Chapter 55
The Hollow Man’s Downfall (2)
The moment Vespera and the Minister of Finance locked eyes, the Minister immediately understood what he needed to take responsibility for.
I already helped wipe out Marcus’s lackey. Handling this much is my job.
“After Chancellor Marcus resigned, a vacancy opened, so I brought in the junior secretary, Cornelia.”
“A junior secretary, hm. I expected at least a second-class secretary.”
The Minister of Finance needed to make it clear that Cornelia had no idea the Crown Prince was behind all of this. Of course, he had known—and had deliberately used the situation to remove someone—but reporting it this way would make palace life much smoother.
“I was surprised by her loyalty to the imperial family myself. She said the construction of the Lesera Avenue could affect the honor of the Crown, so she personally inspected the company and examined the contract, and by chance discovered this information. She immediately reported it to me, and the Chief Justice and I confirmed the evidence.”
“Then why did the information leak to the press first?”
The Emperor clearly disliked that. But the Minister of Finance had already prepared an answer. Ten years of experience as the Minister had honed him well.
“That was my negligence. While I was discussing the matter with the Chief Justice, it seems information seeped out to the reporters. Still, I ensured that no connection to the imperial family—especially His Highness the Crown Prince—was mentioned. The junior secretary is extremely distressed, fearing she might have tarnished Your Majesty’s honor.”
The Emperor’s lips twitched upward.
“She’s a child who worked tirelessly for me; she shouldn’t worry. Honestly, I knew the Crown Prince was receiving his funds through the Chancellor’s Office, but I didn’t realize it was this serious. Haa… You can’t handle political funds that way. When will that boy grow up? Still, it’s fortunate this was exposed before the construction even began.”
“Thank you for your understanding, Your Majesty.”
“Impressive child. I’d like to meet her once—”
“It would be best to calm public sentiment swiftly. If we delay, the nobles will only use this as ammunition.”
Vespera quickly redirected the conversation. Excessive interest from someone with too much power was never good. Fortunately, the Emperor nodded without pursuing it further.
“Very well. The Gaho Bridge incident was truly horrific. Send generous consolation payments to the bereaved families and take care of any difficulties they mention. Reinvestigate all previous construction projects, and if faults are found, rebuild them entirely. Also, terminate all contracts with companies responsible for shoddy construction and embezzlement of public funds, and execute all instigators and anyone aware of the scheme.”
“I shall carry out Your Majesty’s commands.”
Watching the Emperor pretend to be a benevolent ruler while carefully omitting any punishment for his own son, Vespera smirked inwardly.
“The first-class secretary has been dismissed for corruption, and the contract with Linus Company is officially terminated. According to the contract, establish a new agreement with the next best-evaluated company from the interview rounds.”
“Yes, understood.”
Instead of delegating tasks, the Minister of Finance personally delivered the decisions to the Chancellor’s Office. I busied myself trying to keep my lips from curling up.
“Things have been unusually turbulent around here lately, but now that everything is settling back into place, I ask everyone to focus on their duties. We’ll soon fill the vacancies and reassign work, so please hold on just a little longer.”
At that moment, the Minister and I made eye contact. He smiled at me.
What was that…?
It felt unsettling, but I decided to interpret it as his happiness at finally clearing out Marcus’s lackey. I’d visit him soon to ask how everything had been handled.
At this point, there was no way that wretched man would survive. Well… maybe he’d get off with dismissal since he had some backing and a powerful family. Either way, it finally felt like I could go to work in peace, and I hummed without realizing it.
That feeling lasted all the way through after work. Tonight, instead of doing my side job, I invited Nicola and Pinea to my home.
“You… know how to cook?”
“A little.”
Living alone without a guardian meant cooking was essential if I wanted to save money. I didn’t make fancy dishes with expensive ingredients, but I tried to eat decently using cheap seasonal produce whenever I could—though I often stopped and started again.
Marcella, Rio, and Julie watched me with curious eyes.
“Sis, I’ve never seen this food before. What is it?”
“…I just put ingredients together. Let’s eat.”
I wanted to snap at Julie like I did to Marcella—How would I know how to cook food from this world?—but the words wouldn’t come out. Annoyingly, Marcella snickered beside her.
“Set the plates and utensils.”
“Yes, yes.”
“Noona, noona! What should I do?”
Since entering the academy, Rio had become noticeably brighter, and he was thrilled to have guests.
“Then can you wipe down the table? When Pinea and Nicola arrive, greet them nicely.”
“Okay! I know how to greet people now!”
He awkwardly displayed the etiquette he learned in class, and it was adorable. Children really were the healthiest when they were happy.
I want him to get better quickly. Depending only on medicine makes me anxious… He has to recover before I can move out. That’s why I’m trying so hard to become independent…
“We’re here!”
Pinea and Nicola entered with their arms full of bags.
“You didn’t need to bring anything. I invited you.”
“You’re someone who guards her private life like a fortress. Of course we’d be moved and bring something.”
The truth was, I had visited their homes several times before—usually because they invited me for dinner. But I didn’t like inviting coworkers into my own home. I wasn’t living alone, and if something went wrong in our relationship later, exposing my personal life would only leave wounds.
But the Linus incident… I really did owe them.
They followed me into danger, kept watch, and helped me carry out the plan. Without them, the infiltration would have been impossible. I wanted to show my appreciation properly.
“Daijo’s new snacks. Share them with your siblings.”
Nicola handed over a huge basket and then greeted my brother and sisters. Marcella stared at him silently, nodded to herself, and shook his hand.
The room was small, but we all squeezed around the table and began eating.
“You’re telling me Coco cooked all of this?”
“It’s delicious!”
I couldn’t cook this world’s cuisine, and since they didn’t have Korean ingredients here, I had made pasta, soup, and a modern-style pork cutlet. They reacted surprisingly well. With the money I earned from my side job, I used higher-quality ingredients, making everything taste even better.
“Wow, and you never made this for us before? Coco, that’s cruel.”
Marcella shoved a huge piece of pork cutlet into her mouth.
“I’ll cook again when I have time.”
It wasn’t like I couldn’t. But unexpectedly, Julie opposed it.
“No. Sis is always busy. Let me or Rio cook.”
“Julie! How could you…?”
Marcella stared at me with betrayed eyes. Why was she blaming me?
“Yeah. Noona’s arms are skinny; she can’t work and cook. She always works overtime. Big brother doesn’t work anymore—he studies now.”
“Rio, you too…?!”
Pinea and Nicola burst into laughter.
“Your siblings sound just like you, Coco.”
“Like me…?”
“Yeah. The way they speak firmly—it’s just like you.”
“…Oh… really?”
I didn’t know how to respond. It didn’t make sense, yet something warm and heavy swelled in my chest.
“Of course. You’re family,” Marcella said, suddenly locking her arm around my head in a headlock. I couldn’t think of anything else.
“Argh—hey! Let go! Do you want to die?”
“Consider it affection for your little sister.”
Nicola laughed.
“You siblings are really close.”
“Yeah.”
“That’s not true!”
My cry went unheard as dinner flowed on.
The dismissal of that wretched man brought peace back to the workplace. Unnecessary workloads disappeared, and we no longer needed to walk on eggshells. Even the junior clerks and secretaries looked visibly lighter.
“Is it really… us?”
Lucan’s once-empty words of encouragement became reality as the head of the Builders’ Guild stood before us. Choked with gratitude, he repeatedly bowed.
“Thank you, thank you! We’ll build the greatest avenue in all of the Seraphina Empire…!”
Watching him, I felt less proud and more bitter—wondering how many other honest companies had suffered because of corrupt ones.
“Then we look forward to your work.”
“We’ll do our best.”
With Senior Lucius’s greeting and the signing of the newly drafted contract, the Lesera Avenue project finally reached its conclusion. At that moment, junior clerk Leo rushed into the interview room.
“There’s an announcement! The central ministry board has posted the personnel changes for the Chancellor’s Office!”
“Personnel changes?”
Considering what the Minister had said earlier, some shifts due to the vacancies were expected. We all rushed together to the central bulletin board on the first floor, where people from other ministries were already gathered and buzzing.
But something felt strange—eyes prickled against me from every direction. As I walked forward, people quietly stepped aside.
What is it…?
And when I finally saw the board, even I froze.
<Chancellor’s Office Personnel Changes>
Due to the dismissal of first-class secretary Dorian Vainglory, the following appointments are made:
- Lucius Belmont — First-Class Secretary
- Cornelia Libertas — Second-Class Secretary
