Chapter 50
The Butterfly Effect of Being Marked (2)
The moment the interviews ended, that bastard Huhwang announced the winning company right away.
The rejected firms must have been crushed. Some of them probably couldn’t even understand why they’d failed after working so hard. And since companies in the same industry usually knew each other well…
The real problem was that we had nothing to say in response.
Do I have to defend that bastard too?
My stomach churned with anger.
Lucan was trying his best to calm down the representative from the architecture guild, speaking gently and nodding at all the right times — a model of perfect customer service.
Before long, he turned back toward me with a bitter smile.
“What did you tell him?”
“I said it was a close call. That he should try again next time.”
It was probably meant to be comforting, but that was nothing short of deceit.
“You shouldn’t have said that.”
It wasn’t encouragement — it was false hope. Why tell them something like that when the outcome had been decided from the start? They deserved honesty, not polite lies.
I clenched my jaw, picked up the snack tray, and stormed back into the building.
Weeks passed.
Nothing changed.
Huhwang’s petty revenge continued relentlessly. No matter how well I handled the work he dumped on me, his frown only deepened.
“Cornelia!”
He suddenly raised his voice — something he’d never done before. His usual tactics were quiet digs and snide remarks, not open shouting.
“Yes, First-Class Secretary.”
When I approached, his face was flushed red and blue with fury.
“What on earth did you do?!”
“I’m not sure what you mean, sir.”
Before I could finish, something came flying toward me. I flinched instinctively — then opened my eyes to see the pile of documents he’d just thrown.
He was panting with rage.
“What did I tell you to check with the Ministry of Defense yesterday?”
I kept my composure and answered calmly.
“You told me to confirm whether there would be any issues with the security support for next month’s Imperial event. I spoke directly with the Deputy Commander of the 2nd Royal Knights Division — he assured me there were no problems.”
Huhwang let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh.
“Then why did they say they can’t provide support?”
“…What?”
That didn’t make sense.
“When I submitted the official request, the Deputy Commander himself claimed he never said any such thing!”
Impossible. I remembered his voice clearly — his confirmation had been unmistakable.
“And now they’re saying if we submit the request this late, they might not be able to help at all! What are you going to do about it? This is an event the Princess herself will attend!”
I took a breath. Losing my temper wouldn’t solve anything.
“I’ll speak with the Deputy Commander again and figure out where the miscommunication occurred. If the issue isn’t on our end—”
“That’s not the point! How are you going to fix it?!”
Huhwang’s shouting echoed through the entire Chancellor’s Office. My blood began to boil.
“What’s the point of figuring out who’s at fault? The priority is fixing it! You’re so damn slow!”
“I only meant that understanding the cause will help—”
“Nothing gets done unless I handle it myself! And you call yourself a scribe? Out of my way!”
Raging like a storm, he didn’t even finish his tirade before slamming out of the office.
Bang!
The silence that followed was deafening.
My mind went blank from the sudden assault.
Did I really make a mistake?
I was certain I’d checked everything. How could the facts have changed overnight?
The thought that I’d made a serious blunder made my heart pound painfully. Since coming to this world, I’d never been so shaken.
While I was still trying to figure out what to do, Lucan leaned close and whispered,
“The Deputy Commander of the 2nd Royal Knights Division… he’s part of the Chancellor Marcus’s faction.”
“…!”
I turned my head stiffly. Lucan nodded meaningfully.
The blood that had run cold moments ago suddenly boiled to the surface.
I couldn’t stay still.
“I need to step out for a bit.”
Ignoring the other clerks’ stares, I stormed out of the Chancellor’s Office and headed behind the central building — to a narrow, hidden alleyway I’d found during lunch breaks.
After making sure no one was around, I screamed.
“You son of a—!”
I kicked the wall furiously, spilling every curse that came to mind.
“You worthless, power-drunk bastard! You think you can screw with me like this?!”
Even after minutes of yelling, the fury wouldn’t fade. I shoved my tangled hair back roughly, panting.
It had been a long time since I’d felt this kind of fire.
“Fine. Whatever. I’m done holding back.”
I’d use this rage as fuel — to push forward.
“I swear, you’ll never become Chancellor.”
I’d crush that smug, self-satisfied face into the ground.
The Minister of Finance felt cold sweat trickle down his back as he looked at the young scribe glaring at him.
He had scouted her personally, impressed by her sharp mind — but right now, her eyes glinted like a predator’s.
Calm her down. You can’t just tell her everything.
He understood her anger. He’d wanted to stop this, too. But taking Marcus down had already been a miracle — removing the rest of the corruption was near impossible.
How much should I tell her?
He hesitated. Cornelia had shown exceptional potential from her first day — that’s why he’d promoted her so quickly. If he revealed too much, she might give up everything out of disillusionment.
Before he could decide, she spoke first.
“The royal family’s involved, aren’t they?”
His eyes widened.
“What—how did you know?”
“I figured. To maintain manipulation on this scale, there had to be someone powerful backing it. After seeing how close the First-Class Secretary is with the Crown Prince recently, I was sure.”
To think she pieced it together with just that…
Her insight was beyond his expectations.
He could no longer hide the truth.
“You’re right. Marcus could only keep giving contracts to Linus because of that very connection. I’m ashamed to say it, but His Highness the Crown Prince has been supporting them behind the scenes.”
“So he’s the money source.”
Cornelia’s deduction was instant, precise.
How could a girl barely past her coming-of-age ceremony see so clearly through political rot? No — not jaded. Just brilliant.
“Yes. That’s why we can’t dismiss Dorian Bainglory, the First-Class Secretary, right now. When we expelled Marcus, we scoured everything around him — but the Crown Prince insisted on keeping one of his people. He blocked our efforts.”
Even if he couldn’t remove Dorian yet, the Minister had already decided to take measures against Cornelia’s unfair treatment. Lucius and Victor had privately informed him of what was going on.
That poor girl… all this time she’s endured so much harassment in silence.
He could almost picture her puffed cheeks and small, solemn face. It hurt more than any budget report ever had.
“I understand. I didn’t come to demand justice,” Cornelia said quietly. “I just have a small favor to ask.”
That piqued his interest.
“What is it?”
“I know the contract itself doesn’t have much power — it’s mostly symbolic.”
“That’s true.”
“But it’s a certified contract written by the Ministry of Justice, correct?”
“…Yes.”
Something about her tone made the Minister uneasy.
“Please have it rewritten. Say it’s outdated and needs to be updated with the latest terms.”
He frowned.
“Changing a few clauses won’t change anything.”
“I know. This is just the groundwork.”
“What are you planning to do?”
“Nothing drastic. I just think it’ll be better to make adjustments now, while the opportunity’s there. Don’t worry — nothing I do will bring harm to you, Minister.”
There was something almost sinister about the calm, calculated glint in her eyes. Still, it was a harmless enough request.
He agreed without hesitation.
At the time, he thought it was only a fleeting curiosity. He couldn’t have imagined what her plan would set into motion.
Knock, knock.
Phew. Why am I nervous?
I’d made up my mind to destroy Huhwang — whatever it took. My meeting with the Minister of Finance had just been the first step.
“You may enter.”
A man with neatly combed brown hair and glasses opened the door. His tone was brisk and professional.
The office inside was lined with shelves of law books, two rows of black tables and chairs arranged with military precision. The golden columns and decorations gleamed faintly against the dark furniture, giving the room a heavy, austere atmosphere.
“Greetings, Your Excellency the Supreme Judge. I’m Cornelia Libertas, scribe from the Chancellor’s Office.”
The Minister of Finance had moved swiftly, arranging this meeting for me.
It was how a mere scribe like me came to meet the youngest Supreme Judge in the Empire — the Duke himself.
“I didn’t expect this,” he said coolly. “Sit.”
A languid wolf of a man sat before me, one leg crossed over the other, his cold gaze cutting straight through me.
So this is him.
The Supreme Judge — the Duke of the Ministry of Justice.
The man everyone in the Seraphina Empire feared and respected in equal measure.
And the one I was about to make my first move against.
