Chapter 1.5

It was good, but then it wasn’t.

‘He’s rumored to be strict, so it might be tough.’

Only then did Claire recall Lorella’s words, which she had barely listened to earlier. When she heard there were rumors about someone being strict, she should have realized it was Rexion, but she had been so excited that she misunderstood.

Her anticipation instantly turned to disappointment, and all the wild fantasies she’d entertained just moments ago collapsed into impossible, empty dreams.

The heart that had been filled with excitement now brought her the same pain as when she’d suffered heartbreak before, as if nothing had ever happened.

Ugh! Clutching her heart, which was pounding as if being struck, Claire glanced at Rexion out of the corner of her eye.

He rarely attended banquets, and even when she went to deliver cookies a while ago, she hadn’t seen his face, so this was the first time she was seeing him in person.

With similar ash-gray hair and a large build, his back might have resembled Helion’s, but the two had such different auras that it was hard to believe they were born of the same parents.

Both were handsome enough to leave anyone staring, but if Helion was the sun, Rexion was like the moon.

Helion was a warm, attractive man with golden eyes and a comma-shaped hairstyle.

On the other hand, Rexion, unlike his brother, had a cold impression, sharp black eyes, and a slicked pomade hairstyle with striking features.

“Nice to meet you.”

Hearing his greeting, Claire realized he was different from Helion as well.

Unlike Helion’s gentle voice, his was cold and subdued.

The voices might have been slightly similar, but Rexion’s tone was so much lower and deeper that it seemed to freeze the air around him, giving off a cool-headed vibe.

His image was completely different from the rumors.

There were somewhat different rumors about Rexion compared to his looks. According to what she’d heard, he couldn’t sleep at night without a woman and supposedly messed around with the maids at the mansion every night.

He was said to be perfectly competent at work, but in private, a notorious playboy. He didn’t seem like the type who was obsessed with women, but appearances didn’t always reflect character.

There were even rumors that he rarely attended banquets because he was too busy spending time with women. Wasn’t that saying enough?

No, what did that have to do with me anyway?

His private life was separate from work, so whatever kind of person Rexion was, it had nothing to do with her. She had no intention of getting close to Helion through him, so Claire decided to keep a proper distance from Rexion.

* * *

After Rexion became her supervisor, the workload increased. Things that had been handled easily before now had to be checked thoroughly. Of course, that alone didn’t make the workload abnormally high.

She learned later that the reason the treasurer had changed was because the Marquis Vikander had been caught embezzling Imperial funds.

No wonder he’d been so careless with work—he must have been making loopholes to line his own pockets.

‘I’ll take care of that, so just do what I tell you.’

That was what the previous treasurer often said. Every time she tried to get involved, he would say that, and all those things turned out to be related to embezzlement. The ones who suffered for it were those working under him.

Because there was a possibility of accomplices, they were under surveillance by staff dispatched from the Audit Office, which put everyone under mental strain. Even if they weren’t accomplices, there was still the possibility that they had unknowingly been involved in the embezzlement, so rather than being held responsible, they had to help find the hidden money.

The work was divided into teams: one to track the flow of money and another to actually collect the hidden funds. Claire was on the team tracing the money. Because of that, the Ministry of Finance staff were working overtime every day, over and over. The constant work made it so that even when she rested, she would see numbers before her eyes.

On her days off, she was so busy trying to catch up on sleep that she had no time to attend banquets or even tea gatherings.

“Thank you for your hard work today.”

“Thank you for your hard work as well, Miss Mansfield.”

As usual, late at night, Claire exchanged greetings with her colleagues and left the office, heading toward her carriage. As she walked, she heard the lively, noisy chatter of people in the distance.

Was today the day of the Imperial Banquet?

To get to where her carriage was, she had to pass through the garden, and upon seeing the nobles dressed up in their finery, she immediately realized the Imperial-hosted banquet was taking place.

Why does it feel like it’s been ages since I last wore a dress for a banquet?

Navy uniform, white trousers, and black boots on top… Regardless of gender, the attire for administrators was set, so Claire’s outfit as she crossed the garden stood out.

Everyone was busy enjoying the banquet, so would anyone really care about my outfit?

Some young ladies among the nobility disapproved of women working as administrators. If she got caught by one of them, she could end up in trouble. To avoid running into such ladies, she had to be careful to steer clear.

Claire’s steps toward her carriage quickened.

At that moment—

“I’m going to seduce Helion Radner.”

Hearing Helion’s name in her ear, Claire instinctively stopped in her tracks.

Seduce?

She quieted her footsteps and carefully approached the two young ladies who were talking, hiding herself nearby.

The one who had brought up seduction was Evelyn, the young lady of the Marquis Obelir family.

Nobles were supposed to behave properly, but not every young lady was demure, and Evelyn was one of those exceptions.

Her family tried to keep it quiet, but rumors had already spread far and wide that she spent her nights with different men. The rumors were so detailed that many believed most of them to be true.

“What about all the men you’ve been with until now?”

Perhaps the rumors were true, as the young lady beside her asked with a puzzled look.

“I’ll get rid of them all.”

“What’s the point if you’re the only one who’s done with them? He has to accept you.”

“Just watch. I’m confident!”

Does she really think she can seduce him?

The more Claire listened to Evelyn, the more she tilted her head in disbelief.

The Helion she knew wouldn’t fall for a young lady’s advances no matter how hard she tried. He had rejected all the women who had approached him so far; there was no way he would give in to a young lady with such a questionable reputation.

If he ever got engaged, it would be to a well-bred young lady from a good family, wouldn’t it?

She had always assumed that the reason Helion hadn’t gotten engaged to anyone was because he was being careful in choosing a partner. So Claire decided to dismiss the young lady’s words. After all, there were many women after him, and she was just one of them.

But… the look of confidence on the young lady’s face bothered her.

Could she be planning to use her body to seduce him? No, no. He’s not someone who would fall for that.

Seeing the confidence in Lady Obelir’s face filled Claire with anxiety, but she convinced herself she was just worrying for nothing.

However, contrary to her hopes, her uneasy feeling proved to be correct.