Chapter 24

The day after Milo, acting on Arcitina’s orders, dumped a mountain of paperwork on them, three aides joined the heir’s office.

Bren was boisterous, fitting for a sailor. Hailey quickly became close with him.

Id, who had been with the Treasury, had a sharp personality to match his prickly first impression, but surprisingly, he was sincere about following orders. As soon as he learned Hailey was his superior, he bowed his head immediately.

The problem was Neil, a young man with freckles. As soon as he saw Hailey, he bristled.

‘I’ll never betray Shale!’

What nonsense was this? Bren sidled up and whispered in Hailey’s ear.

‘Neil has a crush on Shale.’

Hailey smacked her own forehead with a loud thud. She was genuinely frustrated.

Explaining that she and Latrian were absolutely not on good terms, that Shale had some deep misunderstanding, and that Shale just disliked her for no real reason would be too long and pathetic.

So she didn’t bother to explain, but Neil glared at her over every little thing, grumbled constantly, and sometimes even deliberately provoked her.

But a common enemy can turn yesterday’s foe into today’s ally. Right now, the enemy of the annex was the endless stream of work.

‘Head Arcitina is trying to bury the heir in work.’

Id joked like he’d lost his mind, and Bren seriously agreed.

Hailey too wondered when this “for the time being” would end. After more than fifteen days, wasn’t “for the time being” not “for the time being” anymore? She didn’t even have the energy to argue.

It was a tragic night where the phrase “on time clock-out” had become a hollow echo.

A letter from the Treasury at the eastern mansion arrived at the annex heir’s office. Neil, who received it, collapsed onto the desk.

The name of the one he longed for escaped roughly from between his lips.

“… Shale Hansbil, this….”

Hailey snatched the paperwork Neil was holding and finished his sentence.

“This crazy person?”

Neil replied with a devastated expression.

“I didn’t say it quite like that.”

“Even after seeing this?”

Hailey bit her lip bitterly. The payment request she’d sent to the Treasury for the repair of the sailing ship had been returned with a dramatic rejection.

Latrian’s requests were processed swiftly, but only the documents she handled were always picked apart. This was open provocation.

If Latrian went and said a word… no, if he just showed up at the Treasury, Shale would beam and approve everything instantly. That’s what Shale wanted from the start.

Hailey sighed and walked toward Latrian’s desk. He was napping, arms crossed, face buried in his desk.

Hailey reached out to wake him, then paused. Awkwardly, she curled her outstretched fingers.

While the other aides managed to catch a nap or two in shifts as they handled the onslaught of work, Latrian stayed awake the whole time. He’d sleep so uncomfortably, asking to be woken up immediately if anything came up.

Clutching the paperwork in her hand even tighter, Hailey turned away.

“I’ll go myself.”

Neil’s eyes widened.

“Hailey, you?”

“Yes. I’ll take care of it, so wait here.”

Before Neil could say anything, Hailey crossed the room. At the door, she paused and turned to Neil as if she’d just remembered something.

“Don’t wake him.”

With that final warning, Hailey strode out, snorting fiercely.

Neil, still confused, stood there as someone’s tightly shut eyelids opened.

* * *

Late summer was the season when Mart shook the most.

Everyone in the city was busy, and the Akrender family was no exception. With the heir now sharing the Head’s duties, even the previously quiet annex had become bustling.

But Shale, now reviewing documents, was moving at the most leisurely pace in the world. She didn’t care if the person standing in front of her had numb legs or a deepening frown.

Finally, Shale set down the papers. Her gesture was almost dismissive, and her voice was thoroughly dissatisfied.

“I don’t think this will work.”

Hailey clenched her teeth so hard it was audible. But as the heir’s aide, she quickly managed her expression and forced a smile.

“Deputy Director, in your opinion, what’s lacking?”

“All of it. Why are the repair costs so high, did you properly check the number of ships to be repaired, things like that?”

“… The repair costs aren’t much different from last year’s. Any increase is noted with reasons attached. As for the number of ships, I checked them myself at the harbor. It’s all detailed…”

“Ah. First, you should learn how to write documents the Akrender way.”

Shale slid the papers toward her with her fingertip.

“Hard to make sense of.”

The papers, sliding off the desk, landed at Hailey’s toes.

“Go on, then.”

The documents she’d worked so hard to prepare were now scattered on the floor. All her and her aides’ time and effort had gone to waste.

Hailey lifted her head and confronted Shale boldly.

“Why are you so rude?”

Shale’s eyes widened at the unexpected outburst.

“W-what did you say?”

“Seriously, did I ever give you permission to speak informally to me?”

“By what right…!”

“Right? Let’s talk about that.”

Hailey tapped the family brooch pinned to her chest.

“The highest-ranking retainer in the mansion is the advisor. Next is the head’s direct aide, and right below that is the heir’s direct aide. Treasury and merchant retainers come after.”

Her outstretched finger pointed right at Shale’s forehead.

“So, strictly speaking, aren’t you below me?”

“A-a Deputy Director of the Treasury has the status of a direct aide! You don’t even know…!”

“That’s only in exceptional cases when there’s no direct aide.”

“…!”

“Is this an exceptional case? I don’t think so.”

Hailey bent to pick up the papers from the floor and placed them back on the desk, staring at Shale.

“Don’t pick fights and just do your job. I even used honorifics for you because you were here first.”

Shale’s lips trembled. She grabbed the papers Hailey handed her with both hands and lifted them.

“You may be my superior, but Treasury approval is strictly my authority.”

Rip! The papers shredded into pieces in her hands. Amid the fluttering scraps, Shale twisted her lips into a smirk.

“So, do as you’re told. Understood?”

Hailey covered her eyes with her hand and sighed. Why did things always go off the rails? Calmly brushing her face, she replied in a formal voice.

“Yes. Then, I’ll report to the merchant department that the second half’s sailing ship repair budget has been cut.”

“What?”

“You told me to redo it from scratch, but that’ll take at least two days. The shipyard’s repair schedule closes tomorrow afternoon, so repairing ships in the second half is out.”

“I heard there’s still a week left for shipyard scheduling?”

“No. They won’t accept any more large sailing ships of this scale.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve done it before.”

Hailey shrugged confidently.

“Port family and us both have a lot of long voyages, so our ships get battered often.”

A practitioner’s knowledge born of experience was enough to knock down a desk-bound manager.

The Treasury aides behind her turned pale, and anxious murmurs spread.

Hailey watched Shale’s flustered face, arms crossed.

“Believe me or not, that’s your choice. But if you don’t and the schedule slips, that’s definitely your responsibility.”

“No way…!”

“You’re ready to hear it from the merchant department, right?”

Leaning in close, Hailey mimicked Shale’s earlier expression and smiled.

“Or, if you piece back together what you just shredded, will you approve it properly then?”

The two pillars of the Akrender family’s retainer power—the Treasury and the merchant department—both aimed to help the family prosper, but their attitudes, goals, and temperaments were totally different. They’d cooperate when needed, but usually, they were at each other’s throats.

If Shale’s antics stopped the ship repairs, the merchant department could happily tear into the Treasury.

As Treasury head, Shale should have grabbed Hailey’s offer. She was giving her a way out.

But Shale hesitated, pride keeping her from answering. Hailey delivered her ultimatum and turned to leave.

But before she could take a step, Shale’s urgent voice rang out.

“I’ll review it again!”

Hailey turned, and Shale was forcing a smile.

“There must’ve been a mistake… resubmit… and I’ll check…”

It was meant to be polite, but Hailey just fiddled with her nails and didn’t reply. Shale finally nodded.

“… I’ll do it, Hailey.”

“Right. Anyone can make a mistake. I’ll bring it back by tomorrow morning, Deputy Director Shale Hansbil.”

Leaving Shale’s burning glare behind, Hailey turned away.

Unlike her calm walk out, as soon as Hailey closed the Treasury office door, she leaned against the wall, clutching her chest. A groan escaped her.

She just wanted to get things done, but it was exhausting.

Grumbling, Hailey turned with a slightly lighter heart. That’s when she spotted platinum hair lurking in the shadows.

Just before she could scream in surprise, a smooth hand reached out and covered her lips.

“Shh.”

The root of all this trouble, Latrian Akrender, stood there with an angelic smile.