The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 82

 

I raised an eyebrow and added each word with clear emphasis.

“Oh, and… Her Majesty the Empress already has a grudge against the Ministry of Education. Aren’t you in no position to order me around right now, Minister?”

“You really are…”

The Minister of Education seemed at a loss for words.

He trembled for a long moment before finally spitting out,

“You’ll regret this, Scroll Minister.”

With that, he stood up, huffing furiously.

Watching him, I idly thought,

‘Wow, becoming a minister means I can now mess with other ministers. This is the best.’

If I were still at the bottom of the ladder, I wouldn’t have been able to set this kind of trap.

I probably wouldn’t even have been able to pull off this role—of an arrogant, clueless young woman riding high on royal favor.

‘But this act… kinda suits me. It feels so cathartic. I love it.’

If I got the chance, I’d definitely want to try it again.

I watched the Minister’s angry back as he stomped out.

Right on cue, the soundproof scroll expired.

I had debated whether to use another one, but the timing was perfect. I felt very proud.

[So, Namia—who exactly are you trying to catch with all this?]

[There may be a spy within the Scroll Division. Both I and His Highness the Crown Prince suspected this.]

With a cold look in my eyes, I recalled yesterday’s conversation with Kiaros.

[By using the Minister of Education, I’m going to smoke out the mole in our department.]

If he were truly loyal, he’d report this matter to His Majesty and offer honest counsel.

The Emperor and I had no personal connection, and he was famously fair.

‘But if the original story is correct, then he’s not that kind of man.’

Even if he was colluding with the enemy, he would surely have prepared an escape route—just in case.

‘Go on, Minister of Education!’

Delude yourself into thinking it’s for the sake of the nation. Reach for the hand extended by the Reformist Faction!

I’ll catch the spy hiding in our ranks!

****

The Minister of Education stormed down the hallway, practically fuming.

How dare she! How dare she treat me like that!
I heard she was all polite with the Treasury Minister, but with me she shows her true colors?
Is she seriously looking down on me?

He ground his teeth, breathing heavily.

If even His Highness the Crown Prince is getting pushed around by that low-rank girl, then this country is truly doomed.

The Emperor had kept his scandalous empress till the end. And now, it seemed Kiaros was the same.

To fall completely for a woman like that…

Then even those kids are hopeless. Just look at Prince Jayden. We invested nearly three years in him, and in the end, he clung to his mother.

The Minister’s gaze grew darker.

It’s not about my pride—it’s about the nation… That arrogant brat must be removed, no matter what.

His mind spun.

If something goes wrong, I’ll just pin everything on that woman. I can even spin it as devotion to the royal family.

Namia had openly activated a soundproof scroll.

That was proof she had something to hide—a double face.

What, she thinks she’s the only one who can use scrolls?

With his rage now under control, the Minister’s lips curled into a twisted grin.

Inside his pocket was a scroll of his own.

A recording scroll.

Ministers were often issued them, in case they needed to compare key meeting records.

The downside: it could only be used inside the minister’s office, and the duration was very short…

The moment she activated the soundproof scroll, I activated mine too.

And recorded on his scroll was this line:

“His Highness said to me, ‘My cute, adorable, lovely baby Mia-Mia-Namia, do whatever you want. Dragon oppa will protect you. Just marry me. I’ve actually already planned the wedding in secret~.’”

I’ve got an escape hatch. Just you wait, Namia Roapia.

***

Prince Jayden and the Empress eventually finished practicing scroll activation and left.

When the two of them activated a scroll together, a bright image of a loving mother and son would explode in a visual burst, like fireworks.

Since the practice was indoors, the illusion disappeared instantly—no smoke—so there were no safety issues.

“Um, Minister…”

After the two had gone, Anastasia spoke up nervously.

“Th-the banquet hall will b-be a d-different environment from the office… Shouldn’t we rehearse at the banquet location?”

Anastasia had been involved in many such rehearsals back when she worked in scroll management.

“The v-visuals are g-great, but if something g-goes wrong and we h-hit a chandelier or the lighting, it’ll be a disaster…”

Fireworks were still fireworks, even if they vanished instantly. There were always risks.

I smiled kindly and responded.

“I did ask if we could rehearse in the banquet hall, but they refused—said it’s under remodeling.”

“Ah…”

“But I did get access to the floor plans, so I made two separate sets of scrolls—one for the office and one for the banquet hall.”

Grinning, I held up two baskets.

I had made all the scrolls for the upcoming event myself.

“Because of how scrolls work, it’s hard to tell them apart—so no mistakes allowed. I’ve color-coded the baskets, but still, I’ll remind everyone again before the event so we stay sharp.”

It had been an extremely busy morning. Lunchtime was nearly upon us.

But just about a minute before lunch officially began, a commotion broke out in front of the Scroll Division.

“Hmm? What’s going on?”

An employee by the door cracked it open.

Through the gap, another group of civil servants was visible.

Clearly, they’d come to see Victor.

They each called out to him:

“Victor, hurry up! We placed a special order at your favorite restaurant and had it delivered to the palace garden!”

“Come on, quick! It’s small, but we threw you a welcome-back party!”

Victor scratched the back of his head, then glanced back at me.

“Uh, Minister… So, um…”

He was clearly remembering that he had said he’d eat lunch with me.

Not that I had taken it seriously from the beginning.

I smiled faintly and waved a hand.

“Go ahead.”

Victor gave a dry laugh and rubbed his face.

“Phew. Nothing’s going my way today. Not even getting to eat lunch with the Minister.”

So he chose to go with his friends after all.

It reminded me of a moment from our Academy days.

Maybe it was the last day of finals? Luka had snatched up my test sheet to analyze it and grumbled irritably.

[Hey, wouldn’t it be better if you just dated someone instead?]

[Huh? What kind of question is that?]

[You and Victor-sunbae—things feel off. You know how well he scores, right? Wouldn’t trying to keep up with his pace be more useful than this?]

[Nah. And what do you mean ‘off’?]

[It’s super weird! Victor-sunbae’s famous for never showing interest in any girl. He draws the line real clear.]

[Okay, true.]

[Better get ready to be confessed to.]

I wasn’t an idiot—I knew I was somewhat special to Victor.

He kept persistently approaching and expressing interest.

He’d often say things like, “If I confessed to you,” or “If we were dating…”

He had plenty of friends, but he never acted that way with any other girl.

[So what are you going to do? Say yes, or draw the line? Huh?]

[You know, Luka… I actually don’t need to decide.]

I had blinked slowly before answering.

[Because when I’m with Victor-sunbae, I don’t have the time to do either.]

If you can’t get a word in edgewise, how are you supposed to confess or reject someone?

Even thinking about it felt like a waste of time.

And it was still the same today.

Victor, pretending to cry, even held up his broken pen.

“I’m bummed I lost something so precious today…”

That’s when—

Keyvon, who had been silently watching, finally spoke.

“If it was truly precious, you shouldn’t have lent it to me. It’s not like I asked for it.”

“I was just being kind…”

“If it were me,”

Keyvon said coldly.

“I would never entrust something I value to someone else.”

“It’s not like I gave it to you…”

“If it were me.”

Anastasia muttered under her breath, “The tension’s unreal,” and covered her mouth with a hand.

Her eyes darted between Victor and Keyvon, brimming with interest.