Emma started pacing around the bed. She was unconsciously biting her thumb with her teeth, but she didn’t realize it.

‘Who cleaned it up? Considering that even the carpet was replaced in such a short time, it couldn’t have been just one person. What on earth is going on? Could the rumors actually be true?’

Despite her anxiety, Emma tried to keep her composure.

‘The Duke has enemies. Marcus, wasn’t it? Wait, that name sounds familiar somehow…?’

It was a name she had definitely heard somewhere before, but she couldn’t recall it right away. The Duke seemed to be well-acquainted with this Marcus.

‘He seemed to be of a similar age and held a high status. It also seemed like he was trying to kill the Duke, right? That Marcus sent an assassin, and the Duke…’

The Duke killed the assassin.

Caden killing the intruder was an act of self-defense. At the very least, it was clear that he wasn’t a murderer who killed without reason.

‘But something about this feels strange.’

She couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling.

In any case, the Duke was someone who had killed countless people on the battlefield. For someone like him, killing an assassin who was after his life was probably no big deal.

But that wasn’t the issue.

‘The Duke didn’t recognize me at all. Sure, it was dark inside, and I wasn’t wearing my glasses, but… Is that really all there is to it?’

Emma’s glasses weren’t ordinary. Unless someone had seen her often, it wouldn’t be easy to recognize her without them.

‘But his eyes…’

They bothered her.

Should she describe them as drunken or half-asleep?

Even though he was clearly looking at her, his gaze seemed unfocused, as if his attention was elsewhere. There was unmistakable madness in those eyes.

‘No way. Could he actually be suffering from some kind of insanity?’

Until now, Emma hadn’t taken the rumors about the Duke seriously. Losing his mind at night and committing murders in a bloodthirsty frenzy?

‘What kind of ridiculous novel is that…?’

She had thought it was just gossip made up by people who enjoyed heroic tales, romances, and idle chatter. But the look in Caden’s eyes, which she had seen up close, was terrifying enough to make her believe the rumors might be true.

A warning bell went off in her head.

‘There’s no such thing as a free lunch.’

The exceptional employment conditions and benefits—everything about them was essentially hazard pay.

She had expected the job wouldn’t be easy. She had already prepared herself for that when she decided to come to Blackwood. But she hadn’t expected to experience something like this on her very first day.

‘If the Duke really is suffering from some kind of madness…?’

Could she quit the job and pay the penalty fee? Absolutely not.

‘I’m still alive. I haven’t been kicked out. If the Duke doesn’t recognize me tomorrow morning, I don’t need to acknowledge him either. We can just pretend none of this ever happened.’

It wasn’t like anything had actually happened between her and the Duke in bed. And even if something had, it would just be a fleeting amusement for the Duke.

There was no reason to attach any special meaning to it.

‘I just need to avoid getting involved with him again! I’ll stick to my duties as his secretary and nothing more. Isn’t that right?’

Emma resolved to focus on fulfilling her responsibilities as the Duke’s secretary. She had many questions, but she decided to address them gradually over time.

With swift movements, Emma tidied up the bedding and changed into fresh clothes. After finishing a simple grooming routine, she stood in front of the mirror.

‘…Sigh.’

Staying up all night had left her looking terrible.

Emma shook her head as she looked at her reflection in the mirror. It was understandable that she looked haggard after not sleeping a wink, but her already small eyes were so swollen they were about to disappear, thanks to her oversized glasses.

The Duke had already insulted her appearance, calling her a country bumpkin and a child. Just imagining his sneer made her sigh again.

‘Even if the swelling goes down, what difference would it make? To the Duke, I’m just an ugly woman.’

At the academy, the only person who had seen Emma’s true face was Noel. When Noel had accidentally seen her bare face, he had been frozen in shock, unable to say a word.

‘I don’t think I’m that bad-looking, though. I take after my mother, so while I might not be a stunning beauty, I thought I was at least pretty. Was I being delusional?’

Emma pressed her swollen face with her palms, but the swelling showed no signs of going down.

There was no way the Duke would let this slide.

‘What did he call me yesterday? A country bumpkin. And what else…?’

Last night, the Duke hadn’t held back his harsh criticism when he saw her bare face. In other words, whether she wore her glasses or not, he thought she looked ugly either way.

‘Unbelievable. Just because he has a handsome face, does he think he’s all that?’

Well, with a face as striking as his, it wasn’t surprising that most people would pale in comparison. He probably woke up every morning to his own beautiful reflection.

‘Maybe it’s a good thing.’

Before she started wearing her special glasses, Emma had constantly been harassed by men’s advances and unwanted attention. It was better to be called ugly and left alone.

If the Duke had taken a real interest in her and things had gone further, Emma wouldn’t have been able to look him in the eye, no matter how strong-willed she was.

‘Even if handsome men are the best, Brenda, spending the night with your superior is crossing the line…’

It was a huge relief that she had only served as a pillow and nothing more. Emma made a firm resolution as she looked at herself in the mirror.

‘Nothing happened. Get it together, Emma Brown. Today is your first official day at work. You’re going to show them what a perfect secretary looks like!’

Emma meticulously checked her outfit. She combed her hair neatly so not a single strand was out of place, buttoned her dress all the way up to the collar, and adjusted her glasses once more.

‘Battle mode activated.’

It was time to head to the battlefield.

—

Knock, knock.

As expected, there was no answer.

‘Is he still sleeping?’

The Duke was said to suffer from insomnia. He only managed to fall asleep at dawn, so it was unlikely he would be awake already. His irregular sleeping and eating patterns needed to be addressed urgently. But Emma didn’t want to risk upsetting Caden by making any drastic changes.

‘I’ll come back in ten minutes.’

Emma planned to gradually ease her way into Caden’s daily routine and subtly change his patterns without anyone noticing.

Just as she turned to leave, a low voice stopped her in her tracks.

“Come in.”

The voice, with its deep resonance, seemed to grab her by the back of the head.

‘He’s awake?’

The Duke supposedly had no distinction between day and night and was always plagued by insomnia. Cornell’s advice to be cautious in the mornings seemed unnecessary now.

Emma entered the room with a tray in her hands.

Caden, sitting on the edge of the bed, was indeed awake. He stared at her quietly.

“Good morning, Your Grace! I’ve prepared some peppermint tea to clear your head. Would you like to try it?”

“……”

There was no response. He merely glanced at her with a faint gesture.

Quick-witted Emma promptly placed the teacup in front of him.

Caden frowned slightly but soon picked up the teacup with a smooth motion.

Sip.

“……?”

His drowsy eyelids slowly lifted, revealing his dark eyes. They held a hint of curiosity but, thankfully, no irritation.

‘Phew…’

Emma let out a sigh of relief. It wasn’t a bad reaction. He hadn’t thrown the teacup or cursed at her, so this counted as a success.

“I adjusted the temperature so it wouldn’t be too hot or lukewarm. Peppermint has a refreshing effect on the mind. However, its unique scent can be polarizing. I thought you might dislike strong aromas, so I used fermented tea leaves instead. The benefits remain the same, but the scent should be nearly nonexistent. Shall I prepare the same tea tomorrow?”

“……Do as you please.”

Caden gave a curt reply, as if he found the conversation tiresome, and slowly sipped the tea.

Her chatter was mildly irritating, but the tea she had prepared was surprisingly to his liking.

The warm liquid slid down his throat, soothing him. There was none of the unpleasant aroma he usually disliked.

Perhaps it was because he had slept unusually well last night, but for the first time in a long while—maybe even since coming to Blackwood—he felt like he was starting the morning in a decent mood.

‘Thank goodness. He doesn’t recognize me at all.’

Emma secretly observed Caden’s expression and sighed in relief.

Her heart had been pounding so hard, she was covered in a cold sweat, fearing he might bring up last night.

Every time his crimson lips parted, she braced herself, wondering what he might say. Thankfully, the Duke remained silent, merely finishing his tea.

“I’ll go prepare your bathwater. I heard you’re going hunting today. I’ll make sure everything is ready for your departure. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”

“……”

“If not, I’ll take my leave. I’ll check on your breakfast preparations and then ensure everything is ready for your outing…!”

“What’s this?”

Emma froze mid-sentence.

A large hand suddenly reached out, grabbing her chin and tilting her face upward.

A cold gaze bore down on her frozen expression.

“Well…”

Surely, he hadn’t figured it out.

What would she say if he brought up last night?

“Where did this swollen fish come from? Aren’t you from the Magic Department? You didn’t use magic, did you? A spell that makes your eyes disappear overnight… Tsk. What am I even looking at?”

“Haha… I guess I must still be adjusting to the new environment. Your Grace, could you let go of my face…?”

“I don’t like it.”

“…Pardon?”

“These glasses. I still don’t like them.”

Slap!

Emma instinctively swatted his hand away from her glasses, then gasped in shock.

“Uh…!”

Caden’s pale hand was left with a faint red mark.

For a moment, the crooked corner of Caden’s lips twitched.