Chapter 10
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Chapter 10
All the while, sweat streamed relentlessly down Oson's forehead. He had been caught red-handed at the scene of his misconduct.
Oson's attendance record was abysmal, and he had committed quite a few infractions while evading his superiors' scrutiny.
I shrugged my shoulders and thought to myself.
'Team Leader Oson, you'll certainly face disciplinary action, but you should still be grateful to me... When war breaks out, you'll meet a merciless death anyway.'
With that thought, I felt like a benefactor to all these people.
'I must prevent the war. To do that, I need to find the right moment and naturally feed information from the original story to Kiaros piece by piece.'
My plan to become the 'messenger of the original story' remained unwavering.
While everyone hung their heads low, I quietly rolled my eyes and racked my brain furiously.
'I originally planned to play dumb when the commendation arrived—pretend to be an airheaded low-ranking official who doesn't understand the situation, close my eyes tight, and go offer my thanks....'
But why did Crown Prince Kiaros come instead of the commendation....
'If the commendation never arrives, I won't even have a flimsy excuse to seek out the Crown Prince.'
While I was pondering this, all the department members still kept their heads bowed.
In that frigid atmosphere, Kiaros slowly called out my name.
"Namia Loapi."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I carefully lifted my head. Our eyes met.
He was so devastatingly handsome....
Yet instinctively, I felt somewhat afraid.
'The First Emperor, who carried thick dragon blood, endured two Dark Ages, or so the records say. Does Crown Prince Kiaros also carry thick dragon blood? Is that why his presence is so overwhelming?'
His gaze was gentle yet relentless, as if it might pierce right through me. My clasped hands trembled involuntarily.
"Miss Loapi."
He pronounced my name once more, slowly and deliberately. Then, after a brief pause, he added in a low voice.
"Come to the Crown Prince's Office immediately."
What? Right now? Me? Really? This instant?
"Yes, Your Highness!"
In any case, I bowed deeply and answered. When a member of the Royal Family at the very apex of this hierarchy commanded, one obeyed.
"Understood."
Though surprised, being summoned by Kiaros was a good thing.
'After all, I get to meet with him! It's far more natural than receiving a commendation and going to offer thanks while pretending to be a clueless airhead!'
I followed respectfully behind him.
Desperately calculating which information would be most effective to reveal at this moment.
* * *
Upon hearing that Namia had come to work since morning, Kiaros headed directly to the Scroll Management Department.
His inspection revealed that each arrowhead was coated with a deadly poison—one from a distant foreign land to which Kiaros had absolutely no immunity.
'They are far more knowledgeable about the Imperial Palace's affairs than I anticipated. They must have been embedded here for quite some time.'
From childhood, Kiaros had been exposed to various poisons to prevent such incidents. As was customary for all members of the Royal Family.
Therefore, he could safely assume he had immunity to most poisons available in the Empire. Yet this was a poison he had never encountered before.
'These are formidable adversaries.'
The deeper he dug, the more grave the situation became.
In any case, that was one matter, and the reward was another.
I intended to go directly to my lifesaver and express my gratitude while presenting the reward.
But then....
"If your performance was insufficient to attend, you shouldn't have acted so presumptuously in the first place!"
A sharp, ringing voice echoed from the far end of the corridor.
"Since it's come to this, you handle it. Write a report."
I had known the department was a complete mess, but the more I heard, the more appalling it became.
Crown Prince Kiaros felt his anger rising without end.
So he immediately opened the door and entered. His gaze unconsciously sought out Namia first. She stood before the Team Leader in a posture of genuine remorse.
'Hmm?'
Her eyes were unfocused and vacant. It was exactly the same as when I first saw her.
'Did I misread it before? Does this woman simply not know how to open her eyes properly?'
Crown Prince Kiaros gave the department a brief warning.
It was truly nothing more than that. He hadn't even expressed anger.
Of course, he demanded access rights, and inwardly resolved to abolish this department by any means necessary, but.
'The Tower Master will throw a fit. That's why I tried to resolve it secretly through an underhanded method....'
He even used his special ability because direct confrontation felt burdensome.
But that underhanded method failed because Namia cut off the access rights decisively.
In any case, he would think about that later, and it was just as Crown Prince Kiaros was about to express his gratitude to Namia.
'Wait, what's this atmosphere?'
In an instant, the interior of the department became silent as if a funeral had occurred. Some of the weaker-spirited employees were even quietly sniffling.
"...Namia Loapi."
No matter how much of a Crown Prince he was, expressing gratitude after laying waste to the department felt somewhat awkward.
Even Namia was bowing her head as if she had committed a mortal sin.
In the end, he said this.
"Come to the Crown Prince's Office immediately."
If I can't express my gratitude here, I'll do it in the office.
As he stepped out into the Imperial Palace corridor first, that was simply what he thought at the time.
* * *
'Wow.'
My back felt as though cold sweat was pouring down it in streams.
'This is really uncomfortable.'
Following behind Crown Prince Kiaros, every movement of my body had become stiff from tension.
'If I stumble even slightly, it feels like I'll be executed....'
I knew Crown Prince Kiaros was a reasonable superior, but I still felt that way. And as I crossed the Imperial Palace corridor like that....
"Oh my."
"Wow."
People passing by glanced at us and hurriedly averted their eyes.
'Oh no.'
Crown Prince Kiaros walking alone down the corridor with someone.
To my knowledge, this was an unprecedented occurrence.
Wasn't Crown Prince Kiaros someone who had never walked alone with any woman before?
'He could have simply summoned an Aide to fetch me, yet he's personally escorting me instead. I'm at a loss as to why....'
I held my smile rigid, my lips pressed firmly together.
But I could roughly anticipate what would unfold from here.
During lunch today, the Dining Hall would buzz with whispers: "The Crown Prince has fallen head over heels for Namia Loapi."
By tomorrow, it would balloon into: "Have you heard? There's talk of marriage between Namia Loapi and the Crown Prince."
And then discussions about "status differences and Royal Family marriages" would ripple through every department for a week....
A week later, the narrative would inevitably shift to: "They couldn't overcome the class divide and broke up."
'What on earth is the Crown Prince thinking?'
Given his position and age, he could certainly have become betrothed, yet he had never even escorted the daughters of high-ranking nobility.
'Of course, we commoners don't know the details of such matters.'
But regardless, it was an extraordinarily intriguing topic of conversation.
Everyone whispered about it behind closed doors constantly.
[Isn't it strange? Usually, the Royal Family becomes betrothed in childhood. But how can the Crown Prince show no interest in betrothal whatsoever?]
[Not just the Crown Prince—neither the Emperor nor the Empress have even mentioned a Crown Princess....]
[He acts as though he's reserving himself for some strategic marriage. Could he have a secret lover hidden away?]
Crown Prince Kiaros was precisely the sort of man who kept women at arm's length.
So merely walking alongside him was enough to spark rumors.
'Has he truly fallen for me at first sight? Hmm, this is a splendid opportunity.'
My mind raced with fierce calculation.
'Before the infatuation fades, I need to rush through the wedding and then carefully drop hints about the future to come. What you might call the Cinderella strategy....'
My thoughts accelerated faster than ever before.
'The Cinderella role doesn't suit my temperament, but if it prevents war, that's a small price. Once I become Crown Princess, what authority could I wield?'
The various powers of a Crown Princess flashed through my mind in rapid succession. My heart thrilled at the prospect.
Of course, once I actually possessed such power, it might prove far less meaningful than anticipated.
But that was a concern for after I had obtained it.
And realistically, I decided not to even contemplate the authority of an Empress.
'Infatuation born from first sight will surely fade quickly, so I must prepare in advance to extract maximum alimony....'
While I organized my thoughts on our marriage and subsequent divorce,
Crown Prince Kiaros, who had been walking ahead, suddenly broke the silence.
"Why have you remained in such a department all this time? Under such incompetent superiors?"
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org