The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success-Chapter 84

The Scroll Department office, without Victor and Kibon.

Luka burst through the door, panting.

"Minister Namia! Wait—are the rumors about the cooperation request to the Education Department true?!"

Apparently, word had spread across the entire department that I’d sent a rather impolite cooperation letter to the Education Ministry.

"Uh, yeah. It’s true."

When I answered casually, Luka lost his mind and shouted.

"Are you crazy? You absolute disaster!"

At that, Anastasia, munching on a sandwich while reading Too Much Jealousy for an SSS-Rank Hero, raised her head and shouted back.

"No, the Minister isn’t crazy, you total wreck of a human!"

Luka flinched, hesitating briefly before catching his breath.

Then, shaking his head, he began to ramble.

"I—I mean... The Education Department already acts like it’s the Empire’s golden child, and now you’re going to treat them like servants at the Saint Cairo banquet? You think you’ll be Minister for just a day or two? Are you planning to make the Education Ministry your lifelong enemy?"

Well, I could tell he meant it sincerely. He was trembling, clearly worried.

"We didn’t even get to have a proper healthy rivalry... Are you planning to step down already?"

When exactly were we supposed to have that “proper” rivalry?

Luka, still catching his breath, scanned my face with concern and added,

"You... don’t feel right about it either, right? You charged ahead, but now you’re regretting it, huh? Your expression totally looks like someone about to throw up."

"Nope."

I slowly shook my head and answered.

"I’m just worried because Victor and Kibon went out together. Has nothing to do with the Education Department."

"Huh? Why’d they go out? Did they get close already?"

"No. Absolutely not."

"Wow. The team leader who’s friendly with everyone and the intern who’s friendly with no one—and the intern won. So they went out for bad reasons?"

Luka tilted his head, then suddenly grinned and raised his tone.

"Still, no worries, Minister. That intern didn’t strike me as someone who’d get intimidated no matter what the team leader says. Looked more like the type to throw a punch instead."

"I’m worried for exactly that reason. Depending on how it goes, it could be two punches."

Kibon’s not even a regular employee... What if he gets reported and fired right away? There wasn’t much I could do—other than trust in Victor’s so-called pacifism.

Anastasia suddenly chimed in, eyes gleaming.

"Co-Could it be... our Minister has finally opened her eyes to men? I-I mean, she’s worried about a romantic conflict!"

Her expression was the most fired up I'd ever seen. Luka shrugged.

"Even if she did, what’s the point? She’d probably open her eyes halfway and get bored."

He crossed his arms and continued with an unconcerned look.

"She was always like that, even back in school. Even if a guy tried to flirt with her, she couldn’t be bothered to figure out whether she was in a fishing pond or the open sea."

"H-Haha... Yeah, I can see our Minister doing that... T-Thinking she’s just feeding the fish, only to one day walk out of the water and build a whole farm, leaving the poor fisherman utterly wrecked..."

Anastasia’s comment had Luka nodding emphatically. At this point, he seemed to have forgotten why he even came.

I gave him a big grin and slapped his arm.

"Well, you came at a good time. Let’s go grab lunch. I was going to ask you for a personal favor anyway."

"You’re not my direct superior, so I’ll hear you out first—"

"As my honorable and worthy rival, I mean."

"What are you doing? Let’s just go eat."

Luka’s green eyes sparkled with resolve as he nodded firmly.

***

Victor stared at Kiaros and spoke.

"In case you’re not aware, the atmosphere at the banquet is nothing like the office."

He leaned lazily against the wall of a nearby building and took another puff from his cigar.

"Only high-ranking officials and nobles are allowed at the Saint Cairo banquet. You, clueless as you are, just dragged Namia into a mess. Got it?"

Kiaros didn’t respond.

"If you don’t want to be more of a nuisance, remember to act according to your rank."

Honestly, he was so absurd I couldn’t even be angry.

"A foreign commoner like you should do what I—heir to House Arwin—tell you to do. That’s the gist of it."

In the still silence, Victor’s voice dropped lower.

His tone was clearly a warning—coated with hostility.

"At the banquet, if I tell you to move away from Namia, you move. If I say get lost, you get lost. Know your place."

Still getting no reply from Kiaros, Victor slowly pulled the cigar from his lips and exhaled one last puff.

Then he smiled.

"Well, guess I rambled a bit before lunch."

With just that soft smile, the gentleness he always displayed in the office returned to his expression.

"You wouldn’t know this, but during our school days, Namia never really wanted anything."

He added, in a kind, sweet voice.

"And yet, despite that, I was always her number one. So don’t go having foolish hopes."

Kiaros stared at Victor.

Until now, it had all seemed so ridiculous it was almost funny—but now, something choked in his chest, like a heavy block had suddenly dropped inside.

Victor raised an eyebrow with a smirk.

"Anyway, hope you got the message, intern buddy."

It was only then that Kiaros finally opened his mouth.

"Understood."

"See? Knew you were sharp—"

Victor smiled with satisfaction, but before he could finish, Kiaros reached out and took the cigar from his hand.

"You—what—"

Before Victor could even react, Kiaros calmly and leisurely brought the cigar up—right next to Victor’s cheek.

"W-What the hell are you—?!"

To be precise... he didn’t touch Victor’s face.

He crushed the cigar against the wall—right next to where Victor was leaning.

Victor’s smiling face instantly went pale.

If it had even slightly grazed him, he would’ve been burned.

"Practice."

Kiaros said nonchalantly.

The slow, easy motion of pressing the cigar into the wall was somehow more chilling than a sudden outburst. He smiled coldly, locking eyes with Victor’s stunned expression.

"As someone of lower status, I thought I’d extinguish your cigar for you. Is there a problem?"

Victor’s face screamed, “Is this guy insane?”

"W-What the actual..."

"Glad to know you’re so well-versed in banquet etiquette."

Kiaros flicked the now-dead cigar onto Victor’s shoe. Without a flicker of emotion, he continued.

"I’ll be looking forward to seeing how well you follow the hierarchy, Team Leader."

Their gazes clashed. Kiaros curled his lips into a faint smirk.

"Thanks to you, I’m looking forward to the banquet even more."

With that, Kiaros turned his back on him—expression making it clear Victor was no longer worth dealing with.

Behind him, teeth clenched in frustration.

...This...

Without looking back, Kiaros found himself thinking—

This feels better than I expected.

For someone who always had to weigh every move as the Crown Prince, it was a refreshing, unfamiliar sensation.

Victor’s momentarily terrified face had been truly entertaining. But that satisfaction didn’t last long.

Because Victor’s arrogant words echoed back in his mind.

[She was always mine. Her number one.]

There must’ve been a reason behind that confidence.

Kiaros had no way of knowing what role Victor Arwin played in Namia’s past.

What the hell is this...

Kiaros raked a hand through his hair in irritation. An uncontrollable discomfort swept through him.

Why does it feel... so suffocating? So painful?

The phrase number one circled in his head until it made him dizzy.

It was still lunchtime. There was time before he had to return to the Scroll Department.

Eventually, he turned toward the Crown Prince’s office. He figured he’d squeeze in time to see his personal physician.