100

When I was promoted to Chancellor, the Emperor himself congratulated me, but for the key central post of Chancellor the promotion came only with an appointment letter delivered by the Emperor’s aide.

Immediately, two lackeys of the Crown Prince were assigned to me.

Having been a K-office worker, I’d only held a leadership position for about a year, so the situation felt awkward.

I knew I couldn’t look inexperienced.

A leader must present a clear goal and direction to the team, whether you succeed or fail.

Only then can team members work toward a single objective without straying.

It was easier said than done.

I greeted the two new subordinates with a poker face.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Chancellor Cornelia Libertas. Please take care of me.”

When I offered my hand, the two flinched and then, with reluctance, extended theirs.

“Um… please take care of me—”

“…”

Their reaction was noticeably different.

I pointed to the seats vacated by two senior staff, told them to sort the paperwork, and watched.

Moving into the Chancellor’s seat brought me no excitement.

I had no idea how to proceed.

At that moment, my communication artifact lit up.

• Chancellery central office group channel -

Elysia Langford (Chancellery Secretary): Is it okay if I give them each a smack on the back of the head?

Cornelia Libertas (Chancellor): Why?

Lukan Fairburn (Chancellery Secretary): Asking because you don’t know? They’re answering as if the title ‘Chancellor’ doesn’t exist! One of them doesn’t even respond.

Cornelia Libertas (Chancellor): I didn’t expect anything, so why get angry?

If they’d been excessively polite, dealing with them might have been harder.

Elysia Langford (Chancellery Secretary): Coco, are you really twenty-one? It’s not like an old woman has possessed your body!

They said that, but when it came to work, the two treated me with more respect than usual.

But Dominic and Eldo still didn’t treat me as their superior.

I watched quietly for about a week to see what kind of people they were.

Lukan summed it up like this.

Lukan Fairburn (Chancellery Secretary): One’s an arrogant coward who lost all sense, and the other is a snob with an inflated ego and diploma snobbery.

First, Dominic Lanchester.

“Secretary Dominic, when can I expect the documents you were supposed to forward to the Foreign Ministry?”

He leaned back in his chair with an irritating smile and answered.

“Who knows. It’ll happen… someday, I guess?”

Then he showed excessive interest in my work and began to meddle.

“Ah— the higher-ups won’t like this. You should be able to tell at a glance. It won’t work.”

I watched as Elysia moved to smack him, but Lukan dragged her away.

Next, Eldo Haiberg.

“This is beneath standards. Who handles work like this?”

He scolded the secretary while glancing at me sideways.

I wondered if our Duke had been like that before, then shook my head—probably not.

Then I heard him mutter quietly.

“The Chancellor didn’t even graduate from the Academy, so there’s no way this will run properly. This is the Chancellery that props up the Seraphina Empire?”

“Secretary Eldo, what did you say?”

Even when I asked, he shamelessly replied without flinching.

“I was saying there are many shortcomings in the Chancellery. You’re young, so you’ll have a lot to learn.”

He spoke as if lecturing me.

This time Elysia even pulled Tom over to stop Lukan from thwacking him on the head.

And one more person who looked truly murderous entered.

“Butler, summon the Knights immediately.”

The Duke sat unmoved, listened, and threatened to have the Knights annihilate someone.

This was my overall impression after watching them for a while.

I calmly savored the steak at the Duke’s residence, where I’d been invited for dinner.

“…Are you alright?”

The Duke, who had been restrained and finally seated, asked with concern.

My calmness seemed to worry him more.

“I’m invited to such a splendid place, dining with someone who enjoys fine meals—what reason would I have not to be fine?”

I popped a small piece of steak into my mouth and smiled; the Duke’s face flushed and he quickly turned away.

“You often come in unexpectedly.”

“Me?”

Compared to other couples I’d seen, that was mild.

“The Duke is handsome, so seeing your face makes my anger go away.”

That was true too.

I simply didn’t feel it was worth getting angry—not that what happened at the Chancellery didn’t affect me.

Still, seeing the Duke worry about me was a great comfort.

“…At last, this face is useful.”

Surprisingly, he thought his face was a nuisance because it drew attention.

He said he’d never thought it was something good.

The face of Mr. Bull—who would come to the TWCR and wail—came to mind unbidden.

There were so many people who desperately wanted that face but couldn’t have it…

“Thank you very much for inviting me to dinner today, Supreme Justice. It really lifted my spirits.”

I expressed my gratitude while slowly savoring the pastries and tea for dessert.

“I’m sorry this is all I can do. Cornelia, you don’t have to endure it if it’s too hard.”

“When I first came to the central ministry, the Supreme Justice was famous for being a workaholic and intimidating. Is that true?”

“If you’re saying it’s hard, others wouldn’t be able to bear it. Now, in this situation, how many people do you think could sit and eat and still smile as composedly as you do?”

“That’s because of the Duke’s face.”

“I don’t think even a peerless beauty would be enough if it weren’t you.”

“…What do you mean?”

The tea was certainly bitter, but suddenly it tasted excessively sweet.

The Duke smiled softly.

“It wouldn’t have been easy for me either. The intentions are blatantly impure. That’s why I’m worried about you.”

I placed a strawberry from the cake onto the Duke’s plate and said.

“I said I’d watch for a while. So I watched… and now I’ve decided. I’m not going to quit. Avoiding things just doesn’t suit me. And….”

“And?”

I had been quiet because I needed time to assess the situation and make a decision.

Actually, the answer had come to me long ago, but this opportunity made it clearer.

“If you can’t avoid it, thoroughly enjoy it.”

That was my answer.

As soon as I arrived at work, I called Lukan and Elysia separately to the break room.

“I’m going to do something a little crazy in a bit. I’m warning you now. If you’re going to opt out, say so now.”

Their eyes widened, then sharpened.

“I’ve been waiting. For this moment.”

“It’s the Chancellor speaking, so of course we’ll follow.”

Their enthusiastic support made me want to do something mad in response.

I strode straight to my desk in the office and clapped my hands.

“Okay, attention. Could everyone gather here?”

The secretaries and assistant clerks stood and gathered around my desk.

Dominic and Eldo, the Crown Prince’s lackeys, looked bothered but sluggishly got up.

Well, whether they stood up or not was none of my concern.

My purpose was to make an announcement.

Once I confirmed everyone had gathered, I opened with a light tone like a schoolteacher taking attendance.

“There have been many changes in the Chancellery. Lucius and Victor, who played major roles in Chancellery duties, have unfortunately left, and new people have arrived.

Having observed for a while, I felt overall changes were needed. So I made a few slight adjustments to positions within the Chancellery.“

My words unsettled the staff.

“It’s not a big change like last time. Still, it’s a measure for stabilizing the department, so I trust you’ll understand. Now then…”

I carefully unfolded a roughly scrawled parchment and read it as if it were important.

“By my authority as Chancellor Cornelia Libertas, I appoint Lukan Fairburn and Elysia Langford to Second-Rank Secretary.”

“…!”

“…!”

Despite my light tone, the announcement landed hard.

The proof was that even though I had given prior notice, Lukan and Elysia looked as if their eyes might pop out.

As if they hadn’t expected me to pull such a crazy stunt.

Needless to say, the Crown Prince’s newly arrived lackeys were flustered.

They probably hadn’t expected me to use that authority the moment I took the Chancellor’s seat.

It was the Chancellor’s exclusive authority to appoint positions.

“Th-This is outrageous!”

“I cannot accept this.”

I scoffed at the two idiots standing there, dumbfounded.

What will you do if you refuse to acknowledge it?

I wouldn’t tolerate such insolence any longer.

This was the beginning of proper office politics.

‘I told you, you little Crown Prince brat. I won’t die alone.’