The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 189

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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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Special Side Story 2
After hearing the full account, Agnes’s face went pale.
“Good heavens… Y-Your Highness the Crown Princess, I greet you.”
Agnes gasped for breath and immediately bowed deeply. Namia smiled gently and shook her head as if to say there was no need.
“You know it gives me chills when you use formal speech with me.”
“How could I… compare a saintess from some remote kingdom’s convent with the Crown Princess, Your Highness?”
“Fair point.”
Namia was honest.
“Then perhaps we should use formal speech in public settings, Saintess.”
“Yes, please do that.”
Agnes nodded eagerly. Then she struck her own mouth repeatedly.
“Heavens, how dare I speak Victor’s name in this place—I must be losing my mind.”
“Hmm? You knew Victor became a criminal?”
“What? Senior Victor, what did you do?”
Well, Agnes hadn’t even known Namia became Crown Princess, so there was no way she’d know Victor was in prison.
Namia’s eyes widened as she asked.
“So Victor didn’t commit a crime, yet you reacted so strongly just because you mentioned his name?”
Agnes then answered.
“I simply meant… that the Crown Prince and Senior Victor are incomparable. I mean, there’s no comparison at all. In appearance, status, wealth, bloodline, honor….”
“Just as I thought of you, Agnes.”
In the end, criminal or not, the Crown Prince was the superior choice, so she was treating her old affection as something to be mercilessly discarded.
Namia laughed with satisfaction.
“There’s a reason our hearts aligned so well.”
Agnes too turned to her old friend, from whom circumstances had kept her separated for so long, with an overwhelming smile. The two, who had once been so perfectly matched that it seemed they’d found their soulmate, swiftly reaffirmed their long friendship in an instant.
“I won’t bring up Victor again, Your Highness.”
Agnes whispered with shining eyes.
“A young girl’s pure affection for a junior at the Training Academy is something that can be forgotten. You forget too, Your Highness, how moved you were back then. I’ll forget as well.”
“Yes.”
Though she answered, memories of the Training Academy from long ago had indeed surfaced because of Agnes. Namia tilted her head and murmured.
“But thinking about it now, something feels strange. It was moving at the time, but looking back… I wonder if Senior Victor was really someone worthy of such devotion from me.”
“Ah… um.”
Agnes wore a perplexed expression for a moment, then asked as if genuinely bewildered.
“Crown Princess Your Highness, Senior Victor… who is he?”
Namia fell silent for a moment. Then she answered.
“I apologize for my foolishness, Saintess. For a moment I was stupidly reminiscing about a tadpole’s past.”
“Be more careful going forward.”
The two exchanged serious gazes once more and nodded.
Then they spent a long time in conversation, catching up on lost time. Agnes cried out in anguish that she’d nearly gone mad wanting to talk to someone while confined in the convent.
So Namia stayed with Agnes for quite some time even after the event ended.
“That was really fun back then, Crown Princess Your Highness. Though some kid named Lu… whatever kept insisting he was your rival.”
Agnes spoke with nostalgia in her voice, and Namia nodded in agreement.
“That’s right. Back then… honestly, seeing the Saint made me realize that’s what it means to gain a friend.”
In truth, Namia and Agnes had gotten along wonderfully. As they talked about Luca, Huan, and the circumstances of various others, time slipped away.
So it was quite late when Namia finally parted ways with Agnes and returned to the bedroom.
“Your Highness, I’m back.”
Namia sat beside Kiaros with a radiant smile.
“We ended up talking about honeymoon destinations at the end and got much later than expected. Agnes the Saint was saying I absolutely shouldn’t come to the Melby Kingdom. Apparently there’s nothing to see, nothing delicious to eat, nothing fun to do.”
Due to various events, they hadn’t been able to leave for their honeymoon immediately.
But after this diplomatic event, their honeymoon schedule was fast approaching.
Surprisingly, their destination hadn’t been decided yet—they wanted to travel freely on their honeymoon, away from prying eyes.
Since they’d held their wedding publicly, they shared the common desire not to have their honeymoon disturbed by anyone.
Especially since Kiaros could now manifest as a dragon, he could travel to unexpected places with incredible speed.
They planned to venture to a remote corner of a continent far from the Empire, enjoy their vacation in disguise, and this time truly abandon all sense of responsibility to the Empire.
“I see.”
“Are you still reluctant about transforming into Kibon for the trip?”
In fact, Namia had once carefully suggested to Kiaros that he change his appearance for the honeymoon.
It would be the most effective way to travel freely while avoiding others’ gazes.
Since silver hair and blue eyes were quite common colors on the continent, Namia didn’t need to disguise herself much. If only Kiaros, who bore the unmistakable appearance of “the Empire’s Crown Prince,” transformed into Kibon.
“Hmm.”
Of course, Kiaros had flatly refused back then.
[Absolutely not in bed.]
[My goodness, if someone found out what we look like in bed, that would be a disaster.]
[Even if I don’t change my appearance, something like that can’t be discovered…]
The more he thought about it, the more he insisted it was impossible, and Kiaros had maintained his firm stance all along.
[There’s no real difference in daily life. Whether you look at Kibon with affection or not, it’s a problem either way.]
In fact, since the great battle with the Gaejo Faction, Kiaros hadn’t transformed into Kibon once. He seemed subtly conscious that the person Namia had been fond of was “Intern Kibon.” After all, he had to live forward as “Crown Prince Kiaros,” not as “Intern Kibon.”
[If you look at me with the eyes of a former lover when I transform, I think I’ll get angry.]
[Strictly speaking, he’s not a former lover. We never actually dated—I just had feelings for him.]
[But what if you make that wistful expression of finally meeting someone you’ve harbored feelings for all this time?]
Namia eventually gave up the conversation. She realized that no matter what she said, Kiaros would only torment himself.
But now, as if his thoughts had shifted, Kiaros muttered with a very serious expression.
“Wherever we go, hearing ‘newlyweds’ might make it better to move around as Kibon instead. People would treat us as an ordinary married couple.”
“What?”
At Kiaros’s sullen remark, Namia laughed aloud. Then she nestled into his embrace and spoke.
“What does others’ gaze matter? As long as we love each other to the point of being irreplaceable, that’s enough. You never cared much about others’ opinions anyway, did you?”
“That’s true. But…”
Kiaros forcibly swallowed the words: “Doesn’t your Training Academy friend think you married me just to match conditions, while you built those truly tender feelings with Victor?” Whether Namia knew his heart or not, she tilted her head and asked.
“Oh, by the way, Your Highness. Now that I think about it… was transforming into Kibon the first time when you came as an intern to the Scroll Management Department? Do you not usually change your appearance?”
“Very rarely, only when circumstances absolutely demanded it.”
Kiaros rested his chin on his hand and spoke casually, thinking: “If only I could go back to the past, I’d change my appearance and do everything to prevent you and Victor from building those memories together.”
“Usually, it’s when I want to hide the fact that I’m the Crown Prince.”
“I see.”
Namia smiled softly and rested her head against his chest. A moment of silence settled between them.
“….”
“….”
After a stretch of quiet.
Namia suddenly sat up. Her blue eyes gleamed as she fixed them directly on Kiaros.
“Your Highness.”
“Huh? Y-yes?”
“Something feels off right now.”
“…What?”
“You’re clearly distracted. Our conversation keeps breaking up awkwardly, and despite me leaning against you, you haven’t made a move—you’re nothing like yourself. Is something troubling you?”
“No, it’s nothing like that. I’m just a bit tired….”
In the end, Namia resorted to her final method.
She crossed her arms and lifted her chin, issuing a command.
“What exactly are you so worried about? Tell me right now.”

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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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