The Low-Ranking Civil Servant Wants to Achieve Success-Chapter 74

And so, the Empress shocked everyone the moment she arrived.

That, at least, she was exceptionally skilled at.

“This feeling—it’s been a while. I feel like I’m going to lose somehow.”

The flames of rivalry flared wildly in the Empress’s eyes.

I rushed out and quickly stood in front of Kibon.

“Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress. Have you come to see Prince Jaden?”

“Namia!”

The Empress cried out cheerfully and scooped me up, spinning me around in circles again.

“It’s all thanks to you, all thanks to you! We’ve decided to get along now! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have even known what my son was thinking!”

“Kh-ack, y-yes... kkh, that’s really... great...”

“We even agreed to do that scroll thing at the banquet together! You heard, right?”

“Cough, kkh, yes...”

“It’s been a while since I’ve attended a banquet, so I want to try matching outfits! Was it... civil look...?”

I think you mean similar look...

“Namia, if you don’t have anything to wear to the banquet, come with us! There’s really not much time left!”

“Pardon?”

I hadn’t actually bought a dress for the banquet yet...

But honestly, I didn’t even have time to shop. Ever since I became Minister, I’ve worked overtime every single day.

“Before that.”

As I blinked, the Empress gave a chilling smile and pointed at Kibon.

“I want to go a round with that one. Total meathead, isn’t he?”

She scanned Kibon up and down, grinning.

“Seriously, how does someone like that end up in the Scroll Department? Hand him over. I want to train him and assign him as Jaden’s escort.”

At that, Kibon looked absolutely horrified, just imagining it.

“Your Majesty the Empress...”

I gave a strained laugh.

In the end, she was saying she wanted a sparring match...

‘Kibon doesn’t seem like the type to go easy on royalty.’

The Empress might not realize it, but when sparring with a superior, you're supposed to lose tactfully.

Of course, that’s impossible with Dragonbloods, since they’re overwhelmingly powerful.

But Kibon is a foreigner, and he’s totally inflexible—he’d never hold back.

‘Even if Her Majesty wouldn’t take offense, it wouldn’t look good.’

Kibon also wore the expression of someone who wanted nothing to do with this duel.

I quickly spoke up.

“This intern is surprisingly frail. He’s young, but his body is riddled with ailments.”

“Huh?”

“Just a few nights of overtime and he was already getting nosebleeds... He’s definitely not the kind of roughneck Your Majesty would be interested in.”

The Empress looked utterly outraged.

“What? What a sly little fox!”

“...Excuse me?”

“There’s no way someone like that gets nosebleeds from just a few nights of overtime! Maybe if he pulled multiple all-nighters! Namia, you’ve been duped!”

She looked about ready to grab Kibon by the collar.

Kibon just let out a long sigh, like his head hurt.

“He looks decent, but he’s completely shameless! Faking illness while working for such a kind boss? Slacking off? Whatever, let’s fight! Huh?”

Kibon glanced at my troubled expression, then slowly opened his mouth.

“Apologies. I decline.”

My jaw dropped.

Wait, did he just... flat-out refuse?!

Of course, the Empress didn’t look hurt at all. Thank goodness both of them were equally devoid of shame.

“Come on, at least think about it! Huh? You look like someone who’s used to using their body—don’t you get restless just sitting around pushing papers? Huh?”

Judging by the Empress’s determined expression, this wasn’t going to end easily.

In the end, I laughed awkwardly and linked my arm with hers.

“Your Majesty, let’s go.”

“Huh?”

“To get fitted. I don’t have a banquet dress either.”

Honestly, I’d never imagined I’d be getting fitted for a dress alongside a member of the royal family.

But it was the only way out of this situation.

“Ah, right! Let’s go!”

At my words, the Empress let out a hearty laugh and shouted,

“Let’s go! His Majesty even arranged for one of the most famous boutique madams to assist us!”

I was incredibly relieved she took the bait.

***

I take that back. I am not relieved.

“Hey, hey, hey. Come on, let’s fight. Huh? What do you say?”

The Empress hadn’t forgotten her chosen target.

As I hurried to leave, she called out to Kibon.

[Where Namia goes, her secretary has to follow, right?]

[Pardon?]

[We’re going to get Namia fitted for her dress! Her secretary obviously needs to come too, no?]

I mean... secretaries aren’t exactly lady’s maids!

But the Empress was relentless. It was obvious she had an ulterior motive.

She dragged Kibon along and tried to get him to spar every chance she got.

“I do not wish to.”

Kibon stood firm, his expression unchanging.

His stubbornness and resolve were honestly impressive.

‘He’s not even slightly nervous in the Empress’s quarters.’

When I first came here, I couldn’t help but shrink into myself.

Especially with all those weapons hanging on the walls of her room.

Anyway, that’s how we ended up—

Me, Jaden, the Empress, and Kibon, all together.

The boutique madam the Emperor arranged really was exceptional.

“I think this color would suit you. Let’s create /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ a sense of unity with this pattern...”

She withstood the Empress’s indifference and still managed to find the perfect design.

Even from her tone of voice, you could tell she was a pro.

The Empress, who appreciated talent in any field, seemed to like her too.

“Wow, sharp eye! I love it!”

“You flatter me. Thank you very much.”

The madam remained graceful as she finalized banquet outfits for the Empress and Jaden with minimal changes.

Ideally, the order should’ve been placed long ago, but the Empress only decided to attend the banquet today, so there was no helping it.

I glanced at the busy madam and asked softly,

“Is it okay, with the banquet so soon?”

“It’s fine.”

She smiled brightly as she answered.

“We’ll make it work, no matter what.”

Well, yeah. If you’re dressing royalty, you have to make it work.

‘They said she’s famous... looks like it’s true.’

If the Emperor summoned her, there’s no doubt.

Even just the sample dresses and catalogs she brought were luxurious and stunning.

That was when it happened.

“Namia! You need to pick a dress too!”

“Huh?”

The Empress, who had been pestering Kibon nonstop about sparring, shouted again.

“You said we’d pick yours too!”

“Ah...”

That had just been an excuse to get away from Kibon.

But the truth was, I did need a dress. As I hesitated, the madam gave a gentle smile.

“I actually have one that would suit the Minister perfectly. Would you like to try it on?”

“Uh?”

She really knew how to sell.

The Empress clapped her hands and nodded.

“Great! Namia, you can trust this woman’s eye. Try it on, quick!”

Even Jaden crossed his arms and nodded.

“Sounds like a good idea. Where else would you find a dress of this quality? You should take advantage of the royal privilege while you can. Honestly, I doubt you could even get an appointment at this place on your own.”

He wasn’t wrong.

I gave the madam a quick glance with an expression that said, I’m thrilled, but I can’t let it show too much in front of these people.

She caught on immediately and gently pushed my back.

“This way, come on now. We’ll get you changed right away.”

The boutique staff swarmed around me at once.

As expected of veterans, the outfit change was swift.

The dress sparkled with intricate beadwork and was dazzlingly beautiful.

“We’ll add this too.”

The madam whispered as she opened a jewelry box.

“Just looking at them, they seem like they’ll pay for it.”

A large sapphire necklace and earrings were placed on me in the blink of an eye.

“We’ll touch up your hair a bit too.”

Skilled hands moved through my hair, gently braiding it and placing glimmering accessories.

It all happened so fast.

“Oh my...”

The madam breathed out a whisper.

“You’re... truly stunning. I didn’t expect you to be this beautiful.”

The boutique staff nodded in agreement, whispering so no one outside could hear.

“Honestly, you might be the most radiant person at the St. Cairo banquet.”

“R-Really?”

I gave a sheepish smile and finally turned to face the mirror.

And then my mouth dropped open in shock.

Oh my god.

Seriously, this is why you leave things to professionals.

All I did was sit still and say nothing—and the result was this amazing.

Is... is this really me? Holy crap...

From head to toe, I sparkled.

And yet the colors of the dress and jewelry were so elegant, they didn’t overwhelm me—they enhanced me.

As I stood there marveling in front of the mirror—

“Namia! You done? Huh? Come out here, quick!”

The Empress called out. frёeweɓηovel.coɱ