I repeated his words in my mind and laughed a cold, suspicious laugh.
I can, at least a little, find some excuse for the title of succubus.
But a witch?
“What’s the matter?
I just came to return these tasks to you.”
"What…?"
“I just heard that the Summer Palace assistants are working very efficiently.”
I gestured to the knights, who took down the stacks of documents without any hesitation.
Kwwong!
Their number was so huge that their voice was heavy even though the ground was covered with soft grass.
“After generously devoting my valuable time to review these documents, I find that they are tasks that the Summer Palace can fully accomplish.”
"W-What do you mean by that?!
Are you trying to avoid work?!"
“If the Summer Palace lacked the capacity to accomplish it, the Winter Palace, as a business partner, would have thought of sharing the burden with you.”
I smiled softly..
“But from what I heard, you seem to have an abundance of resources and time.”
"But just because we're working efficiently and have extra time, why do we have to do the Winter Palace work?!
Don't try to manipulate us, Assistant Salis!"
What an accurate comment..
“Exactly, why do we have to do the Summer Palace work?”
I stated blatantly...
“All these documents belong to the work of the Summer Palace from the beginning.
Did Prince Charlie know about this and allow it?”
“Help Salis!”
“If you continue to insist on this stance, the Winter Palace will submit an official request to the Sun Palace to fully review these tasks.”
In this way, I can also reveal how incompetent Prince Charlie is.
“We will also attach your testimony that Prince Charlie ordered his assistants and administrative officials to run the business in this way.”
This would be enough to anger the Empress.
It is the last thing anyone would want from the First Prince's palace.
Moreover, the Sun Palace, where the Emperor resides, relies on the Winter Palace for some matters, and already has a heavy workload.
“If this causes their work pressure to increase during the financial settlement period, the Emperor will be very angry.”
Of course, some of this anger may fall on Cassian, but the Summer Palace will receive the lion's share of the blame.
I was so confident that I could win the battle for public opinion that I had already prepared the opening title for the newspaper article that was to be published.
I was exhausted from staying up late and working overtime, so I had no intention of taking on this alone.
'If I have to fall, I won't fall alone.'
When the Chef Palace officials saw the cold smile on my face, silence fell between them.
They seem to realize that I'm not someone who makes empty threats.
The advisors began to look at me and the huge piles of documents with concern.
“But… until now, the Winter Palace has always taken care of these tasks...”
“Take over?”
I immediately picked up on the hesitant words spoken by one of the administrative officials.
“So, you realize we were taking on this business out of generosity?”
Go on, talk more.
The more you say, the more you reveal the weakness of your position.
We at the Winter Palace rely only on irrefutable facts.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“There is custom and tradition...”
“Is there someone willing to put his name in the official report to the Sun Palace justifying why the Winter Palace should take over the duties of the Summer Palace?”
The advisor immediately closed his mouth.
If they returned with these documents, they wouldn't even be able to enjoy a stroll after lunch, they would end up working late in the Summer Palace.
None of them were foolish enough to know that.
Usually there would be at least one person acting stubbornly, but this time everyone chose to remain silent.
Since I have accomplished my task, there is no need to waste any more time here.
“So, we've returned your lost possessions, right?”
I gave them a sarcastic look and walked away, leaving them stunned and speechless.
The day I returned the business to its rightful owners, I was finally able to leave work before midnight for the first time in a long time.
Of course, I hadn't prepared all the tasks that Summer Palace had thrown at us, so I couldn't even dream of leaving work on time.
'But at least I managed to get home before the day was over, which in itf is an achievement.'
Cassian was also apparently happy with the reduced workload, so much so that he ordered more lavish than usual snacks to be prepared for the management staff who were suffering from exhaustion.
That night, I was finally able to sleep for six hours straight, under the covers that the maid, Joan, had dried in the sun, giving them a comfortable warmth.
But the next day, the simple happiness I felt was shattered.
And the reason?
“I would like to talk to you for a moment.”
First assistant at the Summer Palace, chief assistant there.
“About this year’s financial settlement work.
Can you spare some time, Assistant Salis?”
The person who came to see me was Francis Ashwood.
“…Are you still able to say that even after seeing the situation here?”
The problem was not his arrival itf, but rather his extremely bad timing.
“Assistant Salis, you must process these documents immediately!
His Majesty the Emperor is waiting for them.”
“Ma’am, please, help me with this too, just once!”
It is now 10:30 am, which is the busiest time in the Winter Palace.
Honestly, I can't ignore this rude timing.
10:30 a.m. is the period when administrative officials run back and forth to complete tasks immediately after the morning meeting ends.
“So, when would be your time?”
In fact, there is no right time these days.
I wanted very much to respond in this way, but the reasons for the Summer Palace should have been at least heard.
Knowing the character of Francis Ashwood, it is unlikely that he came to procrastinate at work, as those idiots did yesterday.
While I was passing some urgent work to other administrative officials, I looked at my daily schedule, trying to find a small window of time.
“Four o'clock in the afternoon looks like it would be fine.
Would that suit you?”
By about three o'clock, Cassian will have finished his knight training and returned, giving me some time to get out.
Can I find time to hold an emergency meeting in this busy schedule on the same day?
This was the utmost flexibility and leniency on my part!
“…I’m sorry, but, Assistant Salis, my working hours end at twelve o’clock in the afternoon.”
"so what?"
“So, it makes sense that you could meet me before—”
Crack..
At that moment, the pen I was holding between my fingers broke.
Fortunately, it wasn't the fancy pen Cassian had given me, it was just a pen that one of the administrative officials had given me a while ago to finish some work quickly..
There was a heavy silence in the office for a few moments.
Even the administrative officials who were pressuring me to finish their work, and the other assistants, were watching me warily.
“Logic?
Do you really think this makes sense, Assistant Ashwood?”
“But my time—”
“Ah, so only your time is important, and my time is worthless?
Or do you think that I am an employee working under you and should be available whenever I want?”
As a reminder, the person who pays my salary and determines my working time is Cassian, my immediate boss.
“Why do you talk like that?”
“On the contrary, you are the one who has to rethink his way of speaking.
Really, I can't believe it!
You see, how much free space do you have in the Summer Palace, so that the first assistant is able to leave exactly on time?”
I angrily opened the drawer, took out a better pen than the one that had just broken, and completed signing the papers before handing them over to one of the administrative officials.
“Can't you see I'm signing documents while I'm talking to you?”
“Honestly, I found that very rude, but I overlooked it out of respect because you seemed busy—”
"Respect?!
What kind of luxurious work are you used to that you consider this rude?"
Even as I spoke, I was continuing to finish urgent documents requested by administrative officials.
Survival in the Winter Palace office requires high-level multitasking skills.
“I don’t understand why the conversation is veering in this direction, I just came to politely ask for cooperation on the Summer Palace tasks—”
“Well, then, who needs this cooperation the most?!”
I raised my voice and looked at Francis Ashwood with a sharp look.
Is he trying to mess with me now?
How dare he say something like that in front of me?
Just the thought of continuing to argue with him was pissing me off, so I decided to end the conversation.
“It's four in the afternoon.
I'll only give you 15 minutes.
Take it or leave it, Assistant Ashwood.”
I said this while flipping through the next pages in the pile of documents, without even raising my head to look at him..
“Originally, these are not even tasks that the Winter Palace should assist with, or interfere with.”
I pulled out a neat folder of documents and placed it on the table in front of him.
“I have not even returned to you those tasks that are impossible for you to handle without the help of the Winter Palace.”
“This...”
"Have some dignity, at least.
Once you've finished reviewing that file, put it away and leave."
With this, I finished my speech and returned to focusing on the documents again.
Francis was slowly turning the papers at my side, as if he wanted to say something else, but the more discerning administrative officials seemed to have prevented him from speaking.
After that, I was completely absorbed in work, overwhelmed by a wave of overwhelming rage.
I don't know how much time has passed...
When I started to lose focus a little, I felt someone gently tapping on my desk.
“Why are you so angry?”
It was Cassian, and he looked like he had just showered, as the ends of his hair were still damp.
“I quickly finished training and came back especially for you.”
He said this in a warm tone, as if he was trying to calm me down gently.