“Just looking at this gives me a headache.”

She hadn’t even started yet, and she already felt like quitting, but Raylin didn’t delay. She immediately settled in at the desk.

Soon, Roir’s aide entered and skillfully sifted through the mountain of paperwork, pulling out only those related to the trade ship and handing them to her.

“Which ones need immediate approval?”

“These two must be processed today.”

Raylin took the documents he pointed to, her eyes never leaving the pages as she asked, “Tell me the key points I should focus on and the decisions I need to make.”

The aide hesitated for a moment before providing the precise information she needed, quickly and accurately.

After listening carefully, Raylin reviewed the documents, stamped one with Greuga’s seal, and rejected the other.

As the aide received the documents, he blinked in surprise at the decisiveness of her actions. Seeing this, Raylin offered an awkward smile.

“I may not be as capable as Roir, but until he gets back on his feet, I will take temporary responsibility. Please take care of things well.”

The aide bowed deeply before leaving the study.

There were no common flatteries or clumsy reassurances of doing their best to assist, but Raylin felt relieved.

This was because alongside the documents she had just approved, emotions such as ‘admiration,’ ‘surprise,’ and ‘relief’ had surfaced beside the aide.

“Whew… At least my time working in an office wasn’t completely wasted.”

Although it was a past she had no desire to recall and brought no pleasant memories when she did, at least it had proven useful.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

Stretching her arms, Raylin grabbed her pen and began reviewing the documents in earnest.

Fortunately, the trade ship project was nearing completion rather than just beginning, which made things slightly less burdensome. Of course, that also meant there was an overwhelming amount of data to grasp and information she needed to understand.

After spending a considerable amount of time grasping the general outline and then meticulously going through the finer details, Raylin suddenly lifted her head.

“No wonder I smelled something sweet.”

At some point, a neatly prepared cup of cream milk tea, just to her taste, had been placed before her.

Sipping the perfectly cooled milk tea, as if by magic, Raylin massaged her stiffened neck and murmured,

“This project is practically impossible to fail.”

Not only was the foundation exceptionally solid, but whoever had worked on this project had analyzed every potential risk and even presented countermeasures for each scenario.

Meanwhile, the mastermind behind these meticulous preparations, Roir, was lying in bed resting after being examined by the physician. He suddenly scratched his inexplicably itchy ear and tilted his head in confusion.

Unaware of this, Raylin continued to praise him but also muttered that she would personally rather not be too close to someone like that.

“I expected it to go well since it was an incredibly successful venture in my past life as well.”

Indeed, the trade ship project had been led by Theron, with Catherine investing a substantial sum, resulting in not just success but exceeding expectations.

Before closely reviewing the documents, Raylin had assumed that since Catherine hadn’t been involved this time, the project might not be as successful as before.

However, upon closer inspection, she realized that the success wasn’t merely a fictional narrative device but a logically inevitable outcome.

“Still, it is trade, especially maritime trade, so we won’t know the final result until we see it.”

With that thought, Raylin quickly skimmed through the sections Roir had meticulously outlined.

She wasn’t sure how long it would take for Roir to recover, but with the trade ship’s launch and departure only a week away, she couldn’t afford to wait for him.

“Well, I’ll just have Theron take care of the ceremony.”

Since he had been stationed at the shipyard throughout the ship’s construction, it would make much more sense for Theron to make an appearance rather than Roir or herself.

Finishing her milk tea, Raylin refocused her mind.

She had wholeheartedly agreed with Roir that they needed to completely humiliate not only Viscount Piastre, who had injured him, but also the shadowy figure pulling the strings behind the scenes.

Moreover, Raylin had one more reason to ensure the swift and successful completion of this trade ship project.

“I asked Duke Lucart to stay at the port until the trade ship was completed.”

She had felt immense relief upon hearing his agreement.

If Theron took the lead, it would not only keep him away from Catherine but also prevent her from interfering in the trade ship project.

It was a perfect move, achieving two objectives at once, and Raylin had once again marveled at Roir’s sharp strategic mind.

She had put great effort into steering the original story’s course in a better direction, and she couldn’t afford to ruin it now.

She had threatened Roir by saying she would mess everything up if he didn’t recover quickly, but she had no intention of doing so—not even a sliver.

The only issue was that, as a direct descendant of Greuga, she had only ever managed small-scale charity projects and had never handled something of this magnitude before.

Taking a deep breath, Raylin strengthened her resolve.

“No. Think back to your time as an office worker. You can do this. If it doesn’t work, I’ll make it work.”

Reviving the ruthless survival instincts from her past life in Korea’s corporate jungle, Raylin ignited her fighting spirit.

***

“Duke Lucart has arrived.”

Hearing the unexpected announcement of an unanticipated visitor, Raylin widened her eyes in surprise.

Sebastian, who had delivered the news, looked calm, unlike the day before when he had frantically shouted for Roir.

Raylin asked again just to be sure.

“Who did you say arrived?”

“Duke Lucart, my lady.”

Raylin, who had been about to shift her focus from the overall project structure to the finer details, rubbed her tired eyes.

She hadn’t misheard…

“Did he have an appointment… Oh, did he have a prior engagement with Roir?”

“No, my lady.”

Sebastian’s swift reply made Raylin pause.

“So, he had no prior engagement at all?”

“None. The Duke has expressed his regrets for the sudden visit.”

In other words, he wouldn’t leave without meeting her.

Theron Lucart was someone who neither made requests of others lightly nor liked when others demanded things of him without reason.

If he was insisting this stubbornly, then it was worth meeting him.

Raylin pushed aside the towering pile of documents and got to her feet.

“Let’s go.”

Before long, Raylin arrived at the reception room where Theron was waiting—only to be met with an unexpected visitor.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Julia Everett.”

“It is… a pleasure to meet you. I am Raylin Greuga.”

Theron’s sudden visit was already surprising, but Julia being there as well?

Raylin struggled to hide her confusion as she greeted him and took a seat.

An awkward silence lingered between them for a few minutes. Just as Raylin was about to empty her teacup, feeling increasingly parched, Theron broke the silence.

“I heard that Roir had an urgent matter to attend to. So, I understand that you are now in charge of matters related to the trade ships.”

“Yes. I ask for your understanding that I cannot disclose the details, as it is an internal family matter.”

Raylin gave an elegant smile, and Theron nodded as if it were only natural.

“There will be no disruptions to the schedule. I am merely overseeing the finalization of a project that has already been completed to perfection.”

Though it was not a minor task, it was still routine business. Even as she conversed, Raylin had to make a conscious effort to keep her gaze from drifting toward Julia.

The implications of their unexpected visit were significant.

Among them, the most striking was the fact that the original male and female protagonists of the novel, whom Catherine had once disrupted through her possession, had now met safely.

It seemed that, unintentionally, Theron’s territory—where he had stayed after leaving the capital—had become the setting for his meeting with Julia.

“That man will fall in love with his fated woman at first sight and do everything in his power to get rid of me.”

‘That was the answer Catherine had given me when I once asked why she had broken off her engagement with Theron before my regression.’

‘I had nodded inwardly at the time, thinking it was a rather appropriate answer, given that she couldn’t just say, “Because he’s the male lead of the original novel.”’

So then, did Theron indeed fall in love with Julia at first sight?

No, even if he had, there was no reason to go so far as to bring her along on such an unannounced visit.

Unless his intention was to humiliate the young lady of a baron’s family, who had yet to debut in high society, there was no justification for bringing her here.

Hmm, but then again, in romance novels, the male lead often turns into an absolute fool when he falls in love.

Was Theron also unable to be apart from the woman he loved, even for a moment…?

Raylin discreetly observed Theron without shifting her gaze from their conversation.

If he occasionally glanced at Julia, if his expression changed when their eyes met, or if any emotions surfaced around him, it would give her a clearer idea of their relationship.

However, contrary to Raylin’s expectations, Theron maintained strict decorum, keeping his gaze solely on her, his conversation partner.

There were no emotions visibly floating beside him, either.

So he didn’t fall in love at first sight…?