Chapter 19
The next day.
Marienne ate the delicious breakfast the maid brought to her room. After putting on perfectly pressed clothes without a single wrinkle, she went downstairs, where Vaileon greeted her with a smile.
“Did you sleep well last night?”
Excuse me, guards? I’d like to file a report. My superior is radiating healing energy like a sunlit tree first thing in the morning.
His face is like a melancholy poet, but his chest is way too broad.
Sorry. Actually, this isn’t a report—it’s bragging. I lost my mind for a second, so please don’t arrest me.
“Yes, the bed was really soft and fluffy.”
“Soft and fluffy?”
Vaileon repeated Marienne’s words with a smile.
“That’s good to hear.”
Ha, dangerous. Very dangerous. Chatting about beds with a handsome man with a great body this early in the morning? And this beauty isn’t even aware of his own charm.
Her commute to work was so perfect that Marienne only remembered her task of the day once she reached the imperial palace.
She had to go to that northerner’s room at noon!
“What should I do?”
Marienne frowned.
“If I don’t go, he’ll probably storm into the Chancellery.”
“There’s no reason we shouldn’t go, right?”
Marienne felt grateful that Vaileon included himself by saying “we.” She clasped her hands and whispered softly.
“Sorry for troubling you again and again.”
“That’s the twenty-third apology.”
“I want to handle things without Lord Beors’ help as much as I can. But… it’s not working out. I don’t think I’m as capable as I thought.”
Her voice grew quieter and quieter.
“This is for your sake, Lord Beors. I wanted to surprise you, like—ta-da!—but instead I keep relying on your help.”
“Deputy Didi.”
Vaileon called her gently.
“Have I ever told you thank you?”
“Huh?”
Marienne blinked, thrown off by the sudden question.
“To who?”
“To you.”
“Lord Beors to me… why?”
“Because I’m grateful.”
Grateful for what? She had dyed his perfectly fine blond hair black and caused all kinds of nonsense.
And yet she kept getting into trouble, relying on him to save her.
Poor Vaileon.
Trapped in the cycle of karma, forced to help and save her over and over again simply because he was her favorite.
She even thought maybe, among all people who reincarnated into books, she was one of the most troublesome.
And yet—he was thankful?
“Deputy Didi, you just said it yourself. This is all for me. You’re trying so hard to make sure my unrequited love works out. The least I can do is help you.”
“But still…”
“Do you hate receiving my help?”
Vaileon’s voice sounded suddenly sad. Marienne thought, ah, I messed up.
She forgot for a moment.
This man was, by nature, gentle and self-sacrificing. What he hated most was being unable to help someone he cared about.
The Countess of Beors said it yesterday too—‘You’ve started overprotecting again, haven’t you?’
Somehow she had earned so much trust that Vaileon now called her “my person.”
That was why she was receiving his overprotection. If she rejected his help, it might feel to him like she was pushing him away.
“Let me be clear. I don’t dislike your help, Lord Beors. I just… want to prove I can manage on my own too.”
She hurried to add,
“You understand those are two different things, right?”
“…Of course.”
Vaileon gave her a faint smile.
“Of course I know that.”
“It’s a matter of my pride. It’s never your fault.”
And he smiled like that again. Marienne stopped mid-sentence.
Back when she was only a reader, she used to yell at the characters every other day.
For god’s sake, just talk! Why waste your mouths! All these misunderstandings would be cleared if you were honest for ten minutes, but you let them fester for years!
But now that it’s real, it’s different.
So frustrating. Aren’t we literally having a conversation? Then why does it only get more tangled the more we talk? Am I failing to get my meaning across?
“Someday,” Marienne declared solemnly,
“I’ll be able to truly help you too. Until then, I’d be grateful if you could just… endure my shortcomings.”
She bowed deeply. Her goal was to make Vaileon happy. That meant putting his feelings first.
Vaileon understood her words with his head, but his heart still felt strangely hurt.
If she tried to explain more, it would only worsen his sadness.
Now was the time to set aside her pride for a moment.
“All right. Then from now on, Deputy Didi, lean on me as much as you like. Understood?”
“I already lean on you a ton.”
“That’s only because you can’t help it. You keep apologizing.”
He continued gently,
“Don’t do that. Just accept it more comfortably.”
Marienne twitched her lips. She tried to lighten the mood.
“What if one day I shamelessly ask for a huge loan? Since we’re so close. Like, ‘Give me a 50-year interest-free loan’…”
“Then we’d be bound by the contract for fifty years.”
Vaileon lifted one corner of his mouth in a soft smile.
“Anytime you say the word. I’ve got plenty of money, you know.”
Plenty, he says. Did he actually think of himself as modest?
Excuse me, sir, but you look rich from head to toe. You practically ooze nobility.
Marienne tried to brush it off as a joke, but Vaileon insisted he wasn’t joking.
Noon came.
In Cain’s reception room, Marienne sat without saying a word, staring straight ahead.
That was Vaileon’s order—leave all conversation to him. No matter how aggravating things got, she was to endure.
The most important thing today was not letting the duke discover their secret weapon.
Yes. The hair removal solution.
As long as he didn’t find out about the plan to slip it into his shampoo bottle and make him bald, it would be a huge success.
That meant Marienne absolutely could not lose her temper. She steeled herself to endure humiliation for the greater good.
“Chancellor Beors, your stomach must be stronger than I thought. Even if you’re trying to protect a subordinate’s life, spouting such nonsense as an excuse?”
Greater good, sure. But damn it, this bastard really came here ready to provoke.
From the moment Cain Blackwood faced them, his eyes stayed fixed on Marienne, and every word out of his mouth was chosen to needle her—testing how much she could endure.
“That thing.”
For starters, his standard form of address for her was “that thing.” Apparently in this northerner’s eyes, Deputy Marienne Didi wasn’t even human.
“You really think she pulled that stunt because she likes me? And you expect me to believe it?”
Just believe it, damn you. Don’t you dare doubt my favorite’s words.
“Likes me, does she? Who confesses like that? Look at her even now.”
Cain jerked his chin toward Marienne.
“Those eyes. Those dull sky-blue eyes. Why won’t she look me in the eye?”
You really don’t know why? Because—
“Because if she met my eyes, she’d give herself away.”
At least you’re self-aware.
Marienne started counting the patterns on the wallpaper opposite her.
Vaileon, far more skilled at acting than his deputy, answered without batting an eye.
“Deputy Didi is much shyer than she looks. I’d appreciate your understanding.”
“Shy?” Cain sneered.
“Did the definition of shyness change while I was away from the capital?”
“It’s exactly as you know it.”
“In that case, I should point out that shy girls don’t scrub naked men’s backs.”
When did I ever scrub your back? All I did was thump your boulder-like shoulders a couple times with my fists.
Don’t go twisting the facts!
Marienne’s brow furrowed. She nearly turned to glare at Cain, but Vaileon’s discreet cough reminded her to hold herself back.
“If the chancellor’s claims are true, then you’ll gladly accept my proposal.”
“What proposal, Your Grace?”
“To give me your clumsy deputy as my personal maid.”
Marienne and Vaileon spoke at the same time:
“No way!”
“That’s impossible.”
Cain shrugged theatrically.
“Both of you reject it so strongly. May I ask why?”
“It violates the rules. My deputy hasn’t even been in the Chancellery for a year. Transfers aren’t possible until at least the third year.”
“You misunderstand. I’m not asking for a transfer. She can stay under your department—just serve me personally.”
“That too is outside her official duties…”
“Anyway, I understand the chancellor’s objection. Then let’s hear from the person herself.”
The bastard cut Vaileon off and turned his arrow toward Marienne. He had intended to corner her from the start.
“It’s a chance to serve the one you like up close. I thought you’d accept without hesitation.”
Before answering, Marienne glanced at Vaileon. Stay calm, his eyes told her, giving silent permission.
“The duties of a personal maid are very different from my current work. I’d need an adjustment period, which would inconvenience Your Grace considerably.”
She suppressed her boiling anger and finished politely. She thought she had managed to defuse the crisis.
But Cain stared at her intently.
“So you can speak sensibly after all.”
“…Thank you.”
“I never even heard thanks for saving your life. And now I finally do.”
Cain smirked.
“To be honest, your face is decent. And when your mouth is shut, you look rather cute.”
No way she had to thank him for that crap too.
Marienne pressed her lips tight.
“You’ve got good looks and physical strength, but your brain doesn’t seem too sharp. I doubt your work in the Chancellery is all that important. So just accept my proposal.”
“With respect, I decline—”
“Enough. I don’t like beating around the bush.”
This bastard never beat around the bush to begin with! Yet here he was, acting like he’d get straight to the point.
“You’re the first woman to see Cain Blackwood’s bare body. So you’ll have to take responsibility.”
Finally, the peak of nonsense. Marienne nearly exploded.
“Just seeing doesn’t wear it out.”
“It wore out.”
Cain mimed pulling his shirt collar down.
“You didn’t just look. Remember how you grabbed and kneaded? This shoulder your hand touched is definitely worn down.”
“You’re ins—”
“And you cut my hair too.”
His blue eyes glinted coldly.
“What was your reason for sneaking into my room at the risk of your life and cutting my hair?”
Don’t step into the trap.
Marienne shut her mouth, which had been ready to spew curses. She glanced toward Vaileon again.
…Huh?
Up until now, Vaileon had stayed composed even against Cain’s rudeness. Even when interrupted, he kept his polite, professional smile.
But what happened just now? He looks… furious.
It was the first time she’d ever seen him wear that expression.
The hand that had been resting casually on his thigh was now clenched into a fist.
