Lao still remained by Najenda's side, though who knew when his hopes would finally be fulfilled.
Najenda had now become a consul. So-called consuls were part of an alternative official system that essentially covered every government position.
Unlike Rome's consular system, the lowest rank was trainee consul, followed by Level 1 consul, with Level 10 consul being the highest.
After passing examinations and completing her studies, Najenda became the Noxus Empire's only Level 1 consul.
Others, including Mine, were all trainee consuls.
Normally, as long as one made no mistakes for three years, they would automatically advance one rank.
As Najenda's deputy, Lao's status and talent were equally impossible to overlook. Born into nobility, he had received a fine education from childhood, which allowed him to learn the knowledge and skills required of a consul with ease.
Unlike civilians who had nothing, Akame and Mine, for example, found studying extremely difficult.
Yet his greatest challenge did not come from external hardships, but from the deep feelings he held for Najenda.
He longed for her response, yet feared that his feelings would become a burden on her path forward.
So he chose to bury those emotions deep within his heart, turning them into motivation to work even harder as he silently supported Najenda.
Najenda also knew how Lao felt, but in her eyes, there was only the nation's prosperity and stability. Personal feelings seemed to have been temporarily set aside in some corner of her heart.
She understood that Lao's feelings for her were something she could neither avoid nor easily reciprocate.
But she understood even more clearly that, for now, she had to devote all her energy to building the nation. Perhaps one day, when the country truly achieved prosperity and stability, she would be able to calm down and