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Chapter 16
Til, the senior employee in the Taxation Bureau, glanced over the report and asked,
“You could’ve just written it roughly. Why did you work so hard on this?”
“Because I need to receive my travel allowance.”
Til was so dumbfounded he nearly dropped the report.
“…I’ve wondered for a while, but why are you so serious about money?”
As the daughter of the Duke of Vincenheim, she must’ve grown up wealthy.
Mel inwardly nodded in agreement.
He also couldn’t understand why Lianel was living the life of a civil servant.
When he didn’t know her well, he even wondered if this was just a sheltered noble lady’s “commoner experience” hobby.
“I’m an illegitimate child, so I don’t have inheritance rights. I have to prepare for old age.”
Lianel stated the shameful truth of her background without even blinking.
People around her, however, flinched, turned their heads away, or pretended to cover their ears in shock.
“Preparing for old age…”
“R-right. We should… do that too…”
They exchanged awkward glances.
They had assumed she was a noble lady pampered with privilege, so hearing that she, like them, clung desperately to her salary and allowances felt strangely refreshing.
At the same time, they felt a mix of kinship and pity.
‘So even nobles get no mercy if they’re illegitimate.’
‘If I were a duke, I’d keep such a smart daughter close and shower her with daily praise.’
Among them, Wilbrin empathized the most.
“…Let’s hang in there, all of us.”
He placed a fatigue-recovery drink on Lianel’s desk.
When she glanced at it, Wilbrin awkwardly smiled and said it was a cheap one under 10 gold.
“…Thank you.”
Only then did Lianel accept it.
But the relaxed mood didn’t last long.
“The Empress Dowager wants us to submit a report on tax evasion by government officials by department?”
A bomb disguised as a work order had just fallen upon the Special Taxation Bureau.
Public service was like the life of a duck gliding on water.
On the surface, they looked like lucky elites who had succeeded in the job market and secured prestigious positions.
But to stay afloat in the waters of government work, they had to paddle desperately beneath the surface.
One of the reasons for all that frantic paddling was the higher-ups.
Work orders falling from nowhere.
New regulations pouring in under the pretext of “eradicating bad practices.”
Ever-changing internal guidelines.
And while following all of that, they had to avoid displeasing their superiors.
To make it worse, any achievements earned by their paddling were often repackaged as the accomplishments of those very superiors.
Feeling rewarded was nearly impossible.
Given all this, it was natural they didn’t welcome orders from above—but this time was different.
Their schedule was clear. Thanks to Lianel, most major tasks, including the third-quarter report, were already nearly finished.
“Seems the Empress Dowager is planning to thoroughly crush the Ministry of Finance this time.”
“Of course. Count Bartello just used loans to cover up his tax arrears, and now she’s demanding this report… The intention is too obvious.”
And at the last meeting, the Empress Dowager had shown clear support for the Special Taxation Bureau.
Everyone’s shoulders rose with pride. Their long-buried dedication and sense of duty resurfaced.
“Just checking—none of you are behind on taxes, right?”
“Are you kidding me?”
Wilbrin snorted.
Everyone here had been pushed aside because they didn’t have the money or connections to bribe anyone.
It took resources to have unpaid taxes.
Even as they bantered, their eyes drifted toward Lianel.
The coffin-like Taxation Bureau had regained life thanks to the new recruit.
Even those who prided themselves on “showing up just to collect a paycheck” had begun working with passion.
“Senior, you can slow down a bit, you know?”
“What nonsense! If we work sloppily, how are we supposed to crush the Ministry of Finance?”
Til snapped back. Mollie lowered his voice, glancing around nervously.
“Senior, this isn’t like you. Please get your senses back.”
“What do you mean? I’ve always been like this.”
It was just that public service, which valued seniority over performance, had long suppressed his enthusiasm.
“….”
Mollie fell silent.
Of course, no matter how hard they worked, none of them could keep up with Lianel.
Her overwhelming processing speed came from her ability to see and synthesize multiple streams of information at once.
She called her work “sloppy,” and by her standards, she truly was holding back.
It was just that her experience and skill overshadowed everyone else.
And someone was watching her closely.
“….”
Asil.
Ever since the administrative meeting ended, he couldn’t stop looking at her.
She, like his teacher, had suffered baseless accusations and harassment.
He couldn’t help wondering if there were other circumstances he didn’t know about.
“Have you faced any difficulties handling your tasks?”
He eventually asked.
“Anything that feels unreasonable? Or anything that might need adjustment?”
He meant it out of concern, but she interpreted it differently.
‘Why is this guy throwing a trap card in front of everyone?’
In private, fine.
But complaining publicly about colleagues or acting like she alone suffered would be foolish.
“Work can’t ever be easy, but thanks to Senior Mel easing the burden, I’ve been treated with consideration.”
“Indeed, despite the heavy workload, you handle everything with skill.”
His tone was gentle, but the implication was sharp.
It sounded like: Aren’t you doing the work of the entire department by yourself?
“I believe it’s thanks to the guidance of the team leader and everyone else. I’m always grateful.”
Lianel smoothly sidestepped the trap again.
She hadn’t received much help from the department, but convention demanded she say such things.
Reading the strong will in her answer, Asil simply said, “I see,” and turned away.
Those who’d been secretly listening in were impressed.
‘Her way of speaking is strange, but she’s not a bad person at all.’
‘How can someone talk that prettily…?’
Their evaluation of Lianel rose dramatically.
Wilbrin, especially, was moved.
She had dedication, skill, and she cared about her colleagues…
This new recruit was a blessing.
After nearly a year without any new hires, maybe the heavens had held off just to send them Lianel.
‘From today on… the newbie and I are one. Anyone who insults her insults me.’
Meanwhile, standing slightly apart from the excited crowd, one person wore a subtle, conflicted expression.
“Mel, don’t you think the new recruit is pretty amazing?”
“Yes, well… I suppose so.”
It was Mel.
“How can she answer like that in that situation? Does she memorize model answers?”
Mel just smiled. Asking Lianel would only get her usual response: “I just did it roughly.”
Like how a mosaic becomes beautiful only from a distance, sometimes you had to view a person from afar to see their good side.
“But why the face?”
“It’s nothing.”
He was doing it for his senior.
Sometimes ignorance was bliss.
Late that evening, after everyone had gone home—
“So you’re saying you’re this close to being kicked out of House Vincenheim?”
Minister of Finance Royham sat face-to-face with his niece, Vanessa, in his office.
