Chapter 48
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Chapter 48
Everything unfolded with remarkable swiftness.
The Emperor returned to the Imperial Palace, and simultaneously, Crown Prince Kiaros announced he would be taking an extended leave.
'He's laying low during this dark period.'
I reflected on this as I heard the Imperial Family's announcement.
'A wise choice.'
Though weakened considerably, the Emperor was still preferable to Crown Prince Kiaros in his current state.
'Even if His Majesty has only about a year left to live...'
The Empress had diligently gathered all manner of strange poisons, but that alone wouldn't resolve the matter.
Fortunately, things remained quiet without any major incidents for the time being.
Of course, since the story had diverged considerably from the original, I couldn't predict what might unfold. I had to remain vigilant.
'First, I need to get my head on straight.'
Because I'm now the Minister of the Scroll Department!
The rapid developments weren't limited to the Imperial Family's announcement.
'Dissolution of the Scroll Management Department, establishment of the Scroll Department, appointment of a new minister!'
The moment I was appointed as minister, the news was immediately conveyed to the other ministers.
The Minister of Justice was present at that meeting, so naturally, all the ministers were completely thrown into chaos.
Despite it being the weekend, an emergency meeting was hastily convened.
Various department ministers, including myself, and His Majesty the Emperor attended...
"A minister at twenty-three years old? Does that even make sense? Without going through the proper ranks?"
"Indeed. But that was the Tower Master's negotiation condition."
The Emperor deflected all criticism toward the absent party.
"It was unavoidable to bring all this department's authority under the Imperial Family."
"Look at us! All of us have over thirty years of civil service experience! And someone with merely four years becomes a minister? Really?"
"Indeed. But since the Tower Master insisted, it was unavoidable."
Of course, the ministers didn't accept it.
So the Emperor shook his head slowly and said,
"When the Tower Master returns, lodge your protest with him."
"But...!"
No one could say anything against the cunning strategy of "the Tower Master said so."
If the Emperor had pressed the matter himself, they might have complained about his tyranny, but this was different.
Eventually, the Minister of Administrative Support, who had been grumbling continuously, interjected.
"I... I really didn't want to say something like this..."
She paused for a long moment.
I tensed unusually, swallowing hard.
'What is this buildup? Even she thinks it's petty, but she's about to unleash an absolutely devastating attack!'
The Minister of Administrative Support glanced at the other ministers before speaking solemnly.
"I've heard that things between Namia Loapi and Crown Prince Kiaros are not as they seem."
So the rumors had reached the ministers' ears after all...
But for her to bring up such baseless gossip in an official setting just because she resented my appointment as minister...
The Minister of Administrative Support cleared her throat and continued speaking.
"If you're saying you gave me this ministerial position based on such personal feelings...."
At that, the Emperor's expression grew extremely grave, and he pressed his forehead.
"Sigh...."
At that troubled expression, everyone turned to gaze at the Emperor with hopeful faces.
And they were preparing to eagerly seize upon this fact.
"I'm truly regretful to have to say this."
The Emperor murmured with a sorrowful expression.
"Miss Namia Loapi has quite thoroughly rejected my son."
The ministers' faces were painted with shock.
"My son proposed to her, but without leaving even the slightest room for consideration, she rejected him outright before us all. She said Kiaros doesn't even look like a man to her."
Something seemed to have shifted slightly in nuance.
Of course, the outcome seemed no different, so I nodded my head slightly.
"So Kiaros has decided to seclude himself due to the shock of this heartbreak. Even if he doesn't appear for some time, you should accept it as such."
Hmm, to weave together his dark period of seclusion like this now....
"Having experienced rejection for the first time, how profound must his heartache be."
The ministers sat speechless with dumbfounded expressions.
The Emperor declared with a melancholic expression.
"But I too had to grant the ministerial position to Miss Namia Loapi, who so thoroughly rejected my son. The Tower Master insisted upon it."
"...."
"No matter how talented one may be, one cannot wield that authority recklessly. No matter how much my son writhes in the pain of heartbreak."
"...."
"The Imperial Family perfectly distinguishes between public and private matters in this way. Of course, the Crown Prince's psychological damage is considerable."
"...."
"Do you all simply object merely because she is young? I have accepted this even while reducing my son to a wreck."
"...."
With each word the Emperor spoke, the Crown Prince's heartbreak was emphasized anew.
The Emperor, absent from this gathering, truly sold out his own son thoroughly, then gave me a slight wink.
And I understood.
'I absolutely must not miss a single one of these meetings.'
It was clear that whoever wasn't present would have everything blamed on them.
In the uncomfortable silence, the meeting ended nonetheless.
I gripped the hem of my skirt with trembling hands and thought.
'I've never even been in a conference room of such enormous scale before....'
Truly, truly!
'...this is wonderful!'
With a composed expression, breathing heavily, I swallowed the joy burning within me.
Finally, the Emperor summarized the situation.
"When you report for work on Monday, I will announce that Miss Namia Loapi is now the Minister of the Scroll Department and begin organizational restructuring. I will entrust the Scroll Department reorganization entirely to Minister Namia Loapi."
* * *
Reorganizing the department.
That was truly the crux of the problem.
I found myself lost in thought in the empty office of the Scroll Management Department—or rather, the Scroll Department.
'The department was already understaffed to begin with....'
Originally, the Scroll Management Department had twenty employees. But now a wave of severe disciplinary dismissals had swept through.
Only nine of us remained, including myself.
'And every single Team Leader was cut.'
All nine remaining employees had less than ten years of experience.
None of them had achieved the rank of Team Leader.
'And I'm supposed to reorganize the department with these people....'
The Scroll Department. Nine people. A fourth-year employee—the most junior on the team—became Minister.
And there's a high probability that a spy is among them.
'In every way, this is a department that's nearly impossible to run properly.'
The eight people besides me....
Some were competent, some were incompetent, and some were struggling.
Most critically, they all had more experience than I did.
No new hires had come in for years because there was nothing to do.
'First, I'll consolidate everything and reduce the teams to two. Fortunately, choosing Team Leaders won't be difficult.'
Fortunately, I could easily identify two candidates for Team Leader positions.
The two with the highest seniority among the remaining staff had reasonably decent capabilities.
'It's a blessing in disguise that Victor Awin will be returning soon.'
I glanced at the name "Victor Awin" on the roster and smiled slightly.
Victor, my senior from the Academy, had been on an extended business trip for three and a half years.
Though he came to the Scroll Management Department due to personal circumstances, he was originally a remarkably intelligent and virtuous person who seemed out of place in this department.
[Namia, just hold on until I get back. When I return and become the youngest Team Leader, I'll definitely pull you out from under Oson.]
That had been Victor's parting words.
'Senior, what do I do? You did become Team Leader when you return, but I've become Minister instead. And the department is still a hopeless mess....'
Even the previous Minister's secretary had been dismissed.
This was a place where even the secretary had been embezzling funds skillfully.
'Right now, I don't even have a secretary....'
Normally, I would have had to choose one from the remaining six people.
But how could I make my former seniors work as my secretary? It was awkward in every way.
And since there might be a spy among them, I was hesitant about assigning important work.
'There's only one solution. For now, I'll have to handle almost everything myself.'
I trusted in Crown Prince Kiaros's competence.
He would surely eliminate the seeds of conflict.
So it seemed bearable to endure some hardship until then.
'Still, if only I had one capable secretary....'
I sighed and habitually checked to see if any new documents had arrived.
That was when it happened.
'Hm?'
Surprisingly, there was a new document.
'...Kibon Altes? Intern reapplication?'
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