Episode 13
“Haaa…”
I let out yet another sigh—who even knows how many it’s been by now. I wasn’t sure where the ridiculous rumor had started (though I had a strong suspicion it was Sir Heffy), but thanks to it, I hadn’t been able to concentrate on work all day.
Every time I tried to focus, the office door would open and someone would step in, glance around, then mutter, “Which one is Ail? Ah, so that’s her,” give me a strange look, and leave.
At first, I had no idea what was going on. It wasn’t until a bunch of knights came in, all at once, to tell me about the rumor that I understood the situation.
“That damn dog.”
I didn’t bother holding back my grinding curse and let out another long sigh. That’s when Mien walked over and held out a chocolate to me.
“Ail, don’t take it too harshly.”
“And how exactly am I supposed to take it?”
“Just think of it as something amusing. In three days, they’ll find something else to gossip about anyway.”
I unwrapped one of the chocolates and popped it into my mouth. Sweetness spread through me, taking a little of the edge off my frayed nerves.
“And besides, rumors like this don’t hurt you. If anything, you might even get a good marriage proposal out of it.”
“I have no intention of getting married.”
“For a woman, marriage is fate. Especially for one who wants her abilities to be recognized.”
I unwrapped a second chocolate and put it in my mouth. This one didn’t taste quite as sweet as the first.
While I was chewing, Mien poured me a cup of tea—bitter to match the chocolate—and spoke.
“No matter how capable we are, there’s a limit.”
The deep scent of the tea filled my nose.
It was strange. If the word incompetence were a person, it would be Mien, and yet here she was, saying such a thing.
She must have read something in my expression, because she gave a self-deprecating smile.
“For a woman to fully use her abilities, she needs a man who can recognize and support them.”
“So you’re saying that without a husband, a woman can’t have her abilities acknowledged?”
“Yes. For example…”
The corners of her lips, which had been curved upward, fell. For the briefest moment, her eyes hardened into something cold. I was surprised—who knew Mien, who always seemed lazy and useless, could make such an expression?
She continued, her tone even.
“You probably think you were assigned here because you’re a commoner, despite graduating top of the class.”
“…Am I wrong?”
“This year’s Imperial Palace Exam was famous. Both the top scorer and the runner-up were commoners. You were the top scorer. The runner-up was a man named Yen. Did you know that?”
“No. First I’ve heard of it.”
Of course I didn’t know. I’d never cared.
Yen, huh.
I memorized the name of the runner-up in my head. When I gestured for her to go on, Mien sipped her tea, paused slightly, and continued in her usual graceful tone.
“Yen is now the Crown Prince’s aide.”
Ah, the Crown Prince’s aide…
Wait. The Crown Prince? The one most likely to become the next emperor?
It felt like something heavy had dropped into my chest with a thud.
Ail—top scorer. Yen—runner-up. I had the higher score, yet the one by the Crown Prince’s side was Yen.
Both of us were commoners, so it wasn’t a matter of birth.
While I was frozen like a statue, Mien watched me quietly, then set down her teacup and handed me another chocolate.
“It’s like…”
I put the chocolate in my mouth. The rich taste spread slowly across my tongue.
Her calm voice reached my ear.
“…me being here while David, the runner-up, is the head of the Audit Team.”
The third chocolate was very bitter.
“So don’t work too hard. No matter how hard you try, nothing will change.”
“If you still want to work hard, then marry a man who can support you.”
“That’s the only way to have your abilities recognized.”
Mien’s voice echoed in my head as I trudged along the road. It was like someone had recorded her and was playing it on loop, over and over.
Her neatly braided brown hair, the bored expression on her face, and the bitter taste of chocolate filled my mind, frozen like a photograph.
Top scorer.
I had never known that Mien had entered the palace as the top scorer in the Imperial Palace Exam. The Mien I knew had neither the will nor the ability to work—she was a pale, pristine woman who seemed to live solely for gossiping with knights and being treated like a lady.
And yet she had once been the top scorer. I could hardly believe it.
“Same intake as Team Leader David…”
I pictured David, the Audit Team leader, with his statue-like face. He was clearly competent—so much so that he’d recognized my skills and even tried to scout me. And yet Mien had ranked higher than him.
My steps slowed to a stop. I lifted my head and found myself staring at a plaque.
Audit Team
My feet had brought me here.
“If I’d known you were coming, Ail, I’d have prepared better cookies.”
“These are more than enough. Thank you.”
Even though I’d dropped in unannounced, David welcomed me warmly. He had a servant bring out tea and cookies, and joked that he’d heard the rumors—turns out they were true.
After some light chatter, his face grew serious.
“So, I take it you’ve made up your mind, since you’ve come here?”
“Before that, there’s something I want to ask.”
“Anything. If I can answer it, I will.”
David smiled easily. I studied his neat, even teeth for a moment before asking:
“Do you know Mien?”
“Mien? Ah, Mien Monchouchou! She’s my classmate. How do you know her—oh, wait, is she in the Knights now?”
“Yes. We work together.”
“I see. She was a smart one.”
So Mien’s surname is Monchouchou. Fittingly sweet—probably from a chocolate-famous territory.
But that wasn’t the point.
“You remember her well?”
“Of course. She was the top scorer when I entered. Lost touch after our assignments, though—I never imagined she’d be in the Knights.”
The Administrative Support Team gets dispatched here and there to help with admin work. The Administrative Bureau is a core department of the Imperial Palace, but the Support Team is a backwater post. And within that, the Imperial Knights is the most backwater of all—the backwater of backwaters.
Important decisions in the Knights are made by the commander, Ron. We mostly just process expenses and requisition supplies. Not exactly prestigious work.
David looked genuinely surprised that Mien was there.
“She applied to the Knights? I thought she’d go to a better department… Ah, not that I’m saying the Knights are unimportant—don’t get me wrong.”
They’re unimportant, though.
I nodded indifferently and took a cookie.
Not very good. The commander’s office cookies were way better.
“Sorry, Team Leader, but… I’ll just stay in the Knights.”
“Huh? Oh… so that’s how it is. Well, I suppose you and Sir Ron seemed close. It’s not easy to cut off a good connection.”
Not like that, but I swallowed the words.
“Do you think I could be an excellent team member?”
“Of course. Your attention to detail is outstanding—you’d spot problems in other departments in no time. You’re exactly the kind of talent the Supervisory Bureau needs.”
“And could I be a great team leader?”
“…Excuse me?”
A… team leader?
David clearly hadn’t even considered the question. I smiled bitterly at his reaction.
“Just kidding. Like I could ever be a team leader.”
“Haha… Well, if you’re lucky, maybe. So don’t give up, Ail.”
Sure. If I’m lucky.
David was an honest man—you could tell when he was just being polite. Maybe that’s why watching him stung even more. I forced my face into a smile.
Even after I turned him down flat, David still walked me to the door. He even insisted I take the rest of the cookies since I hadn’t eaten much.
What a gentleman.
I chewed one of the cookies as I walked down the Audit Team corridor.
From the corner of my eye, I saw the Audit Team employees at work, hands moving busily. Some faces were familiar—the stern man and stern woman who’d come to audit the Knights. I dipped my head slightly in greeting when our eyes met.
The office was large and full of people. The Supervisory Bureau was one of the most important in the palace, and the Audit Team was one of its two pillars. In short—this was the main team of the main department.
I might regret this.
Turning down a scout offer from such a place might have me kicking my blankets in regret tonight.
But if I accepted, I knew I’d regret it more.
I’d already lived through a society where, no matter how well you did, it was hard to have your abilities acknowledged. I’d fought through it once before coming here. I didn’t want to fight that same battle again. By my late thirties, I’d learned that sometimes it’s easier to give up—like Mien had.
I’ll just live quietly, collect a fat severance, and retire to the countryside.
With that thought, I left the Audit Team’s office.
“Ail! Ail!”
“Con artist—oh, Sir Reinolf?”
“Excuse me? Con artist?”
“Never mind. What’s the rush?”
The moment I returned to the Knights, I was greeted by Reinolf, his blond hair flying as he ran toward me.
He caught his breath, then looked at me.
And then… just stared.
Mouth slightly open, eyes vacant.
I frowned and waved my hand in front of his face.
“Sir Reinolf? Did you lose your mind?”
To be continued…
