The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 10

During all that, sweat was pouring nonstop fromOsone  ’s forehead. Well, he had basically been caught red-handed.

 Osone ’s attendance record was a mess, and he had committed several acts of misconduct to avoid the attention of his superiors.

I shrugged to myself and thought,

‘Team LeaderOsone  , well… You’re definitely going to face disciplinary action. But you should be grateful to me… If the war broke out, you would’ve been one of the first to die without mercy.’

Thinking that way almost made me feel like I was some sort of savior to all these people.

‘I have to stop the war. Which means I need to look for the right moment to subtly leak information from the original storyline to Kiaros.’

My plan to become the “conveyor of the original plot” was still rock solid.

While everyone had their heads bowed low, I quietly rolled my eyes and my thoughts spun like mad.

‘My original plan was to act like a clueless airhead when the commendation arrived, and then force myself to go thank him…’

But then, why didn’t the commendation come?

‘If the commendation never arrives, I won’t even have a half-decent excuse to go see the Crown Prince…’

While I was busy worrying, everyone else in the department was still frozen with their heads down.

In that ice-cold silence, Kiaros slowly called my name.

“Namia Roaphie.”

“Ah, yes.”

I cautiously lifted my head. Our eyes met.

Ah, he’s just too handsome…

But I felt a twinge of fear instinctively.

‘It was said that the first emperor, whose dragon blood ran deepest, experienced two Dark Phases. Could His Highness Kiaros also have been born with exceptionally potent dragon blood? Is that why his presence feels so overwhelming?’

His gaze was gentle but intense, as if it might pierce through my very soul. My clasped hands trembled on their own.

“Miss Roaphie.”

He repeated my name, pronouncing it carefully in that low voice. Then, after a slight pause, he added:

“Come to the Crown Prince’s office immediately.”

Huh? All of a sudden? Me? Personally? Right now?

“Ah, yes!”

Either way, I gave a deep bow and answered. When someone at the pinnacle of the empire gives an order, you obey.

“Understood.”

Though surprised, the fact that Kiaros called me was a good sign.

‘At least now I get to meet him face-to-face! It’s more natural than pretending to be clueless and going to thank him just because of the commendation!’

I politely followed behind him, frantically calculating what information from the original story would have the most impact.

****

Upon hearing that Namia had come to work early that morning, Kiaros had personally headed to the Scroll Management Department.

An analysis had confirmed that the arrowheads were coated in a deadly poison—a foreign substance to which Kiaros had no immunity whatsoever.

‘They’re highly familiar with palace affairs. It’s clear they’ve been hiding inside for a long time.’

Kiaros had been exposed to all kinds of poisons since childhood for this very reason. As was customary for all imperial heirs.

That was why he had built up immunity to almost every toxin found in the empire. Yet, this one was entirely new to him.

‘They’re not just formidable—they’re dangerous.’

The deeper he dug, the more serious the situation became.

Still, that was that. Rewarding a lifesaver was another matter entirely.

He had wanted to personally thank and commend the person who had saved his life.

But then…

“If your grades weren’t good enough to get in, you shouldn’t be putting on airs in the first place!”

A booming voice echoed from the other end of the hallway.

“Fix this mess. Write a statement.”

He had known the department was dysfunctional, but the more he heard, the more outrageous it became.

Kiaros felt a surge of anger boiling inside him.

He immediately opened the door and entered. His eyes instinctively sought out Namia. She was standing in front of her team leader, looking every bit the repentant employee.

‘Hmm?’

Her eyes had that same unfocused, dazed look from before. Just like the first time he saw her.

‘Maybe I was wrong earlier. Does this woman just not know how to open her eyes properly?’

Kiaros gave the department a short warning.

That was truly all he did. He hadn’t even raised his voice.

Well, okay, he had demanded document access and was internally scheming to dismantle the entire department if he could find any pretext to do so.

‘The Tower Master is going to throw a fit. That’s why I originally tried to resolve it discreetly with a loophole…’

He had even used his special ability just to avoid a direct confrontation.

But Namia had ruthlessly cut off his access permissions, and his plan had failed.

Anyway, that was a problem for later. Just when Kiaros was about to express his gratitude to Namia—

‘Wait, what’s this atmosphere?’

The whole department had gone deathly quiet. Some weak-nerved employees were even quietly sniffling.

“…Namia Roaphie.”

Even Kiaros felt a little awkward trying to express gratitude after leveling the entire department.

Namia, too, had her head down like she’d committed a terrible crime.

So in the end, he said this:

“Come to the Crown Prince’s office immediately.”

If he couldn’t express thanks here, he’d just do it in his office.

As he stepped into the palace corridor, that was all he’d been thinking.

***

Wow.

Sweat was pouring down my back.

‘This is so uncomfortable.’

As I followed Kiaros, tension made my every movement stiff.

‘One wrong step and I might be executed…’

I knew Kiaros was a reasonable superior, but still—it just felt that way. As we walked through the imperial palace corridors…

“Oh my.”

“Wow.”

People passing by stole glances at us, then quickly averted their eyes.

‘Crap.’

Kiaros, walking through the palace with someone else?

As far as I knew, this had never happened before.

Wasn’t he famous for never walking with a woman—any woman?

‘I mean, he could’ve just sent a secretary. Why fetch me himself…?’

I kept my expression neutral, lips forced into a polite smile.

But I already knew what was coming.

By lunch today, the rumor mill would be churning: “Did you hear? The Crown Prince fell for Namia Roaphie at first sight.”

By tomorrow: “Did you hear? Namia Roaphie and the Crown Prince might be getting married.”

Then every department would spend a week debating social class and royal marriages…

And after a week: “They broke up because of class differences.”

‘What is His Highness thinking?’

Given his position and age, he should’ve been engaged already. Yet he hadn’t even escorted any noble ladies.

‘Well, we don’t really know what goes on among the highborn…’

Even so, it was always a juicy topic.

People gossiped behind his back constantly.

[Isn’t it strange? Most royals are betrothed from a young age. But the Crown Prince has shown no interest whatsoever.]

[It’s not just him. Even the Emperor and Empress haven’t said a word about a potential Crown Princess…]

[Maybe he’s hiding some secret lover. Or there’s already a political match lined up.]

Kiaros was so detached from women that just walking beside one caused a stir.

‘Maybe he really did fall for me. Hmm, then this is a good chance.’

I started planning frantically in my head.

‘Before he snaps out of it, I should lock in a wedding. Then I’ll use that closeness to feed him hints about the future. Operation Cinderella…’

My brain was firing on all cylinders.

‘I may not be suited for Cinderella roles, but if it helps prevent a war, I’ll do what it takes. But wait—what kind of authority does a Crown Princess have?’

My mind raced through all the powers and privileges that came with the title. I was getting excited.

Of course, once I actually had power, it might not be all that useful.

But that was something to think about after gaining it.

And realistically, I decided not to even consider aiming for Empress.

‘The love-at-first-sight phase probably won’t last long. I should start preparing now to get as much alimony as possible…’

As I internally laid out my plan for our marriage and inevitable divorce, Kiaros—who had been striding ahead—suddenly spoke.

“Why did you stay in that department for so long? Under those kinds of superiors?”