127

In the end, it was his way of saying he wanted to see me more often.

‘I was a bit careless.’

I’d never been in a relationship before, so I hadn’t paid much attention—I was absorbed in the matters at hand.

I actually thought I was seeing him fairly often despite being busy. But today’s consultation made me realize how wrong I was.

‘He doesn’t know that I’m Master Quokka.’

Because I knew the Little Lamb was Ren, it felt like I saw him often. In reality he probably only saw my face a few times a week.

He was a good partner. He understood when I was busy. I didn’t tell him about Those Who Can’t Resign and only said I was focusing on self-improvement, yet he still called it impressive and respected me.

How can someone have everything they want?

I felt guilty. And at the same time, I worried about my own health.

“I understand it in my head, but I’m lonely.”

I echoed his thought quietly. The words he’d been holding in burst out.

“I’ve never wanted to quit work as much as I do these days.”

‘Ah….’

To be clear, I’m not the only busy one. Supreme Justice Ren is an incredibly busy person too.

“If you can’t properly see the person you love, what’s the point of wearing yourself out like this?”

“…!”

Oh no, thinking like a stereotypical office worker!

I hadn’t expected someone who prioritizes duty over personal happiness to say that. Even if it meant cutting back on Those Who Can’t Resign hours, I felt I should reassure him.

‘Money is enough now, but….’

With a title and a promotion came a substantial raise. We got a nice house, and I donated to the temple. Looking back, there was no need to keep pushing myself like that forever.

But Those Who Can’t Resign helped me understand the situations of other office workers. Once you become Chancellor, you inevitably get used to the rank and start missing things; you can only think from your time as a subordinate.

Still, with time people’s thinking and the atmosphere change.

I liked that Those Who Can’t Resign let you feel what you lacked and learn from it. But if I had to choose, it wasn’t a hard decision. I offered some comforting words to the despondent Ren.

“The other person is surely worrying too. Something good will happen soon, so wait and see.”

That day, as soon as I closed up shop I went to the Duke’s residence. When he said he’d come simply because he wanted to see me, the bright smile that spread across his face made me smile back even more.

“From now on I’ll come. It’s dangerous this late.”

It came with thoroughly conservative nagging, of course.

Fellow office workers had more romantic worries than I expected.

After Ren, similar concerns started coming into Those Who Can’t Resign.

‘The timing with Mr. Bull saying workplace romances have increased….’

I guessed the honeymoon phase had passed and the time for conflicts had arrived.

“My boyfriend’s been so busy lately we don’t have time to meet. Could he be cheating?”

“It’s too early to conclude that. Let’s watch a bit longer.”

“There’s a colleague he’s called his best friend at work. But that colleague is a woman… and they contact each other privately. Surely it’s not what I fear?”

“Throw the trash away immediately.”

How dare he openly call someone his office wife to his girlfriend. If he’s taken, he should behave better.

“I think it’s the doldrums. His eating habits annoy me. We’re in the same department so I see him every day and it’s maddening. It’s awkward when we get scolded by a boss—it’s not easy.”

‘This is why I don’t recommend public workplace romances….’

“If it’s really hard, try applying for a transfer to another department. See and talk with your boyfriend separately.”

I remember Those Who Can’t Resign starting as a counseling office for those who couldn’t quit. It felt like it had become a workplace romance counseling office.

“I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t paid much attention to my girlfriend. She says she understands but I can see she’s struggling. The relationship isn’t like it used to be. Would breaking up be better?”

I over-invested in the man client wearing a skunk mask across from me and gave advice.

“More people will come to see you, work will increase, you’ll be recognized. You’ll get the desire to do better. That’s a good thing. It’s clearly a good opportunity as an office worker. But don’t lose something precious as time passes because of that. People… can’t live by work alone. Just remember that.”

It was actually advice I was giving myself.

Finally, the temple sent a cleric as promised.

“Hello. I am a junior cleric serving the deity Lemer you mentioned.”

‘Junior cleric?’

Could Rio’s illness be treated by a junior cleric? I wondered, but they were the experts, so I politely showed them into the room. Marcella and Julie followed. Honestly, our family had long awaited this moment. Hope sparkled in Rio’s eyes as he lay quietly on the bed.

“Then we will begin divine power treatment.”

The junior cleric spoke solemnly, placed both hands on Rio’s abdomen, and murmured a small incantation. A faint, bright light emanated from his palms.

“Wow….”

Julie widened her eyes in admiration at seeing divine power for the first time. Marcella and I watched quietly. Rio’s complexion seemed to ease a bit.

After a moment, the junior cleric removed his hands. Marcella couldn’t hold back and asked.

“Is it all over now? Is our Rio completely healed?”

The junior cleric clasped his hands and wore a solemn expression.

“It would be nice if the deity’s blessing were a miracle every time, but my learning is still insufficient, and I could not heal him perfectly.”

What a long-winded way to put it.

“Then request a higher-ranking cleric.”

The junior cleric shook his head.

“It’s not necessary. If I apply divine power a few more times, it will be fine. It will just take some time.”

“…I understand.”

For now we let the junior cleric go. I saw the steward secretly slip a gold coin to the cleric and clicked my tongue.

“Do clerics accept tips these days?”

“If this helps Rio recover, it’s worth it.”

“Hah….”

It wasn’t wrong, but the whole thing still felt off. I had even given a sufficient offering.

“Noona, am I all healed now?”

Rio, lying there, grabbed my wrist and pulled. I composed my expression and gently stroked his head.

“Not yet. He says you need a few more treatments. Just hang on a bit longer. You can do it, right?”

“Yeah! I hope I get better soon!”

I should have felt hopeful.

Instead, my heart felt heavy, as if a stone had been placed on it.

The Chancellery was peaceful today as well. A hectic day passed under a torrent of work.

Subordinates busy? Of course the superior is busy too.

I reviewed the flood of approval documents and checked feedback and reporting schedules. Fast reporting is important, but submitting at the right time is even more crucial.

‘Prioritize submitting what matches the client’s needs.’

If you submit reports aligned with what the bosses are currently interested in, approval chances increase. For major reports, it’s useful to gauge their mood too. The problem was that even when I did well, I occasionally felt a reality check.

‘I’m not even a secretary. Do I have to cater to their moods too?’

Yes. They’re the ones who pay, so as someone lower in rank, you have to accommodate them.

It was a working style tuned for efficiency. I didn’t want to do the same task twice. That kind of boss was comfortable even as a subordinate.

Eldo Hyberg (Chancellery 1st-grade Secretary): Chancellor, do you have a moment?

It was his first request to talk since the final interview. I happened to be in my private office, so I called him in. His complexion, which had been like a dry twig, looked livelier—as if it held more moisture than before.

But his expression was serious.

“What’s the matter?”

“It’s about His Crown Prince Highness.”

I could see veins standing out on the back of his hand. Now that I thought about it, he’d reacted sensitively to the Crown Prince’s womanizing before.

‘One of his household, an older sister or younger sister, went through it.’

If the other party was a great noble, he wouldn’t have been able to lodge a proper complaint given his position. It’s awful, but that’s the kind of world this is.

The mere fact that many nobles followed the Crown Prince made me worry about the future.

“Chancellor?”

“Ah, sorry. I drifted off for a moment. Could you say it again?”

“Soon there will be the central ministries’ settlement at the monthly meeting.”

“Right.”

They called it a settlement, but it was a performance presentation. Unlike the informal exchanges the central ministries used to enjoy, this was an official occasion. One reason the Chancellery is busy now is that we’re compiling performance for the past year.

Of course I was confident. Marcus and Dorian had made such a mess that even doing a little well would make us shine.

“The Crown Prince requested to see the Chancellery’s performance in advance.”

I laughed in disbelief.

“What would he do seeing it in advance? I’m not foolish enough to let him make existing results nonexistent or make nonexistent results appear.”

I vowed to double-check everything and prepare supporting documents.

“Since he’s the Crown Prince’s man, we’ll provide a summary of those materials. If there’s any part you don’t want him to see, tell me in advance and I’ll remove it before handing it over.”

“There’s nothing to hide, but let’s check once more.”

“Yes. And….”

Eldo hesitated, then spoke.

“If the performance is good, they’ll use that as an excuse, and if it’s bad, they’ll use that too—I think they’ll find a pretext to do something. That’s the vibe. Be careful.”

“Find a pretext?”

Eldo’s warning came true soon after.