Chapter 81

“You’ve fallen for a very bad man.”

He deliberately picked an innocent new recruit. He appealed with polished competence born of experience, disguised the age gap as maturity to entice, then reassured the other with a homely image. But when that failed, he played ignorant—he’s a rotten fellow.

Penguin hung her head deeply as if filled with self-reproach. I wanted her to realize she didn’t need to feel that way.

“I’ll start with praise. You cut it off before it became irreversible for you. You did really well.”

Usually people just let it slide. They delude themselves into thinking they can dream of a new life. But the man will never divorce. If there are no problems in that household, he has even less reason to give it up.

“I did…?”

Penguin slowly raised her head, voice quivering as if she hadn’t expected praise.

“Even if you felt those emotions you described, you refused decisively. Do you know why that is? Because Penguin knows how to value herself. Regardless of the other’s intentions, you have a firm conviction that it’s simply not acceptable.”

“Do you really think so…?”

Penguin was suffering from the aftershocks that followed her correct choice. Many things that sustained her were being shaken by that storm.

“From my view, Penguin’s current feelings seem like an ethical disgust beyond mere lingering affection. Having worked longer, I think the feelings that were once positive are in the past. Those feelings were somewhere between admiration and admiration from afar. May I explain more bluntly?”

Penguin tilted her head in puzzlement, then nodded.

“At first you said he seemed impressive because he was good at work and kind. Really? You said there’s a big age gap, right? How old is he?”

“Twelve… years.”

I cursed inwardly and continued.

“You said he looked skillful. To be honest, if you worked until that age, you could handle all those tasks too. I guarantee it. He likely seemed that way because you’re still young and inexperienced. Of course he might indeed be capable. But if Penguin had some experience under her belt, she wouldn’t have been so impressed. People don’t confuse professional ability with romantic feelings.”

“Ah….”

“If he really liked you, his attitude shouldn’t have changed—even after you made your rejection clear. He should have continued to do his job professionally. Instead he treated you like an emotional trash bin simply because you were more obedient or friendly. Like a conduit that only pours out negative feelings. No matter how strong Penguin’s mental fortitude, it’s not easy to hear that kind of thing every day from someone you see face-to-face. It can never be a sign of affection.”

“Emotional… trash bin… Right, that’s how it was.”

The vague feelings she had been experiencing were becoming clear.

“The important thing is Penguin made a choice. She decided to uphold her ethical convictions.”

“Yes. I don’t regret that.”

She was an intelligent young woman—no romantic experience, but a clear sense of judgment.

“If it’s mentally very hard and he’s sitting next to you, I wouldn’t tell you to endure it. Actually, Penguin knows best what the best revenge against such men is.”

“Changing jobs?”

“Yes. Go somewhere better, get better treatment, meet better people. There’s no need to wallow in the mud together. It’s bad for your mental health. Especially since Penguin has no immunity. Immediate punishment isn’t the only right answer. You should choose to treasure yourself.”

Penguin’s hands, which had trembled during the whole conversation, were now calm.

Her voice trembled more calmly than before.

“Thanks to Master Quokka, a lot of the confusion about what happened and my feelings has been resolved. I feel much lighter. Honestly, I had nowhere to unburden myself… I didn’t expect much coming here… sigh, I even came prepared to be criticized. I didn’t expect you to tell me I did well, that it wasn’t my fault… sob… Thank you so much. Really… I’m glad I came here.”

“When that kind of situation actually happens, it’s not easy to handle, so you did really well.”

Seeing Penguin crying so much that the inside of her mask was wet almost made my own eyes go red. I hoped she would get through this tough time and find a lover who would cherish only her.

“You said you’re worrying about changing jobs? If your mind is settled, you’ve completed the basic preparation. If it’s okay, bring your resume. I’ll look it over. I’ll guarantee secrecy. And let’s think about something new besides that guy. What do you want to do going forward? You don’t need grand reasons. Wanting to make a lot of money is fine. If your current job doesn’t suit you, look for something new. Start to think a bit more broadly and give your heart a rest.”

I’m not an expert, so I tried to offer sincere comfort.

Penguin’s voice was nasal as she left the consultation, but it was distinctly brighter.

After that, Penguin came often for job-change consultations. She was happy that having something to focus on made it easier to shake off her depression, and I felt proud too. It was hard now, but it would certainly be an occasion that made her stronger.

‘By the way, I’m getting a lot of job-change consultations.’

Recently, job inquiries have been frequent—maybe many people had experienced confession attacks like mine.

I ended the session by advising the last reservation that we could do a reference check, that is, a reputation inquiry, and to refrain from causing a fuss from now on.

‘I can’t even decide my own direction, what am I doing counseling others.’

Isn’t it said that the monk can’t shave his own head? Watching myself give all sorts of advice to wandering clients made me ponder a lot.

The Chancellery had regained peace after a long time.

Assistant scribes, scribes, and secretaries were frantically handling mountains of piled-up documents. Still, with the Chief Justice’s work requests gone, the usual workload had been restored.

At that moment, a message popped up on the communication artifact.

‘Crown Prince’s Palace?’

Hello.

Chancellery First-grade Secretary Cornelia Libertas.

His Highness the Crown Prince requests the secretary.

Please come to the Crown Prince’s Palace immediately.

‘The Crown Prince…? Why?’

A frown formed between my brows. A summons right before leaving work. It was an unappealing summons, but since royalty called, I had to go. I stood up, explained the situation to Senior Lucius, and left the Chancellery.

‘Why would he call me?’

It was an open secret that I was on the Minister of Finance line, so he couldn’t not know. If he intended to make me do something like the pompous fellow did, he’d chosen the completely wrong person. The question remained unresolved no matter how much I thought about it on the way to the lavish Crown Prince’s Palace.

“Your Highness, First-grade Secretary Cornelia Libertas reporting.”

“Come in.”

A slightly sharp voice was heard and the reception room door opened. It was a room full of classical splendor. White walls and ceiling were decorated with ornate gold, and a vivid red carpet covered the floor.

The Crown Prince smiled kindly and gestured to the seat opposite the table.

“Sit.”

I gave a courteous bow without a word and took the seat.

“Hmm, you look even cuter in person. It’s a shame to let you rot away at the Chancellery, you know?”

“…..”

Starting with an appraisal of my looks. It was grounds for an HR report, but I maintained decorum by not replying. With glossy silver hair and that neat face, I couldn’t understand why he would diminish his charm like that.

“You surprised me by calling me suddenly.”

“Ah, my father introduced us at the last banquet, but it seems we didn’t get to speak properly. You seem about the same age; I’d like to get to know you.”

He has a fiancée openly, yet wants to befriend a female employee out of all people—his future looks truly bleak. But I kept a smile on the outside.

“If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask.”

Since he wouldn’t have called me out of boredom, it was a polite way of saying ‘get to the point.’ He took a sip of the tea before him and spoke.

“You’re the one who exposed the shoddy construction culprit, revealed the Chancellor’s corruption, and proposed the aristocratic asset registration system, right?”

Ah, so he called to tidy up the mess, then.

“My seniors did the major work, and I, embarrassingly, played only a small role.”

“Oh?”

“A mere suggestion alone couldn’t make it real. It was possible thanks to much advice and help from my seniors.”

“If you say so.”

The Crown Prince had a look that said he already knew everything, yet he didn’t bother to press further. Instead, he asked another question.

“Would you join as my aide?”

“…Sorry?”

He suddenly offered to scout me just as I was preparing to refuse the tidy-up task. The Crown Prince tilted the corner of his mouth and said,

“I fired my current aide because he was useless. I was thinking who to put in, and your name popped up—my father introduced you after all. I think you’d fit in many ways. What do you say?”

What could I say? You, who’s steeped in corruption, are absolutely a refusal.

“I’m sorry, but I prefer to work at the Chancellery. If you respect that, I’ll work hard for the Empire.”

“Is that so?”

For a moment the Crown Prince’s voice grew sharply colder. When I looked up, he still smiled as if untroubled.

“Oh, the tea’s gone cold. Have them replace it with a fresh pot.”

A maid then brought a new cup of tea.

“It’s an expensive tea you might or might not drink in your life. Drink.”

“Ah, yes.”

I didn’t particularly want the tea, but the Crown Prince’s gaze was so persistent that I picked up the cup.

‘This feels off.’

I planned just to wet my lips, but suddenly there was commotion outside.

“There’s a guest right now, you can’t come in—!”

The reception room door flung open.

“Supreme Justice?”

He strode up and roughly knocked the teacup from my hand. The teacup flew into a potted plant by the window.

Clang!

“You, what are you doing right now?!”

The Crown Prince raised his voice. Seeing the teacup fly into the plant made my heart drop with a thud.

The flowers that had been in full bloom had withered in an instant.

A chill ran down the back of my neck.