Inside Hector’s office.

With the sunlight pouring in from behind, Hector looked radiant as always.

No, he seemed even more dazzling after the purification ritual.

Rustle- rustle-

“…….”

Charlie no longer stood but sat on a large purple sofa.

The velvet sofa, which felt out of place in the office, was as big as a single bed.

Moreover, from the armrests to the backrest, it was made of high-elasticity material in an oval shape, providing comfort even without cushions.

It was specially made to prevent injury in case of a collision, excluding all hard decorations.

This was by Hector’s order, and its cost far exceeded Charlie’s salary.

Of course, Charlie was unaware of this fact.

On the table, along with strawberry macarons, there were other cookies.

Additionally, Charlie was working on a puzzle.

This too was by Hector’s order.

When sitting idly, her pheromones would also fade.

Rustle- swish- rustle-

“…….”

Charlie’s question about why Hector looked at her during the purification ritual remained unanswered.

The next day, Hector acted as if nothing happened.

To be precise, he treated Charlie no more than a maid and a guide.

In such a situation, it was impossible to suddenly ask, ‘Why did you look at me then?’

After all, what he looked at was his own business.

And in the end, nothing happened.

Naturally, when Charlie first faced Hector after the ritual, it was very awkward.

But as with crowd psychology,

No matter how different individual thoughts might be, they eventually followed the group.

Everyone regarded it as a matter of course, and the Hunt ducal residence was more peaceful than ever.

With Hector in an unusually good mood, everyone in the mansion had bright smiles.

The kindness towards Charlie, who had narrowly escaped death, seemed to reach its peak.

Before long, Charlie too blended into her surroundings.

She stopped trying to understand and accepted things as they were.

Thus, she came to see purification as a natural practice and dismissed Hector looking at her as insignificant.

Rustle- rustle-

“…….”

As his attendant maid, Charlie stuck close to Hector like his shadow.

Although the purification had somewhat alleviated his headaches, Hector kept Charlie by his side.

Rustle, rustle-

“Hmm…….”

“…….”

For a moment, Hector’s pen stopped moving.

Lifting his gaze, he stared at Charlie, who was lost in thought, resting her chin on her hand.

“Umm…….”

“…….”

Charlie had chosen a difficult puzzle because she had to spend eight hours on it.

Thus, she was struggling amidst the scattered puzzle pieces.

Her pheromones were hazy, a sign of her struggle.

Although it’s better than the pheromones of fear, Hector still found it unsatisfactory.

“Maid.”

“Yes?”

At the low, deep voice, Charlie turned her head to look at Hector.

Her large eyes widened even more in surprise at the sudden call.

Was her face small, or were her eyes big?

Compared to her face, which seemed small enough to fit in a palm, her eyes occupied a significant portion.

There should be a normal ratio, but in that small space, her features were densely packed with no room for compromise.

Concluding that her face was small and her eyes were big, Hector turned his gaze away indifferently.

“If you can’t do it, choose an easier one.”

“…….”

Although the relationship between Charlie and Hector couldn’t be described as close, they exchanged a few words daily.

Even if trivial conversations like this were all there was.

For a moment, Charlie’s pheromones sank deeply, reflecting her mood.

Tanner, who was organizing documents nearby, suppressed a rising smile.

“This one is easy.”

“Bring another one.”

Ignoring Charlie’s words, Hector flipped through the documents he held.

‘Is he ignoring me because I’m a Zero? Let him try. Does being a Grand Master make him good at puzzles too?’

Charlie grumbled internally.

“Don’t harbor insolent thoughts.”

As if reading her mind, Hector’s words startled Charlie.

“I-I didn’t.”

“Don’t lie. Your pheromones become murky.”

Can pheromones really give it away?

Charlie looked around, as if trying to find the invisible pheromones.

With a smile, Tanner quietly left the office to fetch another puzzle for Charlie.

* * *

“Why not try being a bit friendlier to Miss Charlie?”

After Charlie had left work, Tanner spoke to Hector.

“Friendly?”

“Forming a relationship is important for good pheromones. Especially since Miss Charlie’s pheromones are very refreshing when she is happy.”

“Why should I go that far?”

Hector looked at Tanner as if he couldn’t understand.

“Saving her seemed sufficient.”

“…….”

Tanner fell silent, unable to refute. But they couldn’t continue like this forever.

“How about taking a walk occasionally?”

Since collapsing and waking up, Charlie hadn’t even stepped outside to the garden, let alone left the mansion.

Hector perceived Charlie as a fragile existence that could die from a mere touch.

But that was secondary.

The main issue was that Charlie herself refused to move without purpose.

“Walk.”

“What?! A walk…….”

How on earth could this be called a walk?

Leon alternated his gaze between Charlie, who was tucked under Hector’s arm like a package, and Hector, who was holding her effortlessly.

“…….”

Breaking the brief silence, Charlie sent a desperate look to Leon, as if to say, ‘Do something about this man.’

But the response she received was disheartening.

“Ah……. I see.”

What do you mean you see, you idiot! Are you really going to let this happen?

Charlie shook her head vehemently.

Leon bit his lower lip to stifle his laughter at her futile struggle.

Hector looked down at Charlie and solemnly warned her.

“Stay still.”

“…….”

“I told you to stay still.”

“…….”

What is this?

What kind of walk and romance fantasy is this!

Charlie’s face turned red and blue.

Leon, who was about to leave, couldn’t ignore it and cautiously spoke up.

At this rate, Charlie looked ready to punch Hector out of sheer frustration.

“Your Grace, the way you’re holding her is a bit…….”

You should tell him to put me down, not comment on the way he’s holding me!

Charlie glared at Leon with a flat fish-eyed stare.

Whether he noticed or not, Leon continued to gesture and explain.

“I think it would be better to hold her upright.”

“Are you saying I should lift her and hold her upright now?”

As Hector’s eyes narrowed slightly, Leon added.

“That way, she can see ahead, and it would be more like a walk. In her current position, Miss Charlie can only see the ground.”

No, that’s not it! The problem is that you’re holding me in the first place. You crazy idiots!!

Charlie flailed, but Hector didn’t budge an inch.

“I see.”

Ah……. My mind is going blank.

I’m the fool for expecting anything in this crazy world.

In her despair, Charlie’s body went limp.

“…….”

Only then did Hector put Charlie down on the ground.

Then he bent down, grabbed her knees, and lifted her up.

“……!”

Suddenly perched on Hector’s arm, Charlie instinctively reached out to avoid falling.

As her soft touch brushed against his neck, Hector looked back at Charlie.

The distance between their faces was close enough to feel each other’s breath.

At that moment, Hector’s long eyelashes slanted downward.

A dry swallow went down Charlie’s tense throat.

How could a man’s eyelashes be so long? His well-groomed eyebrows were also perfect.

His straight nose and the sharp jawline that matched it. Even his lips looked moist.

Moreover, his chest was exposed, and the muscles reflected in the sunlight disrupted her vision.

Her embarrassed eyes darted around.

Her cherry-like lips moved in confusion, and her pale cheeks turned a rosy hue.

“Hold on tight.”

Hector looked up at Charlie and spoke in a low voice.

“You’ll fall.”

Finally, her small hand gently grasped the edge of his white robe.

For a fleeting moment, a faint smile appeared on Hector’s face and then vanished.

* * *