MLIIWTFL Chapter 230

230

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"I'm being promoted to the Minister's aide?"

"Yes. The official appointment will be next week, so be prepared by then."

"Why? I've already submitted my resignation…"

"It's by His Highness the Crown Prince's command. After reviewing your performance, he deemed you worthy of promotion."

The sudden news hit like a bolt from the blue. Ariette was so stunned that she couldn't even remember how she made it through her workday.

She had never imagined her resignation, something she thought would proceed without issue, would be blocked. And for it to happen on the Crown Prince's orders, no less. She didn't know what to think or how to react.

'The Crown Prince promoted me? But why?'

No matter how hard she thought, she couldn't come up with a reason why the Crown Prince would deliberately hold on to her.

To make matters worse, he didn't even come to the gardens that day, so she had no way to ask him directly.

Eventually, she just went home after work, but if things continued like this, her resignation would end up being nullified.

She had made up her mind to quit for the sake of her new club and business plans. She had even told Letticia about it. Now what was she supposed to do?

"Arie, what's wrong? Did something bad happen at work today?"

"Ah, no. Nothing happened!"

"Then is the food not to your liking? Should I summon the chef-"

"No! It's delicious! Absolutely no problem, Dad!"

Ariette quickly lifted her fork to the food on her plate. She knew that if she dawdled over her meal, the chef would be called in and endure a lengthy scolding from the duke, something she had no desire to witness.

Fortunately, the chef's cooking, as always, perfectly suited Ariette's taste.

After finishing dinner and dessert, she excused herself, saying she wanted to read, and finally retreated to her room where she could resume her worrying.

"What do I do… Even if I want to talk to the Crown Prince, he might not show up again like today."

It wasn't something she could solve on her own. But she didn't want to talk to her father or brothers either. After all, this was an order from the Crown Prince himself, if her family started opposing it on her behalf, it could blow up into something huge.

Ariette knew better than anyone that when her family said they'd turn the Empire itself into an enemy for her, they weren't exaggerating.

At a loss for a solution, she paced around, her eyes eventually landing on a notebook on her desk.

It was the one she used to draft and revise her business plans. The moment she saw its cover, she was reminded of someone, the person she'd often seen while working on that notebook.

"…Still, would it really be okay to contact him over something like this?"

He had said it was fine to ask if she had questions about business or economics, but discussing a personal matter like quitting her job might push him away, and that made her nervous.

Still, there wasn't really anyone else she could ask.

Letticia and Seraphina were reliable, but they didn't know much about working life. As for her family… she wanted to leave that option as a very last resort.

Eventually, Ariette took a deep breath and entered Lenard's contact coordinates that she had memorized.

Luckily, it seemed he had already left work. After a few connecting tones, Lenard's face appeared in the video sphere.

—Good evening, Lady Averil.

"Good evening, Lord Sharon. I know this is a bit improper, but something urgent came up…"

—If it's urgent, what is it?

"I-I can't quit my job!"

Ariette tried to explain the situation as simply as she could. She told him that the Crown Prince had promoted her, and that if things continued this way, she'd be working as the Minister of Culture's aide by next week.

Lenard's expression showed clear surprise.

—You're saying His Highness personally promoted you? Do you have any idea why he made such a decision?

"The senior official said it was probably because of my performance evaluation… but still, being suddenly promoted to the Minister's aide just doesn't make sense, does it?"

—If it was based on your social status and not your work evaluation, it wouldn't be so strange. Even Sir Averil started out as the Chancellor's aide. It's actually rare for someone to join through the civil exam, like you did.

Hearing that made Ariette feel even more dejected. But Lenard didn't stop there, he continued, his expression turning serious.

—But that's assuming you continue working. If you've already submitted your resignation, they might just let you go.

"Then… does that mean my work evaluation must have been exceptionally good?"

—Well, even if it was, it's hard to believe they'd promote a rookie who's only been there for less than six months. And even if it were the case, it's extremely unusual for the Crown Prince to personally designate a new civil servant in the Ministry of Culture for promotion.

That only made the situation more puzzling. Lenard sighed shortly and asked.

—Anyway, trying to guess His Highness's intention has its limits, so let's set that aside for now. Has the appointment been officially announced yet?

"No, they said it'll be announced next week."

—Well, that's a relief, at least.

Ariette, seeing the faint smile on Lenard's face, asked him desperately.

"Is there any way out of this? I won't be able to attend meetings or prepare for the business if I keep working…"

—Since it was His Highness's command, the authority to cancel the appointment doesn't lie with the Ministry, it lies with him. I'll give you the personal contact coordinates of His Highness's chief aide, Sir Ezkhiel Bright. Try reaching out through that.

"But is it really okay? I mean, I'm asking a favor about an official matter through a private contact…"

—It's not exactly ideal, but time is of the essence. If you want to resign properly, you'll need to appeal to His Highness before the official appointment is announced. If you go through official channels, there's a good chance the petition won't even reach Sir Bright.

All petitions to the Crown Prince were supposed to pass through his chief aide. But due to the sheer volume, most got filtered out before they could even be reported. That's why most influential nobles used private networks rather than formal routes to get their messages through.

And among those networks, Sir Ezkhiel, chief aide to the Crown Prince, was considered top-tier.

—I'll go ahead and give him a heads-up first. Just wait a bit. He's incredibly busy, so I can't guarantee he'll respond tonight. You might be waiting a while, so I apologize in advance.

"No, of course not. You've already done so much for me, getting upset about a bit of waiting would be so shameless of me. Thank you so much, Lord Sharon. If it weren't for you, I'd still be agonizing over what to do."

Ariette truly meant it. Until Lenard mentioned Ezkhiel, she hadn't even thought of contacting him for help.

"I already feel guilty for constantly messaging you with questions about business plans and management studies… and now I'm burdening you with this too."

—If you can't quit your job, it'll affect our business as well. So it's not someone else's problem. Honestly, since you reached out early, this might be easier to resolve. You did well.

Even though Lenard reassured her like that, Ariette still couldn't shake the feeling that she needed to repay him somehow. She felt it would be ungrateful not to.

'I should ask Lady Sharon sometime what Lord Sharon likes.'

She hoped to find something meaningful within her own means. And if not now, then at least in the future, when she had more resources, she was determined to repay him properly.

He had taught her things she didn't know, and helped her chase what she wanted. She wanted to do at least a little something in return.

***

Ezkhiel had just gotten off work and was about to unwind with some herbal tea and cookies when he received a surprise call from a friend. He frowned slightly at the unexpected communication.

"What's going on, Lenard? Contacting me this late at night?"

—Do you have a moment right now?

"I just got off work and was about to relax. Why?"

—Sorry, but can you do me a favor?

"A favor? What kind of favor?"

—Lady Averil wants to submit a petition to the Crown Prince. Can I forward her your contact coordinates?

Ezkhiel, who had just raised his cup to sip some tea, was startled by Lenard's request.

"A petition? About what?"

—Apparently His Highness ordered her appointment as the Culture Minister's aide. She wants to ask for it to be canceled.

"Ah…"

As soon as he heard that, Ezkhiel felt a headache coming on. He tried to soothe it by inhaling the scent of his tea. He had thought he might get to sleep early tonight, clearly, that was no longer the case.

"…Send her the coordinates and tell her to contact me now. I'll talk to her directly."

—Got it. Sorry for calling so late.

After the call ended, Ezkhiel ditched his herbal tea and brewed a stronger black tea instead. He also brought a plate of cookies to his desk.

Getting saddled with work even after clocking out was the worst. But if he had to report to the Crown Prince in the morning, then he needed to handle this properly tonight.

'So much for going to bed before midnight.'

Rubbing the faint dark circles under his eyes, Ezkhiel grabbed a cookie dotted with chocolate chips.

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