UDBL~40

CHAPTER 40

“I can’t just sit back and watch.”

Riana’s brain spun quickly.

Her barely-there crisis response skills finally shone!

Splash!

Riana jumped into the lake.

Killian was reading documents while walking, trying to save time before quarantine started so he could finish his work.

But that didn’t mean he missed seeing Riana at the lakeside park. In fact, he spotted her and purposely headed that way.

He needed to win her over before she could fall head over heels for the Duke of Veloci.

He had decided that making Riana fall for him would be his top priority for now.

Then, from a distance, he saw her jump into the lake.

‘Did I see that right?’

Killian stopped walking and tried to recall what he had just seen.

It took a moment to process it completely.

As soon as he realized Riana had jumped into the deep part of the lake, he picked up his pace. He even added a bit of magic and reached her quickly.

But in that short time, Riana hadn’t come back up.

“…Is she crazy?”

She can’t even swim? Then why did she jump in?

His heart pounded like it was about to explode. He pulled off his jacket.

Someone might’ve said something to him, but he wasn’t in the state of mind to notice.

He ripped off his vest, popped open his buttons, and yanked off his cravat as he stormed toward the lake.

And jumped in.

He barely even realized what he was doing.

“…Your Grace?”

Deborah’s shocked voice echoed on land as she watched the Duke suddenly take off his clothes and dive into the lake.

Rumble—

Under the dark water, Riana’s coral-colored hair floated gently.

Killian spotted it and quickly swam toward her, grabbing her by the shoulders. When she fought back, he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

Because she kept resisting for some unknown reason, Killian ended up using magic. After struggling a bit, both of their faces finally broke the surface.

“Haah!”

Riana gasped for air, panting hard. But even while catching her breath, she kept trying to push Killian’s chest away.

Killian, also breathing heavily, grabbed her hands and shouted,

“What the hell? What were you thinking?!”

Riana finally stopped moving, her hands held tight.

Her wide, round eyes were filled with disbelief, like she couldn’t believe what had just happened. Her irises, the color of flower petals, shimmered with confusion and irritation.

In that wet and dizzying moment, her face was engraved in Killian’s eyes.

Then his voice, a little softer now, came out between clenched teeth.

“…If you can’t swim, then don’t—”

But his words got caught in his throat like he was drowning in water.

A stream of water slid down her flushed cheek and traced her neck. A wet strand of hair clung between her lips.

Thump. Thump. Thump. His submerged heart seemed to speak.

‘Should I… move it away?’

Splash. Killian’s hand rose from the water.

But Riana moved first.

“Pffft!”

She spat the hair out and looked around.

And of course—there was Deborah, eyes wide like a rabbit.

‘Damn it!’

So much for hiding underwater. She had been confident in her ability to hold her breath, thanks to her childhood swim team!

This damn Duke was never helpful at the right moment.

But she still had a Plan B.

“Your Grace!”

Riana suddenly shouted, making Killian flinch. His eyes, which had momentarily lost focus, snapped back.

It was time for Riana’s life-or-death acting performance.

“I accidentally slipped and fell into the lake, and right then, my leg cramped up and I couldn’t get out!”

“……”

“And then, Your Grace, so kindly saved a lowly maid like me from danger—how noble of you!”

Right now, her role was “Random Bystander #1,” whose sole purpose was to show off the male lead’s unexpected kindness.

You heard that, right, Deborah? I don’t have feelings for him.

Riana mentally shot a telepathic message toward Deborah, eyes sparkling.

Meanwhile, Killian let out a sigh. He wasn’t sure if it was from relief after saving her… or regret from the strange impulse he’d just acted on.

He let out a short breath and rubbed his wet face. Just then, Riana whispered,

“What are you doing? Finish the rescue!”

Killian looked at her with disbelief, so Riana motioned with her eyes toward land.

You have to carry me out of the water—otherwise, the scene won’t be complete.

“…Hah.”

With an oddly tired sigh, Killian picked Riana up in his arms.

Even though her actions so far were enough to make anyone think she was weird, once they were back on land, she shouted,

“For a boss to save an employee’s life like this—this is better than full benefits! Right?”

She gave a big thumbs up to a passerby who had no idea when they even got there.

The original story’s elegant first meeting may have been ruined, but wasn’t this still pretty dramatic?

Killian would definitely leave a strong impression on Deborah—and Riana would remain just a random, forgettable extra.

This wasn’t breaking the original story at all!

Clap clap clap.

Riana gave herself a mental standing ovation, imagining a curtain call for her performance.

At the same time, in a bedroom inside the Isolation Tower—

Killian arrived, tearing open the buttons on his shirt like he was ripping them off.

“This is insane.”

That woman was completely out of her mind. He’d known it from the first day when she shamelessly insisted she was a man in disguise—but he hadn’t realized just how crazy she was.

How could someone be so insane that they made other people go insane too?

Killian walked into the connected bathroom, peeling off his wet shirt. The enchanted bathroom automatically filled the tub and prepared soap and towels.

He stood in front of the mirror, dragging both hands down his face. He pressed down on his eyelids to wipe away the remaining water.

Then he leaned on the sink and looked up at his reflection.

The man in the mirror looked like a soaked dog.

His black hair stuck to his scalp, his brows were a mess.

There was no trace of noble dignity, beauty, or elegance. It was a look no nobleman should ever show in public.

Yes, normally, seeing someone soaking wet like this should be unpleasant.

So why… did Riana look the way she did?

She wasn’t soaked in water—she was soaked in sunset and moonlight.

“I’m losing it…”

He’d caught whatever madness she had.

Killian tightly shut his eyes, trying to ignore the thumping of his still-pounding heart.

At that moment, all thoughts of bets and games had completely vanished from his mind.

Meanwhile, in the same Isolation Tower—

Riana was sitting on a sofa, her feet up on the table, reading a book without a care in the world.

“Advanced Tea Blending for Professional Maids”

“What a great book.”

It was a peaceful night. No summons from the Duke, no dumb flirting.

See? Told you it would work.

Now she was finally free from Finding the Real Duchess.

Thanks to her amazing acting, she had successfully recreated the classic “Cute First Meeting Between Boss and Employee” from Boss, Please Hire Me!

Those ancestors who said, “Even in a tiger’s den, keep your wits about you,” were right on the mark.

One of their descendants was now surviving in a villainess-flag minefield using nothing but pure willpower.

But I can’t rely on tricks forever.

Even if she planned carefully and worked her butt off to survive, one mood swing from the male lead could cost her her life.

That’s why she needed real power.

Riana closed the book and stood up.

It was time to try the magic technique she learned from Allen.

“Allen lifted a whole tree out of the ground…”

She looked around the maid room. Her eyes landed on the wooden furniture.

Bed, desk, chair.

She could lift a chair with her hands, and the bed was still too much, so she decided to start with the desk.

After clearing the books and items off it, she took a deep breath.

“Hoo… I can do this. I can do this!”

She rolled up her sleeves and grunted as she focused. The mana in the air began to ripple.

With her eyes closed, all her other senses sharpened.

She could feel mana enter her body with each breath, sweeping through her and exiting as she exhaled.

Most people wouldn’t be able to feel this.

Even mages use mana to cast spells, but they can’t actually feel it.

But a mana-user could.

I can feel everything.

Riana slowly began to control the flow of mana around her.

Gather.

Just like Allen did, she concentrated her internal mana into both arms. She even pulled in mana from the air, and the density in her arms increased.

“Y-yes! I did it!”

She felt overflowing with power. But it wouldn’t last long.

She quickly grabbed the desk to test it.

“Hiyaah!”

With a loud shout, Riana lifted the desk.

For a moment, the heavy wooden desk floated in the air like a feather.

That was way easier than I expe—

Then she screamed.