“Since you helped me, naturally I should become your assistant and work hard to help you too. What were you even thinking?”

“I just… Daphne, seeing you today, it seems like you’d excel anywhere you go. The gallery work isn’t easy, so I was worried you might tell me you’re leaving for another industry.”

Now she understood why he’d been so anxious.

“Daphne, you’re an exceptional talent.”

“……”

“I want to hire you as a full-time employee starting tomorrow. Your salary will be triple the standard industry rate.”

Daphne was the one caught off guard.

“I’m sorry. I want to pay you more, but you can probably tell—our gallery’s situation is—”

“That’s more than enough, Mr. Belinda.”

Daphne quickly interjected.

Tomer looked relieved that she’d accepted his offer. Daphne felt dazed instead. Even with good results on the first day, still. Was she really worth this much?

“I’m not sure I can live up to that price tag.”

“You’ll do great.”

Tomer grinned. He wiped his hands with a handkerchief, then extended his hand to Daphne. A handshake signaling they’d work well together going forward.

“Looking forward to working with you.”

“Me too.”

Daphne clasped his hand.

She’d successfully secured a job in Timaru. But rather than pure joy, she felt more bewildered.

Could things really be resolved this easily?

She’d found the fastest train ticket and settled in Timaru, where she’d stumbled upon a benefactor. Her plans were progressing smoothly, one after another.

“Daphne, enjoy it.”

Had he read her mind? Tomer patted her shoulder.

Right. Just enjoy it, like he said. Focus on the present for now.

Daphne had learned through life that thinking too much about the future made it hard to concentrate on the present.

She would live differently from now on.

She would be faithful to the present and focus on work she excelled at and enjoyed.

Daphne smiled back at Tomer.

* * *

Time flew by like an arrow after that.

A month had passed since she met Tomer and started working at the gallery.

By then, Daphne had become much more familiar with the gallery work.

She remembered every preference and opinion of every client she met once.

“Sir, you’ve been interested in Franz Marke’s animal series since two years ago, haven’t you? We’ve just acquired a rare piece of his from the Kingdom of Eldrea.”

She always made timely proposals that satisfied clients’ desires, making the gallery flourish even more.

That wasn’t all.

The art market’s fluctuations were extremely complex and changed moment by moment.

Daphne perfectly recalled past auction prices and transaction histories, analyzed past data, and provided clients with useful investment advice.

“This artist’s work was 100,000 derks five years ago, but it’s recently doubled in value. It’s still on an upward trend.”

She also never missed a single detail or condition in numerous contracts.

“In the terms of our last transaction, we agreed to cover the artwork storage costs. If you proceed with this transaction, we can maintain that condition this time as well.”

Thanks to this, she gave the other party a sense of trust and could lead negotiations favorably.

The history of artworks, clients’ preferences, and even market changes.

Daphne gave people the impression that she saw through all of it like the palm of her hand.

Though she’d only worked there for a month, Daphne quickly established herself in the establishment like someone who’d worked at the gallery for a long time.

Then one day, an unusual visitor came to see her.

“Daphne, Daphne! This is huge!”

She was reading documents analyzing art price trends in the office when Tomer came running in, his face pale.

“What’s wrong, Mr. Belinda?”

Daphne put down the documents she was reading and asked.

“An incredibly important guest came to our gallery! Can you guess who? I still don’t understand why that person came to this small gallery in Timaru!”

His uncharacteristic fuss was quite unfamiliar.

“Calm down first, Mr. Belinda. Who on earth came?”

“The Imperial Palace sent someone to our gallery!”

Daphne’s eyes widened instantly.

Of course, her reason for being surprised differed from Tomer’s reason.

Astaire.

Even though she’d worked herself to the bone for nearly a month, he still wasn’t easily forgotten and came to mind often.

Daphne hated that. She hated that man, ran away from him, and made every effort not to think about him, yet his face came to mind before bed.

And every morning when she opened her eyes, she thought of Astaire too.

Whenever that happened, Daphne looked in the mirror and washed her face with cold water forcefully, like snapping herself back to reality.

But suddenly someone from the Imperial Palace came.

Could it be that Astaire pulled strings in the meantime? Or had something happened to Astaire?

No, before that.

Had Astaire or someone connected to him discovered her whereabouts?

All sorts of thoughts whirled through her mind like a storm.

Daphne closed the document folder she couldn’t even focus on and stood up.

“……Let’s go greet the guest.”

That person sent from the Imperial Palace.

She needed to confirm whether he was the First Prince’s or Second Prince’s person.

Meanwhile, about five hours by train from the small city of Timaru.

The capital of the Avont Empire, Elysion.

The Seyfried Trading Company building, located on Elysion’s most commercially bustling street, boasted its grandeur in the middle of the street.

On the building’s facade, a massive roaring black bear—the crest of the Seyfried ducal family—was carved large. The splendid marble decorations surrounding the building were enough to catch the attention of passersby.

In front of the largest building on the street, a black carriage as large as the building itself came to a stop.

Duke Astaire Seyfried stepped out of the carriage.

He roughly swept his dry blond hair to one side and adjusted his white gloves before entering the building. Numerous trading company employees followed behind him.

“Your Grace, please approve this export matter.”

“Your Grace.”

“Your Grace.”

From all directions, people waiting for Astaire’s decisions called out to him. For an ordinary person, there were so many requests they wouldn’t know which task to address first, but Astaire calmly handled them one by one, starting with the most urgent, seemingly accustomed to this.

Fast, but not rushed at all. Not a single mistake.

“Roberto, what’s the next appointment?”

“A lunch meeting with the Avont Finance Minister. You need to negotiate the Blue-Green Diamond Mine excavation matter over the meal.”

If Germo was the one who assisted Astaire outside of trading company business, there was a separate person in charge of trading company affairs.

“Let’s suggest tea instead. Isn’t a meal too much? Both he and I don’t have time, it’s the same either way.”

“I’ll discuss it.”

After finishing his usual round of inspecting the trading company and arriving at the Duke’s private office at the very top of the building.

Then, someone knocked on the door.

Rather than a knock, it was closer to a bang.

Astaire frowned slightly at the irritating noise.

“Who is it?”

“It’s me, Your Grace!”

The moment he heard the familiar voice, Astaire raised his eyebrows.

Someone who shouldn’t be here.

His other aide, Germo.

“Come in.”

Astaire loosened his cravat that was choking his neck uncomfortably and gave permission to enter. Soon the door burst open like it would break, and Germo entered.

Panting breaths. Sweat running down his temples. His appearance was clearly unusual.

“So, what’s the urgent matter now?”

“Well, that is……”

Germo habitually whispered urgently into the Duke’s ear.

After hearing Germo’s rapid-fire report delivered almost like recitation, Astaire smiled coldly, like what was coming had come.

As expected.

The Imperial Palace made a move. The First Prince’s person caught on to the situation and approached Daphne.

Given that, Astaire could no longer just stand by and watch.

* * *

Behind the gallery building was a small garden. And in the middle of the garden was a table suitable for light conversation.

Daphne guided the visitor who came to see her there.

She had a feeling the conversation would be long.

She also suspected it would be an inappropriate conversation to have in front of a hard wooden table.

“Pleased to meet you for the first time. My name is Rowell Blaine.”

The man bowed so politely it was burdensome the moment he met me.

Daphne immediately realized.

This man, the man who came from the Imperial Palace.

This person knows my identity.

“Please feel free to call me Blaine, Duchess Seyfried.”

“……That’s a title I haven’t heard in quite a while.”

‘This man must have been sent by the First Prince.’

She could tell clearly just from how he addressed me.

“Until the Imperial Palace’s signature is received, you are still Duchess Seyfried.”

And bad premonitions always proved accurate. Daphne narrowed her eyes at this man smiling affably at me. A voice sounded from deep in her heart. She needed to be wary of this person.

“As you probably expected, the one who dispatched me here is not the Second Prince.”

“Then it must be the First Prince. Though I don’t know why he’s looking for me rather than the Duke.”

Daphne forced a smile and threw out a barbed comment. The other party seemed to have felt it too.

“By the way, I think you really selected the meeting place well. As expected of Duchess Seyfried.”

“……”

“You’ve probably roughly caught on, but what I’m about to tell you from now on is very personal and confidential. You must keep it a secret.”

“It feels strange to have someone suddenly come find me and tell me they’ll share secret stories and to please maintain confidentiality.”

“Haha, that’s how the situation turned out.”

Rowell smiled, rubbing the back of his head in a seemingly friendly manner. However, Daphne caught the snake-like energy in his eyes.

They were the exact same eyes as his superior, First Prince Carlos di Blanterian Avont.

Suddenly, Daphne had this thought. Did she have the same eyes as Astaire in others’ view?

When you stay by someone’s side for a long time, you naturally come to resemble that person.

Having such unnecessary thoughts, Daphne quietly waited for Rowell to speak.

“I’ll get straight to the point. His Highness the First Prince suspects Duke Astaire Seyfried.”

Daphne gripped the handle of the cup containing cold water, then put it back down.

It was shocking news, but not entirely surprising news either. She thought the First Prince could do that.

That man was, in a way, even worse than Astaire.

He viewed people thoroughly as tools.

If Astaire at least praised people who brought him benefits and gave them appropriate compensation, the First Prince was generous only to himself and strict, cruel, and even capricious toward others.

He was someone who would grant a reward one day, then take that reward away the next day and punish them for betraying him.

He was a dangerous man whose inner thoughts were that unpredictable.

Seeing Daphne’s not-very-surprised face, Rowell continued speaking calmly.