Chapter 1
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Chapter 1
Prologue
The Scroll Department Office had been in turmoil since morning.
A middle-aged man—the Minister of Education—had stormed directly into the Minister's Office without warning.
"I saw the cooperation document your department sent to us this morning. I'm certain I had summoned you to visit the Ministry of Education, didn't I?"
Regardless of the Minister of Education's fury, there was a woman observing him with perfect composure.
Namia Loapi, who had become the Minister of the Scroll Department at merely twenty-three years old.
She replied unhurriedly, as though the situation scarcely warranted her attention.
"Oh, was that so? I was too busy to notice."
The Minister of Education drew a sharp breath.
He had sent an impertinent cooperation document this morning, and now she claimed she was too busy to see it?
He suppressed his rage and lodged a protest.
"While we may both hold the rank of minister, you are considerably younger than I, and the Scroll Department is far smaller in scale than the Ministry of Education. Surely it is discourteous to force me to come here in person?"
"I suppose so."
Namia answered without conviction while filing her nails.
"It was rather impolite of me, I admit."
Namia Loapi.
Just days ago, she had been a low-ranking civil servant in the Scroll Management Department—an organization publicly derided as the "hopeless department" within the bureaucracy.
Yet recently, due to the Tower Master's utterly baseless tantrum, she had suddenly found herself elevated to the ministerial seat.
After the Crown Prince's purge had eliminated all the upper echelons of the Scroll Management Department, she had become the minister of the newly reorganized "Scroll Department."
In the eyes of outsiders, she was the perfect definition of a "parachute minister"—an unqualified appointee.
"Though had you waited a moment longer, I might have come to you myself."
At her infuriating tone, the Minister of Education's anger reached a fever pitch.
Yet he could neither shout nor grapple with this minister, for the Empress and the Young Prince were currently visiting the Scroll Department Office.
'So she receives the favor of the imperial family, and now she's grown arrogant with it!'
The Minister of Education glanced through the glass partition at the Empress and Young Prince beyond.
Though the glass was transparent, Namia and he were separated within the Minister's Office.
Save for the black-haired secretary standing behind Namia, they were effectively alone.
He ground his teeth and issued a warning.
"Now that I've come here myself, I see the Scroll Department Minister's thinking is far too shallow. You don't attend to the imperial family, and instead you simply sit in your office? This is truly... unacceptable."
"I'm sorry, but why is that a problem?"
In the Empire, the authority of the imperial family was formidable.
They were "dragon-blooded ones"—those who carried the blood of dragons. Even in silence, the overwhelming pressure they emanated compelled ordinary people to naturally submit. Yet despite this, she displayed such brazen insolence.
The Minister of Education seized the moment and thundered at her.
"Should a minister behave so disrespectfully toward the great dragon-blooded ones? Hmm?"
"Oh, is this disrespectful? I didn't know. There's no law stating such a thing."
Namia tilted her head with an expression of complete indifference, and blew gently on the nails she had been filing.
"Personally, I simply prefer to make the imperial family comfortable as well."
"What? Have you lost your mind?"
As the Minister of Education erupted in anger, Namia finally opened her eyes wide and crossed her legs.
"Crown Prince Kiaros himself said not to think of it as difficult, and to please treat him comfortably."
"...What?"
"He told me, 'My cute, clever, and adorable little Namia can do whatever she wants. Big brother Yong will protect you. Just marry me. Actually, I've already secretly prepared the wedding.' That's what he said."
Behind me, Namia's secretary stifled a cough. She shrugged and added on.
"So that's why I'm not afraid of anything."
"You really...."
"So please have the Ministry of Education cooperate with this event."
"No, what...."
"If you don't, I'll tell big brother Yong. He won't just sit idle when his cute and lovely Namia has her eyes on him."
The Minister of Education bit his lower lip and swallowed a groan.
The rumor that Crown Prince Kiaros had been rejected by Namia and was now in seclusion had spread throughout the Imperial Palace.
But to think he'd still be so infatuated with a single woman, unable to regain his senses!
'Setting everything else aside, that tone of voice is absolutely infuriating!'
He glared at me, trembling with rage.
* * *
After a few more words, the Minister of Education eventually stood up with a snort.
He surveyed the department with an irritated expression.
He looked ready to seize upon any flaw he could find. But....
'There's no way he'll find anything to criticize!'
I watched his retreating figure with a satisfied expression.
Just days ago, this place was the Scroll Management Department, where criticisms would pour out endlessly.
The staff's attendance was a mess, the office environment was filthy, and security-related documents were scattered everywhere.
But ever since I, Namia Loapi, became director as an unprecedented special case.
'How's that? Perfect, right?'
Documents were neatly organized, employees were at their posts, and everything was in order.
Even the Empress and Young Prince who had come to visit the Scroll Department were comfortably and pleasantly viewing the scrolls.
In the end....
"You'll regret this, Director of the Scroll Department."
The Minister of Education left the Scroll Department with heavy, thundering footsteps.
I watched his retreating figure intently and chuckled to myself.
'Wow, now that I'm a director, I can even provoke other ministers. This is the best.'
Normally, I wouldn't have been able to pull off this act of arrogant rudeness from a thoughtless young girl.
Playing the role of someone relying solely on imperial favor and acting brazenly.
'Of course, I set this trap for the greater good... but honestly, this kind of acting suits me pretty well.'
I reached for the documents again with a posture and expression different from before.
"Director."
Seeing me refocus on work, Kibon, my secretary who had been standing like a shadow behind me, spoke carefully.
"That, um... big brother... that's, well, a bit..."
It seemed my earlier reference to Crown Prince Kiaros as "big brother Yong" had been shocking to him as well. I chuckled and waved my hand dismissively.
"It's fine, it's fine. Crown Prince Kiaros has already given me permission for all of this. He said I can use his name freely."
"...I doubt you ever imagined they'd go this far."
"Then you should have refused. If you'd truly believed they'd go this far, you would have refused, wouldn't you?"
"...."
"Still, what good does it do to nitpick now that you've already approved it? It's all for the sake of the Empire anyway."
"...."
"Just do what you're told. Do you really have time to worry about Crown Prince Kiaros right now?"
At my words, Kibon seemed to snap back to attention, burying his face in the stack of documents once more. The dark circles under his eyes were unmistakable as he toiled away beneath me.
Of course, I had plenty of work myself—far more than a mere secretary like Kibon.
Being the minister of a small department was unavoidable. But!
'If I were still a lowly clerk like just days ago, I'd know all the Minister of Education's dark secrets and yet be powerless to do anything about it.'
There were truly many things that had improved since my sudden promotion to minister.
The increased salary, the ability to attend all sorts of grand and important events, not having to listen to an incompetent superior, not needing to hide my competence, being able to freely demonstrate my abilities, directly leading this organization well....
But among all of these, there was one thing I loved most.
'Being able to act like a villain toward the villains from the original story, throwing my weight around and getting under their skin!'
After recalling the original work, I had somehow achieved sudden advancement thanks to Crown Prince Kiaros and the Tower Master.
I never swore I'd ever wear such a magnificent crown.
And yet... unexpectedly, the taste of power was far too sweet.
'Power is wonderful! Fame is wonderful! Being a minister is wonderful! Promotion is wonderful! The air at the top is wonderful!'
Initially, I hadn't planned for things to go this far....
I'd only meant to prevent a few tragedies from the original work....
'I will absolutely not let this path to advancement slip away!'
Now there was no original work, nothing like that.
Gone was the listless Namia Loapi with vacant, fish-like eyes who once drifted through each day.
My eyes gleamed with the hunger for power that grew with each passing day.
'Absolutely not!'
So how did all of this begin in the first place....
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org