The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 43

The aide, who had just finished cleaning up the broken teacup, rushed back in a panic.

Normally, such tasks were left to the handmaids, but none had been allowed inside due to security concerns.

I spoke politely and clearly.

“Thank you for remembering that childhood promise. But that was… truly just the thoughtless answer of a child.”

The sound of the aide sweeping up the shards echoed unnecessarily loud in the silence.

Kiaros frowned, then asked in a low voice.

“…What?”

Hmm?

I had assumed he’d say something like, ‘I see. Then is there anything else you want?’

But instead, he looked completely at a loss.

It was the first time I saw any vulnerability in someone usually so composed and impenetrable.

“……”

“……”

Silence hung in the air.

Even the usually noisy Empress had clasped her hands over her mouth, unable to say a word.

Left with no choice, I averted my gaze slightly and added,

“Uh, um… I meant I don’t want to marry Your Highness.”

You couldn’t get any clearer than that.

Kiaros blinked slowly and asked in a low voice,

“…Why?”

Uhhhhm?

Was he really this full of himself?

I hesitated a little, baffled, then replied.

“Uh… well… because I want to marry someone I love?”

The look of shock still hadn’t left Kiaros’s face.

He glanced around in disbelief, then asked again, voice cracking slightly,

“…All of a sudden? Why? I mean… why?”

He couldn’t finish the sentence—because the Emperor, clearly audible, was whispering into his ear while covering Kiaros’s mouth.

“It’s best to stop now, Kiaros. Honestly, you’re coming off a little pathetic.”

“But I…”

“She just said she doesn’t love you. So no matter how outstanding you are, or how great the Crown Princess title sounds, she doesn’t want to marry you. If someone says they don’t like you, clinging and pestering for reasons only makes you look desperate.”

It’s not that I dislike him, though…

Just then—

BAM!

The doors flew open, and the Tower Lord stormed back in alone, presumably having dropped off the Minister of Justice.

He shouted at me without preamble.

“Minister Namia Roaphie!”

“Ah, yes?”

“Come outside with me for a bit! It’s about the scrolls! These folks must be bored stiff, so let’s have a little private chat!”

“Ah, yes.”

I turned politely to the royals.

“Is there anything else Your Highnesses would like to say to me…?”

None of the three spoke.

The Tower Lord laughed heartily and yelled,

“They got nothing! All’s well! Let’s go, Minister!”

And without even giving me a chance to bow in parting, he picked me up and carried me out of the room.

***

After the Tower Lord took Namia away, only four people remained in the Empress’s chambers:

The Emperor, the Empress, Kiaros, and the aide.

Kiaros furrowed his brows in silence.

He couldn’t figure out where things had gone wrong.

Just during the trial, she seemed completely on board with marrying the Crown Prince?

“K-Kiaros…”

The Emperor, watching his son’s expression, hesitantly said,

“I just… You seemed so confident. So composed. I assumed you were sure of the outcome… Especially with that heart gesture and all…”

“That was…”

“I knew it wasn’t for me. I’m not an idiot. I only made a fuss so Namia wouldn’t feel awkward…”

The Emperor sighed heavily, looking genuinely lost.

“Still… it’s a little strange.”

“Pardon? What is?”

“Liking a girl you’ve never even seen before… That’s pretty weird, isn’t it? It might even come off as creepy.”

He added, with a pained, conflicted look,

“Was it my fault? Did I mess him up with all that talk about beastkin and their obsessive attachment to mates? Maybe she found it scary. Maybe she’s someone who hates being tied down…”

“No, Your Majesty. Please don’t worry.”

Kiaros quickly tried to reassure them.

“In fact, I only said all that to put you both at ease… I don’t actually like her.”

“…Huh?”

“I’m normal. I wouldn’t be pining over some girl I’ve never seen before. As you heard, she said she wanted to marry a wealthy man, so I simply tried to honor that promise.”

The Emperor and Empress exchanged suspicious glances.

Kiaros took a deep breath and continued.

“I just… wanted to keep my word. I swear, I absolutely, definitely do not have feelings for her. Even when I realized she was that same girl—I felt nothing.”

“Hmm… Then why do you look so rattled?”

At that moment—

The aide, having just finished cleaning up the messy room, cautiously stepped in.

“Um…”

“Yes?”

“May I step out for a moment?”

The Crown Prince’s aide was incredibly diligent and loyal.

So there was no way he’d ask to leave without good reason.

Kiaros, still confused, turned to him.

“Why? What is it? Is it urgent?”

“Ah…”

The aide glanced around, then replied.

“I need to cancel the wedding hall reservation.”

A stunned silence fell over the room.

The aide bowed his head and added,

“Didn’t Your Highness instruct me to cancel it immediately if Miss Namia refused to marry you?”

The Empress pressed trembling hands to her mouth.

The Emperor’s jaw dropped.

“Then I’ll be off. The venue staff leaves soon.”

The aide bowed again and exited.

On his way out, he muttered, “I didn’t say any of this in front of Namia. Wow, my sense for timing is impeccable.”

The slam of the closing door echoed sharply.

“K-K-K-Kiaros…”

The Emperor stammered in a shaky voice.

“You’d already… booked the venue? My goodness…”

“Your Majesty, that was…”

The Empress looked at him with wide, pitying eyes.

“So you were truly happy that Namia was the girl from back then… You went straight for the wedding booking…”

“No, it’s not like that…”

“You really are the impulsive type, aren’t you? But if your feelings were that deep, why did you act like you were doing her a favor? You should’ve begged her to marry you…”

Kiaros broke out in a cold sweat for the first time in his life.

Waving his hand frantically, he said,

“I-It was just in case she said yes! The venue was hard to book… I swear, I really don’t have any feelings for her!”

“……”

“……”

“I’m fine. Totally fine.”

“……”

“……”

The Emperor and Empress exchanged glances, their expressions torn between sympathy and concern. Then they both turned to look at Kiaros with heartbreakingly gentle eyes.

Kiaros let out a long, defeated sigh and rubbed his forehead.

Why did the aide have to say that just now…

There was no salvaging the misunderstanding at this point.

So he decided to forcibly change the subject.

“By the way, Your Majesty… is your special ability teleportation?”

“Oh.”

“Otherwise there’s no way you could’ve gotten here that quickly.”

Everyone else assumed the Emperor had some secret plot that let him appear out of nowhere.

But only Kiaros and the Empress knew the truth: there had been no plan.

“Yes, Kiaros. That’s my ability. At this point, there’s no hiding it anymore.”

The Emperor smiled gently.

“I almost got found out, but thanks to the Empress selling me out back there, I think I dodged it. I’ve been alone in the west for so long that no one knows exactly when I left.”

It had been a chaotic mess, but somehow, it was all tidied up in the end.

Kiaros lowered his gaze.

Just like she’d said: ‘I’ll do my best.’ Somehow, Namia really had pulled it off.