Sincerely, Vanessa [EN]: Chapter 69

Being in a relationship with Gideon didn’t drastically change Vanessa’s life.

Vanessa still frequently worked late and was occasionally scolded by the Minister – “How can you be so compassionate? You’ll collapse from overwork!” – and spent weekends groaning in bed.

Still, the feeling of holding something she thought unattainable was beyond words. Her habit of keeping a distance also improved.

“The Special Forces completely wrecked Dalorum Street this time because of illegal trading of monster corpses.”

“Illegal immigrant wizards are being caught one after another… supposedly.”

All the Ministry of Magic officials who were talking glanced at Vanessa. Vanessa became slightly depressed. Danny Marlon hesitated, then craned his neck and asked,

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“No… I’m fine… They’re doing the investigation, and I just have to stamp the documents… probably.”

Vanessa muttered gloomily, her face betraying her words. Almost as if someone was dragging her, she trudged weakly towards the Special Forces.

The captured wizards had various stories and loud voices, making the inside of the Special Forces building bustle with activity.

“Is it a crime to sell some of that? Is it a crime!”

“Haha, it is a crime. It’s a crime for unauthorized people to enter the area, and it’s a very big crime to process monster corpses and hand them over to criminal organizations,” Hyssop replied with a bright smile.

A wizard with several metal ornaments pierced in his ear tore at his dangling mustache and screamed. His clothes were covered in star patterns and were very flashy.

“Criminal organization, my foot! It’s nothing. I’m just trying to do some business!”

Hyssop said kindly to Vanessa, who looked disgusted.

“It’s going to take a while to sort them out. They all seem crazy.”

“It will be difficult to find the ones the Special Forces really want to find.”

“That’s right, and the hidden lines behind them. We’re searching all their houses. The Captain is looking for traces of remaining magic.”

Vanessa began to identify the illegal immigrant wizards who were not involved in the crime and write deportation documents.

The wizard Tara, whom she had met before, looked really tired, but these wizards were very noisy and rude, so she didn’t feel much sympathy.

“Hey! What does a kid like you know!”

Vanessa snorted. *What do I know?* I know how to write deportation documents for illegal immigrant wizards.

Vanessa tried her best not to look at the Special Forces’ investigation documents and just did her job. She hated getting involved in the Special Forces’ work again.

At that time, the door burst open, and someone came in. Vanessa organized the scattered documents and looked up.

“It seems like we’re touching something too big.”

“His Majesty is already roughly expecting it…”

Gideon stopped talking in surprise as he came inside.

He seemed surprised to see Vanessa and had a dazed expression for a moment, then smiled, his eyes crinkling. He quickly composed himself again.

Vanessa clicked her tongue inwardly and got up to greet Gideon and the woman she was seeing for the first time.

“Ah, Vanessa Rose from the Ministry of Magic, is that right?” The woman smiled and offered a handshake, and Vanessa reached out her hand as well. The woman had a long scar on her lip, but her smile was refreshing.

“I’m Lieutenant Colonel Liete Liruza from the Special Combat Unit. You can call me Lili. I heard that you have a lot of work because we suddenly swept up wizards involved in illegal activities. I’m sorry.”

“No, it’s my job anyway, and the investigation work has been reduced.”

“The Captain said that you even picked out the areas to check. Thank you so much. Our members hate dealing with paperwork, so they’re not very helpful.”

Lieutenant Colonel Liete glared fiercely at the noisy wizards behind her. Only then did they start to shut their mouths. Anyone could see that the curvy body straining against the uniform explained Liete’s ferocity.

Meanwhile, Gideon was silently looking at Vanessa’s documents.

*What is he looking at so intently?* Vanessa finished signing the documents without paying attention.

“Please continue your conversation comfortably. I’ll leave. I’m just working on the documents for the wizards who have already been excluded. Let me know when the additional investigation is finished.”

“Aren’t you curious about other things? There are a lot of interesting things,” Liete said with a smirk.

Vanessa shook her head firmly.

“I’m fine! I definitely don’t want to know. It’s a Special Forces secret.”

“But other people’s perspectives are very helpful. Right, Captain?”

Gideon raised his eyebrows slightly as Liete said slyly. Vanessa quickly mouthed at him and shook her head. *’Don’t say anything.’*

Gideon smiled briefly and said after seeing her, “Thank you for your help. I’ll contact you again when the classification is complete.”

Vanessa glanced at the window and nodded.

“You’re welcome. It’s my job. Please feel free to tell me anything.”

Vanessa neatly packed up the documents and got up. Gideon naturally reached out his hand to Vanessa, who was getting up, but quickly clenched his fist.

Fortunately, Liete’s gaze was fixed on the wizards, and only Gideon and Vanessa were momentarily frozen.

Vanessa glanced at Liete and tapped the back of his hand with her finger, where the blood vessels were visible.

Gideon smiled as the strength in his hand loosened. Vanessa barely held onto her rising lips and bowed deeply.

“I’ll go back now. Good luck!”

Liete was startled and came to her senses and greeted Vanessa.

“Yes, thank you. I’ll buy you a cup of tea at the cafe next time. Or would you prefer the Captain to buy it? After all, a handsome single Duke is better than a woman with a husband. Isn’t that right?”

Gideon looked at Liete in disbelief and nodded.

“Then I’ll buy it.”

“Hmm, I think it would be great no matter who buys it. It’s hard to choose. Let’s drink together next time.”

Vanessa smiled and answered before leaving.

*Gideon is confirmed to be working overtime for several days.* Vanessa resolutely decided his bleak future.

Those wizards are nothing. The problem is finding what’s hidden behind them.

*What would those wizards know?* Then the work will increase more and more.

But there was too much work in front of her to feel sorry for Gideon.

*Well, it would be better to spend a few days doing our own work. It’s a shame we can’t go out together, but there’s nothing we can do.* Vanessa quickly drew the line.

Today’s 퇴근길 [Toegeungil – the way home from work] was towards the garden with the royal palace’s splendid greenhouse. Unlike the increasingly cold season, the warm greenhouse was full of colorful flowers.

Vanessa walked along the path, touching the green leaves.

“Eek!”

“Ah!”

Then someone bumped into her strongly from behind.

Vanessa barely grabbed the tree next to her and didn’t fall, but her knee buckled and hit the floor.

When she turned around, a woman with light pink braided hair was on the ground, supporting herself with her hands.

The woman was wearing slightly oversized clothes, perhaps because the weather was getting colder, and the ends were covered in dirt.

“I, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry! I was running and…”

It was a woman she sometimes saw on the 3rd floor where the Ministry of Magic was located. She seemed to be a new recruit who joined around the same time as Vanessa.

She always seemed busy running around, and even now that she had fallen, a pile of documents was scattered around her.

“No, it’s okay.”

Vanessa roughly brushed off the dirt on her knees and helped the woman pick up the documents.

The woman was just flailing her hands and suddenly started to shed tears.

“I’m really stupid. Stupid, idiot… I can’t even do this properly… and I just bump into people…”

Vanessa was flustered by the woman who suddenly started crying. She was the one who was bumped into and fell, but this woman was crying!

“It’s okay. You can just pick up these documents.”

Vanessa quickly picked up the documents and dusted them off.

There weren’t many documents. Since there was no seal, it seemed like it wasn’t a department’s confidential document, but rather something she had organized.

“You’re Vanessa, right… from the Ministry of Magic…”

The woman mumbled, wiping away the tears that had welled up under her glasses.

For some reason, Chevati came to mind when she saw the glasses, and Lina came to mind when she saw the light pink hair, so Vanessa answered as kindly as possible.

“Yes, that’s right. What’s your name?”

“I’m Letima Kina from the Ministry of Finance. I always wanted to say hello because we’re on the same floor, but like this… I’m sorry…”

Vanessa shook her head and helped Letima up. Letima mumbled thank you and said.

“Please call me Leta.”

“Okay, Leta. Where were you going?”

“I was going home from work… I was scolded earlier for not doing my job well… I can’t see well because of the tears… The work is too hard, but I’m too lacking…”

Leta made excuses to Vanessa in a rambling manner.

Vanessa felt a little sorry because it reminded her of her first day.

It was fortunate that the other officials in the Ministry of Magic took good care of Vanessa; otherwise, Vanessa wouldn’t have been much different.

Vanessa patted Leta and walked along the path.

“It’s okay. It’ll get better if you go home and rest today.”

“I’ll probably get scolded again tomorrow anyway… I was always so jealous whenever I saw Vanessa in the hallway.”

Leta lifted her glasses and rubbed her eyes with her arm.

“You’re good at your job, you have a good reputation. And the people around you are nice…”

“The Ministry of Finance is such a huge place, so the work must be more complicated. It’ll get better soon, Leta.”

Vanessa felt sorry because she could only give obvious answers. Leta really looked depressed.

“Do you think so…”

Leta nodded weakly and looked at the dirty documents in her hand.

“I’m sorry, so I’ll buy you something to drink next time. I thought it would be nice if we could talk together… I actually wanted to go to the Ministry of Magic so badly, but I have almost no magical talent…”

Vanessa smiled brightly at Leta’s hesitant words.

“Of course. Let’s meet and talk next time. Oh, how about tonight?”

Gideon was working overtime anyway, and her friends were busy. She had nothing to do. Leta’s eyes widened at the words, and she nodded eagerly.

The two went to a nearby restaurant and sat facing each other. It was a cheap restaurant with large portions that used a lot of spices to create intense flavors rather than delicate tastes.

Leta spoke a lot without energy, and her accent was very unique.

“I… I don’t think I’m good at my job. It’s hard to prioritize.”

“I… tend to increase the amount of work, so I can’t leave work…”

Vanessa muttered in vain. Leta smiled slightly at the words.

Leta and Vanessa had quite a few things in common, like living alone and just starting to work as a new recruit.

However, there were also quite a few differences.