My Boss is the Villainous Grand Duke

His admiration followed, saying the Grand Duke was different in this aspect too.

Feeling unpleasant, Elena kept her mouth shut and busily worked her pen in her notebook.

“Serve the Grand Duke well. If you don’t, I’ll personally discipline you.”

When the Baron reached out his hand with a seemingly stern voice, Elena saw the hand but couldn’t stop it.

‘Just try touching me.’

Though she couldn’t do anything here, she planned to remember and definitely pay him back later.

If she had stood as a Count’s daughter, she would have had enough justification, but now it would affect her superior Grand Duke Rudfelix, so she endured.

Just as his hand was about to touch Elena, a large hand came in and knocked the Baron’s hand away.

Baron Kitai was about to show his displeasure but realized it was Rudfelix and waved his hand.

“I meant no harm, I was just going to pat her shoulder to encourage her.”

Rudfelix’s hand hanging in the air naturally changed direction as if it had been heading for Elena’s shoulder all along.

Baron Kitai’s eyebrows twitched as he watched this up close.

“Aide Elena.”

Rudfelix grabbed Elena’s shoulder and positioned her to face the Baron directly.

“You’ve been listening all this time, so tell me what you think about the Baron’s business.”

The aide position was just an excuse; the Baron had been subtly dismissing Elena for being a woman. The Grand Duke made Elena judge the Baron’s business.

The Baron couldn’t hide his displeasure as he glared at Elena.

As Elena struggled to find the right words, Rudfelix tapped her shoulder. He was standing behind her with his hand on her shoulder, and the distance suddenly shortened as he lowered his head.

Maintaining his gaze on Baron Kitai, Rudfelix whispered in Elena’s ear.

“There was something you didn’t get from me, wasn’t there?”

His warm breath tickled Elena’s ear.

‘Ugh. Too close.’

Though she knew it was just to whisper, the closeness made her entire body tense with nervousness.

‘I need to get away quickly somehow.’

For that, she had to catch the hint he gave her.

As something occurred to Elena, she glanced at Baron Kitai.

Seeing his look that seemed to say ‘So she’s not just an aide after all,’ Elena shouted with pent-up feelings.

“It will do very well!”

She even gave two enthusiastic thumbs up.

‘This must be right?’

The Grand Duke’s hand on her shoulder remained still. Elena decided to properly praise the Baron.

Suppressing the dirty memory of his lecherous gaze, she clasped her hands together as if looking at the most amazing person in the world.

“I’m moved by your broad vision looking beyond the empire to the continent, and your future-oriented preparation.”

The Baron cleared his throat with an “ahem” but didn’t tell her to stop praising him.

“With my limited insight, I dare not presume to read your thoughts, Baron.”

This was true. With the basic order disrupted, it was impossible to grasp how things would proceed.

“You’re the final boss of ‘I can do well alone.’ The best, the best. You’re the absolute best.”

While wondering ‘Does he even know what final boss means?’ and quietly observing, a “pfft” laugh was heard from somewhere.

Grand Duke Rudfelix gave a hint about their first meeting. She had brought up how his words were rude and asked for valuable money instead of worthless apologies. Even then, she had misunderstood and regretted her words, thinking he was asking Quiet for his sword.

‘To try to brush it off so casually this time too.’

Honestly, it didn’t feel good—how could it, when she was being treated like nothing more than an empty-headed, pretty doll…

‘I’ll tolerate it because he called me pretty.’

Moreover, she couldn’t act according to her personality since she was now an aide, not the only daughter of Count Jellisto.

She didn’t know how sufficient their funds were, how many craftsmen they had gathered for a continental business, or how many precious metals and jewels they had for crafting, yet they just claimed everything would work out.

“After hearing your explanation, Baron, I was simply amazed.”

She was starting to run out of things to say.

As she glanced around seeking someone to save her, the warm hand that had been covering her shoulder fell away, leaving a cold sensation.

“I see.”

As Grand Duke Rudfelix stepped in front of Elena, Quiet pulled her arm back.

“Ahem. Well… since it will work out anyway.”

The Baron had to struggle to maintain his expression, forgetting how he had treated Elena like a doll.

“The aide is quite capable.”

As the Baron’s mood improved at her praise, Rudfelix quickly wrapped up the situation.

“Since it’s hard to believe you prepared all this alone, we’ll keep watching.”

Rudfelix quickly turned and left.

As he took the lead, Quiet slightly embraced Elena’s shoulders and followed. When the Baron’s aide made an “Eh?” sound, Elena glanced back.

Unable to catch up with the Grand Duke, he couldn’t leave his spot.

‘Fool.’

Elena stuck out her tongue invisibly.

“Well done.”

Quiet offered words of praise first to help ease Elena’s tension as she followed stiffly.

When they were far enough that the Baron was out of sight, Elena fiddled with her notebook and looked at Quiet.

“Did I really do well?”

Quiet, who had been grinning continuously, burst out laughing “Puha!”

“Of course. Thanks to you, Aide Elena, we didn’t have to set up a separate appointment. He probably won’t make any more unreasonable proposals to His Highness the Grand Duke.”

“Perhaps that person’s business…”

“It must be his first time.”

When Elena didn’t understand, Quiet wiped away tears while giggling.

“Baron Kitai is a baron without territory.”

“Ah…”

Elena immediately grasped the situation.

Without territory, the title would only be inherited for two generations before being reclaimed by the imperial family.

The opportunity to receive territory comes from either achieving merit or buying it with money.

“He seems to be planning to buy land by recklessly starting a business, but it won’t be easy. Can he succeed without any experience?”

While not everyone fails, Quiet was certain he wouldn’t succeed.

“If he had enough funds for a jewelry business in the first place, he would have bought a territory first.”

Quiet winked one eye. He looked excited to have someone to talk to after a long time. Such conversations were unnecessary with Rudfelix, who always followed him and knew even more.

To him, who had been dissatisfied with that, Aide Elena was more than just a comrade. He looked at Elena with eyes suggesting she could ask more.

If that’s the case, while we’re at it,

“Meeting Baron Kitai wasn’t by chance, was it?”

Wondering if it was just her imagination that he seemed to have been waiting.

“Of course not. He was waiting because he wanted help from His Highness the Grand Duke.”

I thought so.

Since it was his first business venture, everything Elena had questioned could become a risk factor. Instead of establishing stability first and then expanding influence, he was trying to spread everywhere recklessly, and suddenly, worry flooded in.

“Is it okay to expand business so recklessly then?”

“That’s the Baron’s choice. He probably thinks he’ll succeed if he can just partner with the Grand Duke, but thanks to Aide Elena’s ‘I can do well alone’ praise, we were able to maintain an appropriate distance.”

Quiet put his hands together against his face as if imitating Elena.

“Put aside your hurt feelings for now. You can let them out later when the Baron’s business collapses.”

“Then should I continue acting like this?”

Elena was asking when she bumped into Rudfelix who had stopped without warning.

He turned around and looked down at Elena who was holding her nose.

‘Why did he suddenly stop?’

And looking at her as if she were the problem.

“Even in uniform, that laid-back image of yours is impossible to hide.”

‘Ah.’

Now I understand why he stopped.

‘He wanted to say something mean.’

“You’re troublesome.”