TLWM 02

Chapter 02

Once again, my boss showed no mercy.
And as always, instead of the “delicious dinner” he promised, I got a long, torturous night of overtime.

By the time I dragged myself home — just ten minutes away from the office — it was almost midnight.

“That evil, insane man…”

I’d been scammed. A job scam, plain and simple.

Exhausted both mentally and physically, I soaked in the warm bath my maid had prepared, ate the stew she’d left out, and then collapsed straight into bed.

The blanket rustled softly around me and smelled faintly of sunshine.

“So the weather was good today, huh…”

Realizing the weather of the day while already under my blanket — that was just depressing.

Wasn’t this life supposed to be different from my past one?
It was… bitter, to say the least.

I’d been reincarnated as the main character, but somehow ended up just another corporate slave, no different from my old life.

“Haaahm…”

A sigh — or maybe a yawn — slipped out.

Still, in a way, I was grateful.

When I first arrived in the capital, I’d been terrified that I’d never have normal days like this.

I couldn’t remember ever being as nervous as I was when I got off that train about a year ago.
It had been the exact same time the original Rozelita in the novel came to the capital — to meet Cassian Artez, the male lead.

I’d been so afraid that, like the novel, all sorts of tragic events would start happening to me. I’d even had nightmares about it.

But instead of tragedy, what I got was…

“A sadistic workaholic boss who squeezes every drop of life out of me.”

No wonder I was the only applicant for the job with those “too good to be true” conditions.

***

“Miss Salice, once you finish these papers, you can go home.”

If only he didn’t talk, maybe he wouldn’t be so annoying.

Finish these papers and I can go home? Yeah, right.

At first, I didn’t realize it. The generous salary and the constant exhaustion kept me distracted.

But humans adapt quickly.

Once I got used to the endless piles of paperwork, I started realizing just how viciously efficient Cassian was.

He never let me idle for even a few seconds — every time I caught up, he’d dump another mountain of work on my desk.

“This should be easy for you, Miss Salice, yes?”

And when I’d rush to finish things early, hoping to finally go home on time, he’d just smirk and say—

“Good work, Rose. Since that’s done so fast, could you also take care of this before you leave?”

It was like he’d been waiting for me to get used to the job just so he could push me harder.

And yet… I couldn’t quit.

“Because the salary’s too good.”

Even just the base pay — 500 gold — was like 5 million won back in my previous life. For a newcomer with no experience, that was huge.

Cassian might have worked people to the bone, but he paid well.

In fact, there was one month my total pay went over 1,500 gold.
Granted, that month I basically didn’t have a single day off… but still.

Since housing and meals were provided, I could save almost everything.
At this rate, I might actually be able to pay off my family’s debt completely.

Maybe… in about twenty years?

That didn’t sound too bad!
After all, in my previous life, it took people longer than that just to pay off a mortgage.

“And my parents are holding on, too.”

At least we still had our estate.
If we got a good harvest, or found a hot spring or some magic stones, things might turn around faster.

And if I kept saving steadily like this, I might even start a business someday.
When that happens, I’ll finally enjoy the perks of being a reincarnated heroine!

No way I’m letting Cassian work me to death for 20 years straight — that’d definitely kill me first.

“Still… this peace isn’t so bad.”

My eyelids were heavy, but I fought to stay awake, lost in thought.

It’s funny — even without a smartphone, I still didn’t want to go to bed early. Maybe that’s just a universal worker’s instinct.

A quiet laugh escaped me.

Just being able to grumble like this was a blessing.
And the fact that I could curse Cassian meant he was just my boss, not some terrifying fate-bound villain.

Even though I’d done everything to avoid him, I didn’t exactly hate Cassian.

He was the male lead of the novel I’d once enjoyed reading, after all.
To the heroine, he was always gentle — not the cruel taskmaster he was to me.

Honestly, I’d wanted to stay away from him because I knew he’d suffer too if things went the same as the novel.

***

Cassian Artez.
Second Prince of the Empire.

Handsome, brilliant, unbeatable with a sword — the perfect male lead.

But, like all tragic heroes, his life was full of hardship.

He lost his mother at birth, and — worst of all — he was born without the royal family’s signature blue eyes.

Instead, his eyes were a striking shade of violet.

“He has been cursed by God!”

That’s what the First Prince’s mother screamed when she saw his eyes.

Even the Emperor found it hard to accept him.
Neither the golden hair nor the violet eyes came from him — so the Emperor doubted whether Cassian was even his son.

In the original story, Cassian suffered endlessly.
As a child, he nearly died of starvation, assassination, and poison.
When he grew older, he was sent off to brutal wars again and again.

His encounter with the heroine, Rozelita, happened during one of those deadly missions.
She was the first person to show him kindness — and from then on, Cassian lived only for her.

“But since I ran away from that fate…”

This Cassian had grown into a cold-blooded man with no warmth left.

He was a machine — a merciless workaholic who even the Emperor couldn’t easily control.

And lucky me, I was his overworked subordinate.

After swearing at him silently, I finally closed my eyes.

I needed to sleep.
To survive another day under Cassian Artez, my soul-sucking boss.

***

“It’s not my place to say this as someone who wants to hire you, but… why does a noble lady want to work?”

His tone had been soft and kind throughout the interview, but at the end, he asked me that.

“You should be preparing for your debutante ball right now, shouldn’t you?”

He had such a gentle, pitying expression — one that I completely fell for.

So I answered far too honestly.

“My family’s situation doesn’t allow for such luxuries right now.”

The small change in his expression — I mistook it for sympathy.
But in truth, it was the satisfied smile of a man who had just found an employee who’d never be able to quit.

If only I’d known that then.

***

“…Don’t sign it…”

Mumbling in my sleep, I jolted awake.

It had been a dream.

“I need a do-over… a regression arc…”

I wasn’t a “reincarnated heroine.”
I was a corporate slave haunted by her boss — even in dreams.

Seeing Cassian’s face in my sleep could only mean one thing:
Today was going to be awful.

And sure enough, when I checked the clock on my bedside table—

“I lost five minutes of sleep…”

Cassian Artez.
Completely useless, except for the salary.

I wanted to go back to bed, but after such a nightmare, there was no way I could fall asleep again.

Groaning, I dragged myself up and got ready for work.

Today would be a busy day — we had to go out for meetings.
Apparently, the end of the year is hectic no matter what world you’re in.

After a strong cup of coffee, I headed to the office.

And there he was — Cassian Artez — looking exactly the same as he did last night.

“Did he even go home…?”

He was dressed differently and neat as always, so maybe he had.

“Enjoying the view, Rose? You must be very relaxed to have time to stare at me this early.”

There went my brief moment of concern — shattered by his annoying voice.

“Not at all, Your Highness. I was merely checking to see if your collar was turned up, since we’ll be attending an external meeting today.”

“Rose, I’m not you. I don’t make such mistakes.”

He chuckled lowly, not even glancing at me as he organized his papers.

I took that as my cue to grab the documents we needed for the meeting.
If I was even slightly late, he’d start mocking me again.

Just as he finished his work, I proudly opened the door for him — perfect timing.

But then—

“Hmm.”

Cassian stopped. Instead of walking out, he stared right at me.

“…Is something wrong, Your Highness?”

He smirked and reached toward my face.

“Y-Your Highness?”

The smirk deepened.

He made a quiet “shh” sound, as if teasing me, then brushed his fingers gently along the side of my face — from my jaw up to my ear.

“There was a stray hair. Poor thing.”

He tucked the loose strand neatly behind my ear.

“I’ll be generous and let you fix yourself up before we leave. Don’t worry — I won’t deduct it from your pay.”

“…”

“I couldn’t possibly let my perfect assistant be undone by something as small as a messy hair, could I?”

Then, as if performing some grand gesture, he shut the office door behind me with a soft click.

I stared blankly at the door for a few seconds… and then silently screamed inside.

“I hate you, Cassian Artez!”