165

Overtime stretched well past quitting time, and the office was filled only with the scratch of fountain pens — a late-night shift. I had eaten dinner, but it was the kind of hour when my brain needed sugar to keep running. I checked the clock and went down to the first floor of the building. There the Central Department attendants were waiting, arms full of bundles.

“Sorry to ask at such a late hour.”

“Not at all. I’m on duty tonight anyway, so it’s fine. Besides, it’s nice to get a tasty snack too.”

“Thank you.”

“Not at all. Everyone’s busy these days, so I’m glad even this helps. Please order again next time!”

That’s right. I had the Central Department attendants pick up snacks from a popular spot and package them.

‘I should at least eat well.’

Work was busy enough; if I were stingy about food too, how miserable that would be… I bundled the snacks in my hands and returned to the Chancellery.

‘I feel like I’ve been under someone’s gaze for a while now; it’s unsettling…’

Maybe I was just on edge after sneaking into the shrine recently.

“You’re peckish — eat before you work.”

No sooner had I set the bag down than three secretaries swarmed over.

“Mmm~ smells delicious.”

Elysia stepped forward and opened the bag. Inside were neatly packed sandwiches and warm soups fetched from a famous eatery.

“This is the place you have to line up to wait for!”

“Do you happen to be friends with the shop owner?”

“I didn’t think I was hungry, but now that I smell it, I’m famished.”

Each showed their own quirky reaction and took the prepared snacks back to their desks. Their expressions were noticeably better than when we were working earlier.

“Eat up comfortably. I’ll share some with the Ministry of Justice too.”

As I was about to leave carrying the remaining snacks, Elysia fussed excitedly.

“Have a cozy time together.”

“…I don’t know what you mean.”

I deflected the teasing greeting with a laugh and left the office. The Ministry of Justice was brightly lit as well, and through the windows I could see staff bent under their workload. I knocked lightly and peeked in.

‘I should have messaged ahead.’

I felt a bit embarrassed. No — now more than ever I had to act casual. Brazenly!

“Thanks for your hard work. Have some snacks and then get back to it~!”

All eyes in the Ministry of Justice turned to me. When I smiled and displayed the bag, everyone started filing out like zombies. They did not look like people.

“Chancellor, you’re truly our savior~~!”

Illya hurried over and took the snack bag from my hands. The delicious aroma seemed to brighten the dull-eyed staff, as if life returned to their gazes.

“If only our Chief Justice resembled the Chancellor even half as much…!”

I tilted my head in puzzlement.

“When we had to work late on that cooperation request, the Supreme Justice bought us lots of delicious food, remember?”

“…That was limited to the Chancellor. It was my first time trying that kind of dish then… At the time I thought the Supreme Justice bought it because he wanted to eat it himself, but it was all to win favor!”

“Ah… pfft.”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

I whispered into Illya’s ear.

“I’ll take him out and feed him, so you can enjoy the snacks in peace.”

“An angel…!”

Illya beamed as she distributed snacks to the staff. Ren, who had been watching me the whole time, stood up and approached when the talk died down. Seeing the piles of paperwork and law books on his desk made my chest tighten. I took his arm and pulled him outside the office.

“Shall we go eat outside?”

“Yeah.”

The large figure trailed after me, and somehow his whole demeanor was soft and endearing.

We sat on a bench with a table in the garden around the Central Department and unpacked the snacks. Magical streetlamps lit the area, giving it a pleasant atmosphere.

“You’re tired, right? You’ve been working hard.”

When I opened my arms, he looked puzzled. Then, at the glance and nod inviting him closer, he let out a soft chuckle and held me. His warm body and cool scent reached me, and my heart felt cozy.

“Being like this makes me feel all my tension melt away.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I want to stay like this.”

He held me like that for a long time and wouldn’t let go. He must have been very tired.

“The food is getting cold.”

“This is tastier and more filling than the food.”

“What are you talking about. I’m hungry.”

“That won’t do.”

Only then did he release his arms. He took off his jacket, saying I’d catch a cold, and draped it over my shoulders before finally sitting down.

“Go on and eat.”

Being as big as he is, he’s a big eater, so I had prepared not only sandwiches but also roasted chicken. Of course, that’s what a lover does — take extra care to give what the beloved likes.

“Ria, eat with me too.”

“Okay.”

We shared small talk over the snacks — how work was, annoying things at the office, what was going on at home, and so on. Ren lived alone, so he usually listened to my stories about living with my family.

“I should have prepared this — I ended up making you bother yourself.”

“I know how busy you are. When I’m swamped, Ren helps me a lot — with the move and everything. Now that I think about it, I’ve always been on the receiving end. Thank you.”

“I do it because I like it. Don’t take away my pleasure.”

“That’s me giving it back? This is a big problem.” (Note: playfully styled)

We laughed at each other when our eyes met. Strangely, though we had been tired just a while ago, now we both seemed full of life. Seeing Ren eat well made me quietly pleased.

After a short but pleasant snack time, I returned to the Chancellery and quickly finished the day’s duties. The secretaries seemed energized after eating and completed the report faster than expected. From a look through it, I only needed to make a few corrections.

“Secretaries can come in an hour later tomorrow.”

At that, the three secretaries’ faces lit up as if they’d fly away. Just one hour later — could that make them so happy?

“One more hour of sweet sleep!”

“See you tomorrow, Chancellor.”

“See you tomorrow!!”

The three hurriedly grabbed their bags and left for the day, no different from the assistant secretary and scribes earlier. It was a relief that their steps were light as they left.

The next morning, after the morning briefing, I was heading to the Raven Prince’s palace. As I walked, I saw Imperial Palace attendants standing by the roadside looking distressed.

“What’s the matter?”

Seeing me, the attendants quickly bowed their heads.

“Ah, that is… it’s nothing, Chancellor.”

They didn’t look like it was nothing at all. Their faces were full of worry — proof enough.

“I won’t punish you, so don’t worry — tell me what’s going on.”

One of the attendants, who had been hesitating and glancing around, finally managed to speak.

“It’s just that Prince Lawrence has been refusing to eat for three days.”

“Refusing to eat?”

What kind of foolish stunt was this now? I listened in with a skeptical posture.

“He’s refusing all food, insisting that he must see His Majesty the Emperor. But His Majesty has ordered that the Prince must never leave the palace and must keep to strict seclusion, so we don’t know what to do…!”

“If something happens to Prince Lawrence like this, it will be hard for us to avoid responsibility.”

‘He’s not a child — is this some kind of protest or what.’

He clearly still hadn’t come to his senses. I was curious what his face looked like after that day anyway, so this was convenient.

“Oh dear. That won’t do. Bring the food in. I’ll carry it personally.”

“Ah, but! His Majesty has ordered that no one be allowed into the palace.”

“It’s fine. I am His Majesty’s loyal subject. There are unavoidable circumstances regarding Prince Lorence’s health; I’m sure His Majesty will understand. The Emperor wouldn’t want the Prince to be ill, after all.”

Inside I thought it’d be satisfying to kill him on the spot, but like a professional I smoothly fed them words I didn’t mean. Pretending to worry is as easy as eating plain porridge. The attendants hesitated at my offer for a moment, then nervously led me to Lorence’s chambers.

‘In the article it’s listed anonymously, so the Crown Prince wouldn’t know that the noble who threatened his family was me. Then again, the Crown Prince’s palace attendants would surely know about that shameful scene from last time.’

That Lorence was refusing to eat seemed to be a big enough problem for them to allow me in. Maybe my appearance made them drop their guard.

Of course I had no plan to assassinate Lawrence now. I wasn’t interested in dying with him.

‘Thinking of what he did, I wouldn’t give him a single grain of rice even if he were about to starve to death.’

He clearly wasn’t starving. Grumbling inwardly at the hypocrisy, I put a simple soup and some bread on a tray and went to Lawrence’s room. The guards initially tried to stop me, but hesitated when they saw the tray in my hands.

“We made it ourselves. We confirmed there’s nothing wrong with it.”

An attendant personally vouched to the guards. They even frisked the maid to make sure she wasn’t carrying a weapon before letting me in.

“Prince, the Chancellor has come.”

“What?”

Lawrence, who had been sprawled on the sofa, sprang to his feet. He looked at the tray in my hands and laughed derisively.

“Did my father order you to take care of my meals?”

He sounded oddly bright, as if he thought the Emperor was swayed by him.

“But that’s out of the question. I won’t take a single bite until I meet my father in person!”

He was utterly ridiculous. I stood opposite the sofa, tray in hand.

“You’re the Prince who threatened my brother’s life — would the Emperor be mad enough to give me such an order?”

“What?”

“If you won’t eat, there’s nothing I can do.”

I dropped the tray I was holding.

Crash.

Plates and food went skittering across the floor.

“What do you think you’re doing?!”

“You said you’d take not a single bite.”

“What did you say? You don’t seem to see anything right now, do you?”

“I couldn’t see before, but now I see very clearly.”

I gave a small smile.

“You must be terribly frustrated, Prince. Things are happening every moment out there, and yet you sit like some food-eating insect doing nothing.”

“Do you want to die? If you don’t want to end up like your brother, you’d better leave!”

I inclined my head slightly toward him and met his eyes. Then I spoke.

“If I speak to His Majesty the Emperor directly, it might be resolved. I am the Emperor’s loyal subject, after all.”

“What?”

Lawrence’s eyes widened. I leaned close and whispered into his ear.

“Would you like to try kneeling? Maybe that would change my mind.”

He’d been trying to have me killed outright — this bit of insubordination was necessary.