Chapter 68
Omniscient Vespera’s Viewpoint
Depressing.
Vespera, the Empire’s most flawless specimen of a man, was depressed.
From the moment he was born, the duties of nobility had been carved into his bones. To live for the Empire was the sacred mission of those born with noble blood, and those who defied that principle were beneath contempt. To bear the heavy crown of the next Grand Duke was to embody that belief.
But as he lived through life, he learned a truth he had never expected.
Not everyone lived as he did.
They were not brilliant. Their wills were weak. Their bodies were fragile. Some did not even understand the responsibilities of nobility.
At first, he burned with anger. But after countless trials and errors, he grew tired of raging—and chose instead to protect at least himself.
And so, he rose endlessly.
It was difficult, but he never sought recognition. Still, no one could carry the world alone. He needed colleagues who stood at his level.
“Good afternoon.”
When he first saw her at the central ministries, he had felt an unexpected relief. He felt it again when he saw her at the Daijo store, and again at the Marquis’s banquet—because she was sharp. Truly sharp.
When he heard that she had created the cosmetics brand that had become the most popular in high society, he had thought:
If someone like her worked for the Empire, how much stronger it would become.
And she had not disappointed.
“You may think it’s useless now, but there will come a time when this will be applied decisively.”
She had demonstrated legal knowledge and persuasion that someone her age had no right to possess. Not once did she show fear while speaking with him, the Chief Justice. He had almost recruited her to the Ministry of Justice without realizing it.
If properly nurtured, she would undoubtedly become someone great.
She had not even attended the Academy, yet she was at this level. After several years of experience, even he would struggle to catch up to her.
“Chief Justice… No, Duke… What brings you here, Chief Justice?”
At the memory of her rabbit-like, startled eyes, a small laugh escaped him.
Fearing that the Crown Prince’s puppets might claim the construction case and cost the Empire a valuable talent, he had listened to the Finance Minister’s plan and moved at once.
But how much had she prepared?
She had even disguised herself as a company employee and dispelled the locking magic herself. What he had intended to handle in time, she had already done perfectly.
Shameful…
It became a moment that corrected his own resolve.
When he saw her again in the Department of Overseas Hidden Assets, he had been… happy.
She felt far more reliable than Illya, who stood beside him. It wasn’t an easy task, but he believed they could solve it the way they always had.
If I work with her, it will be faster.
“What are you doing now?”
“Is there anything you’d like me to do?”
Vespera had rarely left work on time.
To him, “leaving on time” had always been a formality. If work remained, then work continued. That was his belief as a bureaucrat serving the Empire.
She had completed her responsibilities perfectly.
That was why he could say nothing.
And learning that so many officials stayed late simply to watch their superiors’ reactions had truly shocked him.
“I propose the Noble Asset Registration System.”
While she left on time every single day, he had secretly wondered what kind of alternative she could possibly bring.
But unlike those who simply stayed late doing nothing, she had presented a revolutionary plan no one had even imagined.
She had proven that working late did not improve efficiency.
It was a method even he had never considered.
A young lady of only twenty-one years… he had even wanted to cut open her head to see what in the world was inside it.
There was no reason not to adopt her proposal.
“It makes sense. I’ll introduce you to him someday. Judge him yourself.”
It irritated him.
When the Emperor tried to introduce someone as insignificant as Lawrence to a once-in-a-generation genius official.
He was already taking steps, but the thought of her someday cleaning up after Lawrence disgusted him.
It would be nothing but a loss for the Empire.
He needed a countermeasure.
“Cornelia!”
When the future Master of the Magic Tower tried to hug her, his body moved before reason.
It was the first time he had moved that fast since his military days.
How dare you touch my subordinate…!
But she and that noble young master already knew one another.
He had even agreed to cooperate with the imperial family because of his relationship with her.
There were worlds of hers he had never known.
And that realization was anything but pleasant.
But when he watched her happily chewing grilled fish at a roadside restaurant on the way home, that strange bitterness faded as if it had never existed.
Then, unease appeared once more.
“Clerk Cornelia’s opinions are delusional. It seems she lives in a world of her own. You cannot judge everything by efficiency. She doesn’t seem suited to the Imperial bureaucracy.”
“I only suggested that unnecessary energy shouldn’t be wasted. It’s not that I’m unsuitable… it’s that the central administrative process is completely clogged.”
Even so, he had never intended to fight with her.
“Is it really that hard to write one more report? Or is this simply because you want to go home early?”
He still couldn’t believe he had said something so miserable.
“I’ve never neglected my duties and gone home. If it’s something I understand, I work overtime without being told. But eating a warm meal with my family is more valuable to me than repeating the same work over and over.”
He had to admit it.
He might have thought she was like himself.
That she would think like him.
That he had judged her by his own standards without permission.
She was not like him.
The longer they worked together, the clearer it became.
Raising my voice at a young official… how pathetic.
The image of her sharply raised eyes lingered in his mind.
He sighed.
He couldn’t focus on work.
He didn’t want to go home.
So, like the other officials, he stayed behind for no reason and worked late.
He sat in front of meaningless documents until midnight.
Still, he thought:
I can’t remain like this.
He decided to talk to her.
That was when the news arrived—the retainer of Marcus, who had fled overseas, had been captured.
To properly establish the Noble Asset Registration System, Marcus’s assets had to be registered under the name of a retainer who could not be trusted.
He went straight to His Majesty.
As he watched the approval process, he painfully understood the flaw Cornelia had pointed out.
Even getting an audience with the Emperor was difficult.
Only because he had close ties with the royal family could things move so quickly.
“Thank you for processing this so swiftly, Chief Justice.”
When he saw her smiling as if they had never argued, he found it difficult to define his emotions.
Her elegance in separating duty from emotion… and the quiet disappointment that perhaps it hadn’t been that big of a hurt to her.
He couldn’t say anything.
After that, nobles flooded in to register their assets.
He had planted fear—the fear that their assets could be taken by someone else.
Those who already had wealth were always greediest.
“Chief Justice, may I come in for a moment?”
It was Laira, the Treasury officer.
Although it was a day when everyone reported to their own departments, she often visited the Ministry of Justice because of asset registration.
Her report was as precise as the Treasury itself—cold, clean, and flawless.
“How is His Majesty?”
“Wow. You’re serious. You’ve worked hard, Chief Justice.”
“You handled a lot as well. And there will be even more to manage from now on. Don’t grow complacent.”
“Of course. We crossed the biggest mountain, so it’ll be fine. But… did you say anything separately to Clerk Cornelia, who played the biggest role in this success?”
Laira’s gaze lingered on him, seeking.
“Cough. I… should.”
“Still not reconciled?”
“Do you have that much free time?”
So much for the idea that Treasury officials cared only for money.
I’ll withdraw that thought.
“She walks around pretending she’s fine so her work won’t be affected… it’s hard to watch. Simon said he couldn’t stand seeing it.”
“…Did she, now?”
“You do think her proposals were necessary, right? You’ve handled real work and management. There’s no way you don’t know that.”
“……”
“Do you know what she said?”
“What?”
“She said you’re one of the people she doesn’t want wasting unnecessary time either. That she knows how hard you always work. That she doesn’t want you wasting your time and energy.”
“…Is that true?”
“Why would I lie? There’s no money in it.”
Laira smirked and left with the signed documents.
“She brought it to the surface. Now, the superiors have to respond properly.”
She paused at the door and added a warning:
“If she were my subordinate, I’d spoil her rotten. Don’t make her cry. Crying makes her less cute.”
After she left, Vespera buried his face in both hands.
Just hearing a few things… and it felt like his head was floating.
The worries and pain that had wrapped around him seemed to be washed away in an instant.
His chest tightened.
“…What is this, exactly?”
