I Became The Devoted Secretary Of A Mad Duke

Before Caden arrived, she had to get that person out of the forest.

“Excuse me, is someone there?”

Emma cautiously approached the source of the sound, taking careful steps. She didn’t forget to hide a dagger behind her back, just in case there was any danger.

When her friend from the swordsmanship department had forced her to learn self-defense, she never imagined she’d actually need to use it.

‘You really never know when learning something will come in handy.’

Emma, tense with every step, carefully brushed aside the bushes with one hand.

“Ah…”

A sigh, like a quiet gasp, escaped her lips without her realizing it.

What she found wasn’t a poor person to cut the lord’s trees nor a professional poacher. Instead, it was a young man with an angelic face and golden hair as fine as silk.

‘Is he even human?’

Emma blinked in disbelief. If Caden exuded a dark, grim allure like the god of death, this man was the complete opposite. His face, like something out of a mural, was so beautiful that she couldn’t look away.

Before she realized it, Emma found herself drawn closer to him.

The man, clutching one arm as if injured, was groaning in pain. His expression of agony melted away Emma’s wariness.

“Are you alright? Where are you hurt…?”

“…!”

Was he wary of strangers? His blue eyes widened in an instant as he looked at her. Emma smiled gently, holding up her hands to show she meant no harm.

Clang!

“Ah…!”

A short scream escaped Emma’s lips as the dagger she had hidden behind her back fell to the ground.

Having completely forgotten about the dagger, Emma was flustered.

“Wait, no, it’s not what you think! I wasn’t trying to hurt you! I just thought you might be dangerous, that’s all. You’re not a bad person, right?”

If he were truly a bad person, he wouldn’t admit it by saying, “Yes, I am.” It was a foolish question, and Emma regretted it immediately.

The young man with blue eyes gave her a peculiar expression in response.

“Well… I don’t know if I’m a bad person, but I’m definitely not a good one.”

His faint smile carried a hint of sadness.

“Ah…”

Emma let out another involuntary gasp.

His voice was unexpectedly deep and masculine, which surprised her, as she had assumed he was younger than her.

“Did you hurt your arm? I have some herbs for stopping bleeding and relieving pain. If you’d like, I can give them to you. You should treat your injury quickly and leave this place. He’ll be here soon.”

“Caden, you mean?”

Emma’s eyes widened at the unexpected response.

“You know His Grace?”

“You must be the new secretary Caden hired.”

The fact that he casually referred to Caden by name and even knew about the new secretary’s hiring suggested they were acquainted. Emma let out a small sigh of relief.

“So you’re an acquaintance of His Grace! Did you come here to see him?”

“Well… you could say that.”

The man frowned bitterly, as if the pain was flaring up again. Emma crouched down in front of him with a worried expression. His pale complexion made it clear that he wasn’t in good shape.

“Are you alright?”

“To be honest, no. Ha… Could you pull out some medicine from my chest? I’m sorry to ask for help when we’ve just met, but the pain is quite severe.”

“Yes! Just give me a moment!”

The man’s golden eyelashes trembled slightly, likely due to the intense pain. Feeling sorry for him, Emma pushed aside her embarrassment and reached into his chest.

“Found it…”

“What are you doing?”

A cold voice from behind froze Emma’s movements.

“…Your Grace.”

Turning her stiff neck, Emma saw Caden’s face. His expression was unreadable.

There was no trace of the usual irritation, anger, sarcasm, or mischief he often displayed. His face was utterly emotionless, a perfect blank slate.

“I… well…”

While Emma fumbled for an explanation, the stranger took the medicine from her hand.

“Thank you, my lady.”

Smiling, he expressed his gratitude before immediately swallowing the medicine.

“Ha…”

As the pain seemed to subside, the man’s expression relaxed, and he gave Emma a warm smile.

“Thank you. You saved me.”

“Are you really alright now?”

“Yes. If it weren’t for you, I might have collapsed here. I came secretly without my men, so if I had fainted, they wouldn’t have found me. I might have frozen to death in this place.”

Emma was about to reply with a sympathetic expression when a sharp voice cut between them like a blade.

“Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t even have an arm capable of feeling pain, yet you still rely on something as useless as that medicine?”

“…!”

Emma looked up at Caden in shock. His gaze toward the blue-eyed man was icy cold.

Even though the words weren’t directed at her, the chill emanating from Caden made her instinctively shrink back. It felt like her entire body was freezing to the bone.

Caden immediately reached out and pulled Emma to her feet. Then, wrapping a strong arm around her waist, he drew her close to him.

“Ah…!”

Emma, pulled in like a limp rag doll, found herself trapped under Caden’s firm grip. She was startled, but she couldn’t even breathe properly, let alone protest.

All she could do was glance up at Caden, trying to gauge his mood.

“Your Grace, I…”

“Be quiet.”

His voice was low, as if it could pierce through to the depths of hell.

The arm around her waist tightened even more, making it hard for Emma to breathe. She didn’t dare say another word.

‘Why is he acting like this again…?’

Though she couldn’t say she liked him, Caden’s mood had been relatively tolerable lately. Now, however, it seemed to have hit rock bottom.

Emma had a sinking feeling that if she said the wrong thing, she wouldn’t even have her bones left intact.

“Yes!”

Emma responded like a new recruit following orders and obediently moved behind Caden as he directed. She stood quietly, the very model of a perfect squire.

“You shouldn’t treat a delicate lady so roughly. You’ve got no sense of chivalry, as always.”

Emma flinched and glanced at the blue-eyed man. She had forgotten about him while dealing with Caden, but the smile that had been in his eyes earlier was now completely gone.

‘What’s going on between these two?’

Though the man’s tone wasn’t harsh, it was so cold that it made Emma feel like her entire body was freezing just listening to it. However, she was the only one who seemed intimidated by the suffocating tension between them.

“Look who’s talking. You’ve been a drain on the Imperial treasury for years, with no progress, no hope, and no plans to change.”

“…”

At Caden’s biting remark, the beautiful man’s face twisted in anger. As expected, Emma’s superior was a formidable opponent.

‘Even when he insults someone, he has a way of stabbing straight to the bone.’

At this point, there was no way for her to intervene or back away.

While Emma was anxiously fidgeting, two knights carrying their hunting spoils appeared in the distance.

Noticing Caden confronting the stranger, the knights hesitated. After exchanging a glance, they quickly turned around and walked away.

Emma silently pleaded with them as they retreated.

‘Excuse me, knights! Please take me with you! Don’t leave me here alone!’

Unfortunately, her silent cries went unheard.

The knights stopped far away and began skinning the animals they had caught, acting as if nothing unusual was happening.

‘What’s going on? Are they avoiding this? Am I the only one stuck in this mess? These two are supposed to be acquaintances of His Grace, right? Why does it feel like they’re enemies? Never mind, just leave me out of this!’

Growing increasingly anxious, Emma unconsciously began biting her nails. It wasn’t a habit she indulged in often, but it surfaced whenever she was extremely nervous.

“…Tsk. Acting like a child.”

Caden’s muttered words made Emma’s eyes widen.

‘A child? So that man really is younger than His Grace?’

He couldn’t be more than seventeen or eighteen at most. Just as she was about to confirm her suspicion by sneaking another glance, a strong hand grabbed both of hers.

“Uh, uh…”

Emma stammered as Caden held her hands tightly. She knew she must look foolish, but even the top graduate of the Imperial Academy couldn’t come up with a solution in this situation.

Despite being praised for her sharp mind, Emma felt like she had been getting dumber ever since coming to Blackwood—especially in front of her impossible superior.

‘What’s bothering him this time…?’

It was clear that the stranger had already put Caden in a bad mood. Emma sighed, bracing herself for whatever scathing remark might come next.

‘At this rate, shouldn’t I be getting hazard pay, Cornell?’

Lowering her gaze, Emma tried to appear as submissive as possible. It was her way of avoiding Caden’s wrath.

“Tsk.”

But Caden’s expression remained twisted, as if something was still bothering him.

“Disgusting.”

“Pardon? Me?”

It was the first time in her life she had been called disgusting.

‘Now he’s calling me disgusting? Ugh… Making money really isn’t easy.’

She had heard so many of his scoldings by now that she didn’t even feel angry anymore—just bewildered.

“Didn’t you learn this in biology? Human hands are full of substances that cause disease.”