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Chapter 21
Honestly, with that level of talent, she could’ve found a job anywhere.
And yet, she chose to work as a secretary for my master—whose rotten personality is so infamous that the position’s practically considered a punishment posting.
Obviously…
“Miss Violet must be a hopeless face fanatic!”
Aaron sneaked a glance at his master’s face.
He used to think that no amount of divine beauty could make up for a devilish personality—that the gods must have a terrible sense of humor.
But now, Aaron had completely changed his mind.
“Thank heavens our master’s handsome! What a relief!”
Because honestly, when it came to looks, there wasn’t a single man on the continent who could rival his master. Not one!
Thanks to that, they’d managed to recruit a genius like Miss Violet as his assistant, hadn’t they?
Right now, even the faint smile curling on the corner of Cayenne’s lips made him look dangerously enchanting.
“Now that I think about it… he’s been smiling this whole time!”
What on earth is he thinking?
At that moment, Cayenne finally spoke.
“Your theory. It doesn’t seem wrong.”
“Huh? My theory?”
Cayenne cleared his throat slightly.
“The one about the new recruit being infatuated with me.”
He recalled the way Frigia had looked at him last night as she greeted him.
‘Your Grace, thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve gained such insight.’
He’d heard that kind of polite gratitude more times than he could count in his life.
But the emotions he sensed through his magic were usually the same—fear and unease.
‘He actually pulled that off? What a monster… Maybe he’s using black magic?’
‘This is bad. If the Duke’s power is this strong, His Highness the Crown Prince’s position is in danger…’
‘If he loses control of his mana again, it’ll be a real catastrophe this time. Terrifying…’
Cayenne was used to the hypocrisy of humans.
‘Thank you so much!’
But what he’d felt faintly through Frigia’s wrist at that moment had been—
‘I really, really like you!’
So open and straightforward it was almost shameless.
The memory of it made Cayenne’s chest tighten a little.
Despite the shy impression she’d given when she first appeared for her interview, the new recruit was surprisingly bold.
Whatever he did, her eyes followed him.
‘The way she stared at me with that burning intensity—I could practically feel it scorching my cheek.’
And if that wasn’t enough—
She’d volunteered for the night shift just so she could spend more time working beside him.
If an employee’s willing to sacrifice sleep for you, doesn’t that count as true love?
Cayenne rubbed at his temple with a troubled expression.
“What on earth does she see in me?”
There had been plenty of women drawn to his looks or his power before.
But he’d never encountered anyone whose feelings were this pure.
Maybe that’s why…
The affection didn’t feel unpleasant at all.
At least, if she was truly in love with him, she wouldn’t be quitting her secretary job anytime soon.
And considering he’d long grown tired of the grunting monkeys and gorillas that passed for subordinates, Frigia—someone who could actually hold a proper conversation—was indispensable.
Cayenne unconsciously flexed the hand that had brushed her wrist the night before, then smiled faintly.
“So you can stop worrying about her quitting soon. She applied for the secretary position just to be near me. She might even end up devoting her life to the Magic Tower.”
“Ah, right! About that theory!”
Aaron suddenly remembered the reason he’d rushed in here.
He’d been so startled by catching his master napping that he’d almost forgotten the shocking news he’d just received.
“Master! It turns out my theory might’ve been wrong after all!”
“…What?”
A vein pulsed irritably on Cayenne’s forehead.
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“P-please look at this!”
Seeing is believing—
Aaron held out a garish pink pamphlet.
Cayenne scowled.
“What is this hideous piece of trash?”
“This, Master, is the imperial group matchmaking program brochure that Miss Violet applied for today!”
“…What?!”
Cayenne froze.
“Matchmaking? Out of nowhere? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Matchmaking? Marriage?
All of a sudden?
Why?
Didn’t she like me?
A storm of question marks whirled through Cayenne’s mind.
He couldn’t remember being this confused even when faced with the most complex magical theories.
“I found it hard to believe too, but it’s confirmed! Miss Violet submitted her own application!”
Aaron spoke quickly.
“For her to take part in something like this, she must really be serious about getting married!”
Marriage, out of nowhere?
What the—
The image of Frigia standing awkwardly in a wedding dress flashed across Cayenne’s mind.
And some shady-looking punk wrapping an arm around her waist—
“….”
A wave of irritation flared up out of nowhere.
What was this feeling? Cayenne frowned.
“This is bad! Female mages usually quit the Magic Tower once they get married and have kids!”
“…!”
At that moment, Cayenne realized the reason behind his irritation.
The Empire—and the world of magic in particular—was still deeply conservative.
Female mages were rare enough, and when they did exist, they almost always left the Tower after marriage.
They prioritized raising magically gifted children over honing their own abilities.
Which meant… marriage for a female mage was essentially—
“Resignation.”
“No way!”
Bang!
Cayenne slammed his desk.
“Y-yes, sir?”
“Marriage is absolutely forbidden. Go fetch the new recruit immediately.”
“E-excuse me? How am I supposed to just—”
“Tell her there’s an emergency assignment.”
Was he serious?!
Aaron’s jaw dropped.
Even for a superior officer, meddling in an employee’s private life was going too far!
While Aaron stood there flustered, Cayenne raked a hand through his hair.
It had been ages—no, this was the first time—he’d found a subordinate who could speak proper Imperial and even count numbers.
There was no way he’d let some faceless nobody steal away his brilliant human calculator.
He tapped the pamphlet sharply.
“When does this thing start?”
“Uh… th-this afternoon, apparently…”
“What?!”
Cayenne’s face twisted.
Aaron flinched in fright.
He’d expected his master wouldn’t like hearing about Miss Violet’s matchmaking—but this level of fury?
It seemed the Duke had really come to value her.
And, given her impressive competence, it wasn’t surprising.
“This afternoon? That’s now!”
Glancing at the clock, Cayenne grabbed his coat and threw it over his shoulders.
He looked ready to storm out the door.
“Master? You—you’re not seriously going after Miss Violet, are you?”
Bang!
The office door slammed shut in reply.
Left alone in the silence, Aaron clenched his fists.
“Good luck, Master!”
Please rescue Miss Violet from the clutches of marriage!
And stop our precious new recruit from quitting…!
In the waiting room, I sat and clenched and unclenched my hands.
Today was the day—the start of the imperial group matchmaking program I’d applied for just yesterday.
Apparently, there had been so few applicants that they’d extended the deadline to the very last minute.
So the wide waiting room had barely ten people.
Glancing at the other women’s outfits, Frigia lowered her gaze to her own.
It was a dress she’d bought in a rush with an advance on her salary.
Even if it was just a “temporary husband,” a contract was a contract—she’d wanted to wear something that inspired trust.
It wasn’t bad, she thought.
She checked for wrinkles and sat waiting again, feeling her palms grow slightly clammy.
“Wow, this is more nerve-wracking than I expected.”
She’d made a big transformation for today—
She’d cut her bangs. Just a little.
Now that her hair no longer poked her eyes, her view was clear…
Which meant everyone else could see her face clearly, too.
That thought alone made her instinctively shrink her neck in embarrassment.
