Duke Frith inwardly rejoiced.

He had finally found an excuse to stay with Dodori until late at night without appearing vulgar!

‘Only one hour left.’

His hurried footsteps headed straight for the Magic Department.

“Your Grace!”

The castle’s Magic Department was somehow managing to function even after losing Chief Magician Bark.

The problem was that they were too busy to even catch their breath.

“W-what brings you here-“

“I need work.”

“Pardon?”

“Anything will do.”

“……”

His sudden appearance demanding work was rather bewildering.

The department staff awkwardly rolled their eyes.

“W-what specifically are you referring to……”

“Where are the documents that aren’t immediately urgent?”

“Ah, they’re right here, but!”

“Good. I’ll borrow them for a day.”

“……What?”

“Take this as well.”

Derek roughly picked up a pile of documents.

He also took the troublesome heirloom that had stolen Audrey’s magic.

“I’ll bring it back tomorrow.”

“……”

“Carry on with your work.”

Then he disappeared with quick steps.

‘This should be enough.’

Duke Frith unconsciously curved one corner of his mouth as he looked down at the mountain of documents.

It was an amount that even Chief Magician Bark could never finish in a single day.

‘Surely Dodori will stay late as well.’

Ah, what a romantic method this was!

He admired his own sense.

‘Reading those romance novels was worth it.’

Of course, he didn’t really want Dodori to suffer from overwork.

These tasks could be completed or not—it didn’t matter either way.

Weren’t they documents that would return to the Magic Department tomorrow anyway?

Dodori just needed to use overtime work as an excuse to spend sweet time with Derek. Forgetting about curfew and all.

‘Should I prepare wine? Or perhaps warm tea?’

It would be nice to have a sincere conversation with Dodori after so long.

In particular, he wanted to know Dodori’s true feelings that had stirred him up with just thirteen anemones.

***

As soon as Derek returned to the office, he placed the pile of documents on Dodori’s desk.

Thud!

“……!”

“Finish this perfectly, I mean, completely by today.”

“What?”

Then he carefully chose his next words.

‘Should I tell her not to think about going home? Or… that I won’t let her go home today?’

But somehow those words seemed dripping with vulgarity.

Derek, secretly flustered, spoke as plainly as possible with minimal force.

“Your family will be worried.”

“……!”

You should contact them in advance in case Count Kevelson worries.

He walked to his place with the stiff gait of a broken wooden doll.

Meanwhile, Audrey, who had suddenly been hit with a document bomb, was too dumbfounded to speak.

‘What, what is all this?’

The current time was 5:30 PM. Only 30 minutes remained until closing time.

And at 7 PM, she had dinner plans with the Emilton family. That meant she needed to leave by 6:30 PM at the latest.

Yet he was telling her to finish all this by today?

It was as good as saying don’t go home.

“……”

Audrey stubbornly kept her mouth shut.

‘Does he think I can’t do it?’

Whatever his intentions, Duke Frith had misjudged her.

Wasn’t she, exclusively for Claude, an unstoppable locomotive that knew no surrender?

Her determination surged to somehow return home on time and happily cut steaks with Claude.

‘The princess play is over.’

Audrey quietly removed her lace gloves.

Beside them, she lined up her dazzling rings, bracelets, and even the large ribbon in order.

‘Claude Oppa, wait for me!’

The power of love was great.

***

“Huh? Lady Kevelson has already left?”

“……”

Lucas looked around the office in confusion.

It was because Audrey, who seemed destined for an all-nighter, was nowhere to be seen.

Looking at her desk, all those documents were neatly stacked in perfect order.

Lucas couldn’t believe it.

“Gasp! She finished all of this?”

“Be quiet.”

“Eep.”

Someone who hadn’t done any work all day because the paper was too rough had processed all that and left!

‘How fed up she must have been…..’

He could understand her feelings.

After all, a man who makes a woman work overtime just to spend more time with her isn’t exactly normal.

Meanwhile, Duke Frith was signing documents with a thoroughly disgruntled face.

It was because Dodori had finished her work in an instant and left precisely at 6:30 PM.

‘How heartless. How utterly oblivious.’

His plans had completely fallen through.

The late-night snacks he had planned to share amicably with Dodori became treats for the servants, and the wine he had carefully selected, he drank alone in his distress.

‘This has become useless too.’

Derek dejectedly put down a book titled <300 Everyday Conversations (to Captivate Your Love Interest)>.

He had thought he might refer to it since he always got nervous in front of Dodori…..

‘Nothing goes according to plan.’

As a war hero, he was confident in predicting enemy attacks and formulating strategies against them.

He was also skilled at considering all possibilities with persistence.

But love had too many variables.

“Sigh……”

Finally, Duke Frith put down his fountain pen with a sigh.

Then he opened the deepest drawer and took out a thick book. It was <1001 Plant Encyclopedia>.

‘Not this one. Not this either.’

Derek turned the pages for a long time, methodically searching for something.

Then suddenly his gaze stopped on one page.

《Sixty-third flower, Linaria》

Linaria, the purple flower resembling a goldfish! Isn’t its round, cute appearance truly adorable?

‘When it comes to cuteness, my Dodori is second to none.’

Its pinkish color and the small, dainty appearance of the flower reminded him of Dodori.

He checked the flower language with a very serious face.

Linaria’s flower language: Please understand my heart.

“……!”

Derek’s body trembled as if struck by lightning.

Yes, this was it.

Along with the cuteness resembling Dodori, the flower language perfectly expressed his heart.

“Lucas.”

“Yes. I’m here.”

“Tell the gardener to put this flower in a vase tomorrow morning.”

The signal he would send to Dodori tomorrow was a desperate plea to please understand his heart.

***

“Audrey, try this.”

“Yes, yes.”

While Audrey was pleased with Claude’s attention from right beside her, she was also worried.

‘I should have put on perfume!’

Having arrived just in time for dinner, she hadn’t had time to freshen up.

Could there be an unpleasant ink smell coming from her body?

Would the ink stains look unsightly?

Audrey’s knife handling became noticeably awkward as she shrank back.

Naturally, all complaints and resentment were directed at the easiest target, Hans.

‘Of course he’d interfere on a day like this…..’

It was strangely frustrating that he had so readily allowed Claude Oppa to sit next to her today.

Usually, he was desperate to interfere.

It was so like Hans to be of no help when actually needed.

Audrey shuddered while eating the pudding that was said to have been brought from the Emilton house.

Meanwhile, Count Kevelson and the Emilton couple were also conversing comfortably.

“Norman, really. You still can’t eat pudding at your age.”

“Ahem.”

“You look like you have a frog in your mouth. I suppose it’s understandable since you’ve actually eaten real frogs.”

“I don’t know why you tell me to bring pudding when you won’t even touch it. Right, dear?”

“My love, you’re absolutely right.”

“It’s because my daughter likes pudding. This is… How can a man without a wife live with such sorrow?”

Their bickering, despite their age, clearly showed they were childhood friends.

“Anyway, you think the world of your daughter.”

“Of course. She’s my precious daughter.”

“Willy, we should have had another child.”

“……Not particularly.”

“Didn’t you want a daughter, too?”

“Two sons are enough. You’d just suffer more.”

“Still. It would have been so nice to have a daughter like Audrey.”

The three adults’ gazes naturally turned toward their children.

“You! You stole my pudding!”

“You ate your own pudding and why are you making a fuss at me?”

“Claude Oppa gave me one more to eat!”

“Hey, since when does pudding have ownership? First come, first served.”

“You…!”

Like parent, like child.

Their squabbling over trivial matters resembled their parents perfectly.

In the end, the dispute was resolved when Claude intervened. With a promise to give Audrey 10 more puddings next time.

Countess Emilton looked at the two with a face full of reminiscence.

“Suddenly, I’m reminded of that time. Before the children were born, we promised to marry them if we had sons and daughters.”

“Hmm. Did we?”

“Yes. We definitely did.”

She recalled a promise made long ago, almost as a joke.

The four childhood friends, paired off in marriage, promised that if they ever had children, they would arrange marriages between them.

The first to come into the world was Arnold.

Count Kevelson teased Count Emilton for several years with a winner’s smile.

‘Willy, you should work harder too.’

‘……I’ll do it in my own time.’

‘Didn’t we say we’d marry off our children? You’ll have a daughter, right? Keep your promise.’

‘……’

And exactly two years later, Claude was born.

After another two years, Hans was born, and the situation was instantly reversed.

But because only sons were born in both families, their promise was in danger of fizzling out.

It was at that moment that Audrey was born.

‘Oh my, how cute! She looks just like Flora!’

‘Really? Norman keeps insisting she looks like him…..’

‘Where is his conscience? Saying she looks like him when she’s this cute.’

The first late-born daughter in both families monopolized the attention of adults and children alike.

In particular, the Count and Countess Emilton fell completely for the charm of another family’s daughter.

‘This won’t do. Before it’s too late, let’s go to the temple and write a pledge.’