Chapter 61
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Chapter 61
"Ah...."
Kibon flinched visibly.
I was startled and quickly released his hand.
'Good heavens. Imagine if Oson had grabbed my hand instead.'
A chill ran down my spine. I apologized frantically.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry. I've committed an unforgivable offense against a mere Intern. If I've caused you any displeasure, please report me. According to Article 42, Section 8 of the Civil Service Law...."
"No, it's fine."
Kibon immediately shook his head.
An awkward silence hung between us for a moment.
"Are you really sure? If you change your mind later, report me anytime. It's my fault, after all."
"It's fine."
I gazed up at Kibon anew with curiosity.
During these past few days of overtime work, I'd constantly noticed how impeccably straight his posture was.
No matter how long he sat, his composure never wavered.
'Did he receive aristocratic training in his homeland? Even his clothing is flawless.'
Whenever I taught him something, he'd sit rigidly and execute everything perfectly. His speech remained somewhat stiff, but it suited his cold demeanor well.
He was almost expressionless, his face neither smiling nor frowning. Except for the occasional flinch when I laughed, he always looked the same.
So I hadn't realized he was pushing himself to the point of nosebleeds....
'But he said even with the nosebleeds, he wanted to work more. He's the real deal. It wasn't for nothing that he bolted from the Scroll Management Department on his first day.'
Laughter bubbled up from within me.
That such a person would become my Intern at this very moment.
It felt like I could work him as hard as I wanted without a shred of guilt.
'Thanks to him, I can save the suffering child even a day sooner.'
Kibon stood there as always, his expression inscrutable.
Despite knowing better, joy and relief made the corners of my mouth keep rising.
"But you know what?"
I added with a broad smile.
"That means we're working overtime again tonight...."
Only then did Kibon's expression show some sign of awareness.
5. The Circumstances of Jayden Polariud
Rumors spread even to the Separate Palace.
"Did you hear? The Crown Prince is bedridden from heartbreak."
"The other party is supposedly Namia Loapi, the Scroll Department Minister."
It was when the servants cleaning the Separate Palace were gossiping loudly.
The door swung open with a bang.
"Don't chatter while cleaning."
It was a boy with hair that gleamed like golden sunlight. Now eight years old, his small frame and still-chubby cheeks were endearing.
The Young Prince staying at the Separate Palace—Jayden Polariud.
"You're distracting me from my reading."
Yet the child had a sharp tongue.
"Is this how you work when you think a young master's residence lacks discipline—just lounging about carelessly?"
The servants immediately fell silent.
The Separate Palace where young royals resided was currently occupied by Jayden alone.
Crown Prince Kiaros had also stayed in the Separate Palace during his childhood.
Crown Prince Kiaros had been a formidable master even as a child, but he had only expressed his displeasure through his gaze, never rebuking them so directly with words.
"Especially gossiping about adult scandals in front of a child. What am I supposed to learn from that? When my brother visits, would you like me to tell him stories I heard from the servants?"
"I-I apologize, Your Highness the Young Prince. I was truly wrong."
"Consider yourself fortunate that I matured early enough to distinguish what should and shouldn't be said."
Jayden lifted his chin with a knowing expression.
Then he handed a letter to one of the servants.
"Deliver this to Her Majesty the Empress."
"Yes, Your Highness! I shall deliver it at once."
The servant hastily accepted the letter.
Jayden closed the door with a sharp bang and opened his book again.
Then he furrowed his brow slightly.
"My brother was rejected?"
The child's cheeks puffed out as he muttered to himself.
"Of all things. What kind of woman could she be..."
Jayden swallowed the name "Namia Loapi" silently.
There was no time to dwell on it further, as his lesson was about to begin.
Not long after, a Ministry of Education official entered.
"Young Prince, good day. Are you ready for your lesson?"
"Yes, Ridden."
Ridden Hael. He was the Team Leader of the Imperial Education Team under the Ministry of Education.
A nobleman of baronial rank, he oversaw all aspects of Jayden's education.
He was one of the few adults whom Jayden regarded with genuine affection.
"As I advised last time, you've written your reply to Her Majesty the Empress, yes?"
"Yes."
Jayden answered while opening his book.
"I just sent it."
"Well done."
Ridden chuckled softly.
* * *
"Look at this."
After spending a full three days collecting only the scroll inventory records from the Separate Palace with Kibon.
I showed the completed documents to Kibon and spoke.
"The scroll inventory records from the Separate Palace—something's definitely off about them, isn't it?"
Kibon's expression was grave. He frowned and stared intently at the documents.
"...Something is definitely amiss."
"Yes. It's been bothering me for quite some time."
"If something seemed off, why didn't you do anything about it before?"
"I wasn't idle."
I shrugged and muttered under my breath.
"I reported it to Team Leader Oson and got thoroughly scolded for wasting time. The other team leader reacted the same way."
"Then above that...."
"I couldn't exchange more than a greeting with the Minister. He found it tedious to even speak with someone of my lowly rank."
"Then above that...."
"Above what?"
....
"I couldn't even greet the Royal Family, so what's the point."
But the situation is different now.
Now I can speak to the Royal Family not just with greetings, but with "I have something to discuss."
I gathered the documents in my hands.
"In any case, if you find it suspicious too, I'll go make a report."
"A report to whom, exactly...."
"The Empress, of course. She's the Young Prince's mother, after all."
Kibon's expression became peculiar.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"But the relationship between those two is... well. And I'm not sure the Empress would handle such matters well...."
Hmm. Did Kibon see the Empress at the Trial Court back then too?
If so, I could understand his concern for her.
"Then where should I go? I can't bring this kind of problem to the Emperor."
"What about Crown Prince Kiaros?"
"Ah...."
But involving the Empress in this matter was the right call.
Because there was a misunderstanding between Jayden and the Empress that needed to be resolved.
Since I couldn't reveal that I knew the original story, I simply deflected appropriately.
"Crown Prince Kiaros would certainly be of great help... but he's in seclusion, so I can't trouble him."
It was just as I stood up, saying I would visit the Empress.
Kibon suddenly rose to his feet as well.
"I... may I take an early leave?"
"Hmm? Of course."
He'd worked hard enough. I promptly processed Kibon's early departure.
Kibon bowed to me and quickly left the office.
Alone in the Minister's Office, I first tidied my appearance.
'It's been a while since I've seen the Empress.'
In fact, the Empress had kept telling me to visit.
[Come anytime! I have no friends and spend all my days alone!]
So it seemed fine to go now.
I summoned a servant to deliver a visiting card to the Empress, then slowly exited the Minister's Office.
The moment I stepped out, Anastasia sprang to her feet.
She rose so quickly that the book resting on her desk—"My Secretary's Double Life"—tumbled to the floor with a soft thud. It seemed she had a taste for office romance novels.
"M-Minister? W-would you like some c-coffee?"
"No, thank you. But I'd appreciate a cup when I return."
I didn't want to have Anastasia make coffee for me.
Though I'd said it wasn't necessary, she seemed to have made it a habit.
Every morning, she meticulously ground the coffee beans and kept hot water constantly at the ready.
So I occasionally accepted a cup from her, wanting to acknowledge her thoughtfulness.
"A-and, w-when will V-Victor be c-coming in...?"
"Oh, he said he'd be back in four days. Why?"
"I, I'm n-not very g-good at h-handling things... so I w-was hoping V-Victor would c-come soon...."
"Don't think like that. Well then, I'll be going."
After that brief exchange, I made my way to the Empress's Chamber.
"Namia! Welcome! What brings you here? Hmm? You've been so busy ignoring me all this time!"
Huh?
Surprisingly, the Empress was not alone.
I stopped in my tracks, taken aback.
"There's a guest, but that's fine, right?"
Why was Crown Prince Kiaros in the Empress's Chamber?
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