Elena fiddled with her notebook while looking elsewhere. As soon as her thoughts cleared, she turned her gaze toward him.

In the chaotic situation where soldiers were running around searching the trading company, people fled the scene. In this unromantic place, Elena found it strange that all her attention was focused solely on him.

‘Get a grip.’

First of all, since she hadn’t received a confession from the Grand Duke, there was no reason to be excited.

Accept the situation calmly.

“Then I’ll note that it wasn’t a confession.”

Elena opened her notebook and picked up the pen she had inserted.

“I’ll write down and remember that Your Highness likes Lady Elena Jellisto, a count’s daughter, as more than an aide. It’s an aide’s job to organize their superior’s relationships.”

“Yes.”

“Do you like her as a woman?”

Elena held up her notebook and asked Rudfelix with a businesslike gaze.

“Yes.”

As if referring to a third person, no strange atmosphere flowed between Rudfelix and Elena. The conversation took place in the stiff atmosphere unique to a superior and aide.

“Then have you separately considered the possibility of how your relationship might develop in the future?”

Rudfelix’s gaze, which had been lost in thought with his arms crossed, suddenly stopped on the feathered pen in Elena’s hand. At that moment, his eyebrows twitched.

“Of course I’ll make her mine.”

Elena’s composed expression wavered greatly.

“Even before I realized my feelings of liking her, I was curious about Aide Elena and willingly followed her into dangerous places. I wouldn’t leave such a person alone, would I?”

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’ll have to stain her soul deeply with my existence before she realizes it.”

She inserted the pen between the pages of her notebook and closed it.

‘Not realizing it! This is ridiculous, really.’

What’s he saying after spelling it all out.

“I’ll note this as a special precaution.”

“Do that.”

Elena couldn’t help but mutter quietly enough that he couldn’t hear.

“If it’s a confession, just call it that. Saying it’s not while pretending we’re different people, talking about staining me or whatever.”

How absurd…….

“Your eyes are still red.”

When Rudfelix asked, “Do you need some ice?” Elena subtly covered her eyes with her hat.

The problem was that she didn’t hate his non-confession confession.

Rudfelix bent his upper body to meet her eyes. He matched her eye level without needing to lift her hat upward.

“I’ll make my confession in a place you’ll never forget for the rest of your life, so what I said today isn’t a confession.”

“I’ll hear your answer then,” he said, giving her advance notice. Elena opened her mouth but closed it again without saying anything.

‘I think I’m really caught now.’

He said today wasn’t a confession, but why was her heart racing like this?

Her breathing became labored and her chest felt tight, forcing Elena to exhale several deep breaths.

* * *

“Go in early and rest.”

“Thank you.”

Rudfelix, who had personally escorted her to the count’s residence, got out of the carriage and told Elena to go inside.

“Your Highness should go in quickly too.”

“I’ll leave after seeing you go in.”

“But…… I understand.”

He had escorted her before, but he’d never gotten out of the carriage. Standing face to face with him, Elena clasped her hands tightly. She wiggled her toes, wanting to go inside quickly.

She thought she should hurry inside, if only to relieve the pressure, since he would probably keep standing there until she left.

“I’ll go in now.”

As Elena turned around, Rudfelix softly called out as if he’d just remembered something.

“Ah, right.”

“Why, why are you asking?”

Could he be going to say that again?

“Where did you find the ledger?”

“Ah, that.”

Elena scratched her forehead to hide her embarrassment from misunderstanding. Without noticing his eyes curving into a smile, she looked around and waved at someone.

A man who had been lingering nearby rushed over. As he moved as if he’d been waiting, Elena burst into a small laugh.

“Where have I seen your face before?”

“I’ll see you again. I’m Wei, a merchant who came looking to join Jellisto Trading Company.”

Wei grinned and bowed his head.

He even added a direct request to be admitted to Jellisto Trading Company, showing his thoroughness in not missing the opportunity that had come to him.

“He’s the one who brought the ledger.”

“The night market?”

“Yes. Do you remember how I dramatically narrowed the distance between you two with a small piece of paper?”

“Very well.”

He had held Elena in his arms while standing on that small paper, so he had a good time.

“Since then, I’ve been earning money honestly before coming here to see you, Miss.”

Wei emphasized that he hadn’t dipped his toes into illegal transactions at all as he moved away from Elena. Then he moved closer to Rudfelix.

Rudfelix, who didn’t appreciate any man getting close to Elena, liked Wei’s judgment.

“You’re a sharp one.”

“Yes. He says he didn’t do anything illegal because he wanted to restore his status and live honorably.”

Rudfelix had made his comment after seeing that Wei didn’t get too close to Elena, but Elena interpreted it differently.

“So I’m planning to accept him after investigating a bit more.”

Since she said she’d already introduced him to her father, Wei bowed deeply.

“I look forward to working with you. Your Highness the Grand Duke. And Grand Duchess…… Oops.”

After calling Elena the Grand Duchess, Wei covered his mouth as if it were a mistake. Yet he didn’t apologize or say he was confused, just rolled his eyes.

“You’re a cunning one.”

Rudfelix said he was cunning, but his gaze toward Wei changed. By referring to Elena as the Grand Duchess, Wei had secured his place at Jellisto Trading Company.

* * *

A wind blowing from somewhere made the papers flutter. As she tried to hold down the flying papers to prevent them from getting out of order, someone else put their hand down first to block them. Elena withdrew her hand from the large hand pressing down on the papers.

After feeling slightly relieved that she could avoid touching it, she looked back at the documents.

The wind blew again.

‘Where is this coming from?’

Thinking the window might have opened due to the carriage’s movement, Elena roughly brushed back her hair that had fallen forward and looked up.

Before she could see the window, her eyes met a pair of eyes. A man who had swallowed the most brilliantly blue gems in the world in his eyes.

As she faced those gems, her heart pounded harder and the pressure intensified.

Though she hadn’t swallowed those gems herself, her throat felt blocked, and she could barely open her mouth.

“Do you have any tasks for me?”

“No.”

“Then do you have anything else to say?”

“No.”

If there’s nothing to ask me to do and nothing to say, why are you looking at me?

“You can go back to work.”

“I understand.”

What else could she say to that?

Elena lowered her head again, but once she became aware of his gaze, it kept bothering her.

“Your Highness.”

“What is it?”

“It’s burdensome when you keep staring like that.”

Forcibly suppressing a rising sigh, Elena pushed the words through her lips, asking him to stop looking.

“You don’t need to mind me.”

Rudfelix put his elbows on the table in the middle of the carriage, rested his chin on his hands, and pulled his upper body closer.

Why is he coming closer?

“We didn’t just meet today, so why are you suddenly feeling burdened?”

Even people who just met don’t stare this intently.

Elena put down the documents she was holding as he told her not to mind him while tilting his head.

“I’d like to do that, but your presence is too strong for me to ignore.”

I might as well stop working altogether.

“Are you not going to work?”

“I’m not.”

Although she said she wouldn’t, her gaze lingered on the documents with lingering attachment. If she dealt with them bit by bit, the next tasks would be easier.

She had sorted and brought documents to review in the carriage for what was supposed to be a fairly long journey.

She had only brought complex issues that needed solving, not simple approval documents, but it was a waste of time since she couldn’t concentrate.

‘The problem is he’s too confident.’

Annoyed by her superior’s confidence, Elena rolled her eyes.

“Would you close the window too?”

Before she finished speaking, the window was already closing.

If a young boy expresses affection through mischief, like deliberately breaking a rubber band and running away while teasing “nyah nyah,” then Rudfelix revealed his true nature.

A straightforward and upright heart.

She had felt it from the moment he said he liked her, but he had no intention of hiding his feelings.

A willful superior who looks when he wants to look and speaks when he wants to speak.