Chapter 2.2

Claire, who hesitated for a moment, slowly opened the lid. Then, a smoky smell pricked her nose. With the strange color and now the odd smell, any desire to drink it vanished instantly.  

She glanced at Celia, who signaled with her eyes as if urging her to drink quickly.  

Am… I really supposed to drink this?  

Staring at the bottle with narrowed eyes, Claire hesitated, then pinched her nose and drank all the liquid inside.  

Gulp. The suspicious liquid, with a sharp taste, slid down her throat slowly, and once it was all gone, she shivered without realizing it.  

Half worried, half expectant, she looked at Celia, wondering if something might happen immediately.  

“It won’t take effect right away.”  

Celia, reading her gaze, spoke.  

“Then, when will it appear?”  

“Don’t you think a reaction will only appear when you meet that person?”  

“Th-that’s true, isn’t it?”  

Although the ambiguous words bothered her, Claire nodded and agreed with Celia since it wasn’t wrong.  

“If anything happens, I’ll contact you through Crow, so stay well until then. You know my crow, right? Its name is Crow.”  

As if her business was done, Celia began to draw a spell circle.  

“Can’t I contact you first?”  

Thinking that Celia might disappear before her very eyes, Claire quickly asked.  

“I’ll show up when you need me, so don’t worry.”  

“But there could be an emergency. So, a way to contact you…”  

Celia, as if she had nothing more to say, finished drawing the spell circle she had paused and vanished. Only Claire’s voice, unable to reach her, drifted away on the gentle breeze.  

Suddenly left standing alone in front of the tree, Claire just stared blankly at the spot where Celia had disappeared.  

Maybe it was because she had met a mage, but everything happening now felt like a dream.  

Then, regaining her senses, she headed straight for the carriage.  

She had done as told, so now she just had to wait, right?  

She was worried, but her anticipation was greater. She was especially curious about what kind of spell Celia had cast on Helion.  

Could it be that he already liked me? 

She hoped so. If that were the case, would she even need to make him drink the potion?  

All sorts of speculations circled in her mind, and the more they did, the more her anticipation grew, making her heart race.  

The next day.  

While arriving at the palace and heading to her office, she saw Helion walking alone from the opposite direction. It was the first time she had run into him on her way to work. And face-to-face, no less.  

Was this what Celia meant by having taken measures?  

She was so startled she felt her heart might stop, but barely managed to compose herself as she approached him and greeted him. It was the first time they had exchanged greetings since she visited the mansion.  

“Hello. It’s been a while. This is the first time we’ve met since the mansion, right?”  

“That’s right. It’s been a while. Are you on your way to work?”  

Helion replied with a smile.  

Starting the day with such excitement, Claire felt as if nothing could go wrong today. Just seeing his gentle smile made her feel like no stress would pile up today.  

“Yes. I was just on my way to the office. Did you also just arrive at work, Secretary?”  

“I came in a bit earlier. Well, I hope you have an energetic day.”  

“Yes.”  

Huh? What was that?  

It was just a formal greeting—there was nothing special about their conversation.  

From the way he greeted her out of courtesy and kept an appropriate distance, it seemed he still had no interest in her at all. As a result, Claire’s mind became a whirl of complicated and troubled thoughts.  

After the greeting, her steps toward the office kept faltering. She stopped, looked back, then looked forward, and then looked back again, repeating the motion.  

No matter how many times Claire looked back, Helion never once turned around. As if he had no interest in her whatsoever.  

Didn’t Celia say she had taken measures?  

‘Don’t you think a reaction will only appear when you meet that person?’  

The more Claire recalled Celia’s words, the more questions she had. No matter how she looked at it, Helion did not look like a man in love.  

And what about her? She didn’t feel any different either.  

Moreover, it was strange that Claire herself felt no reaction. She thought there would at least be some kind of device to make her appear attractive in Helion’s eyes. But there was nothing.  

Claire couldn’t understand the situation, and her feelings of excitement vanished in an instant.  

Celia said it wasn’t a love potion, so Claire hadn’t expected him to fall in love right away. Still, shouldn’t there at least be a hint of affection? It wasn’t as if there were any rumors about their engagement being broken off… 

Just how was Celia supposed to help? Should I trust her a little longer, or not?  

With no dramatic change she could observe, Claire’s doubts only grew. Her trust in Celia wavered a bit, but she felt she still had to believe.  

I should believe… right?  

She wanted to, but the uneasy and uncomfortable feeling wouldn’t go away.

* * *

“What are you thinking about?”  

Lorella, noticing Claire staring blankly into space and unable to focus on her work, gently touched her cheek and asked.  

“Oh, it’s nothing.”  

Lorella handed her some documents.  

“These need to be approved by Treasurer Radner, but I have to hurry to the Ministry of State. Could you get the approval for me?”  

“Yes, I understand.”  

A deep sigh escaped Claire as she accepted the documents for approval.  

It had been over three months since her supervisor changed, and even though she hadn’t made any big mistakes, Claire was being disliked by Rexion.  

Just what had she done wrong to become the target of his dislike!  

She wasn’t particularly prone to mistakes, and her work pace was fast, so Claire was even called the ace of her department. There was no reason for Rexion to dislike her professionally.  

If she had to find a reason, it would be the day Young Lord Glause asked if Helion and Evelyn were engaged. There was nothing else.  

Glause was the one who asked that question, so why did Rexion dislike only her and not him? She couldn’t understand it.  

It wasn’t as if she made him do it… and it’s not a terrible thing to ask, is it?  

It was so unfair, but there was nothing Claire could do. All she could do was watch her supervisor’s mood and feel nervous whenever they met.  

“What is it?”  

When she knocked and entered, Rexion, as expected, asked with a displeased expression.  

Rexion’s appearance was as handsome as his brother’s. The problem was that, unlike his dazzling looks, the atmosphere he gave off was so cold it made people feel suffocated.  

Especially when he looked at someone he disliked, his gaze was so icy that just meeting his eyes made Claire’s heart tighten.