“Phew.”
Carrick let out a deep sigh.
As the youngest member of the office, Carrick never let his guard down. He was the type of person who handled tasks quickly and with the proactive attitude expected of a junior. Because of that, seeing him in such a state was quite unfamiliar to Dien.
There was just one thing he liked about the situation, though.
“Aide Carrick?”
After contemplating from a distance for a moment, Dien approached him and spoke.
“Ah! Young Lord!”
Carrick quickly fixed his posture at Dien’s appearance.
“Here are the twenty copies.”
“Ah! Thank you!”
Carrick took the documents from Dien’s hand.
“Life as an aide isn’t easy, is it?”
“Eh? Yes…”
He looked discouraged at a glance. Dien could have left him alone, but the look on the man’s face weighed on his mind, so he decided to talk with him for a while.
“Aide Petro is quite fastidious, isn’t he?”
“Huh?”
Startled, Carrick’s eyes widened as he looked at Dien. Seeing that, Dien smiled, confirming his suspicion was correct.
“Just as I thought.”
“Hahaha. No, it’s not that…”
Carrick gave an awkward laugh and lowered his head. Conflicts between employees exist in any organization. Especially if the senior is someone like Aide Petro — impatient and stubborn — the junior’s suffering only intensifies. Dien could easily imagine how much heartache he must have endured.
“I’ve been a bit concerned.”
“Pardon?”
“Every time Aide Carrick gets scolded by Aide Petro.”
“Ahahaha.”
It had been one month since Dien entered the palace. He had long since finished assessing the atmosphere of the aides’ office and their personalities. Fortunately, most of the people in Aide Persian’s office were quiet and diligent. However, there is always a nuisance everywhere. The only flaw in the office was Aide Petro.
It was the so-called Law of Conservation of Lunacy. In Petro’s case, he had many complaints and a strong stubbornness. On top of that, he had a tendency to try and dominate the office atmosphere.
To be honest, Dien had seen far worse people, so someone like Petro was relatively decent. But for Carrick, who was still unskilled in social life, there was likely no one more difficult to deal with.
“So you’ve been watching, Young Lord.”
“I’d be a fool not to know. The Chancellor probably knows as well.”
“I’m embarrassed that you had to see me like this.”
“Don’t say that! You’ve never shown anything embarrassing. All I’ve seen is someone trying harder than anyone else to learn.”
“Hahaha. Talking to you makes me feel better, Young Lord.”
“Oh, it’s nothing! I only said what I saw and felt. Would I, a noble, tell such a light lie?”
“Hahahaha.”
Carrick burst into a pleasant laugh for the first time, and Dien smiled, looking relieved.
“By the way, what is that in your hand?”
Dien asked, looking at the documents Carrick was holding. It looked like about ten pages.
“Ah… this is…”
When Dien quickly reached out his hand toward Carrick, who couldn’t bring himself to continue, Carrick hesitantly handed over the documents.
“These are petitions from the citizens.”
“Yes. That’s right.”
Petitions were what the people used to file complaints. In his past life, it would have been similar to a national petition board.
“But why are you holding these? Shouldn’t you just distribute them to the appropriate aides?”
“The thing is…”
“Go ahead and tell me.”
“It’s because it’s ambiguous who to give them to…”
“Ah!”
Carrick trailed off, but Dien understood perfectly.
It was the so-called “document shuffling.” This usually happens when it is unclear whose responsibility a task is.
Every government office has its duties divided, and people tend to push off tasks that fall into the gray areas between those duties. Since it’s hard to definitively say whose job it is, they just pass it around.
Document shuffling, along with “phone shuffling,” was something that happened quite often in public service.
“I feel bad for him…”
Looking at Carrick, Dien felt a surge of pity. Of all people, the one responsible for distributing the petitions coming into the Royal Castle was Carrick, the youngest member of the Chancellor’s office. Dien didn’t need to see it to know how much trouble he was going through.
“It’s awkward to give to the Treasury, and awkward to give to the Chancellor’s office. Right?”
“Yes, that’s right. Aide Petro just tells me to hand them over to the Treasury… but the Treasury says it’s not their job and tells me to take them back. I don’t know what to do.”
Dien nodded. Moreover, since the Treasury and the Chancellor’s office coexisted while keeping each other in check, the document shuffling was likely even more severe. On top of that, since a junior aide who was commissioned this year was in charge of distribution, the senior aides probably pushed him around even more.
“Even if I want to handle it myself just to be at peace, Aide Petro throws a fit every time, so I’m at a loss. I wonder if this is what being a castle aide is really like…”
His situation brought a sting to Dien’s eyes. To become an aide at the Royal Castle, one had to be at the top of the commoners’ academy. Who would have thought that such a genius among geniuses would enter the castle of his dreams only to spend his time walking back and forth with papers?
Then again, in the past, several new employees had started with dreams of a grand public service career, only to realize the reality after suffering through absurd tasks.
“Aide Petro is being too much. He must have been a junior once just like me. I don’t understand why he can’t ever try to see things from my perspective…”
“Yes…”
Dien understood his feelings. But in a way, it was also a junior’s wishful thinking to hope that a senior would understand them.
Furthermore, people like Aide Petro were typical of the sort who remembered their “tadpole days” only in a way that favored themselves. It was obvious just by how he constantly talked about “back in my day.”
“At first, I thought I was being scolded because I was unskilled, but now I feel like Aide Petro just dislikes me…”
Once he started talking, Carrick poured out his grievances endlessly.
“I’m sure that’s not it.”
Dien didn’t offer hasty advice. In this kind of situation, premature advice often acts as a poison. And a talent like Carrick had likely tried to motivate himself many times already.
He had simply become emotional because nothing he did seemed to work.
“You must be very frustrated, Aide.”
“Sigh.”
At Dien’s words, Carrick let out a long sigh while looking up at the sky.
“My mother runs a boutique alone in the Central Plaza. Even with the high rent, she worked herself to the bone just to send me to the academy… Knowing that, I was still thinking about quitting being an aide until just now. My heart was in so much pain that I completely forgot the look on my mother’s face when she was so happy that I became an aide.”
“Aide Carrick…”
Dien became solemn at his words. He silently patted the man on the back.
As Carrick looked up at the sky while Dien comforted him, Dien cleared his throat and spoke.
“Um, Aide Carrick…”
“Yes, Young Lord.”
“There is a way to handle those petitions.”
“Pardon? How…”
Carrick’s eyes flashed with interest at Dien’s words.
“You can just leave them to someone who is your junior and has no work to do.”
“Pardon? Young Lord! I was commissioned this year. Where in the Royal Castle is there anyone more junior than me…”
Dien tucked the petitions into his robe and pointed to himself with his thumb.
“Right here. Someone who joined the Royal Castle after you and is idle because they have no specific duties. From now on, leave these kinds of things to me.”
Dien said, tapping Carrick on the shoulder.
“What are you saying, Young Lord! Absolutely not!”
“No! This is my first command to you. From now on, I will also handle the distribution of petitions. I will, of course, tell Chancellor Persian as well. You know what kind of punishment you get for disobeying an order, right?”
“Young Lord.”
Carrick made a crying face as he looked at Dien. He felt guilty for burdening Dien with an unnecessary load just because he had vented his frustrations. But contrary to his worries, Dien’s expression was shining brightly.
“Someone once told me this. The winner isn’t the one who works well… the winner is the one who survives until the end. Besides, don’t we have that great system called personnel transfers? You’ll eventually be distanced from Aide Petro as time passes.”
“Yes.”
Dien’s words touched Carrick’s heart. There were many people in the Royal Castle who spoke kindly, but Dien was the only one who showed genuine interest and helped.
Despite the chilly weather, he felt a warm energy from every single one of Dien’s words. His frozen heart was melting like snow under the sunlight at Dien’s smile.
“But Aide Carrick! My help isn’t free!”
“Eh? Then…”
“Promise me. When it’s really hard to endure and you feel like doing something drastic! At that time, come find me first.”
“Huh?”
Dien laughed playfully and wrapped an arm around his waist.
“Hahaha. I understand.”
Carrick let out a pleasant laugh as he looked at the pinky finger Dien held out.
The two of them walked familiarly toward the aides’ office.
“But Young Lord, can I ask you one thing I’ve been curious about?”
“What is it?”
“How did you get so close to Chancellor Persian? My legs tremble just looking into his eyes.”
“Shall I tell you?”
“Yes.”
“I’ve lived the life of a public official for so long that handling superiors has become second nature to me.”
“Eh? Young Lord, hasn’t it only been one month since you came to the Royal Castle? Hahaha.”
At Dien’s remark, Carrick clutched his stomach and laughed so hard that tears came to his eyes.
“Is he laughing?”
Dien also wore a bright smile as he looked at him.
***
“Are you slacking off already?”
As soon as Carrick entered, Petro shot a cold remark at him.
“I—I’m sorry…”
Just as a startled Carrick was about to bow his head, Dien stepped in front of him.
“Oh my! Aide Petro! I asked Aide Carrick to look for some materials so I could prepare for the Chancellor’s meeting.”
“Ah… I see. Is that so?”
At Dien’s words, Petro shrugged his shoulders awkwardly.
“Is Aide Petro very busy without Aide Carrick?”
“Hahaha… well, it’s not that…”
“Then can I give him a bit more work?”
“Hahaha… why are you asking for my permission…”
“Since you often scold Aide Carrick, I thought you were the one in charge of disciplining the aides. Hahaha.”
There was a hidden meaning in those words. Disciplining the aides was the duty of a noble.
Petro smiled awkwardly upon hearing Dien’s words, but he couldn’t hide his reddened face.
In truth, it wasn’t a good look for Dien, a noble, to interfere in the relationships between aides. However, it was necessary to speak directly to someone like Petro.
“Aide Carrick! Regarding the landscaping service contract, could you go and investigate the disqualification grounds for the Hosebin Merchant Guild?”
“Eh?”
Dien turned toward Carrick and winked at him.
“Since it will take a long time, go ahead and leave work as soon as you finish the investigation. Aide Petro, it’s okay if I give Aide Carrick some work, right? It’s something the Chancellor is also concerned about.”
“Ah… yes… of course… Aide Carrick! Make sure you assist Lord Dien well.”
“Ah… yes!”
Petro answered with a trembling voice at Dien’s words, and Carrick barely held back his jaw from dropping as he responded.
Then, Dien approached Carrick and whispered.
“Go home early today.”
It was Dien’s consideration to let him leave work quickly. On a day when his mind was as complicated as today, he thought it would be good to rest for a day.
“Young Lord.”
It was a gratitude beyond words. Carrick’s lips trembled, moved by his consideration.
Seeing that, Dien cleared his throat and quickly entered Persian’s office. Carrick, who watched him until the end, returned to his seat and packed his things.
His body began to shake slightly. As he packed, sorrow suddenly began to well up.
To think he had considered quitting his job as an aide. The image of his mother, who had bragged to the whole neighborhood that he had become a Royal Castle aide, was still vivid in his mind.
It was a day he felt sorry for his mother for no reason. He decided to stop by his mother’s boutique for the first time in a long while. He wanted to see her face and help with her work.
“I’ll be going now.”
“Uh-huh~ Good work~.”
Carrick barely managed to leave the office while trying to hide his flowing tears.
As soon as he stepped out of the Royal Castle gates, Carrick began to sob out loud. He waited in front of his mother’s boutique for a long time until his swollen eyes settled down.
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