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

From early morning, the Scroll Department office was in an uproar.

A middle-aged man—none other than the Minister of Education—had barged straight into the minister’s office without warning.

“You saw the official request we sent your department this morning, right? I clearly called for you to stop by the Ministry of Education.”

Whether he was fuming or not, there was a woman calmly meeting his eyes.

That woman was Namia Roafi, who had somehow become the Minister of the Scroll Department at the age of just twenty-three.

She replied sluggishly, as if it wasn’t the least bit surprising.

“Oh, you did? Must’ve missed it. I’ve been busy.”

The Minister of Education took in a sharp breath.

Sending a rude cooperation request first thing in the morning and then brushing it off with a “must’ve missed it”? Really?

He held back his boiling frustration and protested.

“Sure, you’re a minister too, but you’re much younger than me—and your department is far smaller than the Ministry of Education. Don’t you think it’s disrespectful to make me come here in person?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

Namia lazily replied while casually filing her nails.

“Probably was a bit rude, huh~.”

Namia Roafi.

Just a few days ago, she was a bottom-tier civil servant in what was openly known as the worst department in the empire—the Scroll Management Division.

But then, due to the Archmage Tower Master’s absurd tantrum and a certain bloody incident involving the Crown Prince, the entire upper management of the Scroll Division had been wiped out.

That’s how the reorganized "Scroll Department" ended up with a brand-new minister—Namia.

From the outside, she was the textbook definition of a parachuted appointment.

“But if you’d waited a bit, I might’ve come to you, y’know~.”

That infuriating tone made the Minister of Education’s blood boil to the top of his head.

But he couldn’t yell. He couldn’t grab her by the hair and brawl with her either. Because—right now—the Empress and the young Prince were visiting the Scroll Department office.

So she really is favored by the royals. No wonder she’s acting like a complete brat.

The Minister shot ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) a glance through the glass wall at the Empress and Prince.

Though the glass was transparent, it still separated him and Namia inside the minister’s office.

Besides the black-haired secretary standing quietly behind Namia, it was just the two of them.

The Minister ground his teeth and issued a warning.

“Now that I’m here, I see the Scroll Minister really is lacking perspective. Sitting in your office doing nothing while the royals are visiting? That’s just... ha.”

“Uh-huh? And why’s that a problem~?”

In the Empire, the royal family’s authority was absolute.

They were Dragonbloods, beings with the blood of dragons. Their mere presence exuded an oppressive aura that naturally commanded obedience from ordinary people.

And yet, this girl dared to act so brazen?

The Minister seized the moment to scold her.

“Can a minister really act so rudely toward a great Dragonblood? Huh?”

“Oh, was that rude? Didn’t know~. There’s no law about that, though.”

Namia looked completely unbothered, blew on her freshly filed nails, and tilted her head.

“Personally, I just find the royals kinda... chill~.”

“What? Are you insane?”

When the Minister exploded, Namia finally looked up and crossed her legs.

“His Highness the Crown Prince specifically told me not to treat him like some big deal just ‘cause he’s a Dragonblood. Told me to relax around him~.”

“...What?”

“He said, ‘My adorable, precious little Mia-Mia-Namia, just do whatever you want. Your Dragon Oppa will protect you. Just marry me, okay? Actually, I already secretly planned our wedding~.’”

Behind her, Namia’s secretary let out a choking cough. Namia simply shrugged.

“So yeah, I’ve got nothing to be afraid of~.”

“You—you little...!”

“So anyway, please cooperate with us on the upcoming event~.”

“What the—?”

“If not, I’ll go cry to my Dragon Oppa. And once he hears that his sweet little darling’s being bullied, he won’t sit still~.”

The Minister bit down on his lower lip to keep from groaning.

The rumor that Crown Prince Kiaros had gone into seclusion after being dumped by Namia was already widespread in the Imperial Palace.

But who knew he was still this obsessed—still chasing after her like a lovesick fool?

Forget everything else—her way of speaking is just so infuriating!

He trembled with suppressed fury as he glared at Namia.

***

After exchanging a few more words, the Minister of Education finally stormed to his feet.

He glared around the department with a face full of annoyance.

It was clear he was ready to latch onto any little flaw. But...

There’s nothing left to catch!

I watched his retreating back with pride plastered all over my face.

Not too long ago, this place had been the poster child of dysfunction—a dump of a department.

Attendance was a mess, the office was filthy, and security documents were scattered like junk.

But ever since I, Namia Roafi, became minister in one of the most bizarre promotions in history...

Look at it now. Isn’t it perfect?

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The paperwork was neatly sorted, employees were in their seats, and everything was tidy.

Even the Empress and Prince were peacefully enjoying their tour of the scrolls.

In the end—

“You’ll regret this, Minister of the Scroll Department.”

The Minister stomped out of the Scroll Department in a huff.

I watched him go, then chuckled to myself.

Wow. Being a minister means you can piss off other ministers too. This is awesome.

I never could’ve pulled off the role of a snotty, clueless little girl before.

Someone flaunting royal favoritism without a shred of tact.

Though to be fair, I only put on this act to lay a trap... But damn, I’m kind of good at it.

With a different expression and posture from before, I reached for the next stack of documents.

“Minister.”

As I focused back on work, my secretary Kibon—quiet as a shadow—spoke up hesitantly behind me.

“That, um... Dragon... Oppa... That part was a bit...”

My little ‘Dragon Oppa’ line earlier must’ve traumatized him. I grinned and waved it off.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. His Highness gave me full permission. Said I can use his name however I want.”

“...I doubt he expected you to take it that far.”

“Exactly. If he knew, he probably wouldn’t have let me. But he did give permission, right?”

“...”

“So if he complains later, he’d be the petty one. And I’m doing it all for the Imperial Family’s sake.”

“...”

“Now quit worrying about the Crown Prince and do your job. You’ve got no time for that.”

At my words, Kibon snapped back to reality and buried his face in the mountain of paperwork again. The dark circles under his eyes were practically painted on.

Of course, I had even more work than he did. That’s how it goes for the minister of a tiny department.

But still—

If I were still a bottom-rung nobody, I would’ve seen right through the Education Minister’s motives but wouldn’t have been able to do a damn thing.

Getting promoted out of nowhere came with a lot of perks.

This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.

A fat paycheck, invitations to fancy events, no more listening to idiot bosses, no more hiding my skills, actually using my talents freely, running this organization my way...

But best of all—

I can now mess with the villains from the original story even harder than they messed with others!

Yeah, I still remembered the original plot. Thanks to the Crown Prince and the Tower Master, I’d been catapulted to success.

Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d end up wearing a title this shiny.

But... it turns out that the taste of power is addictively sweet.

Power is good! Prestige is good! Being a minister is amazing! Promotions are glorious! Life at the top is heavenly!

At first, I only planned to nudge the original plot away from its tragic ending...

But now? I’m never letting go of this promotion train!

Forget the original story.

The half-dead fish-eyed Namia Roafi I used to be—she’s long gone.

Now, my eyes gleamed with a hunger for power, growing stronger by the day.

I will never—

Let this go.

And so—how did all of this even start...?