Chapter 8
Chapter 8
The desk that had been brought with great difficulty—with Noah Roheim’s help—was placed in the corner of the office.
A seat facing the wall with my back to the other employees.
It felt like they were drawing a clear line: you will never belong with us.
Not that I had any intention of fitting in, but this still felt unpleasant.
To make matters worse, there wasn’t even a single writing instrument on the desk. Only one book lay there by itself: “About the Monola Empire.”
So this is what they call a “banishment assignment.”
I had only heard about it before, but experiencing it firsthand felt strange.
Receiving treatment like this on the very first day at work—an ordinary person would probably bury their head in the desk and cry.
But not me.
I didn’t plan to work here long anyway. If they isolated me like this, it actually made things more comfortable.
I had been curious about the place where I was living anyway, and they had even kindly brought me a book.
“Hm-hmm, hmm—.”
Sitting at my desk, I opened the book while humming quietly.
The employees stared at me as if I were insane, but I didn’t care.
Oh, so the continent I’m on is called the Aska Continent.
Since it was a history book, I thought it would be dry and boring, but it was surprisingly interesting.
Just as I was getting absorbed in it, a woman entered pushing a tray carrying appetizing sandwiches and drinks.
The clock I glanced at happened to show 12:30.
Ah, so this was lunch.
“Let’s eat!”
After the woman left the tray, the man who had told me to fetch my desk and chair said that to the other employees.
Everyone took a sandwich and a drink.
When I went over to get one too, the man waved his hand dismissively as if shooing away a fly.
“There’s none for you.”
What kind of nonsense was that?
“Excuse me, there are two sandwiches and drinks left.”
“One is mine and the other is the team leader’s. If you want something, go down to the first floor and get it yourself.”
Wow.
Now they were discriminating over food too?
I stared at him in disbelief, but the man ignored me and took the remaining sandwich and drink.
The other employees snickered as they watched me.
They were really determined to make my life miserable.
If they didn’t like me, they could just fire me—why go through all this trouble?
Clicking my tongue, I left the office.
“Excuse me!”
Just then, I spotted the woman who had delivered lunch to the other office.
“I didn’t receive my lunch earlier. Do you happen to have any sandwiches left?”
The woman tilted her head.
“You didn’t receive lunch? That shouldn’t happen. I distributed it according to the number of people…”
“I started work today, so I think my portion might have been missed.”
“I know. You’re Miss Aileen, the one who started at the Urban Development Department today, right?”
Oh?
This person knew who I was.
“I brought exactly thirteen servings, including Miss Aileen’s.”
“…Did today’s lunch include the team leader’s portion?”
“No. The team leader said he would be eating outside today.”
Just as I suspected.
That sandwich had been mine.
Of all things, playing tricks with food—those were the kind of people I hated the most.
“Here, please take this sandwich and drink.”
“Ah, thank you.”
The woman looked at me sympathetically before leaving.
“Ha… the more I think about it, the angrier I get.”
They say you shouldn’t disturb even a dog while it’s eating.
And yet they were pulling such petty tricks with food.
“I’m not going to stay quiet either.”
Since I was already desperately trying to get fired, what was there to be afraid of?
First, I decided to deal with that skull-faced guy.
With that resolve, I gulped down my drink.
“It seems the Urban Development Department employees dislike Miss Aileen and are giving her a hard time.”
At the end of his report, Noah Roheim brought up Aileen.
The hand that had been flipping through documents stopped.
Calix listened indifferently, but his gaze changed when Noah mentioned that Aileen had said she would “handle it herself.”
“She’s got nerve.”
With that brief comment, Calix returned to reading the documents.
“Miss Aileen said she was fine, but I’m still concerned.”
Noah Roheim added, slightly flustered.
He had expected the lord to take immediate action.
“Since she’s from a commoner background, even if Miss Aileen performs well, they won’t accept her easily. So perhaps Your Grace could at least speak to the Urban Development Department’s team leader…”
“No need. She said she would handle it herself, so she will.”
Calix’s tone made it sound like Aileen’s fate was of no concern to him at all.
Noah Roheim grew even more puzzled.
Since the lord himself had placed her in the Urban Development Department, he had assumed she was favored.
Apparently not.
“Still, keep watching her.”
Calix handed him the signed documents and continued.
“I want to see how far that woman can go.”
To plan effective revenge, I first needed to know what kind of person that guy was.
So I investigated him.
His name was Allen Cranter.
He was twenty-eight years old.
A typical coward—weak toward the strong and strong toward the weak.
How should I deal with someone like that?
I wanted to give him proper payback.
“Excuse me.”
“Oh—welcome, Miss Rianne!”
While I was thinking, perfect prey appeared.
It was the third day since I had joined the Urban Development Department.
When a blonde woman entered, Allen Cranter greeted her enthusiastically.
“I think there’s a problem with the document I submitted for approval earlier. I came to see the team leader. Is he here?”
“Ah, he stepped out briefly, but he should return soon. Please sit here and wait.”
“Then I’ll excuse myself.”
When Rianne sat on the sofa, Allen Cranter brought her water and snacks and fussed over her excessively.
Oh?
So he likes that woman?
This was the perfect chance for revenge.
As I approached with a grin, Allen Cranter flinched and stepped back.
“Do you need something from me?”
He quickly composed himself and asked politely—quite differently from his usual attitude.
“I have something I’m curious about. It’s about what happened two days ago during lunch.”
Perhaps because he felt guilty, Allen Cranter’s eyes began to dart around.
“Ahem… I’m speaking with Miss Rianne right now, so perhaps we can discuss that later…”
“It’ll only take a moment. That’s fine, right?”
I directed the question not at Allen Cranter but at Miss Rianne.
Unaware of the situation, she nodded.
“I came to see the team leader, so please don’t mind me.”
“Then I’d like to hear why you lied and said my lunch was the team leader’s two days ago.”
“Who said I lied?!”
Startled, Allen Cranter shouted.
Miss Rianne’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I mean… it wasn’t a lie. It was true.”
“Really? Because the person who brought the sandwiches told me that the team leader’s portion wasn’t included that day since he was eating outside.”
When I refuted him, Allen Cranter seemed speechless.
Yet he kept glancing nervously at Miss Rianne.
“Allen must have made a mistake because he didn’t know the team leader’s schedule. As the rookie, you should understand.”
A bearded man sitting next to Allen suddenly defended him.
“That’s right! It was a mistake! I didn’t know the team leader was out on business!”
Allen Cranter spoke passionately, spitting as he talked, insisting that if he had known, he wouldn’t have done it.
Did they think I would back down?
“Then—”
“Why is it so noisy here?”
Just as I was about to press further, the team leader, Toma Harens, returned.
“Team Leader! Miss Rianne from the General Affairs Department is here!”
Allen Cranter immediately rushed to him.
Miss Rianne, who had been watching nervously, also went straight to the team leader.
Tsk.
If he had arrived just a little later, I could have made Allen Cranter break out in a cold sweat.
What a shame.
While I clicked my tongue regretfully, I noticed the other employees secretly watching me.
Before, whenever our eyes met they would glare as if asking what I was staring at.
Now they quickly looked away in surprise.
Well, the ending was a little unsatisfying, but it seemed I had successfully convinced everyone that I was crazy.
They probably won’t pull those childish tricks anymore.
It would be even better if they complained that they couldn’t work with me.
I was sure that Allen Cranter, at least, would give me the reaction I wanted.
So when our eyes met after he returned—
I smiled more brightly than ever.
“….”
Allen Cranter recoiled as if he had seen a ghost and quickly sat down.