed circumstances now.
“Oh my, I’m sorry. Namia, I wasn’t speaking with you in mind. Of course, I wouldn’t have wanted such a young lady as family… but you understand my feelings, don’t you, Namia?”
“Ah, yes.”
“And there’s even a relative who accumulated significant gambling debts. If someone like that exists, they must have learned and seen things… Ideally, if one had such a background from the start, it would have been better if they simply stepped back on their own.”
“Ah, yes.”
I silently prayed for the Net Grand Duchess. Did everyone feel this way on the day of my tea party?
Not long after, it became front-page news. There was an issue with sugarcane imported from the Net Grand Duchy, and a full refund measure was implemented.
“She wouldn’t have deliberately created a problem that didn’t exist. That’s not her nature.”
Father made a comment while sipping his tea.
“She probably just resolved the problems that had been postponed due to insufficient personnel, even though they were known to exist. That woman works like a monster.”
By the time Kiaros and Namia held their wedding…
No one could say anything about Namia’s background anymore.
― Side Story Complete ―

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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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