The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 64

I answered as if the question were self-evident.

“This involves the royal family.”

“Hm?”

“I determined it was a matter requiring confidentiality, so I handled the rest alone.”

“When?”

“After sending my secretary home. I worked late into the night.”

Naturally, after sending Keyvon away, I continued the work on my own.

I did consider Keyvon trustworthy—but even then, I hadn’t planned to share anything involving the royal family.

“Above all else, the safety of the royals came first.”

As I answered, the Empress burst into laughter.

“Impressive! Namia Roapia, your loyalty is truly exceptional!”

“You flatter me, Your Majesty. I merely followed protocol.”

“Ahahaha! So, what’s the plan, then? It’s not in the report, so I guess I’ll have to hear it straight from you!”

“Well…”

I smiled cautiously and opened my mouth to speak.

***

The next morning.

“Hah.”

Ridden and the Education Minister scoffed as they reviewed a document delivered first thing in the morning.

“The Scroll Minister’s finally lost it.”

The circular that Namia had sent to all departments contained the following message:

She wanted to use special-effects scrolls during the upcoming Saint Cairo Ball.

But the real issue came afterward.

Saint Cairo is a saint who blesses the bond between parent and child.
Thus, Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Prince will conduct a ceremonial scroll activation.
A separate training session will be held by the Scroll Department beforehand.

The training was scheduled for the following day.

With the Ball fast approaching, that was expected.

“Either that, or her head’s full of flowers.”

Still, if the Scroll Department was the one organizing such an event, there was no way to block it.

The Education Minister let out a dry laugh and muttered,

“Who does she think she is, flaunting herself like this at her first official ball?”

Until now, the Scroll Management Division had never stood out like this.

“This is perfect, actually.”

Ridden smiled coolly.

“It’s their first event, right? If it flops, it’ll shatter their confidence. The timing couldn’t be better.”

“Hm.”

“I was going to crush them eventually, but let’s kill their spirit first.”

He gathered a few books and stood up.

Then he bowed slightly to the Education Minister.

“I’ll be on my way, then.”

Ridden seemed more confident than ever.

The Education Minister sank into his chair and gave a vague nod.

“Take care.”

As always, it was the same routine.

The Education Minister was a cautious man.

He never gave orders that might come back to bite him. He never said anything that could be used against him.

Ridden simply “acted on his own,” and the Minister gave him “good evaluations” accordingly.

‘No matter what happens, I won’t get caught up in it. I’m just rewarding Ridden because he seems competent.’

To the Minister, people from low birth should never hold prestigious positions.

Though he had noticed Ridden’s behavior, he never commented.

Because he liked the way Ridden drove a wedge between the Empress and the Prince.

‘Prince Jaden must grow up like a true dragon-blooded royal. His mother being lowborn is bad enough—scheming creatures will only cling to him because of that.’

He didn’t scrutinize bloodlines and backgrounds for no reason.

The Empress’s sloppy speech and manners only undermined the dignity of the royal family.

And the Scroll Department was no different.

There was no way Namia, raised in a disgraced noble family, could ever accomplish anything properly.

‘This is all for the Empire’s good.’

People had their ranks.

And when someone didn’t know their place, they only made things worse.

‘This country’s in shambles. Too many people don’t know their limits.’

With that conviction, the Minister firmed his lips into a smile.

And that mindset, whether intentionally or not, trickled down to his subordinates.

“You saw those Scroll Department folks puffing up in the dining hall just because they got some budget? Ridiculous.”

“They’ve got fewer than ten staffers total… doesn’t that just mean they don’t have much to do?”

“And they still get the same office space. Total waste. Bunch of useless trash.”

The same Education Ministry officials who used to mock Anastasia laughed and jeered again.

The Minister made no comment and turned his attention back to the papers.

***

“Ridden?”

When Ridden showed up at the detached palace, Jaden, who had been reading, quickly stood up.

“What brings you here? We don’t even have class today.”

His voice was puzzled—but tinged with delight.

Of course. Jaden was deeply fond of Ridden.

Ridden had been his instructor since he was very young.

The only one capable of teaching the prodigious prince who could understand ten things when taught just one—Ridden had extensive knowledge across all fields.

“A supplemental lesson, Your Highness.”

Ridden adjusted his monocle with a gentle smile.

“I was going to schedule it for tomorrow, but… I noticed a Scroll Department event on the calendar.”

“Oh, right. I got the memo too.”

Jaden nodded, then muttered with a faint smirk.

“Hah. That Scroll Minister really doesn’t get it, huh? Asking my mother and me to participate in something like that.”

Still, he avoided meeting Ridden’s eyes. He tried to be cynical, but couldn’t quite mask his real emotions.

Ridden instantly caught the flicker of hope on the boy’s face.

He folded his hands behind his back and spoke calmly.

“You do know who the Scroll Minister is, yes?”

“Ah… Namia Roapia?”

Jaden blinked.

“I don’t know much. I heard she turned my brother down. Does she have a lover or something?”

“Unlikely. But one thing is certain.”

Ridden gently patted Jaden’s head.

“To reject His Highness the Crown Prince… how arrogant, shameless, and unaware of her place. She’s disgraced the authority of the dragonblood royals.”

“…Ah, but…”

“‘But’?”

Ridden sighed and said,

“Please listen carefully now, Your Highness.”

He opened a drawer in the detached palace and pulled out a soundproof scroll, activating it.

Using soundproof scrolls was a common occurrence for Ridden, so Jaden said nothing.

Once all the scrolls were active, Ridden returned and continued.

“Dragonbloods are the most precious beings in the world. To reject such a being—absurd. Remember this, Your Highness: commoners must obey the dragonblood.”

“Well… that may be true, but…”

“And so.”

Patting Jaden’s head as though he pitied him, Ridden added,

“Your mother couldn’t refuse the command of a dragonblood either. That’s why she became Empress. That’s why she bore you, even if she didn’t want to.”

“…”

“And in the end, because of your very existence, she’s trapped in this palace, unloved, unable to do anything. How pitiful.”

Jaden’s expression hardened instantly.

“But that’s how humans should be.”

Ridden began pulling books from the boy’s bookshelf as he spoke.

“They must obey the dragonblood. No matter how miserable their life becomes—even if they find their own child so repulsive they can’t bear to look at them.”

Jaden slowly lowered his gaze. He may have been brilliant, but he was still only an eight-year-old boy.

His relationship with the Emperor wasn’t bad.

“Jaden? My adorable son. You’ve grown so much since the last time I saw you. Good boy.”

But for the past few years, the Emperor rarely visited the palace.

He got along well with Kiaros too. But…

“I used to love reading that book when I was young too. Especially volume 3—I must have read it dozens of ti—ah, is it that late already? I’ll visit again soon.”

Kiaros was always busy. Even when spending time with Jaden, aides would often bring urgent documents.

Naturally, Jaden wanted to rely on his mother, the Empress Fron.

But at some point… their relationship grew distant.

‘I’m sure she used to love me dearly when I was little…’

Maybe since he was five? Or six?

At some point, Fron became visibly uncomfortable even speaking to him.

“Mother, today I read Understanding the History of the Eastern Empire. I found it fascinating when I discovered the origin of the word Otrakitus in ancient language. What do you think about that anecd—”

“O-oh, I see? Mm. Well, I’ll be going now.”

Noticing the awkwardness in their conversation, Jaden confided in his teacher, Ridden.

And then, Ridden told him something no one else ever had.

“It can’t be helped. Let me tell you the truth.”