The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success-Chapter 21

After quite a long time had passed, the Emperor remarried Fron.

Fron had no social standing at all in high society, was blunt, and lacked refinement.

Having come from a mercenary background and spent years at the bottom, she would casually spit out words that would make noble young ladies faint.

Naturally, there was a great deal of opposition, but the Emperor ignored it all.

"The only person who can oppose my marriage is Kiaros. But Kiaros has given his blessing."

Those words even served to solidify Kiaros’s status as successor.

After safely overcoming his blackout period, no one doubted the extraordinary talent he possessed anyway.

The Emperor secretly spoke to Kiaros.

"Kiaros, I support your first love too. Whoever she may be, there will be no opposition from the Imperial Family."

Though it wasn’t publicly known, that was how Kiaros was freed from the obligation of an arranged engagement.

Because the Emperor himself had stepped forward and remained silent about his marriage.

"Our son has fallen head over heels for a girl whose hair he hasn’t even seen, showing an abnormal level of obsession for a long time... but still, I respect you."

It was already too late to correct the Emperor’s misunderstanding.

For the sake of family peace, Kiaros decided to play the role of the abnormal obsessional lover for now.

Time passed like that.

"You still haven’t found that girl? And until you find her, the one you barely spoke a few words with, you’re not interested in any other woman?"

"Yes. Well, that’s correct."

"Hmm... our son doesn’t seem very rational when it comes to matters like these. But even if you remain celibate until you die of old age, there’s nothing to be done. Not everything can be perfect, after all. I’ll always respect and love you, son."

He hadn't meant for it to go this far, but somehow, it had turned out that way. Still, he believed it would be resolved once he found that girl.

Time continued to pass.

A child was born between Fron and the Emperor. A much younger brother was born for Kiaros.

Time passed again.

The once-mighty Emperor began to fall into a mysterious illness and wasted away slowly.

And so, even after fifteen years had passed...

"I apologize, Your Highness. We still... have not found any clues."

Kiaros still could not find that girl.

"Maybe she entered the Magic Tower? With that kind of talent at that age."

"Still, you never know. Keep searching."

He had to ask her, now a grown woman.

Was it still her dream to marry a rich man? If she wanted, he would marry her.

Of course, it wasn’t about love or anything like that, but because it was a promise made in exchange for saving his life.

This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.

That was why he had never shown interest in any other woman all this time.

'Because I always thought I might have to marry her someday.'

He hadn’t even properly thanked her yet.

Maybe that was why.

[I wanted to thank her properly and directly... well, next time, I guess.]

He wanted to give a proper thank-you to the second person who had saved his life.

In other words, to Namia Roafi of the Scroll Management Department.

To do what he had learned from that girl, to do what he hadn’t been able to do for her.

[If it’s something I can’t properly grasp, I should at least get an expert’s opinion.]

Everyone around him said it was a waste of time, but he ignored them and directly demanded a report from the Tower Master.

After all, the girl had said before that he needed to understand exactly what to be grateful for.

'If it hadn’t been for the first blackout, I probably wouldn’t even have known how to properly thank a subordinate.'

As the White Knight Captain said, he probably would’ve just tossed them a certificate of commendation or something.

In that sense, as the Emperor had said, he had learned something significant thanks to the blackout.

'Will I be able to gain something from this blackout too? But the situation is really bad.'

So for now, it was time to set the past aside and focus on the present.

Just in time, for reasons unknown, Namia had come back to the Imperial Palace. Crying, no less.

And in Kiaros’s mind, the past and present began to connect.

'The South... if the Crows’ speculation is correct and Namia is the daughter of Baron Roafi’s younger brother, then that would mean Namia Roafi also spent her childhood in the South.'

Kiaros’s eyes gleamed.

In an instant, a plausible hypothesis flashed through his mind.

'Both times I was saved, it was by scrolls... if Namia is that girl, then it makes sense that there’s no record of her in the South.'

Kiaros frowned slightly, thinking.

'If she didn’t come to Count Karto’s estate back then, she must have had some circumstance, or she came up to the capital.'

He still didn’t know why she hadn’t gone to the Magic Tower, though.

'I need to call her and confirm it directly.'

There were still too many things he didn’t know about her.

There was no need to guess at her circumstances. He could just call her and ask.

Besides, the girl from back then surely wouldn’t have known his true identity. He had been hiding it at the time too.

She was probably living without even realizing she had saved the Crown Prince.

'If that girl is really Namia... though she did grow up a bit strangely.'

Kiaros was recalling Namia’s blank-looking expression when—

"Your Highness!"

Urgent footsteps approached, and the door burst open without even a knock.

"Forgive my rudeness, Your Highness! I have urgent news to report!"

The White Knight Captain knelt down hastily and shouted.

"Her Majesty the Empress has been apprehended on the spot as a flagrant offender!"

"A flagrant offender?"

"Yes!"

Even while gasping for breath, he wore an expression that seemed to say this was inevitable.

Well, Kiaros had known too that there were suspicions surrounding the Empress from all sides.

'...Lady Fron.'

The biological mother of young Prince Jaden, only eight years old, and the Emperor’s second wife.

If Kiaros were to disappear, Jaden would have a smooth path to inherit the throne.

"She secretly left the palace without authorization and was carrying a deadly poison on her person. Upon urgent investigation, her contacts were found to be extremely shady and secretive. It appears she has been searching for specific poisons for a long time."

The White Knight Captain bowed deeply to Kiaros and shouted.

"You must urgently review this and proceed with the Imperial trial!"

***

"A salary account change, please."

"Yes, please fill this out here."

I went to the Administrative Support Department and changed my salary account.

Changing my account was ridiculously easy.

"Starting from this month, meaning the salary paid today, it’ll be deposited here, right?"

"Yes."

I let out a small sigh, feeling deflated.

It felt like a lot had changed, and at the same time, like nothing had changed at all.

The staff in the Administrative Support Department kept glancing at me, but I didn’t have the energy to care.

"Dad..."

As the salary piled up in my account, so did my guilt toward my father.

I had resolved to find him, but the path ahead felt hopeless.

'If he’s entangled with a criminal organization... there’s really no way out.'

When I lived in the South with Dad, there had been a time when the entire region was flipped upside down because of a criminal organization.

That had been when # Nоvеlight # His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince came for an inspection and to wipe out the remaining demonic beasts.

'It was discovered then that some insane criminal group had been conducting forbidden experiments using demonic beasts.'

The Emperor had executed everyone involved with the criminal group at the time. He said such illegal organizations must be uprooted entirely. Even now, there was absolutely no mercy toward illegal groups.

'Dad wouldn’t be granted leniency either. Judging by the amount of money involved, it can’t be a minor case.'

Originally, Dragonbloods showed no mercy whatsoever toward those who broke the country’s laws.

Thus, even if I begged Kiaros, ‘I saved your life, so please save my father,’ there was a high chance he wouldn’t even blink.

'Knowing the original story doesn’t help anything. These are matters of Dragonbloods, and I’m just an ordinary human, so there’s nothing I can do.'

The gap between the original story and my circumstances was too wide.

Even Prince Jaden, the protagonist of the original story and only eight years old now, struggled early on because of the Dragonbloods’ arrogance and strictness.

Still, the only ones who could grant mercy for major crimes were members of the royal family... ah, wait.

'Hold on.'

A bolt of lightning flashed through my mind.

'Not all royals are merciless Dragonbloods.'

At this point, there was one royal who was not a Dragonblood.

'Her Majesty the Empress.'