Chapter 111

Jeremy didn’t want to know.  

Truly, he didn’t. He had absolutely no desire to know.  

It wasn’t his intention to be there at that time, on that day, in that place.  

It just so happened that his colleague, who was supposed to attend the meeting, got an upset stomach. It just so happened that his senior, Avery, ordered him to attend in his place. And it just so happened that the staircase was the closest route to the meeting room.  

‘I don’t even usually take this route.’  

All those coincidences piled up one after another.  

Smooch.  

That’s how Jeremy ended up witnessing the momentous scene of his esteemed senior, Sabrina, kissing the cheek of their superior, Chase.  

“This isn’t so bad either, is it? It’s more thrilling, more nerve-racking.”  

 “Maybe… or maybe not…I think I need another to be sure.”

“Oh, come on! Hurry upstairs—you’re going to be late for the meeting.”  

As their laughter faded into the distance, the staircase returned to its usual silence. Jeremy stood frozen, staring blankly up at the landing above, completely forgetting that the meeting was about to start.  

‘So, His Majesty and Senior Sabrina are really…’  

Gasp.  

Jeremy’s mind spun in circles. The realization that he had stumbled upon something he shouldn’t have known made his stomach churn.  

“Oh, the meeting. I need to get to the meeting.”  

Snapping out of his daze, Jeremy dashed up the stairs in a panic. He had been so distracted that he almost failed to complete his task.  

Though he managed to avoid being late, there was no way he could focus on the meeting. Jeremy alternated between staring blankly at Chase and Sabrina, seated together, and recalling the scene he had just witnessed.  

‘Come to think of it… there were signs.’  

Looking back, the clues had been numerous.  

Chase’s uncanny knowledge of Sabrina’s preferences.  

The countless inside jokes that only the two of them shared.  

The way Chase would always appear out of nowhere to place a hand on Sabrina’s shoulder whenever she was talking to someone alone. The chilling aura that seemed to radiate from him in those moments.  

‘So that eerie feeling I got wasn’t just my imagination.’  

Now that he thought about it, the bond between Chase and Sabrina was far too strong to be explained as mere camaraderie between a superior and a subordinate. He had dismissed it as the kind of friendship that forms through enduring hardships together.  

He remembered Chase’s face when news came that Sabrina had gone missing. A face devoid of eating, sleeping, smiling, or crying—like that of someone who had ceased to be human.  

He also remembered Chase’s expression as he looked down at Sabrina lying in her sickbed. A face that seemed to finally breathe again, unable to tear his gaze away.  

Jeremy realized it belatedly.  

‘Yes, that’s love. It couldn’t be anything else.’  

A lump formed in his throat, and his heart felt strangely full. Beneath the meeting room table, Jeremy clenched his fists tightly.  

‘I’ve made up my mind.’  

Jeremy resolved himself. Now that he knew, he would protect Chase and Sabrina’s love to the very end.  

He would ensure they could be happy and carefree, even if just for a little while longer.  

* * *

Chase and Sabrina were, at their core, people who took their work seriously.  

Dating didn’t make them neglect their duties or grow lax.  

Sabrina always arrived at work earlier than anyone else and left later than anyone else. She could have easily delegated bothersome tasks to her juniors, yet she was the busiest and most diligent of all.  

Chase was no different.  

While his favoritism toward Sabrina was a bit obvious, it would have been stranger not to dote on such an exceptional subordinate. Criticizing him for it would have been unreasonable.  

He still caught every typo in reports with uncanny precision and adhered to his schedule without delay.  

‘If anything, he seems even more dedicated to his duties than before.’  

But love isn’t something that can be hidden.  

Perhaps because Jeremy already knew, their relationship seemed all the more conspicuous. And that drove Jeremy to the brink of frustration.  

‘I have to keep it under wraps for them.’  

Thus began Jeremy’s desperate efforts.  

“Oh, Heinz. What brings you here?” 

Jeremy intercepted a fellow aide who was about to knock on Chase’s office door.  

“I have documents to deliver to His Majesty.”  

“Give them to me! I have something to report to His Majesty as well. I’ll deliver them together.”  

“Huh? Well, if you insist…”  

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure they’re delivered. Haha.”  

Whenever Sabrina entered Chase’s office, Jeremy would casually loiter around the area.  

‘They’re probably having a romantic moment in there… I shouldn’t interrupt.’  

He wasn’t being nosy. Given what he had seen on the staircase, it was only reasonable to assume they might hold hands or something.  

And that wasn’t all.  

Cough, cough.  

Whenever their gazes lingered on each other a bit too long, Jeremy would fake a loud coughing fit to divert attention.  

Whenever their hands brushed against each other in the office, he would pull exaggerated faces to draw everyone’s eyes elsewhere.  

Although neither Chase nor Sabrina noticed, Jeremy did his utmost to protect their secret romance.  

‘I’ll repay your kindness this way, Senior. Be happy!’  

But then…  

“You don’t have to try so hard, Jeremy.”  

What on earth did that mean?  

“We all know anyway.”  

“…What?”  

Jeremy’s bewildered voice echoed through the office. Avery, smirking, glanced around at the other aides and said, 

“Right?”

“His Majesty and Sabrina are in a relationship. There’s no one here who doesn’t know about it. Everyone knows.”

“……?”

Jeremy’s jaw dropped as he processed Avery’s words, replaying them over and over in his head. 

So… everyone already knew? That the two of them were in such a relationship? Since when? Then what had I been doing all this time? I had tried so hard to prevent it—so where had I slipped up?

Jeremy’s pupils trembled as confusion swirled in his mind. His thoughts spun uncontrollably.

Seeing Jeremy like this, the other aides chuckled as if they found him endearing. They set their pens down, turned their chairs toward him, and began chiming in one by one.

“How could anyone not notice? It’d be harder to ignore it on purpose.”

“Exactly.”

“Just from the way they look at each other, the answer is obvious. How could you hide that kind of gaze?”

“Especially His Majesty—he doesn’t even seem to be trying to hide it. I mean, wouldn’t he be happy? After all, he used to suffer alone in unrequited love, and now he’s finally experiencing what it’s like to be in a relationship.”

Unrequited love? A relationship?

Jeremy asked, his expression dazed. 

“What do you mean by that?”

“Oh, Jeremy. You didn’t know?”

Avery tapped Jeremy on the shoulder and spoke with a teasing grin.

“You’re acting like you’re the only one who didn’t know. Everyone was convinced His Majesty and the Duchess of Evenheim were truly a couple.”

“Did you know back then too, Senior Avery?”

“Of course, I had my suspicions. I’ve noticed for quite some time how His Majesty holds Sabrina in special regard.”

“Ah…”

Several aides grimaced and began to speak hesitantly.

“I didn’t realize it either and even told Senior Sabrina that the two of them looked good together… I’m doomed, aren’t I?”

“Sabrina isn’t petty enough to get upset over something like that. Don’t worry.”

At Avery’s reassurance, the aide let out a sigh of relief.

“But when exactly did the two of them start dating? Was it before the Heider incident?”

“Probably after that.”

A heated discussion ensued about when Sabrina and Chase’s relationship had begun.

“What do you think, Jeremy? When do you think the two of them became a couple?”

“Well, I…”

Jeremy, who had been half-distracted while listening to the conversation in the aides’ office, finally spoke up.

“I have no idea.”

His words elicited laughter from all around. Avery clapped his hands to draw attention back to himself and declared, 

“That’s enough chit-chat. Let’s get back to work, shall we?”

Groans of disappointment echoed throughout the room.

“Let’s just keep pretending we don’t know for now. Even though it’s already obvious to everyone, let’s act like we haven’t noticed anything until they officially announce it. Got it?”

***

Several ordinary days passed, and soon, the usual morning meeting came around.

“Does anyone have a different opinion?”

“No, we don’t.”

“It seems like no one does.”

“Does anyone have anything else to say to me?”

“No, nothing at all!”

The meeting concluded in a cheerful atmosphere. Chase smiled and gestured to the basket of bread on the conference table.

“None of you probably had a proper breakfast, so feel free to eat. Don’t mind me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

The aides, who were already hungry, eagerly grabbed a piece of bread. Sabrina, too, quickly picked up a large piece and took a big bite.

Chomp.

‘Mmm, delicious.’

The freshly baked bread was still warm. As Sabrina eagerly satisfied her hunger, a warm finger brushed against her lips, wiping away crumbs.

“There was a crumb here.”