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Chapter 6
Christon asked in a cavernous voice,
“…A print shop? Will that be enough?”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
“Get the address of a print shop from Lady Rosette and go there. Tell them the payment will be made under the Grand Ducal House’s name. And while you’re at it, it would be best to purchase anything else you might need all at once.”
Christon agreed readily.
“That’s all you require?”
“Yes, Your Grace!”
I nodded. Christon let out a sigh and waved his hand, signaling that I could leave.
Clutching my wildly pounding heart, I hurried out of the office. Aidan, who had been loitering far away after pushing me into that terrifying place, quickly approached.
That jerk.
When I glared at him, he gave me an awkward smile.
“Hahaha… so, did you get what you wanted?”
“Yes! He approved it very decisively!”
“That’s a relief to hear. Then, have a good rest of your day, Miss Roella. It’s almost time for me to get off work.”
Aidan escorted me out with a smooth smile. Get off work? Wow, must be nice.
Come to think of it, Aidan was someone who didn’t have to face an angry Christon after clocking out.
But me…
Once I clocked out, I had to clock back in again. And on top of that, I had to stay alone in a room with Christon.
A boss you have to spend the night with being in a bad mood?
I squeezed my eyes shut at the terrifying thought.
Emotional labor is always more exhausting than physical labor. I’d better stay sharp tonight.
Living off someone’s mood is always a miserable thing.
* * *
Christon rubbed his tired eyes as he emerged from the bathroom.
At some point, Roella had entered the bedroom and was standing stiffly in front of the bed with her head bowed. When she sensed his presence, she flinched.
Roella messily turned her head to look at him.
Seeing her reminded him of what Aidan had been rambling about earlier. Six weeks, was it?
It was so absurd it nearly made him laugh. The moment he heard it, his foul mood evaporated, replaced with disbelief. Of course, the issues of compensation for the victims’ families, appointing new administrators, and punishing the criminals were still unresolved.
But meeting her eyes brought back that strange sense of lightness. Even the headache that had been squeezing his head seemed to fade. Christon sat down by the bed.
“You didn’t fall asleep first today.”
“I’m sorry about yesterday. I really didn’t mean to…”
“It’s fine. Make yourself comfortable.”
Only then did Roella cautiously perch herself on the sofa. Christon lay down on the bed first, extending his hand.
There had been too much to deal with today, and he could feel his mana building up rapidly. He wanted to let it flow out as soon as possible.
Feeling the small hand grasp his, Christon clenched his teeth. The surging mana level dropped instantly.
He relaxed the furrow in his brow.
‘I’ve been far too careless.’
He’d never imagined that while he was away fighting monsters, the territory would fall into such disarray.
It felt as though his devotion to the nation and the North had been trampled into rags. Another chunk of mana drained away, washing away some of his turbulent thoughts with it.
Letting out a satisfied sigh, Christon turned his head slightly. In his half-open eyes, he saw an empty chair. Roella’s hand was still holding his.
He flinched unconsciously.
A small, pale hand resting on his large one. The hand he’d always thought looked unusually small.
Seeing only the hand and not the person unsettled him.
Christon sat up. Roella was crouched on the floor.
When their eyes met, Roella’s eyes widened.
Christon gave up trying to understand and asked,
“…What exactly are you doing right now?”
“I’m trying my best not to stand out, Your Grace.”
A brief silence followed. Roella blinked innocently.
“Ha.”
He truly couldn’t figure her out. Christon sighed.
“Sit comfortably on the sofa. It’s fine if you stand out.”
Watching Roella cautiously crawl back onto the sofa, Christon let out an even deeper sigh.
Just what in the world was that woman?
* * *
As soon as I clocked in, Lady Rosette sent me to see the Duke. Once again, I hadn’t seen his face that morning. What time does he even wake up…?
These days, I made sure to wake up by at least 8 a.m. to keep my punctual 9 a.m. start.
I had plenty of time to eat breakfast, have coffee, and even shower. Thankfully, commuting here took less than five minutes—it felt like living in a dorm and going to work.
Sometimes I woke up at 7, but even then, Christon wasn’t around.
“No morning grogginess, huh.”
Either way, it was a blessing not to see my boss the moment I opened my eyes. That kind of thing really ruins your whole day.
Judging by Lady Rosette’s reaction today, it seemed she was going to let me go out.
“I’ll have a carriage prepared, Miss Roella. You just need to meet His Grace and receive what you need.”
An outing. An outing! My first outing since coming here.
It felt like sunlight was finally breaking into my previously bleak life after possession.
In the original story, Roella had been constantly watched. She felt no attachment to the mansion and attempted escape several times, screaming that she had no obligations since the money wasn’t even hers.
In the end, Christon had paid her extra.
But Roella never changed. Driven by greed, she demanded more. What was so special about holding hands while sleeping, anyway?
This is why you should never let people take advantage of you from the start—they’ll think you’re a pushover forever.
Eventually, unable to handle the constant disputes, Christon assigned her a guard who also acted as a watcher. And despite that, she managed to poison Christon while evading surveillance.
There was no way someone like that would’ve been allowed to go out.
Circumstances are made by people, after all.
With light steps, I headed to the office and knocked. A quiet response came from inside.
Aidan opened the door.
“You’re here, Miss Roella.”
“Good morning, Mr. Aidan!”
Inside, Christon sat there, his refined features shining.
Dazzling… Every time I see him, I understand why he’s the male lead. At first, I thought he looked better in the dark—but now he was handsome even in daylight.
“Good morning, Your Grace.”
“…Good morning. You said you wanted to visit the print shop yesterday.”
“Ah, yes!”
Christon held out a small pendant to me. It was a necklace-type pendant, engraved with an ornate seal and studded with gemstones that looked like losing them would mean losing my entire life.
I swallowed hard and stared at it.
“You’re not taking it?”
“…You’re giving this to me?”
“Who else?”
He frowned slightly. Tilting his head, he let out a light sigh.
“Take this and show it at the print shop. Payment will be handled. Anywhere the name of the Grand Ducal House of Acrasia reaches, it will be honored.”
So… show this and get everything for free? Without paying?
Exploiting the Grand Ducal House’s name?
This is why rich people are dangerous…
