The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 21

Some time later, the Emperor remarried Fron.

Fron had no footing in high society, was curt, and entirely lacking in refinement. Having spent her youth as a mercenary at the very bottom, she casually blurted things that would make noble ladies faint.

Naturally, there was an overwhelming amount of opposition—but the Emperor ignored all of it.

“The only person who has the right to object to my marriage is Kiaros. But Kiaros gave his blessing.”

Those words only further solidified Kiaros’s standing as the heir. After he safely passed through his Dark Period, no one doubted his exceptional potential anyway.

In secret, the Emperor told Kiaros:

“Kiaros, I support your first love too. Whoever she may be, the Imperial Family won’t oppose it.”

Though this was never made public, it was how Kiaros was released from the obligation of an arranged engagement. The Emperor remained publicly silent on the matter of his son’s marriage.

“My son, who’s been obsessively fixated for years on a girl whose hair he never even saw… but still, I respect you.”

It was far too late to correct the Emperor’s misunderstanding. For the sake of family peace, Kiaros decided to fully embrace his role as the “man with a bizarre obsession.”

And so, time passed.

“You still haven’t found that girl? And until you do, there’s no room in your life for anyone else?”

“Yes. That’s about right.”

“I see… My son’s rational thinking seems to abandon him when it comes to these matters. But even if you remain chaste till death, what can be done? Not everything in life can be perfect. Just know I love and respect you always, my son.”

He hadn’t intended for things to go this far, but here they were. Still, he believed everything would be resolved once he found that girl.

Time kept flowing.

The Emperor and Fron had a child. Kiaros now had a much younger brother.

More time passed.

The towering Emperor began to waste away from an unknown illness.

And during those fifteen long years…

“Apologies, Your Highness. Still no leads whatsoever…”

Kiaros had yet to find the girl.

“Could she have joined the Magic Tower? With that level of talent at her age…”

“Maybe. But keep looking.”

He had to ask her directly—now a grown woman—if marrying a rich man was still her dream. And if so, he’d marry her. It wasn’t love or anything like that, but it was a promise made in exchange for saving his life.

That’s why he had never shown interest in any other woman.

Because I’ve always thought—what if she returns someday, and I’m already bound to someone else?

He hadn’t even thanked her properly. Maybe that’s why—

“I wanted to thank you in person, properly… But it’ll have to wait.”

To his second lifesaver, Namia Roapia, he wanted to express his gratitude properly. He wanted to do what he’d learned from that girl—what he hadn’t been able to do before.

“If I don’t fully understand something, I should consult an expert.”

Everyone said it was a waste of time, but he ignored them and demanded an opinion from the Magic Tower’s master. Because that girl had said he should understand exactly what he was thankful for.

If it hadn’t been for my first Dark Period, I’d probably never have learned to thank subordinates properly.

Back then, he would’ve just tossed a medal and been done with it—just like the White Knight Captain had suggested.

In that sense, maybe the Emperor had been right—there was something valuable to be gained from the Dark Period.

I wonder if I’ll gain anything this time around… But things are looking grim.

So for now, the past had to be shelved—he had to focus on the present.

Just then, for reasons unknown, Namia returned to the palace—in tears.

And in that moment, past and present connected in Kiaros’s mind.

The south… If Namia really is the daughter of Baron Roapia’s younger brother, as the Crows suspect, then she too must’ve been in the south as a child.

His eyes sharpened.

A compelling hypothesis flashed through his mind.

Both times I was saved, it was thanks to scrolls… If Namia is that girl, it would explain the lack of records.

He frowned in thought.

Maybe she didn’t come to the Count Kalto estate back then because of circumstances—or maybe she had just moved to the capital.

He still didn’t know why she never joined the Magic Tower.

I need to summon her directly to confirm it.

There was much he didn’t know about her.

No need to speculate—he’d just call her in and ask. After all, that girl hadn’t known who he was back then. He had been hiding his identity, too.

She was probably just living her life, completely unaware that she had once saved the Crown Prince.

If that girl is Namia… she sure turned out a bit strange.

As he recalled Namia’s vacant expression—

“Your Highness!”

Urgent footsteps. The door burst open without a knock.

“Forgive the intrusion, Your Highness! There’s an emergency!”

The White Knight Commander dropped to one knee, panting.

“We have just placed the Empress under immediate arrest—as a suspect caught in the act.”

“Caught in the act?”

“Yes!”

Even in his exhaustion, the Commander wore an expression that said, It’s finally happened.

Kiaros, too, had long known there were rumors implicating the Empress.

…Dame Fron.

The Empress. Biological mother of eight-year-old Prince Jaden. The Emperor’s second wife.

If anything happened to Kiaros, Jaden would seamlessly inherit the throne.

“She secretly left the palace without record and was found carrying deadly poison. Her supplier is suspicious and highly secretive. It appears she’s been searching for specific poisons for quite some time.”

The White Knight Commander bowed his head deeply.

“We urgently need Your Highness to review the case and convene a royal trial!”