The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 40

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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40.

“Not a demon, but a witch?”

I chewed over his words and laughed ominously.

A demon I could at least give some consideration to.

But a witch?

“What brings you here? I came to return these tasks to you.”

“What did you say…?”

“From what I heard earlier, it seems the advisors at the Summer Palace work quite efficiently.”

I gestured to the knights.

The knights immediately set down the mountain of documents without a moment’s delay.

Thud-!

There were so many that even though it was a garden with soft grass, a heavy sound echoed.

“After reviewing these with my generous heart and spare time, I’ve determined that these are all tasks the Summer Palace can fully handle.”

“Wh-what do you mean! Are you trying to dump work on us with this scheme-“

“If the Summer Palace lacks capacity, I was prepared to gladly share the burden as colleagues who do the same work at the Winter Palace.”

I smiled sweetly.

“But from what I heard earlier, it seems the Summer Palace has plenty of capacity to spare.”

“J-just because we work efficiently and have spare capacity, why should we do the Winter Palace’s work? Don’t be unreasonable, Advisor Salice.”

Wow, you’re absolutely right.

“Exactly, why should we do the Summer Palace’s work?”

What a perfectly deserved comeback.

“All these documents were originally the Summer Palace’s work. Did Prince Charley know about this and just let it slide?”

“Advisor Salice!”

“If you continue being unreasonable like this, our Winter Palace plans to send all the work the Summer Palace dumps on us to the Sun Palace for a complete review.”

While we’re at it, we could also let them know how incompetent Prince Charley is.

“We’ll even attach testimony from you all about how Prince Charley instructed his advisors and administrators to work this way.”

That would really upset the Empress, wouldn’t it?

And that’s exactly what you First Prince’s Palace people want to avoid most, isn’t it?

Moreover, the Sun Palace, centered around His Majesty the Emperor, relies on the Winter Palace for some tasks and has the second-highest workload after us.

‘If we cause their workload to explode during settlement season with this nonsense, His Majesty the Emperor would be absolutely furious.’

Well, some of that anger would fall on Casian too, but the Summer Palace would take more heat anyway.

I was confident in the public opinion war. I already had the opening lines of the article I’d release written in my head.

Exhausted from consecutive all-nighters and overwork, my mind was filled with thoughts that I couldn’t suffer alone.

I’d gladly do it – that mutual destruction.

Seeing my spinning eyes, the Summer Palace people’s mouths shut.

Realizing I was the type who would do exactly that, the advisors could only look back and forth between the mountain of documents and me.

“B-but still… this is work the Winter Palace has always done for us.”

“Done for you?”

I immediately caught the words one administrator mumbled hesitantly.

“That’s a statement showing you’re well aware we’ve been handling this out of goodwill until now.”

Go ahead, say more – the more you talk, the more you’ll expose yourselves.

Unlike you, our Winter Palace fights only with righteous facts.

“So, do you have anything more to say?”

“There’s such a thing as precedent-“

“Anyone willing to put their name on a report to the Sun Palace explaining why the Winter Palace should handle Summer Palace duties?”

The advisor who was about to bluster shut his mouth.

They weren’t incompetent enough to not realize that taking these documents back would mean living at the Summer Palace instead of enjoying an elegant afternoon stroll after lunch.

I thought at least one person might act rashly, but seeing them all keep their mouths shut.

Then there’s no need to waste more precious time here.

“Well then, we’ve properly returned your lost items, haven’t we?”

I shot them a triumphant sneer and left them speechless and dumbfounded behind me.

*

The day I returned work to where it belonged, I managed to leave before midnight for the first time in ages.

Actually, I hadn’t returned all the work the Summer Palace had dumped on us, so I couldn’t even dream of leaving on time.

‘But at least I got home before the date changed.’

Casian was also pleased that the workload had decreased, even telling them to provide more elaborate snacks than usual to the struggling administrators.

That day, I was able to sleep a full six hours for the first time in ages, in blankets that maid Joan had cheerfully dried in the sunlight.

But the next day, my small, brief happiness cracked slightly.

Because none other than.

“I’d like to have a word with you.”

Summer Palace First Prince’s Advisor Office, First Advisor.

“About this settlement work, could you spare some time, Advisor Salice.”

Francis Ashwood had come to see me.

“…Can you really say that after seeing this situation?”

The problem was the time he chose to visit.

“Advisor Salice, please handle this document urgently. His Majesty the Emperor is waiting.”

“Advisor, me too, please just look at this once.”

10:30 AM, when the Winter Palace was at its busiest.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but give him a look.

It was the time when administrators finished their morning meetings right after arriving at work and were running around trying to handle their tasks.

“Then when would be convenient for you?”

These days, no time is convenient.

I really wanted to answer that honestly, but I had to at least hear the Summer Palace’s excuse.

Considering Francis Ashwood’s usual character, he probably wasn’t planning to delay work like those idiots yesterday.

While passing tasks to other administrators who were urging me, I glanced at today’s to-do list to find time I could spare.

“Around 4 PM should work. Would that be okay for you?”

Casian would return from knight training around 3, so I thought I could step away briefly around then.

To carve out time for a meeting during such a busy period on the same day!

It was really an enormous consideration on my part.

“…I’m sorry, but Advisor Salice. My work hours end at 12.”

“So?”

“I think it would be appropriate for you to make time before then-“

Crack-.

At that moment, the fountain pen in my hand snapped.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the pretty fountain pen Casian had bought me, but one another administrator had thrust at me earlier for quick task processing.

A brief silence fell over the office.

Even the administrator who had been pressuring me for task completion, and even the advisors, were reading my mood.

“Appropriate, appropriate? Aren’t you mistaken about something right now, Advisor Ashwood?”

“But my time-“

“Is only Advisor Ashwood’s time valuable, while mine isn’t even time? Or am I some subordinate who has to make time whenever you tell me to?”

The one who pays my salary and allowance is my superior, Casian, right?

“Why are you speaking like that-“

“I don’t know why you’re speaking like that, really, I’ve been patient enough. I wonder just how leisurely the Summer Palace must be for First Advisor Ashwood to leave work on time.”

I roughly opened a drawer, took out a fountain pen better than the one I’d just broken, processed a document, and handed it to the responsible administrator.

“Can’t you see that even while talking to you, my eyes are on the documents?”

“I actually thought that was quite rude, but since you seemed busy, I was being considerate-“

“Considerate?! Just how much like a hothouse flower have you been handling work to say something like that?”

Even while this was happening, I was diligently processing the documents the administrators said were urgent.

Multitasking ability was essential to survive in the Winter Palace office.

“I don’t understand why the conversation is heading in that direction. I came to politely request cooperation from the Winter Palace regarding Summer Palace work-“

“So, which side is the urgent one!”

I raised my voice and glared at Francis Ashwood just once.

This isn’t even a joke, and he’s saying such things in front of me?

Getting annoyed at further arguing, I cut off the conversation.

“4 PM, I’ll spare you exactly 15 minutes. Remember that well, Advisor Ashwood.”

I flipped through the next documents and spoke to him as if making an announcement.

“To begin with, those matters are things the Winter Palace has no reason to help with or get involved in.”

I took out a well-organized file and placed it down in front of him as if throwing it.

“Originally Summer Palace matters that couldn’t be handled without the Winter Palace’s power weren’t even returned to you.”

“…This is.”

“Please have some shame. Once you’ve looked through everything, put that down and leave.”

With those words, I focused on my documents again.

He seemed to want to say something to me while slowly flipping through the documents beside me, but the perceptive administrators appeared to have dissuaded him.

After that, I was consumed by anger and processed work in a trance-like state.

*

How much time had passed? When my concentration was waning, someone carefully tapped on my desk.

“Why are you so angry?”

It was Casian, his hair damp as if he had just washed up.

“I even finished training early and came back on purpose.”

His tone was gentle, as if trying to soothe me.

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