“I get it.”

As if I would want to hit that handsome face.

He’s even a candidate for the male lead.

“Then, do your best.”

Dain smiled wistfully and cheered me on.

I nodded confidently, determined to achieve my big dream of winning over both the Crown Prince and the mission.

The next day, I dressed neatly from the morning and went to the Crown Prince’s palace.

“Good afternoon, Your Highness.”

“Ah, you’ve come.”

The Crown Prince, seated at his desk, gestured lightly.

“Perfect timing. I need you to bring me the pen I left in my room. Just tell the knight outside, and he’ll guide you.”

“Oh, yes! Just a moment. I’ll get it right away.”

As soon as I arrived, I was given an errand, which I eagerly set out to complete.

This was my chance to win his favor, get closer to him, and offer my counseling!

With determination, I followed the knight to the Crown Prince’s room, where the attendant in charge bowed and asked,

“Hello. I’m Nick. What brings you to His Highness’s bedroom?”

“I was asked to bring a pen.”

At that point, I answered casually, but his next question caught me off guard.

“I see. What kind of pen are you referring to?”

“…Huh?”

“His Highness uses different pens for letters, approvals, and documents. Which one should I bring?”

“Uh… well…?”

I was only told to bring the pen he left behind; the Crown Prince hadn’t given any details.

It felt awkward to go back and ask again.

In the end, I guessed based on what he might have been reading.

“For, um, documents?”

“Understood. Please wait a moment.”

The attendant went inside and returned with a navy quill pen.

“Here it is.”

“Thank you.”

I took it and returned to the office, holding it carefully.

“Your Highness, here’s the pen.”

The Crown Prince, sitting with his legs crossed and reading documents, glanced at it and said,

“That’s not the pen I meant.”

“Pardon?”

“I already have a document pen. The one you brought is just a spare I left in the room.”

“…Then?”

“I need the pen for approvals.”

“Oh…”

He could have mentioned that from the start.

Or maybe I should have just brought all the pens.

I quietly went back and exchanged the pen. After all, I’m the one serving here.

Seeing me return with a red quill pen, the Crown Prince finally smiled with satisfaction.

But this was just the beginning.

“Could you pour me some water? Exactly halfway. Ah, it’s a bit over. Try again. Now it’s too little. Pour some more. Ah, over again.”

“Please place these books in my room. No, bring one back. Hmm, on second thought, I might need a different book.”

“Now, write down what I dictate. Line spacing should be 0.5 cm, and font size 0.6 cm. No typos allowed.”

The Crown Prince was relentless in making me work. He was a budding tyrant of an employer.

I realized why Dain had warned me so seriously.

Within a few days, I had to grip my hands tightly to resist the urge to hit the Crown Prince.

As a result, my palms were covered in nail marks today as well.

“Miss, could you pick some new flowers from the garden for the vase?”

The Crown Prince pointed to the vase with his injured hand, and I stood up quietly.

“Yes, I’ll be back.”

“For reference, I don’t like overly flashy flowers. Bring something moderately bright and of decent size.”

“…Okay.”

What does ‘moderately’ even mean? What is that?

You’re the type who says ‘anything’ when asked what to eat but criticizes every dish brought to you, right?

Unable to ask outright, I clenched my fists and headed outside.

The garden of the Crown Prince’s palace was large and tidy. It wasn’t a complicated layout, so it felt spacious and open.

“Now, I need to pick flowers that will please His Highness…”

I decided to take a thorough look around the garden to examine the flowers.

I didn’t know where anything was.

To avoid the intense summer sun, I borrowed a hat from a gardener and started from the garden entrance.

What flowers would suit the picky taste of the Crown Prince?

“And how should I solve the mission?”

In the past few days, I had only served him without uncovering any of the Crown Prince’s worries or thoughts.

Of course, it wasn’t like I hadn’t tried at all.

‘Your Highness, do you have any concerns? Even small ones are fine.’

‘Why do you ask?’

‘I just… want to listen.

‘I don’t. Stop asking unnecessary questions and focus on your work.’

‘Yes.’

I tried probing gently but was shut down immediately.

Damn.

‘I’m so scared I’ll fail and be out for half a year.’

I sighed deeply, looking at the colorful flowers.

The summer garden was bursting with vibrant life and vivid colors, making it hard to look away.

Before I knew it, the Crown Prince’s orders faded from my mind as I got lost in admiring the flowers.

“Wow, this one’s pretty.”

I leisurely sniffed the flowers like someone out for a stroll and squatted to look at the blooms below.

Then, a sudden gust of wind blew my hat off.

“Oh…!”

I couldn’t afford to lose a borrowed hat, so I reached out hastily and lost my balance, falling.

The hat, carried by the wind, landed at someone’s feet.

I looked up to see who it was and widened my eyes.

‘The Empress…!’

At the same time, another strong gust blew from behind.

Whoosh.

The Empress’s veil fluttered briefly.

She hurriedly grabbed the fabric and turned her head, but I had already seen her bare face clearly.

“……!”

I almost gasped in shock but managed to hold it in.

Under the veil, the Empress’s face was covered in terrible hives.

In truth, there was no official information about her sudden disappearance due to illness.

It was widely believed she was battling a terminal illness—

But it wasn’t.

Considering what I just saw, it seemed she had a skin condition that disfigured her face, leading to her seclusion.

“Shailyn Sharofe greets Her Majesty the Empress.”

I dusted off my dress and stood, greeting her calmly and respectfully.

As if I hadn’t seen her bare face.

The Empress remained silent for a while before nodding toward the hat picked up by a maid.

“A guest of the Crown Prince, I see.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you.”

I received the hat politely.

Unlike our first encounter, the Empress didn’t leave immediately and spoke to me again.

“What are you doing here?”

“Oh, His Highness asked me to pick flowers for his office. I was searching while exploring the garden.”

“Linus asked you?”

“Yes.”

Her voice sounded quite surprised, making me feel a bit self-conscious.

Does she know I injured his arm…?

“Have you picked the flowers, then?”

“No. He wanted something moderately bright and of decent size, but I haven’t found it yet.”

“Then let me recommend one.”

The Empress plucked a red flower blooming nearby.

“Linus likes these petunias. Mix them with some white ones, and it should be fine.”

“Thank you for telling me, Your Majesty. Thanks to you, I’ll bring good flowers to His Highness.”

I smiled brightly, genuinely grateful.

The Empress quietly watched me and waved her hand slightly.

After parting with her, I called the gardener and picked a bunch of petunias.

“Your Highness, I’m back!”

“Did you pick well?”

“Yes, look!”

Proudly, I showed the red and white petunia bouquet to the Crown Prince, who was reading a book seriously.

Even if he didn’t like them, he couldn’t say much since the Empress recommended them.

“Put them in the vase.”

“Yes.”

Fortunately, the Crown Prince accepted the petunias without issue.

He had never passed anything so easily until now.

‘As expected, mothers are different.’

I admired this fact internally while arranging the flowers in the vase and suddenly had a thought.

‘Could the Crown Prince’s worry be… about the Empress?’

He was the Empress’s only child.

The other princes and princesses were born to concubines, and only the Crown Prince was her direct descendant, crowned from birth.

I didn’t know the exact relationship between mother and son, but if his mother was suffering from such an illness, it would be a concern.

‘That must have been tough…’

Since Shailyn’s mother died after giving birth to her, I felt a bit of sympathy and understanding.

“Your Highness.”

“What?”

“You can really confide any worries in me. I’ll keep them secret and cheer you on.”

I gently clenched my fists as I made my appeal. Ah, maybe it was a bit moving?

However, the Crown Prince looked at me as if I were speaking nonsense and said,

“Now that I look at it, I don’t like the color of the vase. Change it to black.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Such a moodless person.

Grumbling, I diligently went to change the vase. This was the DNA of a deep-rooted K-office worker.

If you’re told to do it, you do it.