Chapter 4
The Male Lead’s Devoted Maid Is Too Competent
Kristen stared at Roella with a peculiar look.
Slumped loosely in the chair, Roella was asleep with one hand resting on the bed.
At first, he hadn’t believed in the existence of a compatible partner.
Entrusting his life to someone so frail and powerless—
The very thought of it had disgusted him.
The curse known as mana poisoning was enough to make one feel sick to their stomach. Yet, slowly, Kristen was growing accustomed to Roella.
To sleeping like this beside her.
An astonishing level of adaptability.
While asleep, he couldn’t control his mana at all. Because of that, no one had ever been able to approach him while he slept.
Roella looked like a small rabbit that had wandered into the cage of a massive beast.
Completely unaware of the danger.
What am I even thinking…
From the start, Kristen had never intended to do anything to Roella.
He clicked his tongue softly.
Of course, the chair had been prepared so that the compatible partner could rest comfortably through the night. It was made wider and longer, so one could lean back with ease.
Perhaps because Roella was small-framed, she slept surprisingly well curled up in it.
Still—
“I’ve never seen someone fall asleep before the owner of the bedroom even arrives.”
At least she hadn’t forgotten her role entirely—her hand was stretched out toward the bed. If that was fortunate, then it was fortunate.
Even by the time Kristen returned from bathing, Roella was still asleep, muttering in her sleep as her lips moved.
“Chairman… the chair… my salary…”
Kristen brushed back his hair, still damp, and sat on the bed. His gaze resting on Roella was calm and steady.
The moment he saw her organizing documents earlier that day, he had decided on the spot to hire her.
As the ruler of the northern territory, plagued by a severe shortage of capable personnel, it was the obvious choice.
He couldn’t yet entrust her with important matters, but she seemed perfectly suited for document management. Even Aidan had raised both hands in enthusiastic approval.
“If Your Grace doesn’t hire Miss Roella, I’ll hire her myself with my own money. Please raise my salary.”
Not only Aidan, but Madam Rosette had also acknowledged Roella’s abilities.
If hiring Roella could increase everyone’s job satisfaction, Kristen was more than willing to do so.
His gaze lingered on Roella’s softly moving cheek, as if searching for another version of her within.
She looks pale.
Now that he thought about it, the fingers that had been moving the pen earlier were unusually thin—almost like a child’s.
Madam Rosette had mentioned that Roella ate little and was quite underweight. Apparently, it was due to starvation during her time at the Count of Chiple’s estate.
“…I should tell them to prepare more nutritious meals.”
Strangely enough, Roella was thoroughly knowledgeable about employment contracts—unlike a noble young lady who had supposedly never worked a day in her life.
Unlike her father, who accepted money without even reading the contract.
I was told she never received a proper education…
Her father had squandered every coin he obtained on gambling and wagers, investing nothing in his child.
In the end, even the meager assets they had were lost, and it was said that Roella barely survived on the money she earned through sewing work.
When her father decided to stake his daughter as gambling collateral, she happened to be judged as a compatible partner.
Thanks to that, instead of becoming a wager, she was sold to the ducal household.
Despite such a twisted fate, Roella was surprisingly easygoing and optimistic.
And after signing the employment contract, her work speed increased even further.
…She can process documents at this speed? Is it really true that next month’s budget is already finalized? I can’t believe it.
“I feel the same, sir. Normally, we’d still be struggling until the end of the month. Miss Roella said she believes in working exactly as much as she’s paid for.”
It was a statement that made him curious about how much more she could do if her salary were increased.
In any case, the reduced workload benefited Kristen as well. He had essentially bought his leisure time for thirty ecras a month.
And yet—
The contrast between that image and the one before him now was enormous.
Kristen stared at Roella with a strange expression.
“Puu…”
She scratched her cheek and shifted in her sleep, looking utterly carefree.
He muttered softly.
“This is ridiculous.”
He couldn’t believe they were the same person. And how could she be this defenseless?
Kristen tossed a blanket over Roella’s exposed ankles. Then, sighing, he lay down on the bed while holding her hand.
The gentle sound of her breathing beside him strangely put his mind at ease.
It was as if the space itself was telling him there was no threat here.
As if whispering that everything would be fine.
“This really makes no sense.”
Lying on his side, Kristen watched Roella as his eyes slowly narrowed.
As the mana that had filled his body drained away, breathing became easier. He exhaled slowly. The pressure that had once filled his chest gradually faded.
The last thing he saw before falling asleep was Roella’s soft, pale cheek.
* * *
“Yaaawn.”
The downside of the Chairman’s chair was that it completely lowered one’s guard.
I must’ve fallen asleep during a brief lull. I did feel a bit guilty about sleeping before my employer even arrived, but by morning, Kristen had already left the bedroom without saying a word.
Well, waiting around all night would’ve been ridiculous anyway.
I’m not some concubine waiting for the emperor’s favor. Still, out of conscience, I probably should’ve at least waited until he arrived tonight, right?
Shrugging, I headed to work—now officially paid.
Maybe it was because today marked my first paid workday, but breakfast tasted twice as good. My steps felt lighter too.
“You’re up early today, Miss Roella.”
“Of course.”
I smiled brightly at Madam Rosette.
My workplace hadn’t changed. The duke’s office was still far beyond my station.
But as of yesterday, I’d gained a new goal: rising to the position of the duke’s aide.
The salary alone was on another level. Ideally, I wanted to build up my performance here and obtain a recommendation letter to become an aide for another noble.
I’d heard from Mr. Aidan that working in the capital paid even better.
Since dreams are meant to be big, becoming an aide in the Imperial Palace didn’t sound too bad.
Anyway, attendance was also a form of performance. A recommendation letter was basically a performance review, wasn’t it? You had to leave a good impression to get a good one.
I could stay here long-term, but that might entangle me with the original story. Better to get out before that happened.
“Now that I’m officially paid, Madam Rosette. You said yesterday that work starts at nine, so I came on time. I’m not late, right?”
I smiled sheepishly. Madam Rosette replied flatly.
“You are not late. You’ve been assigned new tasks today. These are the ducal household’s financial ledgers for the past year. His Grace requested that you organize them as quickly as possible.”
“A whole year…?!”
“Yes. After this, you’ll need to organize the year before that—and the year before that as well.”
This was no small amount.
I looked at the mountain of documents stacked across my now-expanded desk and turned to Madam Rosette with a troubled expression.
“Madam Rosette.”
I called her seriously.
