The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success - Chapter 61

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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 61
“Ah….”
Kibon flinched visibly.
I was startled and quickly released his hand.
‘Good heavens. What if Oson had been the one holding my hand?’
A chill ran down my spine. I hurried to apologize.
“I-I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry. I’ve committed an unforgivable offense against a mere New Intern. If you found it deeply offensive, you’re welcome to report me. According to Article 42, Section 8 of the Civil Service Law….”
“No, it’s fine.”
Kibon immediately shook his head.
An awkward silence settled between us for a moment.
“Are you really sure? If you change your mind later, you can report me anytime. It was my mistake, after all.”
“It’s fine.”
I gazed up at Kibon anew with quiet curiosity.
After several nights of overtime, I’d come to notice that Kibon’s posture was remarkably rigid.
No matter how long he sat, it never wavered.
‘Did he receive aristocratic training in his homeland? Even his appearance is flawless down to every detail.’
Teach him one thing, and he’d sit perfectly upright while executing everything flawlessly. His speech remained somewhat stiff, but it suited his cold demeanor well.
He was nearly expressionless, his face neither smiling nor frowning. Except for the occasional flinch when I laughed, he always looked the same.
So I hadn’t realized he was pushing himself to the point of nosebleeds….
‘But he did say he wanted to work more despite the nosebleeds. This one’s genuine. It wasn’t for nothing that he left the Scroll Management Department on his first day.’
Laughter bubbled up from within me.
That such a person would become my intern at a time like this.
It felt as though I could work him as hard as I pleased without a shred of guilt.
‘Thanks to him, I can save the suffering child even a day sooner.’
Kibon stood there as always, his expression unreadable.
Though I shouldn’t feel this way, joy and relief kept lifting the corners of my mouth.
“But you know what?”
I added with a broad smile.
“That means we’re working late again tonight….”
Only then did Kibon’s expression show a hint of coming back to reality.
5. The Circumstances of Jayden Polariud
Rumors spread even to the Separate Palace.
“Did you hear? The Crown Prince is bedridden because of heartbreak.”
“The person involved is supposedly Namia Loapi, the Minister of Scrolls.”
It was when the servants cleaning the Separate Palace were whispering and gossiping.
The door opened with a bang.
“Don’t chatter while you’re cleaning.”
A boy with hair that shone like golden sunlight stood there. Now eight years old, his small frame and still-chubby cheeks were endearing.
It was the Young Prince who stayed at the Separate Palace—Jayden Polariud.
“You’re disturbing my reading.”
Yet the child had a sharp tongue.
“Just because I’m a child living here now, you think you can slack off and do sloppy work?”
The servants immediately fell silent.
The Separate Palace where young members of the Imperial Family resided was currently occupied by Jayden alone.
Kiaros had also stayed in the Separate Palace during his childhood.
Kiaros had been a formidable master even as a child, but he had only expressed his displeasure through his gaze—never resorting to such direct verbal reprimands.
“Especially gossiping about adult scandals in front of a child. What am I supposed to learn from that? Would you like it if I told my brother such stories, saying I heard them from the servants when he visits?”
“I-I apologize, Your Highness the Young Prince. I was truly wrong.”
“Consider yourself fortunate that I matured early enough to distinguish what should and shouldn’t be said.”
Jayden lifted his chin with a cunning expression.
Then he handed a letter to one of the servants.
“Deliver this to the Empress.”
“Yes, Your Highness! I’ll deliver it right away.”
The servant hastily received the letter.
Jayden closed the door with a sharp bang and opened his book again.
Then he furrowed his brow slightly.
“Brother was rejected?”
The child’s cheeks puffed out in a sulk as he muttered to himself.
“What strange things happen. What kind of woman could she be…”
Jayden swallowed the name “Namia Loapi” internally.
There was no time to dwell on it further. His lesson was about to begin.
Soon after, a civil servant from the Ministry of Education entered.
“Young Prince, hello. Are you ready for your lesson?”
“Yes, Riedan.”
Riedan Hael. He was the Team Leader of the Imperial Education Team under the Ministry of Education.
A man of baronial descent, he oversaw all aspects of Jayden’s education.
He was one of the few adults whom Jayden genuinely trusted.
“As I advised last time, you’ve written your reply to the Empress, yes?”
“Yes.”
Jayden answered while opening his book.
“I just sent it.”
“Well done.”
Riedan chuckled softly.
* * *
“Look at this.”
After spending a full three days collecting only the scroll inventory records from the Separate Palace with Kibon.
I showed the completed documents to Kibon and spoke.
“The scroll inventory records from the Separate Palace—they’re definitely strange, aren’t they?”
Kibon’s expression was grave. He furrowed his brow and stared intently at the documents.
“…They are definitely strange.”
“Yes. It’s been bothering me for a while now.”
“If you found it strange, why didn’t you do anything about it before?”
“I did try.”
I shrugged and muttered under my breath.
“I reported it to Team Leader Oson and got thoroughly scolded for wasting time. The other team leader was the same way.”
“Then above that….”
“I couldn’t exchange more than a greeting with the Minister of Education. He found it tedious to even speak with someone of my rank.”
“Then above that….”
“Above what?”
….
“I couldn’t even greet the Imperial Family, so what’s the point.”
But things are different now.
I can greet the Imperial Family and even say I have something to discuss.
I gathered the documents.
“In any case, if you find it strange too, I’ll go make a report.”
“A report to whom….”
“The Empress, of course. She’s the Young Prince’s mother, after all.”
Kibon’s expression became peculiar at that.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“But the relationship between those two is… well. And I’m not sure if the Empress would handle such matters well….”
Hmm. Did Kibon also see the Empress in the courtroom back then?
If so, I could understand his concern for her.
“Then where else? I can’t take this kind of problem to the Emperor.”
“What about the Crown Prince?”
“Ah….”
But involving the Empress in this matter was the right call.
Because there was a misunderstanding between Jayden and the Empress that needed to be resolved.
Since I couldn’t reveal that I knew the original story, I simply made a vague excuse.
“The Crown Prince would certainly be helpful, but… he’s in seclusion, so I can’t trouble him with this.”
Just as I stood up to visit the Empress, Kibon suddenly rose as well.
He jumped to his feet.
“I… may I take an early leave?”
“Hmm? Of course.”
He’d worked hard enough. I processed Kibon’s early leave right away.
Kibon bowed to me and quickly left the office.
Alone in the Minister’s Office, I straightened my appearance first.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Empress.’
The Empress had actually been asking me to visit.
[Come anytime! I have no friends and spend all my days alone!]
So it seemed fine to visit now.
I summoned a servant to deliver a letter of visit to the Empress, then slowly exited the Minister’s Office.
The moment I stepped out, Anastasia sprang to her feet.
She rose so quickly that the book resting on her desk—”My Secretary’s Double Life”—tumbled to the floor with a soft thud. It seemed she had a taste for office romance novels.
“M-Minister? W-would you like some c-coffee?”
“No, thank you. But I’d appreciate a cup when I return.”
I didn’t want to have Anastasia make coffee for me.
Though I’d said it wasn’t necessary, she seemed to have made it a habit.
Every morning, she meticulously ground the coffee beans and kept hot water perpetually at the ready.
So I occasionally accepted a cup from her to acknowledge her diligence.
“A-and, w-when will V-Victor be c-coming in…?”
“Oh, he said he’d return to work in four days. Why?”
“I, um, I’m n-not very g-good at h-handling things… so I w-was hoping V-Victor would c-come soon…”
“Don’t think like that. Well then, I’ll be going.”
After that brief exchange, I made my way to the Empress’s Chamber.
“Namia! Welcome! What brings you here? Hmm? You’ve been so busy lately, just abandoning me like that!”
Huh?
Surprisingly, the Empress was not alone.
I stopped in my tracks, startled.
“I do have a guest, but that’s fine, right?”
Why was Kiaros in the Empress’s Chamber?

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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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