Chapter 127

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

‘I was a bit careless.’

Having never been in a relationship, I couldn’t pay attention because I was dealing with the matters at hand.

I actually thought I was seeing him fairly often despite being busy. But today’s consultation made me realize it was a complete misconception.

‘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 had probably only seen my face a few times a week.

He was a good partner. He understood when I was busy, I didn’t reveal the existence of Those Who Can’t Resign and only said I was working on self-improvement, yet he respected me, calling it impressive.

How can a person have everything they want?

I felt sorry. And in the meantime, I worried more about my own health.

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

I quietly echoed his feelings. 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 one who’s busy. 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 didn’t expect someone who prioritizes duty over personal happiness to say this. Even if it means cutting back on Those Who Can’t Resign business hours, I feel I should reassure him.

‘Money is enough now, but….’

With a title and a promotion came a substantial salary increase. We got a nice house, and I donated to the temple. Looking back, there was no need to stubbornly keep doing this forever.

But Those Who Can’t Resign played a big role in knowing the situation of other office workers. Once you become Chancellor, you inevitably get used to the rank and start missing things; you can only think based on your time as a subordinate.

But clearly, with time, thinking and atmosphere change.

I liked that through Those Who Can’t Resign one could feel lacking and learn. But if forced to choose, it wasn’t a difficult question. 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 headed to the Duke’s residence. When he said he’d come just because he wanted to see me, the bright smile that spread across his face made me smile 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 rosy romance phase had passed and the time when conflicts flare up 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 refer to an 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 being 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 in front of 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, it was a moment our family had long awaited. Hope sparkled in Rio’s eyes as he lay quietly on the bed waiting.

“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 but bright light emanated from his hands.

“Wow….”

Julie widened her eyes in admiration at seeing divine power for the first time. Marcella and I quietly observed the ongoing treatment. His complexion seemed to ease a bit…?

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

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

The junior cleric clasped his hands with 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 tongue (what a long-winded way of speaking).

“Then request a higher-ranking cleric.”

The junior cleric solemnly shook his head.

“It’s not a condition that requires that. 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. I clicked my tongue.

“Do clerics take tips these days?”

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

“Hah….”

It wasn’t wrong, but the whole thing didn’t seem reasonable. I had even given a sufficient offering.

“Noona, am I all healed now?”

Rio, lying there, grabbed my wrist and pulled. I quickly 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 good… I should have felt hopeful.

I couldn’t understand why my heart felt as heavy as if a stone had been placed on it.

The Chancellery was peaceful today as well. A hectic day passed with 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 timing 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 good 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, I have to accommodate them.

It was a work style developed to be even a bit more efficient. 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 working in my private office, so I called him in. His complexion, which had been like a dry twig, looked more lively 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 issues 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 call it a settlement, but it was a performance presentation. Unlike the informal royal exchanges the central ministries used to enjoy, this was an official occasion. One reason the Chancellery is busy now is because 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 thoroughly 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 especially, but let’s check once more.”

“Yes. And….”

Eldo hesitated for a moment, 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.