After speaking so earnestly for the first ti in a while, it finally hit .
‘Wait.’
I blinked and took a sharp breath.
‘Did I just... interrupt the Crown Prince?’
Even if preventing a war was top priority—still!
If I’d interrupted Oson like that, all hell would’ve broken loose.
But Kiaros was far, far above Oson. He was the Crown Prince...
‘Am I going to be disciplined? What’s the article for that again...?’
While I was turning pale and trying to breathe, Kiaros turned sharply to his aide with a serious expression.
Then he asked, in a deadly serious tone,
“Where is that employee now?”
“Ah, I believe... they’re currently on dical leave due to psychological shock...”
A cold glint flashed in Kiaros’s eyes. He was clearly calculating his next move.
‘...Wait? I’m not getting scolded?’
I had no energy left to even keep my eyes fully open, but then he turned to and spoke.
“Forgive , but I’ll have to et with you again later, Miss Namia Roafi. Your sharp insight was extrely helpful.”
“Ah... what?”
“I’ll make sure to reward you for this matter as well.”
“Ah... what?”
“You saved my life.”
Suddenly, our eyes t.
Those red eyes that had always seed terrifying now shimred with warmth.
‘Wait—’
When he said he’d include this matter too... When he said my insight was helpful...
‘He’s... he’s saying he’ll consider what I said? He’s not punishing —he’s rewarding .’
It might’ve been the logical outco, but this was unheard of in the Scroll Managent Departnt.
‘What... what the heck. Now that I think about it, this is the first ti this has ever happened since I joined.’
That sudden realization shook . I mumbled without aning to, stumbling over my words.
“I-It was just... sothing that naturally had to be done...”
“It wasn’t natural. It’s given a whole new perspective on scrolls.”
He said quietly.
“I wanted to properly thank you in person... but that will have to wait. It’s important to know exactly what I’m thanking you for.”
Ah, so he brought all the way here just to say thanks.
Of course it wasn’t so love-at-first-sight confession.
Silently scrapping my Cinderella fantasy, I replied politely.
“Yes, Your Highness. I’ll be waiting.”
Which really ant, Don’t you dare forget—call back properly next ti.
“And... thank you very much for what you said about scrolls.”
When I added that, Kiaros nodded.
Then, as if suddenly rembering sothing, he strode into the office.
He moved gracefully, opened a desk drawer, and took sothing out before returning to .
“Your Highness?”
Frozen in the hallway, I blinked in confusion.
Kiaros held out what he’d taken from the drawer.
“You looked far too thin when I saw you up close earlier...”
My eyes widened when I saw the thick envelope in his hand.
“Take it and use it. I don’t have ti to use it myself anyway.”
“...Huh?”
“It’s not like your poor nutrition is due to lack of money, right? This will probably help your health more than cash.”
With trembling hands, I accepted the envelope Kiaros handed .
Inside were al vouchers from a variety of restaurants in the capital.
Honestly... it was as moving as the IV treatnt I got this morning.
Loyalty surged within .
“You’re dismissed for the day. File it under a Crown Prince’s Office business errand.”
Oh my god.
Ti off? Without using leave or sick days?!
I bowed deeply—not to say “I’m off,” but to convey my sincerest thanks.
“Thank you.”
Anyway, he said he’d call again, which ant I’d get another chance for a private audience.
With the al vouchers clutched to my chest, I turned to leave, but my heart felt strangely light.
That flutter ca after everything was over.
‘So... he called in just to thank , huh.’
I must’ve spent too long in a departnt where doing 166 or even 1,660 scrolls just got you chewed out. I couldn’t even imagine sothing as simple as a sincere thank-you.
‘I really thought he’d just throw a comndation and be done with it. But he even said I changed how he viewed scrolls.’
I didn’t feel bad. It was the first real sense of accomplishnt I’d felt in ages.
Maybe... even since I joined the service?
It was so unfamiliar, it made even giddier.
‘That’s right. Scrolls... really are sothing incredible. Truly.’
Even the excitent I felt when I first started studying scrolls as a kid ca back to .
It was... sothing like a long-forgotten passion.
‘Almost as satisfying as saving the Crown Prince’s life... maybe even more.’
Only now did I truly face what I’d done.
Maybe using scrolls and proving my abilities again wasn’t just for soone else. Maybe... it was for , too.
Achieving sothing through scrolls and being recognized for it...
‘It’s really, really been a long ti since I felt this way.’
I looked deep into that core that had been buried under the muck of reality.
And at its very center... was sothing I hadn’t felt in ages.
It was called a dream.
“Until next ti, Your Highness.”
I gave my farewell and stepped out of the office, turning the corner in the hallway—
“Namia!”
Soone suddenly grabbed my arm.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
“You’ve been gone for two days straight! What the hell’s going on?! Huh?!”
Silver hair, green eyes.
“Juan?”
It was Juan—my twin brother on paper, working in the Imperial Ministry of Finance.
Judging by the state he was in, he’d been looking for since morning.
‘He must’ve waited outside because he couldn’t get into the Crown Prince’s office.’
Whatever it was, I sighed first. It wasn’t like he was chasing out of genuine concern.
“First... take care of this for . It’s urgent, due tomorrow.”
Juan shoved a stack of docunts into my arms.
‘Ugh. Bet it’s Finance-related paperwork again.’
I did Juan’s work for him at ho all the ti.
Leaking internal docunts [N O V E L I G H T] like this was obviously against regulations, but Juan simply wasn’t capable of handling this stuff alone.
“And get ho already! Do you even know how worried Mom and Dad were? It’s a huge deal!”
Ugh, there’s more?
My head was already pounding.
If they were looking for , it ant sothing serious really had happened. And they must’ve decided I was the solution again...
‘But... it’s almost over now.’
I swallowed the burning frustration rising in . There was only one mory that could soothe it.
[Just a little longer, my daughter. You know Daddy loves you, right?]
[Yeah, Daddy... I’ll wait. I’ll be strong.]
I knew what choice my father had made for .
So... I had to make my choice for him, too.
I took a deep breath and then broke into a run.
***
Kiaros was disgusted with himself. The truth was, he couldn’t even rember what that legal officer had said.
That kind of lapse was unthinkable for the man he used to be. The dulled senses had left him unable to grasp the situation properly.
“Ha...”
Irritated, Kiaros ran a hand through his hair.
Even so, the image of Namia speaking lingered in his mind.
[Your Highness! Wait a mont!]
Those lifeless eyes had suddenly lit up. Shockingly, they were the sa eyes he’d seen when she cast scrolls.
‘Just before that, her eyes had been completely unfocused... and she could barely speak clearly.’
His aide, nervously observing, mumbled,
“Your Highness... she’s truly exceptional. Even the knights heard the sa thing, but none of them thought of it that way.”
It was true.
But for soone to say Namia was exceptional felt... off. Her track record up until now had been utterly unremarkable.
‘If she had even a sliver of talent, the Magic Tower would’ve scouted her back when she was a student at the Academy.’
Those brilliant blue eyes overlapped with the first impression she had left—like a zombie.
Once she’d finished her deduction about the legal officer, she went right back to that hazy-eyed, mumbling state.
The disconnect was jarring. Every ti Kiaros thought about her, he felt disoriented.
That’s when it happened. A voice echoed from outside the office.
“Namia!”
A young man’s voice.
Kiaros naturally tuned in to the sound from just beyond the office door.
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