Chapter 2.4

“Why hasn’t there been any contact?”

At some point, the start of each day began with opening the window. Claire looked out, hoping that perhaps the mage’s crow might come to deliver a letter.

There was no sign of it coming today, either.

No matter how long she looked outside, all she could feel was the blue sky and clear air—there wasn’t even a shadow of a similar bird in sight. Claire let out a deep sigh and shifted her gaze to the bed.

Why did she even tell me to take the potion?

Even after taking the potion Celia gave her, there had been no particular change, so Claire was growing increasingly anxious. With no way to contact Celia directly, her frustration only built up day by day.

Growing tired of waiting for the crow until it was time to leave for work, Claire finally headed for the carriage.

After arriving at the office and focusing on her work, she found that the day had grown dark before she knew it.

As the issues related to embezzlement were nearing their end, more and more people were starting to leave work on time, and everyone began preparing to go home.

Claire could have finished early as well, but because of Rexion’s order that she, as Young Lord Glause’s supervisor, handle the mistake he made, she had to work late.

Why does he only do this to me when he doesn’t even care what Young Lord Glause does! He really must dislike me.

Even though Claire knew that having Young Lord Glause by her side was of no help at all, her face was full of dissatisfaction.

It was also because Rexion hadn’t gone home yet, and for the first time in her life, she was left alone with him, which she absolutely hated.

Of course, they weren’t actually in the same space.

Strictly speaking, Rexion was in his own private office, and she was in the outer office, so unless she went into his office, there was no reason for them to run into each other. Still, because he always treated her so coldly, Claire couldn’t help but feel tense.

She thought it would get better with time, but instead, Rexion’s wariness only grew stronger, and he even tried to ignore her existence altogether.

What did I ever do wrong?

No matter how much she thought about it, the only reason Rexion might dislike Claire was because of something related to Helion. But it was strange to dislike her for that.

It was odd to be hated just for admiring his brother, and it was also strange to be disliked for having a crush on a man who was already engaged to another woman. It wasn’t as if she had made it obvious that she liked Helion, either.

What was it, then? Was giving him cookies to express my feelings really something to be hated for?

Being disliked for no reason was not a pleasant thing. That’s why Claire also tried to dislike Rexion, but she couldn’t.

Whenever she saw how well he handled his work, far from hating him, she realized he didn’t become the youngest treasurer for nothing, and she even felt a sense of respect.

One-sided hatred from only one person…. Because of that, she sometimes felt wronged, but as long as she was Rexion’s subordinate, Claire had to suppress her feelings.

Should I just call it a day for now?

Ignoring Rexion’s presence while she worked, before she knew it, it had gotten late into the night.

She had finished the urgent tasks, and the rest could be handled tomorrow. There was no need to stay any longer in this uncomfortable, nerve-wracking space.

But before she could go home, she had to get past one last big hurdle. That was saying goodbye to Rexion!

He hadn’t left yet either, and as a subordinate, she couldn’t just leave without a word, so she had to say goodbye out of courtesy.

Why was I so nervous about a simple goodbye? Ugh.

Taking a deep breath in and out, Claire knocked on the office door with trembling hands.

[Knock knock.]

“Yes.”

Opening the door gently, Claire checked Rexion’s mood. He, too, seemed to know he was alone with her, as his eyes remained fixed on the documents.

His attitude, so openly unpleasant that he didn’t even want to look at her, bothered her, but Claire endured it.

Judging by the piles of files on his desk, she tried to think kindly, assuming he was just busy and distracted because he still had a lot of work left.

It’s the end of the day, so the patient me will just endure it!

“I’m leaving for the day.”

“Go ahead.”

Just as she bowed and was about to leave,

“Oh, are you done with all the mess Young Lord Glause made?”

“Yes.”

“Then just hand that over before you go.”

Nodding, Claire carefully walked back to her desk, picked up one of the stacked documents, and headed again for the office.

Approaching Rexion’s desk once more with careful steps,

“You can just leave it on the desk. You’ve worked hard today. Go home now.”

Without taking his eyes off the documents, Rexion spoke in a detached tone.

His dismissive attitude made her bristle, but with the joy of finally being able to go home, Claire managed to force a smile and opened her mouth.

“Would you like to spend the night with me?”

She meant to say, “Understood, see you tomorrow,” but what came out was something completely different, and Claire hurriedly covered her mouth.

With her eyes wide like a startled rabbit, she stared at Rexion, and he looked back at her with narrowed eyes.

It was the look of someone seeing a crazy person.