Chapter 6.1 – When It Rains, It Pours

“…Sir Grey! Sir Grey! It’s morning!”

As Daphne’s eyes flew open, a familiar face came into view. Unlike herself, who was still n*ked, he was already fully dressed.

“Good morning….”

As she sat up, revealing her bare body, he subtly averted his gaze and spoke. With a short sigh, she covered herself with the sheet, and Evan handed her some clothes.

“I, I found something for you to wear, since you need to put something on, but I swear, I didn’t go through your things on purpose.”

Evan made a clear effort not to meet Daphne’s eyes. He seemed unsure of what he was even saying.

Daphne slipped on the clothes he handed her and got off the bed. But the moment her feet touched the ground, her knees buckled and her body tilted forward.

“Sir Grey!”

Thanks to Evan rushing over to catch her, she didn’t hit her forehead, but their position was rather awkward. As Evan looked down at their closely pressed chests, he gave a dry cough and helped her stand up.

“Can you walk on your own?”

“No. I really don’t think I can.”

“…Excuse me?”

“It’s not just my back—my legs have no strength at all.”

“Th-that’s not good…?!”

Not sure what he meant by that, Daphne just looked up at him blankly. He quickly added, as if making excuses,

“Sir Grey, you have to go to work, and I have to be somewhere too…!”

Ah, work. That’s right. She had to go to work. But how could she go with legs like this? She was so dazed that she couldn’t think of anything, when Evan, lifting her up, spoke first.

“I’ll take you there.”

“How?”

“I’ll carry you…!”

With his hands under her arms, her feet didn’t touch the floor. Dangling in midair, Daphne gave him a baffled smile.

How long had it been since he became a full knight—did he want to get kicked out already?

She didn’t know much about his personal situation, but his brother was the next Earl and one worked in the Treasury, so he’d be fine no matter what. Unlike her, who could be dismissed at the slightest misstep since she had no backing.

“That’s absolutely not happening.”

“It can’t?”

“No. For the sake of social reputation.”

“If that’s the case, I suppose there’s no choice….”

“And could you put me down now? I think I’m feeling a bit better.”

With a suddenly alert look, Evan carefully set her down. She slowly turned her waist, checking her condition. It wasn’t the very worst, so she thought she could make it to work.

Of course, even if she felt like dying, a working person’s life meant at least showing up to clock in.

“There’s still a bit of time left. Would you like some breakfast? Or do you need to head out right away?”

“No, it’s fine. I’d like to eat, too. Anything is fine.”

“There really isn’t much.”

“If it’s made by you, Sir Grey, I’ll enjoy anything.”

No, it’s really because there isn’t much….

Seeing the expectation on his face, Daphne nervously twisted her hair and walked over. Evan seemed anxious about her slow steps, pacing nearby, but Daphne pretended not to notice.

Since the cooking was done by magic tools, not herself, Daphne handed him a plate with toast, wearing a slightly embarrassed expression.

She’d picked out what little was still fresh from the half-wilted vegetables, so she felt a bit sorry for someone used to balanced meals every day.

“Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you for the food.”

He opened his mouth wide and took a big bite of the sandwich. Even though he’d only taken one bite, half the sandwich was gone, and Daphne looked at him in surprise.

“Would you like this one too? I don’t usually eat breakfast anyway.”

“…Is that really okay?”

Evan hesitated for a moment, then asked cautiously, sauce still on his lips. Daphne nodded and handed over her sandwich.

He was the one who needed to eat well, not her, since she sat at a desk all day. As she’d said, she’d rather sleep ten more minutes than eat breakfast, so it wasn’t a loss.

Evan finished the remaining sandwich in two bites, drank some water, then reached for the one Daphne had given him. Watching him eat until his cheeks were full, Daphne got up, thinking she should get ready for work.

At that, Evan hurriedly swallowed what he was chewing and stood up in a rush. It must have gotten stuck in his throat, as he started coughing and thumping his chest.

“Oh my, are you okay?!”

He nodded, but his face didn’t look good. Daphne quickly went over and patted his back. After coughing a few more times, he finally managed to swallow and let out a sigh of relief.

“A-are you leaving already?”

“No. I have to get ready too. And change my clothes.”

As she spread her arms to show the clothes, Evan’s face instantly flushed and he turned his head away. Wondering what the problem was, Daphne looked down and saw the outline of her chest clearly visible under the thin fabric.

Ah.

She quickly lowered her arms, but it was too late. For some reason, her chest tingled, and Daphne ran off inside as if escaping. In the process, she stubbed her toe on the threshold and had to endure a sharp pain.

* * *

“…….”

“…….”

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason, you just look happy.”

“…Me?”

As if it were obvious, Hailey nodded. Daphne, touching her own cheek, was shocked to realize the corners of her lips were turned up.

‘I’m smiling?’

The fact that she was smiling wasn’t the problem. The problem was that this was the ‘office.’ There was almost no time to smile after arriving at work.

Every single day, she had to look at men’s genitals that were, frankly, unpleasant to see, and she had to avoid upsetting Brooks, who was always looking for a reason to bother her. That’s why she needed to conserve her energy whenever nothing was happening.

But now she was apparently smiling. Even looking happy!

“Something must have happened. Things must be going well with Sir Clyde, huh?”

“Why are you suddenly bringing up Sir Clyde?”

“Oh, come on, you know I can tell just by looking at your face. Besides, you came to work with Sir Clyde today.”

“That was just because we met outside.”

“Are you going to hide it from me too?”

Hailey pouted, as if disappointed by Daphne’s feeble excuse. Then she looked at Daphne with an expression as if she were about to suffocate.

It was clear she wouldn’t back down until she heard the truth. Daphne, realizing she couldn’t hide it any longer, finally spoke.

“…You’re right. But it’s really not like that.”

“Oh, I didn’t even say anything specific. I was just asking because it seemed like it.”

This time, Daphne rolled her eyes. Hailey burst out laughing, leaning forward.

“So, how far did you go? Don’t tell me you slept together?”

At Hailey’s beaming question, Daphne clamped her mouth shut like a clam. Hailey’s eyes grew wide, and she whispered in a small voice,

“Really…?”

Oh, that was just a wild guess….

Realizing too late that she’d hit the mark, Daphne squeezed her eyes shut. She’d been caught. But there was no going back now. In the end, Daphne nodded.

“Oh my! I didn’t think Sir Clyde was like that—he looks so gentle, but he’s bolder than I thought. Lise will be sad if she hears about this. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your secret to the end.”

“It’s not like that….”

Thud, the sound of a pen dropping. She didn’t have to correct the fact, but it was a habit she’d picked up from dealing with patients who awkwardly named their own illnesses.