The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success Chapter 95

“So, it looks like she teamed up with the Reformist Faction and forced experimentation on herself. It was probably a transaction at first… then she got deeply involved.”

Ah.

That look the Mage Tower Lord had—like he’d aged ten years when talking about his daughter—this must’ve been the reason.

“Seems he’s only now realizing that this isn’t something he can cover up on his own. He sent over records of his investigation into the Reformists.”

“I see…”

Kiaros fell silent. It seemed he had no intention of saying any more.

Honestly, even getting this much out of him was surprising. He’d once told me he didn’t even trust me.

He probably only told me this much because my father was in the Reformists’ hands.

He’d promised to find my father, but hadn’t kept that promise yet.

“That’s fortunate, then. Thanks to the Tower Lord, the investigation should advance considerably.”

I didn’t press further and smoothly shifted the topic.

“Come to think of it, didn’t Your Highness mention you secured a mutated beast for experimentation? Is that proceeding well?”

Kiaros cleared his throat. After a short pause, he finally spoke.

“It stalled right there. Interestingly, the mother, who was subjected to the experiment, showed no changes. But the offspring displayed unusual traits… When we administered the drug to the mother, the reaction appeared in the baby.”

“Oh.”

That was equal parts creepy and fascinating. Blinking, I asked,

“So, what happened to those beasts?”

“They were killed.”

Kiaros answered without a moment’s hesitation.

“They’re beings that violate the natural laws of this world. Leaving them alive poses too great a risk.”

“Ah… yes. That makes sense…”

His tone was calm but firm. Somehow, it sent a chill down my spine.

A stark reminder that Kiaros, the Crown Prince, was a sovereign without mercy.

As I awkwardly averted my eyes, Kiaros looked at the wine glass in my hand and asked,

“Did you drink?”

“Oh, no.”

I sheepishly set the glass down on the balcony rail.

“I didn’t drink it. Victor and I were just playing a drinking game. It involved the railing and—”

At that moment, the railing snapped with a crack.

‘Really? Now even the railing is faulty?’

With a serious expression, I looked at Kiaros and said gravely,

“Your Highness, please investigate whoever was in charge of the safety inspection checklist in the Administrative Support Division. I don’t have authority to look into other departments, but I think the final verifier was Marianne Carossa… That’s strange. She’s usually extremely meticulous.”

“…You remembered that?”

“Yes.”

I had always checked every public memo issued and memorized them.

Anyway, with the railing breaking, Kiaros looked a bit flustered too. I gave an awkward smile.

“Shall we head inside now?”

“I thought you wanted some fresh air. Are you sure?”

“Well… I think I’ve had enough. It’s not like a breeze will solve anything anyway…”

I’d almost forgotten, thanks to the two men earlier, but I hadn’t come out to the balcony for no reason.

My stomach had been unsettled for days now…

And whenever that nausea returned, a particular thought would creep into my mind.

All those digestive pills piled on my desk, which I’d eventually had to lug to my room one by one…

‘Keyvon… Is he really a spy?’

Even though I knew there was a chance he wasn’t, I couldn’t stop feeling anxious. The fact that he hadn’t shown up today kept weighing on me.

The Keyvon I knew would never just leave a note saying he was sick and bail on me like this. Did he know something was about to happen and intentionally stay away?

I couldn’t ignore the words the Empress always repeated: “That bastard’s got a bad vibe. He’s lying to you.”

‘Could it really be… Keyvon?’

As that thought surfaced, another wave of emotion hit me.

Those eyes during our meals together, that broad back shielding me when Lidden attacked, the voice that said with certainty to Victor, “If it were me, I’d never lend something like this out.”

‘Ah.’

My stomach churned again, and in my mind’s eye, I saw all those digestive pills.

Even the neat handwriting that once told me I should visit the palace infirmary if my condition worsened.

‘One of the three—Victor, Anastasia, or Keyvon—is the mole who tampered with the scrolls out of malice… but why do I keep thinking only of Keyvon?’

I bit down hard on my lower lip. At some point, my vision blurred slightly with tears.

“Um, hey.”

As I dabbed at the corners of my eyes with my finger, Kiaros visibly panicked.

“Wh-why are you crying…? Uhh, what should I…?”

Seeing someone normally so perfect completely flustered—just that made my tears stop short.

He always seemed like the type who’d politely excuse himself when someone cried nearby.

‘What the… Why is he kind of adorable?’

Flustered, he finally pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to me. It was clear this was a first for him.

“Um, are you sick? Should I call the palace physician right now…?”

“N-no, it’s not that. I just… thinking about how one of those three, someone I trusted, tampered with the scrolls out of malice… It’s overwhelming.”

If something really had gone wrong, many people could’ve been killed or injured.

I could’ve been one of the casualties. Even if I’d evacuated safely, I would’ve faced serious disciplinary action.

No, before any punishment, I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself…

“Ah, is this because of Victor Arwin?”

In truth, I had been thinking about Keyvon when I teared up, but it seemed Kiaros misunderstood.

“I overheard him earlier muttering something about your radiance, wanting to possess it, blah blah—he was being completely ridiculous.”

Huh… I didn’t know Kiaros could speak so bluntly.

I gave a clumsy smile and waved a hand.

“Sounds like you didn’t hear what I said. I gave a pretty solid rejection, you know.”

I didn’t plan to go into detail about the past with Kiaros. It’s not like we were close enough for that.

So I wrapped it up briskly.

“But it feels good to have closure. It was a vague, stagnant relationship I hadn’t even bothered to define, and now it’s wrapped up. I feel like I can finally start something new.”

I gave a cheerful smile. Kiaros stared at me in a daze.

Just then, music began to flow faintly—it seemed the banquet was kicking into full swing.

“Shall we head in, then? I need to get praised before the first dance starts…”

“Praise?”

“Yeah. I did great with this event. I should go get recognized and soak it up while I can. You know what they say—row while the tide is high. I need to move quickly on launching a joint project with the other ministers too…”

As I eagerly explained, Kiaros gave a soft laugh.

“Alright, then. Let’s get going.”

Then, looking straight at me, he added gently,

“Let’s show everyone Namia Roapia’s brilliance.”

***

When I returned to the banquet hall, just as expected, people swarmed around me.

“Minister, that was incredible. Very impressive. We’ll be sending over a formal request from the Department of Civil Engineering and Construction soon, so please take a look.”

Even departments that previously didn’t even acknowledge us as a real bureau were now offering cooperation.

“Our Foreign Affairs Ministry is hosting a welcoming event for the delegation from the Kingdom of Emote. We’d be honored if the Scroll Department could assist.”

“Oh, wonderful!”

I lit up at the mention from the Minister of Foreign Affairs.

“My intern secretary is from the Kingdom of Emote! We’ll be able to do an amazing job!”

I beamed brightly, then suddenly caught myself, freezing for a moment.

‘Namia… what are you doing? If Keyvon is the spy, how can you light up at the mention of Emote like that…?’

My mood plummeted instantly. The emotional drop was steep because I’d been so unconsciously happy just a second before.

Still, I masked my melancholy with a calm smile and continued speaking.

“I’m very familiar with Emote’s culture. Please leave it to me. Their greetings are quite unique, actually. I’ll use that as inspiration to create a conceptually brilliant scroll.”

“Ahem!“

Next to me, Kiaros suddenly cleared his throat.