Chapter 80
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Chapter 80
I answered calmly.
"Ah, I'm thinking of selling a trap. Well, to do that, I need permission from Crown Prince Kiaros for one thing...."
"Hmm?"
"First, would it be alright if I sold the Crown Prince's name a bit...?"
Crown Prince Kiaros interlaced his fingers with evident interest.
"Explain."
He commanded with a slightly crooked smile.
"I'm quite looking forward to this."
Watching the natural ease with which he issued his command, I paused to collect myself.
An innate arrogance that had never bowed to anyone.
Emotional restraint and asceticism that had become habitual precisely because of his consideration for others.
Yet confidence that emerged from knowing his own excellence.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Ah...."
I answered while fidgeting with my fingers.
"It's just that I was thinking... Crown Prince Kiaros has probably never heard even the smallest complaint from anyone."
Born to rule and raised to rule. Even the Royal Family had always been kind to him.
"That's... really cool."
To possess both power and ability—truly impressive.... I want to become like that too....
Crown Prince Kiaros chuckled softly and rested his chin on his hand with ease.
"What."
Gazing at me steadily, he answered leisurely.
"I suppose that's true."
* * *
The next morning, at the Scroll Department Office.
"Hey, are you seriously joking? Huh? Are you laughing? You're laughing? Is this all funny to you? Is it amusing? What? You weren't laughing? Then did I see wrong just now? Are my eyes broken? Huh? Can't you stand straight?"
Kibon was being scolded endlessly.
"What did I say? I said I didn't like the look in your eyes from the start, didn't I? Huh? With that scammer's face of yours, where did you even put your sense of awareness? Geez, really...."
It was because Jayden and the Empress had burst in.
"Hey, you were there too. You knew everything and still screwed over our Crown Prince? Huh? How dare you request a partnership? Huh?"
The Empress struck her chest repeatedly in exasperation.
Jayden also stomped his feet and shouted.
"My grand plan is ruined because of you!"
From Jayden and the Empress's perspective, their anger was understandable.
They had both been desperate to make me and Crown Prince Kiaros partners.
'Actually, if Kibon hadn't submitted the request, Victor would have requested a partnership instead. But those two don't know that.'
Jayden clutched his head and wailed.
"And... last night, Crown Prince Kiaros even called for Namia Loapi at his office!"
He did call for me... though it seemed the goal wasn't a partnership request.
While the two of them were making a fuss, I jabbed Kibon in the ribs.
Kibon responded in a flat voice.
"I apologize. I'm afraid I didn't quite understand."
It was something I'd drilled into him this morning.
[Kibon, the Empress and Young Prince are definitely going to show up today and cause chaos.]
[I see.]
[...That's not the time for 'I see.' You should say 'What should I do?' instead.... Anyway, just keep repeating 'I apologize. I'm afraid I didn't quite understand.']
Regardless, Kibon had to attend the Saint Kairo Banquet.
There would be many high-ranking nobles there. If problems arose because of an attitude unsuitable for his position, it would be troublesome.
'But Kibon's attitude is... really ambiguous.'
It wasn't exactly problematic enough to point out specifically, but it was definitely something off about him. So I chose evasion over correction.
[Even at the banquet, if the atmosphere feels strange, just keep repeating 'I apologize. I'm afraid I didn't quite understand.' Understand?]
[...Will that solve everything?]
[You have to keep repeating it until it does. Eventually, the other person will back down because of their blood pressure. After all, you can never beat someone who doesn't understand.]
But I couldn't keep dragging out time waiting for that "eventually" when dealing with the Royal Family.
So I stepped forward and called Kibon out.
"Kibon, come here and get to work. The paperwork is piling up."
This was the only way to calm down Jayden and the Empress.
"I've been working hard lately, rolling things along. He's got a lot on his plate."
Making it look like working under me was more painful.
When I piled documents high on Kibon's desk, his face went pale.
Since there actually was a lot of work, it wasn't a lie either.
After that, I naturally redirected the Empress and Jayden's attention.
"First, let me explain how to use the Scrolls. I'll calculate everything up until the moment of activation, so you'll just need to chant the incantation...."
After demonstrating a few times, I left the rest to the staff.
Then I returned to the Minister's Office. There was a lot of work that needed to be handled.
And Victor, who had started his official duties today, peeked in.
"Oh, Minister."
Victor had already completed his first report.
He entered the Minister's Office, submitted the report, and grinned.
"I see you put some effort into the Saint Kairo Banquet Scroll? Whew, you must have lost some sleep. Want to grab lunch together? The Internal Cafeteria menu doesn't look bad today."
His tone was tinged with playful laughter.
"And I heard quite an interesting rumor yesterday. That the femme fatale who broke the Crown Prince's heart is our Minister here."
I took the report and skimmed through it once.
True to form as the model student he'd always been, it was an excellent report.
The format was perfect, whether he'd learned it personally from the Finance Minister, his adoptive father.
"So I thought to myself."
Victor raised his eyebrows and spoke playfully.
"Wow, who would dare confess to our Minister when they're so scary?"
I kept my eyes on the report as I replied.
"What? What are you afraid of? Surely not Crown Prince Kiaros?"
Victor raised his arm dramatically and replied.
"No. I'm terrified of our Minister's exacting standards. If I weren't small and adorable like me, I'd never dare confess to anyone."
I burst out laughing at that.
Victor was so large he resembled a bear, which made his self-description as "small and adorable" absolutely hilarious.
Just then, I heard the sharp snap of Kibon's fountain pen breaking as he processed documents behind me.
Victor's eyes widened as he immediately offered to help.
"Oh, our Intern friend's pen just broke. Can't interrupt the flow while calculating, so let me lend you mine for a bit."
Kibon flatly refused without even looking at him.
"That won't be necessary."
Of course, Victor didn't mind at all and laughed it off.
"Come on, don't be shy about it. We're family—no need to be so stiff. Well, I'm not just giving it away, of course. Namia gave this to me as a gift ages ago. Just return it when you're done."
He tossed a pen from his pocket to Kibon.
I stared at that pen for a moment.
It was a cheap one I'd scraped together money to buy during my student days.
'He's still kept it all this time.'
I fell into thought briefly, then forced my gaze away and continued the conversation.
"You're right. Whether someone confesses to me or not, Crown Prince Kiaros isn't the type to be so petty."
Kibon then silently walked over with the pen Victor had given him and placed it with a sharp tap on top of Victor's report on my desk.
Honestly, rejecting someone's kindness like that—he really was petty.
I shook my head inwardly and continued speaking.
"He's confident in everything he does, so he'd be magnanimous about it."
"Exactly? If I were to confess to you myself... Aaaah! Kibon, you just stepped on my foot! Do you have anemia? Did you get dizzy for a moment? Shouldn't you go to the Health and Welfare Department?"
Victor staggered after Kibon stepped on his foot.
I regarded Kibon suspiciously. It seemed intentional.
No matter how I thought about it, he seemed to like me... Was it because he was young? He showed absolutely no emotional restraint.
Making it so obvious like that. Tsk tsk. An unrequited crush was something even more dangerous to reveal than a workplace romance.
Victor rubbed his foot and continued talking.
"Someone as accomplished as him wouldn't be jealous... If things worked out between our Minister and me, he'd bless our happiness with generosity. He's famous for his good character... Ouch! Wait a minute! My pen!"
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