“I was so worried about you, Miss. And I got scolded by the Grand Duke because of it.”
“Scolded?”

When she asked what he was scolded for, he vaguely replied that she should take better care of herself.

She had no idea why everyone was being so secretive.

What the…!

But she could always ask Lisa to find out.

Delia chuckled softly to herself.

She had experienced being a female protagonist, rested on Kaiel’s lap, and gained a lot of plausibility points. It was all a win for her.

For some reason, she felt confident about handling future tasks. Her immediate goal was to help Kaiel cure Lady Rant. After that, she would kill him.

Until then, she resolved not to stress about killing him.

Getting up to head to the lab, she changed her mind and ran towards Kaiel’s office. She wanted to thank him for saving her. Plus, she needed to see his handsome face regularly.

But when she arrived, Kaiel was not there. He seemed busy as usual. The quiet office echoed only with the sound of papers fluttering from the open window.

Exploring the office, Delia found a box on the desk. It was the box with the lapocia research sample that Kaiel had given her in Sheriton.

She had forgotten about it since waking up in the carriage, but Kaiel had brought it along.

The sample was essential for developing the antidote for lapocia.

‘I’m the only one who knows the types and locations of the ingredients for the antidote.’

As she reached for the box,

“Hands off.”

A familiar deep voice came from behind her. Not only the voice but the line itself felt familiar, though she couldn’t place why.

Startled, Delia turned around. Kaiel was leaning against the door.

“You’re here?”

She smiled brightly and approached him. As she did, Kaiel naturally took a step back.

“I heard you saved me!”

“…No.”

“Yes, you did! I’ll save you whenever you’re in danger too!”

As she moved closer, Kaiel swiftly sidestepped her and headed for the desk. When he picked up the box, Delia quickly approached.

“Give it to me! I was planning to start the research today. Just studying the sample will take quite some time…”

“No.”

Cut off, Delia looked up at Kaiel.

“What… do you mean, no?”

“Sorry, but I can’t give you the box.”

Kaiel, who refused her as firmly as his gaze that was fixed on her, subtly hid the box behind him.

“Why? Why?”

Delia looked up at Kaiel with puzzled green eyes. Meeting her gaze directly, he explained her curiosity.

“Because I can’t entrust something this important to someone unreliable and untrustworthy.”

“What!”

Before he could even finish speaking, she reached out to snatch the box. But Kaiel’s quick hand avoided hers first. In the process, Delia, who almost lost her balance like in a hand-clapping contest, barely managed to steady herself.

“You’re too much.”

As she inhaled deeply, her shoulders that had risen high dropped with her exhale. With a face full of dejection, it seemed she was giving up, but perhaps it was a trick, as she immediately started clinging to him again.

“Give it to me.”

Kaiel, lightly dodging her attempts to forcibly take the box, had no choice but to raise the box high into the air.

“No.”

“Give it to me!”

“This isn’t something to be judged lightly and irresponsibly!”

“That’s why! All the more reason you should entrust it to me!”

What confidence.

Kaiel glared at Delia and let out a small sigh.

“Who do you think you are?”

“I’m Delia……!”

With a shout, she jumped up in place and tried to pull down his arm. Or rather, she tried to.

“What are you doing?”

Delia’s two feet dangled in the air, unable to touch the ground. She ended up in the strange position of hanging from Kaiel’s arm.

Despite her hanging with both arms, Kaiel’s arm didn’t budge an inch. Realizing her struggles were futile, Delia politely requested.

“Let me down.”

“Let go of my arm.”

“Then I can’t take the box.”

“Give up.”

Seeing no sign of her backing down, Kaiel frowned as if annoyed. He then grabbed her collar, trying to avoid touching her body as much as possible. Although his action was careful, his grip on her collar was unrelenting.

As he pulled her off like a leech, Delia struggled even more, resembling a puppy grabbed by the scruff of its neck.

“Let go of me!”

“I’m letting you down.”

Finally, with her feet on the ground, Delia adjusted her wrinkled collar and glared at Kaiel. Despite her intense gaze, his eyes remained calm and indifferent.

Her heart pounded again from his gaze. Delia quickly turned her head away.

‘It’s because he’s handsome. Because he’s the handsome Kaiel!’

Delia went over to the sofa, crossed her arms, and plopped down.

“I won’t move an inch from here until you give me the box.”

This time, it seemed she intended to stage a sit-in.

Kaiel watched her for a moment before heading to his desk nonchalantly. Sitting down and picking up a document, he spoke without looking at her.

“Do as you please.”

From then on, Kaiel focused solely on his work.

Without sparing Delia a single glance, he dealt with the documents in front of him, occasionally summoning servants to give instructions. The servants who were familiar with the Grand Duke’s orders bowed and left, often startled to see her sitting on the sofa. Each time, Delia greeted them with a smile.

Among the servants, there was talk that Delia was being punished or scolded by the Grand Duke again today, but they all fell silent when Lisa, the maid, gave them a look.

Watching Kaiel work in silence for a while, Delia suddenly felt sorry for him. For someone who liked physical activity and had roamed the battlefield, sitting still and doing paperwork must be incredibly boring. It must be excruciating, yet he persevered.

‘Come to think of it, Matisse…….’

Delia recalled a character from the original novel. Kaiel also had an aide named Matisse.

However, since Delia arrived, he hadn’t been seen because he was recovering from injuries inflicted by an assassin who had infiltrated the castle about a year ago.

‘I should go find him and bring him back. What if our Kaiel dies from overwork……?’

If he died, it would be troublesome in many ways. The sorrow of losing her favorite character and the penalties for failing the system’s mission would come crashing down. Although she knew he wouldn’t die at this point, Kaiel’s workload seemed overwhelming enough to make her worry.

Delia sat resolutely until the scenery outside the window grew dim, eventually succumbing to the sleepiness that made her head nod back and forth.

Just before her forehead touched her knees, Delia jerked awake and straightened up. Worried he might have seen, she quickly turned her head to check on Kaiel, but he was still engrossed in his work.

“Ugh.”

Stretching her stiff body, Delia let out an involuntary groan. Only then did Kaiel lift his gaze halfway from the papers and speak to her.

“If it’s hard, giving up might be a good idea.”

“I’m not tired at all.”

Hearing her confident reply, Kaiel returned his attention to his work. Contrary to her words, Delia eventually fell asleep, unable to stay awake any longer.

As the sound of her gentle breathing came from the sofa, Kaiel finally took his eyes off the documents and looked toward her.

He hadn’t expected her to sit there quietly for hours. Though she eventually fell asleep.

What could be the reason she wanted this box so badly to help him? The answer was obvious if asked.

‘Because I like you, Kaiel.’

She was a woman without many answers.

Confirming she was asleep, he crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair, observing her closely.

Her body rose and fell gently in rhythm with her breaths. Curled up on the sofa, her already small frame looked even more fragile. Her crimson hair, draped over her shoulder, spilled onto the floor as she occasionally shifted.

‘Is she planning to clean the floor?’

Kaiel’s brows furrowed slightly. He stood up and picked up the box from his desk.

Approaching Delia, he gathered her hair from the floor and placed it on the sofa, securing it with the box so it wouldn’t fall.

“That’s better.”

At that moment.

“Ugh…… it…….”

A murmur mixed with her breath escaped her lips.

How does she talk in her sleep every time?

Ignoring it lightly, he prepared to leave the office. However, just as he reached the door, a clearer, more precise word slipped from her lips, causing him to halt.

“……give…… me…….”

Though still hard to understand, it was now possible to guess.

After standing still for a while, he finally moved, leaving the room only after her murmurs ceased.