Chapter 69: Workplace Experience Continues, But…

"So, it really was my calculation error..."

Marin-sensei finally admitted her mistake. The older ladies around us began whispering:

"Wow, he’s actually amazing, Lord Robin."

"Guess the saying ’don’t judge a book by its cover’ is true."

"Who was the one calling him an idiot again?"

They were trying to keep their voices down so I wouldn’t hear, but I could hear everything. So my reputation as the Idiot Prince (or rather, Idiot Royal) is really that widespread and deeply rooted, huh.

"For now, since Lord Robin seems capable of handling the work, Brandō, have him check your calculations," the head of the accounting department suddenly said as the crowd parted.

Marin-sensei looked a little reluctant but nodded.

"Understood. I’ll have him check them."

"Alright, everyone back to your own work! Chop chop! Work, work!"

The department head clapped her hands loudly and dispersed the crowd of women. The nice older sister who had shown me her cleavage earlier also left with a little wave. I wanted to get closer...

"Then Lord Robin, please check these."

Marin-sensei handed me a thick bundle of documents. It was easily about 10 cm thick — roughly A4-sized sheets.

"All of these?" I asked.

Marin-sensei gave me a smug "Surprised?" smile and said,

"Yes. I calculated them myself, so please check. If there are any mistakes, let me know, okay?"

Her face practically screamed "I don’t make mistakes!"

I started checking from the top and immediately found mistakes. Even though there were only about 30 lines per sheet, I found three errors by the time I finished. If only I had Excel... But since there are no calculators or abacuses here either, I guess it can’t be helped.

"Marin-sensei, sorry, but there are some mistakes."

When I spoke up, Marin-sensei lifted her face from the paper she was staring at and glared at me. Her eyes were slightly crossed.

"What did you say!?"

Her voice was heavy with pressure. Still, a mistake is a mistake. I moved my chair closer to the perfect angle where I could see her nipples, and while enjoying the view, I pointed out the errors. What a wonderful job this is, I thought as I explained to the clearly displeased Marin-sensei. After recalculating, she reluctantly accepted it.

For me it was delicious, but I was steadily earning Marin-sensei’s displeasure and accumulating hate points — a rather delicate situation.

After this happened three times, Marin-sensei’s eyes started to water. I need to change the mood somehow. I have to do something to brighten the atmosphere. I noticed that her desk was in the corner of the room and felt a bit dark. This definitely doesn’t meet ISO lighting standards, does it?

"Marin-sensei, isn’t it a bit dark here?"

She wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with her finger and said,

"Eh? Is it? I don’t think so..."

"No, it’s definitely a little dark. Shall I brighten it up a bit? Light."

I cast a small light spell.

"Eh!? Lord Robby, what—? Ha!? You made it brighter? You can do things like this too!? Nooo, I can’t take it anymore~!"

Marin-sensei suddenly buried her face on the desk and started crying. She had accidentally called me by my nickname "Robbie." Her true self slipped out. This felt dangerous.

The people around us started buzzing:

"Lord Robin can use magic too?"

"He used it earlier, didn’t he?"

"Yeah, he cleaned the chair. And now light? That’s amazing."

"Why can he use so much magic? Because he’s royalty?"

"No way. There’s another prince who’s considered his equal in stupidity, remember?"

"Yeah! That one exists too."

"Should we give that guy Robin-sama’s medicine instead?"

All kinds of terrible things were being whispered.

But Marin-sensei remained face-down on the desk, sobbing quietly. While I was panicking and wondering what to do, the generous-chested older sister from earlier came over. When I looked at her, the information appeared:

Christine McVie, 26 years old, Married, Chief Accountant of the Knight Order’s Finance Department.

So she’s Marin-sensei’s boss after all. Christine gave me a small amused smile, placed a hand on Marin-sensei’s shoulder, and gently said,

"Brandō, stop sulking just because a newcomer pointed out your calculation mistakes. He’s just doing what I usually do for you."

Marin-sensei lifted her tear-filled face, glared at me once, then turned to Christine and cried,

"But... but!! It’s so frustrating that an idiot like Lord Robbie pointed them out!"

Clang!!

I swear I heard a sound. Like a single drop of water falling into a puddle, ripples of silence slowly spread outward. Marin-sensei’s face froze. Christine’s face froze too. I’m sure my own face froze mid half-smile. It wasn’t just our faces — the entire atmosphere froze. Color drained from the world. Everything turned monochrome.

Marin-sensei... Did you really just say that out loud?

Everyone around had been talking behind my back, but this was said directly to my face in public. This was an official statement.

I faintly heard someone whisper, "Lèse-majesté...?"

That’s right — disrespect toward royalty. What kind of crime is that? What punishment does it carry? I’m the 11th prince, so maybe it’ll be lighter? But a crime is still a crime. I could feel the blood draining from my face.

Slap!

Christine smacked Marin-sensei’s cheek. Marin-sensei stared blankly, eyes wide open in shock.

Christine then bowed deeply to me, giving me an even more generous view of her cleavage, and said,

"Lord Robin, I am truly sorry. Marin Brandō’s statement was extremely disrespectful. I apologize on her behalf. It was just a momentary lapse of judgment, so please forgive her!"

As she spoke, she grabbed the back of Marin-sensei’s head and slammed it onto the desk with a loud thunk. I looked around in panic. All the older ladies nearby had turned pale and were staring at us. What should I do? Can someone help me?

Just then, the department head came walking briskly toward us.

She stood beside Christine (who was still bowing) and Marin-sensei (whose head was still planted on the desk) and asked me,

"Lord Robin, has something disrespectful occurred?"

I quickly replied,

"No, it’s nothing. Marin-sensei just made a little joke, and since it involved me, Christine overreacted. There’s no need for such a big apology. Please don’t worry about it and return to work. I don’t want this blown out of proportion either."

I gave the department head a pleading look that said "Please don’t make this a big deal!" I even tried to wink, though I’m not sure I pulled it off.

The department head relaxed her shoulders, whispered something to Christine, then her face suddenly went pale. She pressed her forehead with her fingers, thought for a moment, and said,

"Understood. Since Lord Robin says so, we will consider this matter closed. Thank you for your generous judgment. We are truly sorry for the rude remarks. Brandō, you understand, yes?"

"..."

Marin-sensei remained silent with her head still on the desk. Christine bowed once more and said,

"Thank you very much, Lord Robin. Your tolerant decision is greatly appreciated, especially when this could have easily become a case of lèse-majesté. Now, Brandō, apologize properly."

With a tearful voice and her head still lowered, Marin-sensei mumbled,

"I-I’m... sowwy..."