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Chapter 41
“Aaack, my arm!”
The mana gathered in her arms went out of control and started shaking wildly. It was just about to explode from where it had been tied into her bones and muscles.
Crash!
Riana threw the desk aside and barely managed to dispel the mana from both arms.
If she’d been even a little slower, she might’ve lost her arms.
She was shocked at first, but quickly shook off the panic and flapped her arms out to recover.
As the remaining mana left her body, a sharp pain ran through her.
Mana has no color, no smell, and little chemical reactivity, so to anyone other than a mage or mana-user, it’s no different from nitrogen in the air.
But as the name suggests, mana is essentially power.
And it’s only natural for highly condensed power to cause side effects.
‘I messed up because it was my first time.’
No wonder it felt like so much energy was rushing in. She’d definitely need to practice handling small amounts of mana more precisely.
“Still… this hurts way too much, seriously.”
The lingering pain was stronger than expected, and Riana grimaced.
The strange part was that—while in pain—she suddenly thought of the man in the next room.
‘Didn’t he say he was sick from mana overload?’
She remembered that handsome face, usually only good for making maids swoon. But instead of annoyance, she oddly felt sympathy.
Of course, since he wasn’t a mana-user, he probably didn’t feel pain like this.
Still, the fact that he lived with such a dangerous time bomb in his body was kind of tragic.
He was the kind of man who suffered from having too much of everything.
Too much mana… and too much of everything else.
‘…He really is unnecessarily good-looking.’
No matter how much she tried to ignore it, she couldn’t help but picture the man under the evening moonlight.
His unreal, seductive eyes. The mysterious clarity in those deep pupils, deeper than any lake.
Everything about him had seemed too perfect, almost fake—until that moment, when it all felt vividly real.
Thump, thump, thump. The loud heartbeat she felt through their bodies was proof of that.
‘Why the hell was his heart beating so fast, anyway?’
Normally, he was the kind of guy who made you wonder if he even had a heart.
“He just keeps popping into my head. So annoying…”
There went her peaceful night.
Morning came.
As always, the Droche estate was bustling with the movement of magical staff and business partners coming and going.
The atmosphere inside the second-floor conference room at Genevieve Hall was just as energetic.
“This is the first time Aeia Island has opened trade with the continent. Since the land is still undeveloped, its business value is essentially unlimited.”
The excited voice of a young employee from the desert delegation continued the presentation.
“Last week, a treaty was signed between the royal family of the desert kingdom and Aeia Island. The final goal is modernization of Aeia and commercializing magic. The details are on page seven of the handout…”
At her words, the senior executives of the Droche Magic Company seated around the long table all turned to page seven.
All except one.
“……”
Killian, with a clearly displeased expression, had his arms crossed and was still staring at page six.
Kim, seated next to him, noticed something was off and leaned in.
“Duke?”
No response.
The enthusiastic presenter continued talking, unaware.
“As you can see, while there are some restrictions to preserve local culture and avoid environmental damage, they won’t really interfere with the project.”
“…Your Grace.”
Kim reached out and gently flipped Killian’s page for him.
That’s when Killian finally turned his eyes toward Kim.
“Also, one thing to note is that minimum wage for local workers has been added as a clause, so we’ll need to adjust the budget slightly. That part is on the next page—”
Killian gave Kim a look like, What are you looking at me for?, and Kim’s eyebrow twitched.
“Next page, Your Grace.”
“…Ah.”
Killian glanced toward the presenter, his brow furrowed.
The last thing he remembered hearing was: “Hello, I’m Andrea Papillon from the Malrep Trading Guild.”
He had no idea how they’d already gotten this far in the presentation.
Just as he tried to snap back into focus—
“That’s all. Thank you.”
—the presentation ended.
Killian was the first to leave the conference room. Kim followed closely behind.
He had a lot to say to the Duke, but the hallway was crowded with staff, so it wasn’t the right place to talk. Luckily, Kim was one of the few mages who could use telepathy.
[Haven’t you been overworking yourself lately?]
Tiny glowing golden letters floated in front of Killian.
Killian waved them away, clearly annoyed.
[I understand you’ve got a lot on your mind because of this project, but shouldn’t you also think about your health, Your Grace?]
Another glowing message blocked his path. Killian turned a sharp glare toward the sender right next to him.
“Do I look quarantined to you, Secretary?”
[No, sir.]
“Then use your mouth.”
“…Yes, sir.”
By the time Kim obediently agreed, the two had already reached the top floor where Killian’s office was.
As soon as the office door closed, Kim started nagging out loud. He was one of the few people who could actually get away with it.
“Have you even slept lately? The physician said you should at least sleep once a week.”
“I sleep when I need to.”
“Then why can’t you concentrate? That’s not like you.”
“That’s not the reason.”
“Then what is—”
What could possibly make the great Duke of the Droche family lose focus since last night? The man known to make even birds fall out of the sky with his gaze?
Who had thrown him off?
As the image of that bold troublemaker popped into Killian’s mind again, he let out a pained sigh.
He sat at his office desk and stretched his stiff neck. Kim saw this and instantly understood.
The business deal was going perfectly. Even the biggest variables had all gone according to plan.
That meant there was only one thing not going his way right now.
‘It’s about Miss Riana…!’
The worry vanished from Kim’s face, replaced by pure joy.
‘Oh no, Duke—things won’t go your way from now on, either!’
From Kim’s experience, it only took one week to tell if someone would fall in love with the Duke.
All those “former” citizens of the Diarres Kingdom who had passed through the estate and ended up madly in love—even banished from the country—had always started the same way.
A soft look, a “You look nice,” or a “Good morning.”
That was enough to start—and end—it all.
The Duke never put in more effort than that. But the ones who had already fallen in love just kept falling deeper.
‘So if it doesn’t start there, it won’t go anywhere.’
Because the Duke’s looks and status were so overpowering, he never needed to develop any other “weapons.”
But Miss Riana didn’t care about his looks. She even turned down a proposal from Duke Veloci! She wasn’t blinded by ambition or charm.
She’d never fall for the Duke’s half-baked tricks.
‘Which means I’m finally free from the hell of finding isolation tower maids!’
Kim grinned mischievously, then coughed awkwardly when he felt Killian’s gaze.
“Ahem! Anyway, don’t push yourself too hard. I’m worried about you.”
He covered his grinning mouth with his fist, trying to play it off.
“Do you need anything? Maybe the part of the presentation you missed—”
“There is something I need.”
Kim nodded, ready to do whatever was asked.
“Go to the stockroom on the fourth floor—”
Killian said it like it was a top-secret mission. Kim’s face immediately turned serious.
It looked like the Duke was about to try something ridiculous again.
After sleeping in all morning, Riana woke up and was instantly drawn toward the maid wing by a delicious smell on the breeze.
‘What is that smell?’
It smelled like fried chicken—like home. More specifically…
“Yangnyeom chicken!”
It was her first time smelling it since she’d transmigrated, but she recognized it instantly.
‘Did Mrs. Baker finally invent a space-time-defying chicken recipe?!’
Heart pounding with excitement, Riana knocked on the maid dining hall door.
“Mrs. Baker! What’s today’s menu that smells so—”
She opened the door and stopped in shock.
There was no chicken.
“You smelled something tasty, huh?”
The deep voice that greeted her had only one thing in common with yangnyeom chicken—it made her mouth water.
Killian placed a diffuser labeled Temptation on the table and said,
“It’s an item that lets you smell your favorite scent.”
Riana was stunned.
‘My… my favorite smell is yangnyeom chicken?!’
She didn’t expect to have fancy niche perfume tastes, but at least she thought she was at a Dior or Chanel level.
“…Hmph.”
Killian frowned slightly, noticing she had clearly drifted off into another thought. He cast a spell and made the diffuser disappear.
Finally, Riana’s wide eyes lifted up—to his piercing blue ones.
“Why are you here?”
That’s when Killian’s lips curled into a refined smile.
“I heard Miss Riana stops by here sometimes.”
