The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 11

“What?”

“You could’ve just quit. Or filed for a transfer citing poor adaptation or something, couldn’t you?”

He clearly had a strong distaste for my department. I replied blankly.

“It wasn’t anything serious enough to warrant that…”

“You don’t have to be so careful. You can be honest. Being unfairly yelled at like that isn’t a big deal to you?”

“Yes. That’s just an ordinary, everyday occurrence in the Scroll Management Department. Nothing special at all.”

At my polite answer, Kiaros clicked his tongue in disbelief.

“Looks to me like it’s a department that could be dissolved on the spot.”

But if I quit, I wouldn’t get paid…

Though as for why I never filed for a transfer…

Honestly, even I wasn’t sure of my own reasons.

Or maybe I was. Maybe I knew all along.

‘Because I really do like scrolls.’

Maybe it was because I’d been making scrolls and playing with them on my own since I was little. Even if the department was a mess, I didn’t really want to leave.

But hearing Kiaros grumble like that suddenly reminded me of the intern.

‘Someone did quit immediately, come to think of it…’

That intern had resigned without a second thought. A clean break.

Still, I was lucky to have gotten those boxes moved before they left.

While I was thinking fondly of the intern, a slight smile slipped across my lips—and Kiaros furrowed his brow.

“Why are you smiling?”

“Apologies.”

Wow. I barely smiled. He’s got sharp eyes.

I quickly lowered my head and explained.

“I was just reminded of the intern I had recently. They quit after just one day…”

“I see.”

Surprisingly, Kiaros continued the conversation about the intern.

“Why did that intern quit so quickly?”

“I… I’m not really sure.”

“Didn’t you personally accept their resignation?”

“Well… yes.”

“Then you must have handled the follow-up too. Why didn’t you ask the reason?”

Now I was in a tough spot.

Honestly, I didn’t have the energy to care enough to ask.

I wasn’t curious, to be frank. But I couldn’t exactly say, “They probably just felt like it,” in front of him.

So I started scrambling for a halfway decent excuse.

“I… I didn’t want to make them uncomfortable, being on their way out and all…”

“Hm?”

“Well, I gave them a task and they didn’t seem to like it… I thought maybe they didn’t even want to talk to me…”

The more I lied, the slower I spoke, and my words started slurring together.

“I’ve never had a junior under me before… So I always thought, if I ever did, I’d try to be the kind of person who made things comfortable for them…”

That part was genuine, actually. I always swore to myself I’d never be a team lead likeOsone   if I ever had someone under me.

Even if that first subordinate happened to be a weirdly sassy and insolent intern right from the start.

“Even if it was just a one-day intern… Anyway, that’s why I didn’t ask the reason.”

I wondered if I’d managed to talk my way through that one.

When I peeked at Kiaros, he was giving me a doubtful stare.

He clearly didn’t believe a word of it. Yep, not an easy one to fool.

“Ah, and also…”

But once you start lying to your boss, you cannot let yourself get caught.

“They were… pretty good-looking. Great build, too. The type that’d be popular with women. I worried if I asked too many questions, they’d think I was hitting on them or something.”

At that, Kiaros let out a sudden cough.

“Ahem… So, you’re saying… you found him good-looking?”

Seems like that worked! I nodded firmly for emphasis.

“Yes. Extremely. Honestly. Truly. Sincerely.”

“…Really? Was their outer appearance that good…”

Despite never having seen the intern himself, Kiaros wore a deeply troubled expression. Then, quite seriously, he asked:

“Better looking than me, right now?”

Huh? What kind of self-centered question was that?

But alas, the fate of a subordinate is to answer—even absurd questions like this.

So I replied awkwardly but honestly.

“No matter how handsome that intern may have been, they don’t hold a candle to His Highness, a Dragon-Blooded Crown Prince…”

It was sincere, so I wouldn’t call it flattery. Maybe that’s why Kiaros didn’t look particularly happy about it.

Which just made it more confusing—why ask the question at all?

I rolled my eyes internally and moved on.

“But now that I think about it, talking to Your Highness like this… maybe the intern misunderstood something.”

Time to wrap this topic up.

I’d been rambling with zero logic or structure because I’d unexpectedly had to start lying.

So I decided to end with a final, crisp lie.

“If that intern—my first ever junior—somehow came back…”

That arrogant intern who glared at me just for asking them to move some boxes—if they ever returned.

“I’d make sure to clear up the misunderstanding and create a very welcoming environment for them.”

As in, I’d roll them so hard they’d learn what real work actually looked like.

“Well. I’m sure your sincerity will be understood.”

Success! Kiaros finally nodded, impressed. He even seemed genuinely moved by my words.

“That impressively handsome and well-built intern will probably never return to that department again, though.”

“Yes, probably not…”

While we were having that ridiculous conversation about the intern, we finally arrived at his office.

We were just about to enter when—

“Your Highness!”

His aide came rushing toward us in a panic.

“There’s something urgent to report from the investigation—there’s evidence of collusion within the palace—ah, my apologies. I didn’t realize we had company.”

The aide clamped his mouth shut when he noticed me.

As expected, they were already chasing down leads from the assassination attempt.

Kiaros motioned for him to keep quiet for now, then turned to me.

“Ahem, anyway, back to the intern topic… It’s natural for a superior to give orders. The intern must’ve misunderstood something. I doubt they actually disliked you.”

“Riiight…”

I guess the lie worked, because now Kiaros thought I’d been very emotionally invested in that intern.

Honestly, I couldn’t care less about them—I was far more curious about the traitors in the palace.

‘Wait. Hold on.’

While I was naturally recalling the assassination attempt, something suddenly clicked in my mind.

‘Right! Why didn’t I think of that before?’

It felt like a lightbulb had gone off in my head. At the same time, Kiaros was still talking.

“Well, Miss Namia, you’re not exactly… um, the type who speaks in sharp, logical—”

“Your Highness! Wait!”

I gasped and cut him off.

“I’d like to revisit the moment the security broke down!”

Both Kiaros and his aide blinked at me in surprise.

“That official from the Ministry of Law was facing southeast when he shouted, ‘Aah! Over here! 3 o’clock! They’re here!’ But three of the five knights who were facing west ran off toward that direction. That means the ‘3 o’clock’ he referred to wasn’t based on his perspective—it was from their perspective. But people who aren’t trained, who lack spatial awareness under pressure, don’t instinctively call out directions based on someone else’s frame of reference. Especially not in a panic situation. And especially not someone whose daily work has nothing to do with field operations.”

The aide stared at me, jaw hanging open, and murmured,

“Incredible. She just explained that so clearly, without any ambiguity… So logically…”