“Did you have a good time without me, Rose?”
Cassian greeted me with a smile when I returned from the Empress's palace.
"Thanks to you, I had to be all alone.
Surely there are a lot of young girls hoping you'll ask them to dance, right?"
“I'm very loyal to one person.”
While in reality, he hates trouble.
Unlike the First Prince who had widespread rumors about his affairs with all kinds of noble young ladies, Cassian was really clean in this aspect..
He was famous for never dancing at parties even before I arrived in DC.
So I thought today would be the same, but he danced the first dance with me naturally.
“So, do you need a bonus for overtime?”
Cassian extended his hand to me.
I hesitated for a moment before nodding my head and taking his hand.
Even though she said she reduced the sugar, I wanted to erase the taste that was so sweet that it made my tongue pucker.
I cut off a large piece of tender roast beef and put it in my mouth.
A fragrant smell of well-roasted asparagus and rich wine followed, washing my mouth.
Even though I ate half the steak, Cassian just drank wine silently and didn't rush me.
Instead..
“I was thinking I wouldn't blame you even if you fell into temptation, Rose.”
He said something that hurt my pride a little.
What do you think I am?
“This is too much, Your Highness.
To see me as such an easy person.”
It's just that it's easier for me to make money fair and square!
At my tone, which was no different from usual, Cassian extended his hand.
The sound of his cup colliding with mine rang out randomly.
"This is too much.
You're a very difficult person, Rose."
You seem to know very well how to move me
I put down the cutlery in my hand and started to inform Cassian.
“It was as if Her Majesty the Empress wanted to keep me out of Your Highness’s side.
She said she would pay off all the debts of the territory if I informed her in advance what Your Highness would be doing over the next three months.”
It would have been better if you had asked me to look for his weak point
Her goal was just to push me away, but somehow it felt more annoying...
“Don't be too upset, Rose.
It means the Empress is not a fool.”
"…Sorry?"
“After you came, His Majesty has been passing more work to me.”
I thought about this for a moment...
It was true that there was a huge difference in workload between when I first started working with Cassian and now..
The Empress was trying not to appoint any suitable assistant to him.
“But the First Prince has five assistants.”
“Yes, they were all chosen from the sons of well-known intelligent families in the capital.”
Cassian smiled wickedly.
“But she didn't do anything about you.”
Of course, I am a noble young lady from a region confined to a corner of the empire...
In addition, since I had no experience, there was no need for me to be wary
“But this was beyond the Empress’s calculations.
She didn’t think you would do the job well, even if you worked overtime.”
For some reason, I thought I heard Cassian mutter, “Even I thought so.”
“Since you came, a lot of important business that used to go to the First Prince has declined.”
Cassian wet his throat a little with wine before speaking again.
“His Majesty the Emperor is a bit narrow-minded, but he is not a boring king.”
“I see,” I said to myf.
If I said that out loud, I would be guilty of insulting the imperial family.
“So the Empress wants to get rid of you.
If my business volume decreases, she can save the First Prince’s face while devaluing me.”
Cassian shrugged, then asked me again.
“So why did you reject this offer, Rose?”
I can say with certainty that I would not have accepted that face.
So, among the many reasons, I deliberately mentioned the strangest one.
“Because she said she would give me the second son of Viscount Erinole, who is rumored to be bad-tempered and ugly, as a husband.”
Viscountess Erinault, who was the Empress's lady-in-waiting, looked distraught.
Anyway this kind of rubbish was unacceptable to me.
But Cassian, who I thought would surely burst out laughing, mocking me for my words...
“They dared to suggest such a thing to you...”
For some reason, his eyes were frighteningly deep...
On a quiet night after the imperial party ended and most of the guests returned..
Cassian took me home in the carriage.
Whether because he had read my mind or because he had prepared high-quality wine, I was a bit confused..
However, I somehow tried to keep my heavy eyelids open, because I was in front of my boss...
"It's okay, Rose.
Go and sleep.
I won't cut your precious salary for something like this."
Because Cassian said such sweet words...
Even though it was only a short 10 minute ride in the stroller, I slept...
Maybe because the night was full of unusual events, I had a strange dream..
A dream where the voice of Kasyan when he was very young seemed to me whispering in my ear very clearly..
[You are still the only one for me.]
What is this silly dream?
There is no reason for little Cassian to say such things to me.
The moment I thought of that, I woke up in a panic, wondering if I was actually dreaming about the original path...
Cassian smiled slightly when he saw me suddenly open my eyes.
“It seems that the high-quality wine I gave you has gone to waste?”
I hoped it would be somewhat realistic..
I was somewhat relieved to hear that funny and familiar voice, which made me feel ridiculous..
Even though I lost about 8 hours, it was a nice break that I haven't had in a long time..
I was also happy because the huge loot and rewards made me feel good..
I was happy to know that I could spend three whole days alone without meeting anyone.
It was the first time I had complete rest for three days since my arrival in the capital.
I woke up late, just after lunchtime
Without even changing my pajamas, I wrapped a shawl around myf, filled my stomach with the meal the maid had prepared in advance, and began to slowly check the pile of letters.
First was the letter from my father.
Since it's been so long, I wanted to put in more effort than usual in responding..
I have always felt sorry that I could barely write letters while fighting sleepiness and fatigue.
They are really worried...
When I said I was going to the capital to work, even those who always supported me in anything I did tried to stop me from doing so..
“We can work more, there is no need to struggle so much for us.”
“Yes, Roslita.
If things don't really work out, we can l the title and territory and move to another kingdom.”
Naturally, it was my parents who finally succumbed to my stubbornness.
The letters they sent me every month were always full of affection.
They always wrote that I could come back at any time if it was very difficult
Roita, our daughter.
You don't have to send money home
You've earned this hard.
Use it for yourf.
They constantly wrote to me asking me not to send them money.
'Of course... they didn't use the money I sent them to pay off the debt.'
I thought that such caring parents might really do it, so I stressed them out and urged them to pay the debt this time
Additionally, I wrote about the debut party I was feeling anxious about, and twisted Cassian's actions nicely like a fairy tale..
If they knew his true character, these good people might come to the capital immediately to fetch me..
I didn't want to create such a situation at all.
The afternoon passed quickly just by writing a reply to my parents with reassurance and checking other messages..
I was originally planning to go to the library today.
I thought for a moment as I lay on the couch and moved my fingers.
Even though I slept today, I felt strangely sleepy again..
'Should I go tomorrow?'
The idea of changing clothes, going out, then washing and sleeping again made everything seem unpleasant.
So I won't have time to read books today anyway...but if I buy them today, I can stay up all day tomorrow and just read books..
Knock knock knock.
The sound of someone knocking on the door came while I was busy with these trivial thoughts.
The maid is not here today.
Moreover, I'm wearing my pajamas and my hair is messy.
I thought they might leave if I pretended I wasn't here, yet I quickly tied my hair and looked for a long robe that could cover my pajamas.
I had a bit of a bad feeling...
And..
"I'm sorry for the sudden visit.
Are you Miss Roita of Baron Salis's family?"
When I opened the door at the third ring, I had to suppress my annoyance when I saw the seal on the letter the visitor had presented.
“It is an invitation from Viscountess Erinole to attend a luncheon at the Erinole estate tomorrow.”
I refused vehemently, confirming my intentions.
‘I appreciate your words, Your Majesty the Empress.
But my parents taught me not to betray their trust carelessly.'
Despite my refusal in a tone of perhaps...
She was seen as rude from the Empress' point of view.
“Our Second Young Master will also be attending.
The Viscountess also asked me to inform you that special desserts will be prepared for you, so please be sure to attend.”
I'm not sold
Looks like tomorrow will be a good day to go to work alone