Chapter 84

“Harass… you mean?”

The Duke continued flipping through the documents as if it were nothing serious.

“You probably guessed it from the recent incident, but the Crown Prince and I are not exactly on good terms.”

Thinking of Those Who Can’t Resign, that was putting it rather politely.

“From my perspective, it seems His Royal Highness the Crown Prince simply dislikes me unilaterally….”

“I have no interest in him. But sometimes it gets tiring.”

If he were deliberately dumping this work on the Duke, even a cold, razor-sharp man would have a hard time enduring it forever. Why on earth would he do that?

If I had to guess, the likeliest reason is jealousy because the Duke is overwhelmingly impressive. From what I’d heard at the central ministries, aside from the incident, there was nothing notably outstanding about the Crown Prince.

‘He’s good-looking, but the Duke utterly outshines him anyway.’

He is the next in line for the throne, yet he can’t see how to use an excellent subordinate and is consumed by inferiority. A lord must be the proper vessel to hold good retainers.

I helped with the Duke’s work and we chatted in between. Working together made the pace fairly quick.

“If we finish this, I’ll be able to leave early. Cheer up, Supreme Justice.”

“I’ve wondered for a while… why do you want to leave so soon?”

“Isn’t that true of all bureaucrats? I’m just more obvious about it.”

“Hmm. I’m curious about your reason.”

From the beginning our perspectives differed; I’m not sure I can make the Duke understand.

“It’s nothing grand. I like a comfortable home. I enjoy eating and talking with my siblings, and I like sprawling out in my room and on my bed.”

The Duke took his eyes off the papers and turned them toward me.

“Come to think of it, the person I saw when I visited your home last time must have been your older brother. The little ones are your younger siblings.”

“That’s right. I live with my older brother, a younger sister, and a younger brother. I heard the eldest brother is studying abroad, but we don’t get much contact.”

By the way, since we’ve moved again, I should send our new address to the eldest whom I don’t even know.

“It must have been hard living only with siblings.”

“At first it was like that, but now it’s fine. Lady Kiara looked after me a lot, and the Chancellery salary isn’t bad. Unexpectedly, my promotion was quick too. The Minister of Finance paid attention to us in various ways, so my brother and siblings are attending the academy and that’s a relief.”

Even though it wasn’t work-related, the Duke listened without once looking back at the papers. Maybe because of Those Who Can’t Resign, I felt oddly at ease.

“Would you like to attend the academy too?”

“I suppose I’m curious, but I’m here at the Chancellery for now. There’s a separate hiring exam, but everyone is from the academy, so I was worried when I first came.”

“Looking at your abilities, you’ll realize the academy means nothing. You said your promotion was fast, but if it were me, I’d have recommended you as a First Rank Secretary from the start. You can have more confidence.”

I was at a loss from the sudden storm of praise. Embarrassed, I deflected awkwardly.

“Thank you, haha. Supreme Justice, if it’s not rude to ask, what’s your family like?”

He seemed unprepared for that question. His expression, usually blank, flickered like a brief ripple.

“Ordinary. Father, mother, older sister, and me. Four family members.”

The family composition was the same as the Marquis’s house.

“I remember you choosing gifts at the Black Dia shop. You said they were for your mother and sister; you seem like a close family. It’s not easy for a younger sibling to take care of them like that.”

“Is that so? It’s a bit… embarrassing.”

The Duke’s face reddened slightly. That look made him seem like a man his age and was rather endearing.

“No, it’s nice to see!”

I remembered the past when I went shopping for Parent’s Day gifts with my younger brother. We pooled our scant allowance and wandered the mall all day trying to decide what to buy. A smile crept onto my face.

“…Are you alright?”

I snapped back to attention. What a rude lapse in the middle of conversation.

“Yes! I was imagining what kind of people the Supreme Justice’s family are, who even pick gifts themselves! I wondered if they were all as stern as you, since you’re taciturn and strict.”

The Duke gathered the papers he’d been filling out and set them aside on his desk. We still had work left…?

“My father is rather strict. He always taught the importance of a noble’s duty and loyalty to the empire. He provided opportunities for varied experiences. My mother is kind and gentle. My sister is…”

Usually, if a son is taciturn, the daughter takes after the mother and is gentler.

“She’s almost a carbon copy of my father. I take after my mother quite a bit.”

“Oh… I see.”

Even the described gentle mother seemed to me like an ice block. Her image was like a hard stone wall, yet when the Duke spoke of his family, warmth settled in his eyes. I couldn’t help but feel envious.

“Do you have any hobbies, Supreme Justice?”

“I don’t think I have many.”

I’d heard he was skilled in swordsmanship, riding, and more, but it seems he didn’t really enjoy them. Perhaps that’s why.

“Perhaps the reason you don’t want to leave early is that after work you don’t have any particular hobbies or things you want to do?”

“For example?”

“Like eating something delicious, having books you want to read, or waiting for someone?”

He pondered my words and then slowly nodded.

“If that’s the logic, I did think I wanted the time to pass quickly when you came to the Ministry of Justice after work.”

My heart fluttered at that sudden, straight remark.

“…I didn’t expect that.”

My face burned and I fumbled with the papers, but no letters registered. Footsteps came, and a shadow slowly fell in front of me.

“Secretary Cornelia.”

The Duke placed his hands on my desk and gracefully leaned his torso forward.

“Supreme Justice?”

His face drew so close it became embarrassing to look; I instinctively tilted my neck back. Yet I couldn’t tear my gaze from his reddened eyes as if entranced.

“Just to be clear, I respect your feelings, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up on my feelings for you.”

“…!”

“You seem too careless. I want you to be somewhat aware of what it means to be alone with a man who confessed at this late hour. You’re still young, so you might not know.”

Seeing my stunned expression, the corner of the Duke’s eye curved slightly.

“Go home and think it over carefully.”

He withdrew and returned to his seat as if nothing had happened. All the way home, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had walked right into my own trap.

Even though I know everything, I didn’t expect this.

‘I didn’t expect him to turn like that so suddenly.’

He was always taciturn and unresponsive, so I assumed his confession ended there. I thought overtime would be no problem as before. I was too careless, just as he said.

“He’s a pro, totally.”

Who does that without warning? With that handsome face, he must have led many women astray. Otherwise, I couldn’t have been so helpless!

Maybe it’s not about age but experience… Even after coming down to Ophel, my thoughts wouldn’t stop.

“Get a grip.”

As Lucius senior said, there were ambiguous parts in the paperwork, but I confirmed with Lord Ophel and could correct them quickly. It seemed there had been some misunderstanding of the form. Maybe they did that on purpose to send me down to get some fresh air.

Although it’s odd to call it a hometown after my soul was switched, I stopped by the Daijo Ophel branch and relayed the head office’s message. The senior staff saw me and his expression soured, but he responded with a composed smile, and I thanked the physician/clinic who’d taken such good care of Rio.

‘It’s been less than a year, but it feels different.’

It was such a small countryside town there weren’t many places to go. Still, walking peaceful roads away from the crowded capital felt pleasant.

Knock knock.

“Who is it?”

“Nicola’s friend Cornelia.”

The door flew open and two cute little girls appeared.

“I told you not to run around inside like that!”

A woman who looked exactly like Nicola—brown hair and drooping eyes—appeared to scold them.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. Come in.”

It was Nicola’s mother.

Since I was transferred to the capital soon after the Soul transmigration, I had no acquaintance with Nicola’s parents. Still, I hoped they’d not be distant since they were my close friend’s parents.

“Please make yourself at ease. I’m on a business trip to Ophel, and Nicola asked me to convey his regards to you, so I came by.”

At the mention of Nicola, her face brightened. She led me to a small, cozy kitchen, handed me homemade cookies, and asked various questions about how he was doing. Understanding that sentiment at least vaguely, I answered earnestly.

“We were so surprised when he suddenly said he wanted to go to the capital. We thought he wouldn’t leave Ophel.”

“Really?”

It was the first I’d heard of it. The woman kept bringing out more handmade cookies as she spoke.

“He seemed content with life in Ophel. He’d never caused trouble. Then one day he said he had something to say—that he had a friend who just barreled forward without hesitation. He said he wanted to follow that friend to the capital. That’s when we realized our son had been holding back for the family. Thinking about it, he can’t always be the good son and good brother. It was the first time he asked us so strongly to let him do something. So we allowed it. I’m glad he’s doing well. He’s so admirable.”

The woman was bright, gentle, and warm like Nicola. We chatted while I kept popping the seemingly endless cookies into my mouth when the front door opened.

“Dear, I’m home. Do we have a guest?”

“Nicola’s friend is here. Cornelia, I think. Do you remember her?”

“Of course. That clever friend, right? Oh, so this is her.”

It was Nicola’s father. I stood to greet him but hesitated.

“His leg…?”

One of his legs was tightly bandaged and he limped as he walked. At a glance it looked very bad. He grimaced but forced a smile as he spoke.

“Not long ago, during construction part of it suddenly collapsed from above. I can’t use it anymore.”