Rudfelix looked at her face.

With her large eyes closed and small lips pursed, the plump middle part pushed up.

Her face, smaller than his hand, had no place to hit.

Though capable and chatty, she was still just an 18-year-old young lady.

“If you hit me, you’ll go to jail.”

Her cheeky tone while keeping her eyes closed brought out a deflated smile.

“Open your eyes.”

As if enchanted by his gentle command, Elena opened her eyes.

His hand was still in front of her face but moved up to rest on her head.

Come to think of it, though it had been a short time, he had never been the kind of superior who hit subordinates for displeasing him.

If anything, he only gave Quiet stern looks when he was being annoying.

‘Why is his hand coming to my head?’

He only patted heads when praising – had she said something praiseworthy?

“My patience isn’t endless, so mind yourself.”

The Grand Duke spread his fingers on Elena’s head at the same time. Like claws, they wrapped around her small head, holding it in place and making her look straight into his eyes.

“The rumors about me reaching for pretty women aren’t entirely false.”

Rudfelix admitted with a smile.

He directly showed how sinister and frightening his hands could be.

‘That’s a threat. Definitely a threat.’

“I’ll stop now.”

Elena quickly agreed, worried he might test those evil deeds on her first.

“Thank you for the gift.”

“Haven’t I heard that already?”

Though saying one thank you was enough, he didn’t actually push her away.

‘At least to me, it wasn’t just any gift.’

Foolishly, that one gift had made Elena think differently.

While the Crown Prince’s gift had been burdensome, the Grand Duke’s was rough but felt sincere and good.

Her thoughts had changed as she got to know him longer.

He had his own principles and acted according to them. So depending on who was looking, he could be seen as either a villain or a good person.

Since she wasn’t the author…

At least to her, the Grand Duke was a good person.

Though she worried about the novel’s flow, her mind was much more at ease. It was incomparable to when she had simply thought to be diligent as his aide in return for her father’s debt to him.

“If you have nothing to do, go make clothes.”

Since she wouldn’t bring them to work until they were finished, he simply sent her away.

Elena got up and left with a light heart.

Not seeing the sparkling smile of the man behind her.

Quiet, who had finally stopped laughing, stood beside Rudfelix.

“What in the world happened to make Aide Elena act like that?”

“Don’t know. I’ve wanted to open that head of hers more than once, so don’t provoke me.”

Rudfelix answered flatly while drumming his fingers on the desk.

“Ever since Aide Elena arrived, each day has been fresh and interesting. I find myself looking for her first when I come to work, wondering what will happen today.”

“Quiet…”

There seemed to be something in his words that Rudfelix didn’t like, and he was about to caution him.

But Quiet was too busy staring at the door Elena had left through to notice his superior’s mood.

“These days I look forward to returning to the Grand Duchy. Won’t everyone be surprised by Aide Elena before falling completely for her? How does she dare call you a villain and bad person right to your face? Even I couldn’t go that far – she’s really something else.”

The last part trailed off in a mumble.

“Quiet.”

Quiet’s shoulders jumped at Rudfelix’s stern voice.

“I should go prepare for the final stages of the annual event.”

Though Quiet tried to slink away and flee as soon as he turned around, his shoulder was caught.

“The annual event is right around the corner.”

“Even if it were tomorrow, it wouldn’t matter.”

Because there is no tomorrow for those who don’t watch their words. Rudfelix’s gentlemanly and elegant voice decided Quiet’s future.

* * *

Though the banquet had started, Rudfelix was still at the mansion.

The noisy palace wasn’t a good environment for work, and the many visiting guests were bothersome.

“It’s a shame; it would have been nice to stay in the Imperial Palace.”

The problem was that Quiet still had no tact.

“I was curious what reason they would find to seek Your Highness this time.”

Quiet openly sighed in front of his superior.

“The most amusing was when she said she got lost and asked for a warm cup of tea since we’d already met.”

It was natural for young women to seek out young, capable men. They constantly sent temptations Rudfelix’s way.

Quiet looked disappointed about coming to the mansion early, as he found watching these attempts interesting.

“Is my life your entertainment?”

Rudfelix rested his chin on his hand while looking dully at his aide. He was a capable aide who did his work well and endured his sensitive temperament. But his biggest flaw was his tactlessness in personal matters.

Sometimes it seemed like the reason he stayed close was just to watch interesting things happen.

He talked too much, and even more when he thought it necessary.

“Since I live only looking at Your Highness, I have to find entertainment around you.”

“Shut that mouth.”

Rudfelix rubbed his forehead while trying to suppress his irritation.

He needlessly berated himself for not sending him to help Elena, knowing he would chatter endlessly.

Quiet must have thought of Elena too, as he stared at the firmly closed door.

“I wonder what kind of clothes Aide Elena will bring?”

Quiet had been excited ever since hearing Elena would make the Grand Duke’s tailcoat separately.

Until now, the Grand Duke’s taste had been so firm that tailcoats were all similar, but this time it would be newly made by Elena’s hands – he was dying of curiosity.

“When Aide Elena brings Your Highness’s tailcoat today, we’ll have to send her away, right?”

Unlike Quiet who kept glancing at the door, Rudfelix who had been acting disinterested showed a slight furrow between his brows.

“The annual event only happens once a year, and since it’s a palace ball, she’ll have to attend as the young lady of House Jellisto.”

That was her life before becoming an aide.

“I suppose so.”

Though his subordinate usually talked needlessly, sometimes he sharply summarized situations.

“Don’t worry, I’ll always be by Your Highness’s side.”

Only Rudfelix knew why those words were so unwelcome.

“Today I’ll write down all the words used to seduce Your Highness.”

Maybe it was because of Quiet’s strange hobby.

As Rudfelix considered whether to caution him about doing unnecessary things, his eyes narrowed. Sensing movement outside, he turned his head toward the door.

A slender figure appeared before the door fully opened. She exhaled roughly while holding a long box.

“I brought it.”

Only after the door fully opened did Elena struggle in with the large box in both arms.

Though she could have stood the box her height upright, it would have dragged on the ground, so she carried it horizontally – but even its thickness seemed substantial as her arms trembled.

“Traffic delayed me.”

With festivities already underway, carriages couldn’t move at their usual speed. So she had hurriedly brought just the box with the Grand Duke’s clothes, leaving Elena’s forehead drenched in sweat.

Rudfelix’s hand twitched. He was surprised at himself for wanting to brush away the hair stuck to her forehead.

‘What’s the rush?’

Though her forehead and cheeks must have been itchy from the hair, she seemed not to notice, focusing only on the box. Though prioritizing her work suited her role, it gave him a strange feeling.

‘I must be crazy.’

He must be mad to feel satisfied that she was focusing all her attention on his clothes.

Rather than criticizing Quiet, he needed to get his own head straight first.

‘Her fingers are swollen.’

While Rudfelix was looking at her reddened fingers, the box lid opened.

“I only finished it yesterday so couldn’t bring it earlier.”

Though there was a tailor, the sewing machine could only be used when Elena was present, so there were time limitations.

Elena opened the box herself and gently pushed it forward.

Her throat bobbed significantly as she hoped the clothes would please her superior.

Her eyes busily darted between Rudfelix and the box, and she bit her lips from thirst before releasing them.

Though she had made it carefully, she couldn’t help feeling nervous.

“How is it?”

Rudfelix hid his smile at Elena’s gaze that wouldn’t leave him.

“You added epaulettes.”

The decorative epaulettes with golden tassels caught his eye first.

“I added them to highlight Your Highness’s firm shoulders.”

Quiet, who peeked from the side, gaped in surprise. Though only a portion was visible inside the box, it was entirely different from the previous styles.

When Rudfelix took out the clothes himself, the rest unfolded and was fully revealed.

The epaulettes, collar, chain decorations connected with golden chains, and golden bird-shaped boutonnière were the only few decorations on the clothes.

Though not even small jewels were added, the colors were so vibrant it didn’t feel lacking at all.

‘I reduced the decorations thinking he wouldn’t like them dangling, but maybe I should have added a few jewels?’

Elena made it while thinking of how his previous superior had dressed, but she slightly regretted not asking beforehand.

It looked as if gold dust had been sprinkled on a white background.

Quiet silently clapped at the tailcoat with its perfectly matched golden belt.

“Since you mentioned a swan, I wanted to go with a golden swan…”

Elena brought up how the Grand Duke had teased about a swan when handling the fabric. Meanwhile, she alternately looked between Rudfelix and the clothes to see if they matched.

‘Should I have slept less?’

She regretted not having time to do a fitting. There was a limit to comparing just by eye. As Elena couldn’t ask if it was alright and just stared, Rudfelix draped the clothes over his shoulders while letting them flutter. The white tailcoat slipped over Rudfelix’s arms and wrapped around his body.