Chapter 23

Chris, nervously fidgeting her feet, reported the progress of the work to Russell and returned. Aneta, who came in after her, had the same expression as usual.

Similarly, Carlos, who entered afterward, had an unreadable expression, causing Chris to roll her eyes anxiously.

Aneta’s mischievous nature suddenly surfaced as she saw Chris, who looked like a frightened rabbit due to fear.

“Chris, it seems like we need to rewrite the contract.”

Remembering those who had been babbling nonsense during the last official meeting, Chris’s face became stern without even trying.

“What? Did I do something wrong…?!”

The calm tone provoked anxiety.

Chris sprang up from her seat. In the process, she bumped her elbow on the desk, but she didn’t seem to care about the pain.

“I’m sorry.”

Aneta apologized as her anxious, trembling eyes turned to her. It was an apology with many meanings.

“What’s going on? Is it something serious?”

“Of course it is. You’ve caught the attention of His Majesty.”

“I’m… I’m getting fired… right?”

As Chris pondered the debts she would have to repay, words she never dared to expect suddenly reached her ears, causing her to raise her head in surprise.

“His Majesty has ordered you to be formally assigned to the Welfare Department.”

Thump thump. Her heart pounded loudly as if she had just finished a vigorous exercise.

“Congratulations.”

Aneta gently patted Chris’s head as if praising her.

A sigh of relief escaped Chris’s lips at the gentle touch.

“Wow. I can’t believe it!”

As the anxiety subsided, she began to feel the pain she had momentarily forgotten. She might even have a bruise. Rubbing her numb elbow, Chris asked,

“Why did you apologize?”

“Because there have been changes in the contract. It’s both an apology for teasing you and for the changes.”

The agenda was thoroughly revised to Russell’s satisfaction. Aneta recalled the face of Russell when he formally approved Chris’s hiring, a face he often made when he discovered a promising talent. It might be a bit early, but he saw potential in her.

“If you accept the offer, your salary will be paid by the country instead of me from now on. Regardless, your position under me won’t change, so we just need to adjust the salary and duties. How does that sound?”

“I want to. Please let me do it.”

No one wouldn’t welcome formal employment. Chris smiled widely with joy. It felt like she was dozens of steps closer to a goal that had seemed so distant.

“It’s too early to celebrate, but there’s another piece of good news.”

“Another one?”

“There’s a program that provides housing free of charge for those without a townhouse.”

It was a small house that seemed a little spacious to live in alone, and the competition rate was not very high because the property details were thoroughly examined and checked to the roots.

“Did I get through there?”

“Yes. You can move in as soon as the revised contract takes effect. There happened to be one vacant place, making the process much smoother.”

Chris covered her open mouth with her hand. A look of surprise transformed her face.

“I know you said you didn’t want any more help, but I figured you wouldn’t mind if I did this for you. It’s not too much to ask, is it?”

“Oh, my God.”

Chris pulled Aneta into a hug, unable to fight the overwhelming emotion. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes and threatened to slide down her cheeks at any moment.

“Not at all. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, Aneta.”

Aneta was taken aback by Chris’s sudden gesture, her eyes widening in surprise. The warmth felt in her embrace was small yet comforting.

“Sometimes, things like this aren’t so bad.”

Aneta blinked in surprise and then smiled.

The softening of her eyes, the affection in them, made Carlos take an involuntary step forward and stop.

It was an unconscious act of caution.

He wanted to rush to her and lead her into his arms. But she was so beautiful with warmth that he couldn’t dare to intervene.

“Oh. This is serious.”

Carlos belatedly realized that no one around him didn’t know him. His chest tightened with the realization.

“Aneta, you are like a blessing bestowed upon me.”

Whether she said it or not, Chris stumbled in gratitude, overwhelmed by the joy that kept coming her way. She felt like she was about to lose her mind with the continuous stream of luck.

Aneta led Chris to the front of the desk after releasing her arms from her waist.

After signing the new contract, Chris left to greet her coworkers who would officially be sharing the space.

Feeling a sense of loss after losing a valued aide, Aneta stood coolly by the open window, watching Chris’s retreating figure with a complex gaze.

As she watched her confidently stride away with a bundle of documents to be transferred to the Welfare Department, she felt a sense of renewal.

“Now it’s just you and me left here.”

Carlos had approached without notice. Sensing his presence, Aneta responded.

“It feels like letting go of a child you’ve nurtured.”

“If she’s your daughter, she’s mine too.”

“…….”

Aneta received his words, half playful and half sincere, without any response.

“To be honest, she wasn’t exactly someone I was attached to. I only pushed her around in political circles, and she ended up submitting proposals.”

Carlos shrugged, mentioning what he had observed and heard.

“If I had thought it was impossible, I wouldn’t have started in the first place.”

He had only assisted a capable individual. If it had been the opposite case, he would have only offered a little help for Aneta’s sake, without directly intervening.

“Anyway, how about spending some time together in the same space?”

His voice, filled with expectation, floated on the breeze. He lightly touched her gently fluttering hair and asked again.

“Has your heart changed a bit?”

“Well, maybe we’ve developed some camaraderie from being buried in paperwork together.”

“What kind of answer is that?”

“And it’s not just a feeling between us. Chris was with us too.”

Aneta shifted her gaze from Carlos to the window. Outside, Vernon had joined Chris, who had appeared belatedly.

Vernon reached for the documents and Chris shook her head repeatedly. Even without hearing their conversation, one could roughly guess the situation.

“No matter how I look at it, Chris is too valuable.”

Aneta considered the idea of keeping Chris close by her side instead of letting Vernon have him. She knew it was just a wish with little chance of becoming reality.

“I don’t think either of them is too valuable or too insignificant. I just hope they get together soon.”

“That’s surprising, coming from you.”

“If they do, you’ll pay less attention to them and more to me.”

Carlos spoke sincerely.

“Lately, you’ve been neglecting me too much.”

“Hasn’t it always been like this?”

Aneta couldn’t deny it. Her conscience wouldn’t allow her to.

“It’s different now. At least before, there was no one you cared about specially.”

He knew it was only Isabel or perhaps their late mother who held such a special place in her heart.

“You know, Aneta?”

In his blue gaze, he conspicuously kissed a strand of her hair. Even as the soft touch met his lips, he didn’t avert his eyes from hers.

“I feel like I’m trapped in a world that revolves around you.”

“And do you have any intention of leaving?”

“No.”

Carlos vowed firmly in a resolute tone.

“I will love you forever.”

And he hoped that the words he breathed would reach her, blooming into a heartbeat in a fleeting moment.

***

“Chris left me and went to the Ministry of Welfare. She even rejected my help.”

Carlos deeply wished for Vernon and Chris to get together soon.

“Now, what will I live for?”

That way, he wouldn’t have to see this situation as often.

Carlos glared at the uninvited guest who had shown up to disrupt their time together after just ten minutes as if he would burn him to ashes with his eyes.

When Vernon commented about not even being served tea, Carlos offered only a hastily poured glass of water.

It was a not-so-subtle message for Vernon to drink the water, cool down, and leave. But Vernon quickly emptied the glass and plopped down on the sofa.

“Are you listening? This is my biggest worry right now.”

Despite Carlos’s cold treatment and Aneta’s indifference, Vernon came seeking advice.

“Chris doesn’t want to rely on me. That makes me so anxious. What if she leaves my side and never comes back?”

Having had his feelings laid bare, Vernon had no reason to hide his anxieties and poured them out without filter.

“You said you wanted to help her.”

Unable to listen any longer, Aneta lifted her gaze from elsewhere and looked at her cousin, who was holding his head in his hands.

“It’s natural to feel uneasy when Chris doesn’t depend on you. Your relationship has always been like that.”

A change in what was taken for granted naturally caused anxiety.

“But not anymore.”

Aneta sought agreement with his words, but she didn’t wait for an answer.

“Your role now is to clear the path for Chris to move forward, not to confine her to rules you’ve set on your own.”

Aneta also wanted to protect Chris in her current state, but she knew it was unrealistic. That’s why she hoped Chris would gain the strength to stand alone.

The world she had entered was one where survival depended on such strength.

“Blind protection only works in the moment. No matter how much you love and want to protect someone, you can’t spend every moment with them.”

With a remark that pierced reality, Vernon was reminded that he knew this all too well. Feeling the sting of that gaze, Vernon clutched his chest in an exaggerated display of mock pain.

“So, stop trying to cage her. Unless you want her to live a life dictated by your emotions alone.”

Aneta was wary of what love could provide. Creating a situation where someone had no choice but to rely on you, only to take everything away once your feelings cooled, left nothing but helplessness and emptiness.

This was why she had never harbored romantic feelings for Carlos. She thought that staying by his side would ultimately lead to the realization that it was all an illusion.

“You never know what might happen if someone takes that cage away when you’re not paying attention.”

It almost sounded as if she was suggesting she might do just that, causing Vernon to swallow dryly.

“…I feel like I could fend off anyone but you, Aneta.”

As if treating her like a final villain, Aneta furrowed her brows at the sharp words.

“If you’re going to talk nonsense, then leave.”

“You’re being harsh. I actually have news to share.”

As if questioning why he was only saying this now, a sharp gaze swept towards Vernon.

“Oh, really? I thought you were just lounging around with nothing to do.”

Matching Carlos’s sarcastic tone, Vernon made a playful “too much” face before sobering up and getting to the point.

“We’ve received news that Viscount Folter, who was detained, has confessed. The evidence was undeniable, so he had no choice.”

Admitting his crimes, he was begging for his life.

But neither Aneta nor anyone else here expected him to survive.

Russell would undoubtedly see to his execution.

“What’s the situation on the ground?”

“First, I asked the director of the Modan Orphanage for cooperation. For the time being, we had the children wear shabby clothes. We also made sure most of the food supplies brought in were the cheapest available.”

“You’re not feeding the children bad food, are you?”

Aneta’s expression hardened at the thought of bringing in low-quality supplies on purpose.

“Don’t worry. The Baltimor family’s knights are secretly supplying proper food. Anything inedible is being handled by our estate.”

Vernon mentioned his nearby estate to reassure her.

“Buying large quantities would draw attention. How did you handle that?”

“They used Viscount Folter’s seal for the purchases. Everyone thinks he’s being greedy about food supplies this time.”

Carlos, having heard the local residents’ reactions beforehand, gently patted Aneta’s hand.

“It’s a relief that his absence isn’t noticeable.”

“Everyone thinks the lazy lord is holed up somewhere, wasting food. Carlos handled things so smoothly that the deception was easy.”

Vernon clicked his tongue, saying that the residents were used to Viscount Folter’s tyranny.

“Oh, and this. Keep this envelope in the drawer along with the other documents, Aneta.”

“Why Aneta?”

Carlos questioned as Vernon handed over the document folder he had been carrying.

“It’s related to the Ministry of Welfare. It’s more natural for Aneta to have it than you.”

Natural. With that single word, Aneta and Carlos understood what the document was.

“It’s a bait.”

It seemed like Russell had planned it all. Aneta felt a sense of awe as she looked over the contents, appreciating Russell’s thorough preparation.

Now, all the traps were set.

All that remained was for Erez to fall into the trap.