Reborn as a Mind-Reading Empress
Chapter 506: A Sense of Superiority

Chapter 506: A Sense of Superiority

Since Narcissa was not in the least bit regretful about what she had done, Arabella had to be hard on her.

"Narcissa, it seems you do not realize the gravity of your actions. Ivan, Nadia, and Odette are my precious assistants just like you regardless of their roots. They are capable individuals and I have seen with my own eyes the quality of their work. I will not allow you to torment them any further. You are indeed also very much capable. Thus, I didn’t want to let go of you despite everything. However, seeing how you lack self-awareness to reflect on your mistakes and harmed others without guilt, I believe, I may be able to let go of you now. Do you understand what I mean?"

Arabella eyed Narcissa sternly this time. The latter was wide-eyed at her statement.

[What?! Why me? They were the ones who cheated! Isn’t this too much favoritism? What would Her Majesty gain from those three? They are from small and poor territories. If she wants to build strength here in Valeria, I am the best choice since my family dominates the social circle.]

’That is not the only basis for everything. They may be from weaker territories, but I will gain a lot from them by keeping them here where they can maximize their knowledge, talent, and skills instead of rotting somewhere.’

Arabella could barely stop herself from shaking her head at Narcissa’s thoughts.

’She doesn’t even have any proof that they cheated. She could at least show me concrete proof to support her accusation.’

If she truly had no choice but to let go of Narcissa, she still had Clarisse anyway. She could cooperate with Clarisse instead.

Clarisse herself was the one who built the strength of Ryvaleh’s social influence.

Narcissa was merely benefitting from it but her thoughts flow as if she was the one who achieved it for Ryvaleh.

"Why me Your Majesty? They are the ones who cheated. Shouldn’t they be the ones to be investigated? I did corner Ivan, but only because he cheated," Narcissa exclaimed. She still didn’t understand where she went wrong.

"See? This is exactly why. You do not have any proof, but you keep insisting they did. You did not see nor try to understand why I said the words I said earlier. You still do not think what you did was wrong even though I just told you," Arabella couldn’t help but heave a deep sigh this time.

[What? What did I do wrong? Ivan is a commoner. It’s not a big deal even if something happened to him. He shouldn’t even be working here.]

Narcissa had a sense of superiority because their status differed greatly. She believed she was still in the right even if she had no proof Ivan cheated.

"Riley, can you please retrieve a copy of the laws she broke," Arabella decided to give a lecture to this young one who didn’t understand what she was doing.

Narcissa was knowledgeable and skilled in work-related things, but she lacked self-awareness and self-reflection. Her thoughts seemed to be discriminatory towards commoners as well and her sense of superiority was not fit for this workplace.

Perhaps it was because Ryvaleh was also a conquered territory. They must still have a lot of their practices when they were still a kingdom of their own. But it could also be because Narcissa was simply raised that way.

Or because in practice, a lot of commoners like Ivan were still discriminated against when they became civil servants. The laws were there but a lot of people are hardheaded and refuse to change.

But since Narcissa was her assistant, Arabella could not simply tolerate this. She needed to make Narcissa realize she was the one in the wrong.

"First of all, you have no right to punish your fellow assistants. No matter what mistakes they make in the workplace, only I, or other people vested with the power can punish them. You should have waited for me to return and reported to me your observation before doing anything on your own. Here, read this," Arabella handed Narcissa a scroll with the section of the law relevant to their conversation.

"Regarding cheating in the selection, it clearly states that they could only be punished once they were proven guilty or caught in the act. If they had truly cheated, reporting them was the best choice and if proven guilty, they would have been punished accordingly. Instead, you put the law into your hands. And you didn’t even have any evidence to back your claims. Your assumptions based on their social status are not enough. You have overstepped your bounds."

[Because it’s so irritating having them around when they do not deserve to be here. But why does Her Majesty know about all these rules? She became Empress just a few months ago. Has she already read all the books about the laws in Valeria? Or they told her?]

’Of course, I know. I was Empress for 22 years in my previous life.’

"Read this as well," Arabella handed Narcissa another one of the scrolls.

"It is stated there that nobles and commoners alike, as well as the rich and the poor, become of equal status when they work as civil servants. One can only become superior to the other by getting promotions at work.

"You, Ivan, Nadia, and Odette are all my assistants. In this context, none of you are superior to the other and are all equally my assistants. You cannot use your higher status on them as a noble from Ryvaleh because as these states, everyone is equal when they are in the same level of work ranking. The ranking system for civil servants is based on their achievements which are awarded with promotions. It is no longer through noble status, riches, and so on," Arabella explained.

"But the others are doing it as well. Nobility is always nobility wherever we go. It runs in our blood," Narcissa pointed out.