The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success-Chapter 10

Sweat had been steadily dripping down Oson’s forehead the entire time—well, of course it had. He’d basically just been caught red-handed.

Oson’s attendance record was a mess, and he’d been involved in no small number of shady dealings, all hidden from upper management.

I gave a subtle shrug and thought to myself,

“Well, Team Leader Oson... You’re definitely getting disciplined, but you should still be thankful to me. You were probably fated to die a pointless death once the war breaks out anyway.”

With that thought, I suddenly felt like I was everyone’s savior.

“I’ve gotta stop this war. That means I need to find the right moments to naturally feed information from the original story to Kiaros.”

My plan to become the Messenger of the Original was still going strong.

While everyone had their heads bowed, I quietly rolled my eyes around and kept my brain working overtime.

“Originally, I was going to act like a clueless little flower-brained newbie when the commendation came—close my eyes, pretend I had no idea, and go thank him...”

But why didn’t the commendation arrive? Why did Kiaros come himself...?

“If the commendation doesn’t come at all, I won’t even have a crappy excuse to go see him...”

While I stewed in anxiety, the rest of the department still had their heads down like condemned prisoners.

In that heavy silence, Kiaros slowly spoke my name.

“Namia Roafi.”

“Ah, yes.”

I cautiously raised my head and our eyes met.

Ah... he’s so ridiculously handsome...

But for some reason, I also felt instinctively afraid.

“They said the First Emperor, whose dragon blood was especially strong, went through two blackout periods... Maybe His Highness Kiaros was also born with potent dragon blood? Is that why he has this overwhelming presence?”

His gaze wasn’t harsh, but it was intense—so much so that I felt like it was piercing through me. My clasped hands trembled slightly.

“Miss Roafi.”

He said my name again, low and deliberate. Then, after a short pause, he added,

“Come to the Crown Prince’s office. Right now.”

...Huh? Me? Personally? Now?

“Ah—yes!”

Whatever the reason, I bowed deeply and answered. When someone from the absolute top of the hierarchy gives an order, you obey.

“Understood.”

It was a bit of a surprise, but the fact that Kiaros was calling for me directly was a good thing.

“Either way, I get to see him in person! This is way more natural than going to thank him over a commendation while pretending to be a clueless newbie!”

I politely followed him out of the department, calculating furiously what kind of original story info would be most effective to drop in this situation.

***

Upon hearing that Namia had come to work that morning, Kiaros had immediately headed to the Scroll Department himself.

Upon inspection, the arrowheads had all been coated in deadly poison—one that came from a faraway foreign land, completely unfamiliar to him.

A poison to which Kiaros had no immunity.

“They really knew what they were doing. That means they’ve been embedded here for a long time.”

Like all members of the royal family, Kiaros had been exposed to a wide range of toxins from a young age to build immunity.

So he was immune to nearly every poison available in the Empire. And yet this one was entirely new.

“They’re formidable.”

The deeper he dug, the more serious things seemed.

Still, a reward was a reward.

He had planned to thank the person who saved his life directly and give her a proper commendation.

But then—

“If you didn’t have the grades, you shouldn’t have been showing off in the first place!”

Voices from the hallway reached him clearly, echoing off the walls.

“You clean up this mess. Write a report.”

He’d known the department was a disaster, but the more he listened, the more absurd it got.

Kiaros could feel his rage boiling over.

So he burst in immediately. His eyes instinctively searched for Namia—she was standing before her team leader, acting sincerely apologetic.

...Huh?

Her eyes looked dazed and unfocused, just like the first time he saw her.

“Wait, did I imagine it before? Maybe she’s just someone who doesn’t know how to properly open her eyes.”

He issued a brief warning to the department.

That was all he really meant to do. He didn’t even raise his voice.

Of course, in his heart, he was already planning to find any excuse necessary to wipe this department off the map. Even more so now that Namia had cut off his backdoor access.

“The Tower Lord is definitely going to blow up. That’s why I tried to use some loophole to sneak in under the radar...”

He’d even used his special abilities to avoid conflict.

But Namia had revoked his access with surgical precision—and his plan had failed.

Still, that could wait. He was going to thank her now.

“Wait. What is this mood.”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

The entire department had fallen into an eerie silence, as if someone had died. He could even hear the sniffles of weak-hearted staff quietly sobbing.

“Namia Roafi.”

Even Kiaros felt a bit awkward trying to express gratitude after reducing the place to rubble.

And Namia herself was bowing so low she looked like a criminal awaiting execution.

So in the end, he simply said,

“Come to the Crown Prince’s office. Now.”

If he couldn’t thank her here, he could do it there.

He stepped out into the hallway, thinking nothing more of it.

***

Wow.

I was pretty sure sweat was pouring down my back nonstop.

“This is so uncomfortable.”

Following behind Kiaros, my entire body had stiffened from tension.

“One wrong step and I’m going to be executed on the spot...”

I knew Kiaros was a reasonable superior, but it still felt like that.

And as we walked down the palace corridor...

“Oh my...”

“Whoa.”

People passing by took one look at us and quickly averted their eyes.

Great.

Kiaros walking down the hallway alone with someone—especially a woman—was unheard of.

As far as I knew, this had literally never happened before.

He was famous for never walking beside any woman.

“He could’ve just had a secretary call me over—why is he taking me himself?”

I kept a stiff, awkward smile on my face.

But I already knew how this would go.

By lunchtime, the dining hall would be abuzz with “The Crown Prince fell in love with Namia Roafi at first sight.”

By tomorrow, it would have evolved into, “Did you hear? There’s talk of marriage between Namia Roafi and His Highness.”

Then every department would spend the next week debating “status differences” and “royal marriage policies.”

And in the end, the rumor would finish with, “They couldn’t overcome their status gap and broke up.”

“What is the Crown Prince thinking?”

Given his position and age, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be engaged already. But he hadn’t even escorted a single high-ranking noble lady.

“Obviously, we don’t know all the details of what’s going on upstairs...”

Still, it made for a very juicy topic.

People gossiped behind his back all the time.

[“Isn’t it weird? Royals usually get engaged young. But His Highness doesn’t even seem interested.”]

[“It’s not just the Crown Prince. The Emperor and Empress haven’t mentioned a Crown Princess once...”]

[“It’s like he already has a secret fiancée or something. Maybe a hidden lover?”]

Kiaros had always kept a wall up between himself and women.

So just walking beside him was enough to start a scandal.

“Did he actually fall for me at first sight? Hm, if that’s the case... then this is a great opportunity.”

I was deep in thought.

“First, get married before the love goggles wear off—then drop as many future-related hints as possible. Operation Cinderella...”

My brain was working faster than ever.

“Cinderella doesn’t really suit me, but if it’s for stopping a war, I can handle it. Now... what kind of power does a Crown Princess actually have?”

All the possible authorities and privileges of a Crown Princess flashed through my mind. My heart fluttered just thinking about it.

Of course, once I actually had that power, I might realize it wasn’t that meaningful.

But that was a problem for after I ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) got it.

Realistically, I wasn’t even going to dream about the Empress’s authority.

“Love like this fades fast. Better start prepping early to get the biggest possible alimony payout...”

While I was organizing my thoughts on our marriage and divorce...

Kiaros, walking just ahead, suddenly spoke.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

“Why were you still in that department? With superiors like those?”