Chapter 44
The People of the Chancellor’s Office
“Ha, so the bold little friend gets shy now that she’s facing the Empire’s most eligible bachelor?”
If only that were the reason. But in truth, it was because I’d just come face-to-face with a client whose identity absolutely couldn’t be exposed.
“I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“You two know each other?” the Minister of Finance asked, eyes gleaming with curiosity.
I forced myself to breathe steadily and answered as calmly as I could.
“We met when I was still at the Daijo Company. He was a customer there. And recently, at the Black Diamond product launch party hosted by the Marquis, he helped me out of an awkward situation.”
“Oh-ho, really? What a coincidence! This fellow here is my disciple. I personally taught him at the Grand Duke’s estate.”
The unexpected connection between them took me more by surprise than anyone else.
“This young lady, too, deserves a proper introduction. This is Miss Cornelia Libertas—the one I personally recommended to the Chancellor’s Office.”
I quickly bowed.
“It’s an honor, Your Grace.”
“She’s done such an excellent job assisting the Marquis that I had to recruit her myself. I even promoted her to Junior Secretary on her very first day.”
The Minister of Finance showered the Duke with praise, almost as if to keep him from asking any further questions.
“We’ll be working together, so there’s no need for such formality,” the Duke said, extending a gloved hand toward me. “Let’s get along.”
A large, gloved hand was offered to me. I cautiously took it, glancing up—and there he was. The beautiful man with the chill of a winter wolf. Seeing him now, without that gentle lamb’s disguise, felt entirely different.
What the hell. Maybe it’s just been a while since I saw him, but… that face hits hard.
“Showing kindness now, are we? That’s unusual for you.”
“Master.”
“Even if I didn’t teach her personally like I did you, I have high expectations for her. Be good to her, won’t you? And you, Cornelia—don’t be too intimidated. You’ll be dealing with other departments soon enough, so it’s better to be on good terms.”
“Yes, Minister.”
My earlier goal—to ask about the promotion—was long forgotten.
All I could think about now was how to avoid crossing paths with the Duke ever again.
I must be cursed.
How could all of this happen within two days?
He must not find out.
If he realized that I was the one who knew what was going on in his head, who knew what might happen? The whole point of this side job was that neither of us knew about the other. But now, one side did.
But it’s not like I went snooping! It’s all because of that damn Bull! What was I supposed to do—ignore it?
I had even avoided visiting the Bull at the central office just to avoid suspicion. Yet here I was, running into the Duke of all people. A man with near-imperial status—if he wanted to, he could make me disappear without a trace.
And as if that weren’t enough, the office politics here were fierce.
“What’s the problem?”
“The Minister of Finance said to make these revisions.”
“Then go ahead and do that.”
“…Sorry?”
“You said the Minister told you to, didn’t you? Then do it.”
Elicia’s tone was sharp and cold every time she spoke to me.
Not that it bothered me much.
“Sure thing.”
I gave a casual reply and went back to work. Somewhere nearby, I thought I heard a small, frustrated noise—but I ignored it. Soon, the monotonous rhythm of work carried me all the way to lunchtime again.
Wonder what’s on the menu today.
I waited until everyone else had left before standing up, but a shadow fell across my desk.
It was Lucan Fairburn, another Junior Secretary.
“Would you like to have lunch together?”
There was a sudden thud—Elicia’s book had fallen to the floor. She glared at me with sharp eyes, huffed, and stormed off.
…Okay, that was weird.
“Uh, sure.”
I agreed easily enough. I already had a guess as to why she was acting like that.
On the way to the staff dining hall, Lucan asked a few questions.
“You look about my age. Should we drop the formalities?”
“Fine.”
Normally, no one in a professional office like this would suggest that first, but his tone wasn’t malicious. I’d seen him speak casually with Elicia too, and back when I worked at Daijo, Pinea and Nicola had also used informal speech from day one.
“It depends on the situation,” I added lightly.
Lucan grinned. “How did you know the Minister was in a bad mood?”
Just as I thought.
“I happened to stop by his office this morning and noticed he wasn’t in the best mood. It wasn’t urgent business, so I figured it could wait.”
If it had been good news, of course, I would’ve reported it right away—to score some points.
Lucan nodded in understanding, then lowered his voice.
“Are you… close to the Minister?”
In short, he wanted to know what kind of connection got me my job.
“I used to work for another noble family. The Minister saw me running errands there, liked my work, and recommended me for this post. He said the office was short-staffed.”
Apparently, he didn’t know I used to be the Marquis of Aurelius’s aide. Good thing—the Minister probably kept my record to himself.
“Got it.”
“I’m not that close to him, if that’s what you’re thinking. I just went to thank him for the sudden promotion yesterday.”
No need to bring up everything that happened before I joined.
Lucan laughed. “Yeah, that was a surprise for all of us.”
The dining hall, filled mostly with young nobles, operated like a high-end restaurant. You ordered at your table, and servants brought your food straight to you. I liked that—it saved waiting time.
I ate slowly, listening to Lucan talk. He had an easy smile and a friendly tone—an outgoing type who could make anyone comfortable.
“Anyway, thanks to you, I avoided getting scolded. I heard from the others that everyone who reported to him yesterday got chewed out for even tiny mistakes.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Lucan’s smile seemed permanent, even when he wasn’t speaking. Then, unprompted, he started listing off personal details.
“I’m Viscount Fairburn’s son.”
A viscount? I blinked. Most bureaucrats here were the spare sons or daughters of noble families, but still—it was unusual.
He caught my expression and chuckled.
“Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. My family’s estate is way out in the countryside. You said you were from a minor family, but honestly, ours isn’t much better. I just figured I’d stagnate if I stayed there forever. Came to the capital, took the Chancellor’s Office exam on a whim, and somehow passed. Now I’m learning how to run a family properly. Turns out I actually like the work.”
He gave me an expectant look, but I just smiled politely. Small talk was fine, but we weren’t close enough for anything more.
Sensing that, Lucan smoothly changed the topic—sharp and perceptive, this one.
“Got any questions? Things you want to know about the office? I can fill you in.”
“Actually, yes. I’d like to know who’s who. I still can’t remember all the names and faces.”
“I get that. I was the same at first. I thought Dorian would at least give me an introduction, but he didn’t. Guess it was the same during Leo’s term too—he just doesn’t care.”
Useless piece of work, I added silently to Dorian’s growing list of failings.
Lucan leaned back in his chair and began explaining.
“There are twelve people total in the Chancellor’s Office. Five assistant clerks, three junior secretaries including you, two second-class secretaries, one first-class secretary, and the Chancellor himself.”
“Fewer than I expected.”
“Yeah. The Chancellor’s Office handles decisions that get passed down to local lords, who manage their territories independently. We just deal with the Empire’s overall administration and big-picture policies. Staffing’s about the same everywhere.”
That made sense, given the smaller population compared to modern societies.
“The five assistant clerks are Leo, Media, Hugo, Rick, and Hans. You’ll have to learn their faces yourself.”
“Okay.”
“Then there’s us junior secretaries—you, me, and Elicia Langford. She’s a baron’s daughter. Hard-working, not much of a talker, hates losing, and loves things tidy. Lately she’s been on edge, though I’ve no idea why.”
I remembered her perfectly organized desk. Yeah, I’m probably the reason she’s been snappy.
“Above us are the second-class secretaries—Victor Blackwood and Lucius Belmont. Victor looks scary but he’s actually soft-hearted. Lucius is kind.”
It was easier to keep track when he added those descriptions.
“And the first-class secretary, Dorian Vainglory—he’s the Chancellor’s direct subordinate. He’s from a count’s family. Everyone knows this, but to say it out loud—he clearly thinks he’ll be the next Chancellor now that Marcus is gone.”
Anyone could tell just by the way he acted in that chair.
Lucan suddenly leaned closer and whispered,
“Be careful. You’re part of the Minister of Finance’s faction, right?”
…Huh?
That was news to me.
