“Can’t you tell? Donovan assigned it,” Connie replied nonchalantly, pouting her lips.
“But Donovan knows you usually handle the eastern territories, right?”
The documents Connie handed me were from the western territories. Specifically, they were records of strategic material transactions between territories.
“Weren’t you there? We were already swamped, and Donovan threw this at me too, saying I had to do it. That’s why I’m even more exhausted,” Connie grumbled, grinding her teeth.
Ignoring Connie’s harsh words, I asked, “Why would he separate this out?”
“Exactly, why?”
Strategic material transaction records between territories were like auxiliary documents. It would be much more efficient for Andrew, who was in charge of these western territories, to handle them directly.
A short silence fell between us. Then Connie broke it.
“Now that you mention it, it does seem strange.”
Scratching her cheek, Connie admitted that she hadn’t been thinking clearly due to lack of sleep.
“I thought Donovan was just showing favoritism to Andrew.”
She tapped the documents on the desk with her index finger, complaining.
“Andrew always uses the excuse that his cousin, some noble lord, has given him family duties, so he can’t find time for hard work.”
While that excuse might seem unreasonable to anyone working for a salary, it worked well on Donovan, who was a staunch supporter of the class system.
‘Donovan is eager to get in good with Andrew’s noble cousin.’
As a result, the tasks Andrew abandoned would fall to the employees Donovan found easy to bully.
‘Everyone knows about this, but they can’t do much about it since Andrew’s cousin is a significant noble.’
Donovan’s habit of picking on those he disliked played a part too.
‘This is the ugly reality of a class-based society.’
It was familiar irrationality, except for a few small exceptions.
“Even so, wouldn’t it be more efficient to assign this to another western territory officer?”
Connie, who usually handled the eastern territories, would have to grasp the basic framework of the western territories.
‘The Empire, originally a confederation, has differences across regions.’
From minor accounting methods to major tax rates, there were differences, especially between the east and west, which rarely interacted during the old kingdom days.
‘So why assign it to Connie? It’s definitely odd.’
I linked the instinctive warning I felt watching Donovan scold Connie with the discomfort I felt looking at these documents.
I hoped it wasn’t the worst-case scenario.
Shaking off the thought, I joked, “Maybe you were the easiest target?”
I intended to lighten the mood, but it seemed too plausible.
‘Donovan’s lack of consideration for efficiency and dumping tasks on the easiest target is typical of him.’
Connie shivered as if creeped out by my guess and grumbled, “Being ranked as Donovan’s easiest target is too sad to hear.”
She pretended to sob loudly, making it clear she was joking.
As I hesitated, unsure how to respond, she started an exaggerated act, pretending to be even more sorrowful.
“Yes, I have no parents or wealth!”
Who knows how far she’d go if I didn’t stop her.
“Hey! I never said that much.”
To prevent this from going too far, I grabbed a few more documents from Connie’s desk.
Seeing the thickness of the stack I picked up, Connie stopped her act and smiled contentedly.
“Well, at least I have Carolina Diaz!”
Connie performed a strange dance, claiming that being roommates with me was the best fortune of her life.
Though I knew she was joking, her sudden mood change was surprising.
“I would’ve helped without all that.”
I rolled my eyes lightly and returned to my desk.
Then I picked up my pen again.
‘The western territories are tricky with all the iron mines.’
Especially since Duke Camelot, the ruler and wealthy noble of the west, owned several iron mines, and the transaction records of his vassal families were quite complex.
‘It looks like they borrowed money during a famine and repaid it in kind because they couldn’t repay in cash.’
The loans had been split and transferred around, making them hard to track.
‘No wonder Andrew didn’t want to do it.’
It seemed I had taken on more work than expected, but it was better to read one more page than to waste time regretting it.
Forcing my tired eyes open, I went through the documents one by one.
Connie, eager to finish and get some sleep, worked silently.
We worked non-stop until dawn.
‘I only breathed and worked, really.’
Thanks to our efforts, we finished everything before Donovan, who had left early, returned.
I handed the completed report to Connie.
Receiving the documents, Connie sang another improvised song about the fortune of being my roommate, dancing as she did.
“Just get it approved quickly.”
“Yeah, thanks a lot, Rina.”
Connie got Donovan’s approval and left, claiming she would die if she didn’t rest soon.
Donovan scolded her for being weak, but today marked the start of a three-day special holiday for all Imperial Palace officials.
‘Of course, scolding won’t work. It’s a special order from the Emperor.’
Most employees didn’t show up at all. Those who did only finished urgent tasks before leaving quickly.
After cautiously observing, I also slipped out quietly.
I walked an extra block to catch a shared carriage, fearing someone might stop me.
Dozing off in the bumpy ride, I finally arrived home.
Summoning the last of my strength, I washed up and collapsed onto my bed.
From the moment I lay down, my memory went blank, as if someone had struck the back of my neck.
I wasn’t sure if I was sleeping or unconscious.
* * *
“Wow, I slept so well.”
Checking the clock, I realized it was 6 a.m., just as dawn was breaking.
“Should I call this early or late?”
I had wasted the first day of the holiday, but I didn’t mind.
There were still two days left.
‘I wanted to see the imperial parade and fireworks.’
I wasn’t too disappointed.
Spending the time doing things I had postponed due to my busy schedule wasn’t bad.
“I’ll get some treats for the cats, visit the grocery store, and clean the house.”
After a simple preparation, I grabbed some chicken jerky from the pantry.
Arriving at Grizelle Park, where the cats roamed, I called them in a low voice.
“Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, where are you?”
After a few calls, the cats began to appear from a distance.
Sol, the most affectionate, rubbed against my legs in greeting.
“Long time no see.”
Sol, named for having the highest octave meow, gave a cute “meow.”
I handed each cat a piece of jerky.
They took the sizable pieces to a spot a bit further away to eat.
I distributed more jerky as the cats came back for more until I ran out.
Fortunately, the cats, now full, found comfortable spots to groom themselves or bask in the sun.
Satisfied, I waved to Do, Re, Mi, Fa, and Sol.
“See you next time.”
It was about time for the grocery store to open.
As I walked towards the park’s west gate, still under construction, I encountered someone entering from the opposite direction.
A tall man with a deeply pulled hood.
The narrow temporary path barely fit two people, especially with someone his size.
‘Better let him pass first.’
As I moved aside to let him through, I caught a glimpse of his jawline under the hood, and it looked familiar.
I had only met him twice, but his face was unforgettable.
‘Oh?’
I must have shown my surprise.
‘Everett Roxas’ turned his head, avoiding my gaze.
‘I stared too much.’
“Please, go ahead,” I offered, feeling slightly embarrassed.
After briefly looking at me, Everett Roxas nodded and passed by.
I only looked back after he was quite far away.
‘What a coincidence.’
I hadn’t expected to meet him again.
And I had no idea that this series of unexpected encounters would continue.
