Chapter 04

After reviewing the documents for quite a while, Lauren finally pressed a hand to her forehead.

Taking a deep breath, she lifted her eyes and looked back and forth between Aster and Letty. A sharp light flashed in her deeply furrowed gaze. Startled, Letty dropped the file folder in his hands.

“Who reviewed these? This one and this one.”

“Uh… for now, I did…”

“And His Grace signed them personally?”

Letty’s blue eyes rolled toward Aster.

Aster, who had been lounging on a long chair with his legs stretched out while looking through documents, finally raised his head.

“What is it?”

“Did Your Grace check these too?”

The title she used for him had returned to Your Grace once again.

Tilting his head slightly, Aster rose slowly and approached the desk. His relaxed movements resembled a well-fed predator.

But Lauren had no room to notice such things.

Standing before him, she thrust the documents forward. Frowning, he read through them carefully. His green eyes moved along the lines of text before rolling back toward her.

“I know what’s in them.”

“Between this and this, which do you think is more urgent?”

Lauren placed another document before him.

After checking it, his brows knit together.

Letting out a small sigh, Aster gestured toward Letty. Startled by the cold look, Letty stumbled and hit his leg against the desk. Rubbing his shin with a grimace, he accepted the papers from Lauren.

“Ugh…”

His blue eyes moved anxiously, as if watching Lauren and Aster’s reactions.

This was a mistake.

There was no excuse he could give.

Pressing his lips tightly together, Letty lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“How did this happen?”

“Well…”

The document Lauren had pointed out was a petition from a merchant guild requesting tax reductions, claiming it was difficult to open stores within the duchy.

It was such a famous luxury goods company that even Lauren—who had spent years shut away in the Siaz barony—had heard of it. Nobles fond of flaunting their influence used it frequently, and opening one or two more stores would hardly put them in hardship.

Commoners with money might not care, but as far as Lauren knew, the duchy wasn’t wealthy enough to support such luxuries.

Since the lord lived in the capital instead of the territory, the lives of the people under his rule likely weren’t properly cared for, making things even worse.

Of course, Lauren knew that wasn’t Aster’s fault.

The Emperor was the one refusing to send him back to his lands.

Still, knowing that didn’t mean she could forgive such sloppy handling of documents.

Resources meant for the people of the territory had been diverted to ridiculous opportunists because of this.

Lauren’s lavender eyes turned toward Letty.

She’d thought he was a decent person, but… surely not.

“Mr. Letty… do you take bribes, by any chance?”

“Please don’t say ridiculous things!”

Letty nearly jumped out of his seat.

If that wasn’t the case, then documents like this shouldn’t have passed.

Lauren tilted her head.

“No, it’s just…”

Hesitating, Letty began explaining in a rush.

Apparently, the official who brought the paperwork had burst into tears in front of him, saying things were too difficult—so he’d hurriedly stamped approval.

Lauren pressed a hand to her forehead again.

“And that official was a young, pretty woman, I assume.”

“Urgh…”

Letty lowered his head deeply.

An obvious trick.

They’d exploited the fact that the Duke’s adjutant—despite years in the military—had no resistance to women and pushed through paperwork carelessly.

The supposed stores in the duchy probably didn’t even exist, or were being used for entirely different purposes.

After all, they knew the lord never visited.

“Letty. Six months’ salary reduction. Fifty percent.”

Letty crouched down, clutching his head.

At his long sigh, Aster irritably brushed back his hair.

Judging by his deeply furrowed green eyes, he looked quite displeased.

Still, what needed saying had to be said.

Perhaps Lauren had become a little bolder because, contrary to rumors, he didn’t seem to casually cut people’s heads off.

“This is Your Grace’s fault too. You usually sign whatever Mr. Letty brings without checking, don’t you?”

“That’s what adjutants are for—”

“No, it isn’t.”

She could already tell how overloaded Letty usually was.

Under Lauren’s cold gaze and calm voice, Aster let out a small sound and took a step back.

He glanced toward Letty, then sighed.

“Three months. Thirty percent salary reduction. He’s not entirely blameless, but I won’t compromise more than that.”

“Well… fine.”

That wasn’t bad.

Letty, who had done nothing but sigh heavily, staggered to his feet and bowed deeply toward Lauren.

He thanked her, but tears had welled in his eyes.

Still, as the Duke’s adjutant, his pay shouldn’t be low—so she couldn’t understand why he reacted so dramatically.

Claiming he needed to wash his face, Letty left the office.

Watching his tall figure disappear, Lauren finally voiced her curiosity to Aster.

“Is his salary low?”

“Whose? Letty’s?”

Lauren nodded.

Aster’s lips curled upward in a faint laugh.

The harshness around his eyes softened slightly.

He can make expressions like that?

They’d apparently survived battlefields together, so perhaps their bond ran deep.

“I pay him plenty. Calvin said it’s more than generous compared to elsewhere.”

“He looked ready to cry.”

“If you’re curious, ask him yourself. It’s not something he can’t talk about.”

Aster murmured lazily.

Lauren had wondered if he gambled or something, but perhaps not.

She nodded.

If it wasn’t something like that, then good.

A sigh escaped her somehow.

There was too much to do.

“I think someone should be sent to the territory. We need to confirm whether those stores really exist and whether they’re doing anything suspicious.”

“Really?”

Leaning against the desk, Aster folded his arms.

He seemed lost in thought.

Was he wondering whether to send someone—or who to send?

As Lauren organized the documents, she secretly glanced at him.

A ruler didn’t need to stamp approval on every paper an aide submitted.

A competent lord was supposed to filter things before that stage.

Anyone raised as an heir knew this.

She’d heard he was the beloved only son of the Lilliwood ducal family, but right now he looked like someone who’d received no heir education at all.

Going to war shouldn’t erase everything one learned before.

Still… he really is absurdly handsome.

Swallowing the sigh threatening to escape, Lauren forcibly turned her gaze away.

The slight furrow between his brows as he thought, even the way he bit the corner of his lip—everything about him looked like a painting.

She almost felt guilty for using him as a means of escape from the Siaz family.

Though, admittedly, his looks had been famous since childhood.

People said the gentle, kind boy who grew older and returned from war had become an untouchable killer.

Who even spread such rumors?

For someone rumored to have slaughtered his parents and over half the household staff in a single night, he seemed surprisingly ordinary—someone who joked and laughed.

Even when he likely disliked Lauren’s criticism, he’d merely adjusted the punishment quietly.

Unless he truly lost his mind, he didn’t seem capable of committing such atrocities.

Could it be trauma from war?

But the rumors of murder had existed even before he went to war…

Just as Lauren drifted deeper into thought—

Knock, knock.

The sound echoed through the room.

Startled out of her pointless thoughts, Lauren looked up.

Aster glanced at the desk clock and straightened.

“It’s already this late.”

“…What?”

“That’s enough for today.”

“…What?”

Looking down at Lauren’s wide eyes, Aster lowered his head and began shaking with laughter behind his hand.

What?

She didn’t think she’d said anything that funny.

“You looked so intelligent in front of paperwork, yet you’re quite amusing after all.”

He lifted a hand and wiped away a tear gathered at the corner of his eye.

His green eyes gleamed for a moment.

Those light-filled eyes were strangely dazzling, and Lauren found herself unable to argue.

Still, one thing needed correcting.

“Not you over there.”

“Ah, right. Lauren.”

Though she’d spoken bluntly on purpose, the laughter mixed into his reply didn’t disappear.

Lauren.

A familiar name she’d heard all her life—

Yet hearing it in his low voice felt… different.

Turning her head away, Lauren lightly bit her lip.

“Come.”

He extended a hand from across the desk.

Lauren stared at it for a moment before finally placing her own hand over his.

His hand was large and warm.

Just like the boy preserved in her distant memories—

Still the same.

* * *

Waiting for them was Calvin, the butler.

Seeing Aster escorting Lauren, the butler’s gray eyes widened, then curved.

Calvin always wore a smile, though it usually felt professional.

But at this moment, she could tell he was genuinely smiling.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“It’s nothing, Your Grace.”

Erasing the broad grin from his face, Calvin answered smoothly.

Aster still looked dissatisfied but said nothing further.

Calvin returned to his usual professional smile.

“The guest is waiting in the drawing room.”

Guest?

Lauren tilted her head.

Why would she need to meet someone visiting the ducal estate?

But the moment she stepped into the room beyond the doors, she understood.

The room looked as though an entire dress shop had been moved inside, crowded with people.

There were far more individuals than any servants she’d seen in the duchy so far.

“Greetings, Your Grace. Thank you for summoning us.”

An older woman bowed deeply toward Aster.

Expressionless, he merely inclined his head before sitting on a long chair at the center of the room.

A servant quickly arranged a tea set on the table before him.

“It is my first time meeting you, Duchess. I am Jasmine Aloria of Aloria Dressmakers. Please call me Jasmine. It is an honor to be in charge of your wardrobe.”

The woman named Jasmine bowed deeply toward Lauren.

In charge?

Lauren instinctively turned toward Aster beside her.

Leaning against the chair with one leg crossed over the other, he sipped tea.

He’d said he didn’t drink tea often, yet the way he held the saucer in his left hand and the cup in his right was overly elegant and natural.

“Aster, what is all this?”

“I told you. The Emperor may summon us soon.”

“Ah.”

A small sound escaped Lauren.

Right.

The clothes she’d brought to the duchy were embarrassing to wear before the Emperor.

And she’d sold all her jewelry.

He was clearly preparing new clothes for the dignity of the ducal house.

The boutique had brought everyday wear, outing clothes, and dresses.

Dresses suitable for banquets were luxuries—but she couldn’t say she didn’t need them.

She was no longer merely the daughter of a baron’s family who could avoid attending social events.

Half willingly and half by force, Lauren offered Jasmine a smile.

The slight trembling of her stiff cheeks was entirely unintentional.