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Chapter 7
Grand Duke Kardicha, who had returned while holding Melissa carefully in his arms, personally visited the storage room hidden in a corner of the Imperial Palace where I worked a few days later.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—Director McGuffin was absent at the time.
“You work in a place like this?”
The Grand Duke looked toward the corner piled with random junk with open disgust.
Even though it looked like this, I had cleaned it diligently after arriving here.
“It’s not as bad as it looks.”
The Grand Duke let out a scoff.
“You must want many things, Vice Director.”
Without even listening to my answer, he continued speaking.
“What do you want in return? Money? A higher position? Do you want to become Director?”
For a moment, I was speechless, but I quickly regained my composure.
“I don’t want any of those.”
The Grand Duke stared at me with a face that clearly said he could not believe me, but I was serious.
Even though it looked like this, Imperial officials were paid fairly well. Especially after becoming Vice Director, my salary had doubled.
He probably thought I would leave after a few months anyway, so he intended to throw a pile of money at me, but for the current me, who was enduring perfectly fine, it was basically a windfall.
And naturally, I had no desire for the Director’s seat either.
Director McGuffin blocked all the troublesome work for me already, so why would I want it?
“I just want to be allowed to meet Lady Melissa often.”
The Grand Duke still looked unconvinced.
“Just speak honestly. Don’t use my sister while secretly planning to gain something later.”
Ah, so that was it.
‘Melissa doesn’t even need to try so desperately to be loved.’
What the Grand Duke feared most was Melissa getting hurt if I approached her with ulterior motives.
So rather than that, he was telling me to reveal what I wanted from him now.
He would quietly handle it somewhere Melissa could not see.
But the problem was—
‘I really don’t want anything!’
The only thing I wanted was continued contact with Melissa.
‘…Though I would like him to cancel that rebellion plan, but saying that would basically be suicide.’
Thinking about the story of Save the Villainous Brother, only Melissa could stop Grand Duke Kardicha.
If I interfered carelessly, my head might truly roll this time.
“I don’t know how to make you believe me, but I’m very satisfied with my current position.”
“You truly have nothing you want?”
Now this repetitive conversation was genuinely becoming difficult for me.
“Didn’t I already tell you that I want to meet Lady Melissa often?”
Achilles Kardicha answered by staring into my eyes for a long time.
As though he believed he could read my thoughts that way.
But I was fairly good at staring contests too.
I had even heard people gossip behind my back, calling me “that unpleasant sharp-eyed woman.”
This time was my victory as well.
The one who looked away first was him.
In a voice so quiet it was barely audible, he muttered,
“…Vice Director, you must be one of two things. Either an incredible swindler… or an angel sent down by the gods.”
No, I’m neither of those.
* * *
That night.
In his silent bedroom, Achilles Kardicha sank deep into thought.
Naturally, before leaving Melissa in my care, he had already investigated me.
He could not leave his precious younger sister with some unknown commoner woman.
Tessa Harrington, Vice Director of the Child Protection Bureau.
A strict principled official, the cold-hearted villainess of the Ministry of Finance who never considered personal circumstances… and now an Imperial official demoted to the quiet Child Protection Bureau.
Normally, I would have been someone he never bothered paying attention to.
But the problem was that I had captured Melissa’s heart almost instantly.
‘…She said she only listened to Melissa.’
Achilles let out a hollow laugh.
Easy to say.
Whenever Melissa saw him, she only trembled in fear and caused trouble. Sometimes he even resented her, wondering if she caused incidents on purpose.
So what exactly was he supposed to listen to?
A simple report about Tessa Harrington was nowhere near enough to reassure him, but because she was the only rope left to hold onto, he had no choice but to leave Melissa with her.
Still, he had not sent Melissa without preparation.
Achilles had forced a magic tool around Melissa’s neck and taught her how to use it.
Outwardly, it looked like an ordinary amethyst necklace.
But in reality, it was a powerful magic tool.
Once activated, it would restrain the person in front of her while simultaneously sending him a signal immediately.
…And Melissa never activated it.
Instead, she approached him first.
Something unimaginable for the Melissa from only a short time ago.
‘Yes. Whatever kind of person she may be, it’s true that she helps Melissa.’
But he still could not relax completely.
She could still be a skilled con artist.
‘I need to investigate further.’
Yet even if Tessa Harrington truly was a fraud, she had made Melissa smile.
She had made Melissa run into his arms…
The image of Melissa hugging him still lingered vividly in his mind.
How could he not feel grateful toward Tessa Harrington?
Achilles was not an ungrateful man.
Rather, he was the type to repay exactly what he received and return exactly what he was given.
‘She says she wants neither money nor status…’
But giving nothing in return would be absurd too.
One line from the report especially caught his attention.
‘They said she always looked exhausted from working day and night.’
Because she constantly glared at him with sharp hostile eyes, he had failed to notice before.
But now that he thought about it, she truly had looked worn out.
‘Still, the way she looked at Melissa was undeniably gentle.’
The corner of Achilles’s lips slowly curved upward.
Because he had thought of a method that would both reward her and buy him time to investigate her away from Melissa.
* * *
“It’s a reward vacation. Rest well for two weeks and come back.”
“A reward… vacation?”
At Director McGuffin’s words, I became genuinely confused.
During the past three years working at the Ministry of Finance, I had never once taken a long vacation.
More accurately, unless I was burning with fever, I had never used leave at all.
Naturally, no superior had ever suggested a vacation first either.
“Yes. It’s an order from above, so follow it.”
“If you mean our superiors above us…”
“If you were a little quicker to notice things, you’d know to keep your mouth shut.”
“Ah, yes.”
He was right.
No matter how unimportant the Child Protection Bureau was, it was still an independent institution.
In principle, there was only one person above us.
The Chancellor.
…Though principles barely existed around here in the first place.
“So does this mean I don’t have to worry about getting fired over tiny excuses anymore?”
Director McGuffin stared at me blankly.
“Do you think the Grand Duke would stay quiet if you were thrown out?”
“…Oh.”
So apparently, I now had what people called backing.
‘I wish I’d gotten it sooner!’
Then I could have fully enjoyed watching those bastards from the Ministry of Finance panic.
The Director tapped the desk lightly with his finger.
“But don’t become too arrogant either. This vacation is also a message telling you to stay quiet for a while.”
I immediately understood the situation.
‘So they’re saying, “We’re going to investigate you thoroughly, so don’t interfere and go play somewhere,” huh?’
Grand Duke Kardicha did not trust me.
Thanks to Melissa happily rambling about the “magic necklace big brother gave me” the moment we met, I already knew he had prepared safety measures of his own.
It didn’t upset me.
Actually, if that necklace had not existed, I probably would have suspected the Grand Duke was secretly hiding somewhere inside the villa.
“It’s paid leave, right?”
Surely they wouldn’t give me a silencing vacation without pay.
The Director smirked.
“Yes, it’s paid. So leave immediately.”
Then there was no reason to refuse.
‘I needed time to sort out my thoughts anyway. This works perfectly.’
The childcare novel heroine.
Her villainous older brother.
His planned rebellion.
It was the perfect opportunity to cool my head while staying away from all of it.
* * *
“We’ve arrived, miss.”
The moment I stepped down from the carriage, the bright blue sky and warm weather fitting of a southern resort immediately lifted my mood.
‘The capital was freezing with cold winds, but this place feels completely like spring.’
After paying the carriage fare, I carried my travel bag while wobbling slightly and arrived at my lodging, Hotel Erendal.
I had heard it was difficult to get a room without a reservation, but fortunately, someone had apparently checked out recently, leaving exactly one empty room available.
“Though the room preparations aren’t completely finished yet… would you mind waiting a little?”
“Of course.”
I sat leisurely on the soft sofa in the hotel lobby and began reading a book.
‘Mm, this is fun.’
The bookstore owner had recommended it as a mystery novel by a rising new author, and the endless twists made it extremely exciting.
Just as the detective was finally about to reveal every trick—
[Everyone! I would like to reveal here that Adel was not actually Adel.]
[What do you mean, Detective? I’ve known Adel my entire life! He was never replaced midway.]
[That’s because…]
But I never learned Adel’s true identity.
Because a very unwelcome guest spoke to me.
