Chapter 21

After Elena left, Sabrina and Chase sat side by side, exchanging their thoughts on the day’s interviews.  

Chase asked,  

“How did it feel to sit as an interviewer?”  

“It’s no easy task. But overall, I think today’s candidates were all quite strong.”  

“Yes, they were, but…”  

Chase tilted his head slightly and chuckled.  

“I think you’ve raised my standards. None of them really stood out to me.”  

“Oh, I must’ve done something wrong.”  

“Exactly. I think you’ll have to take responsibility for this.”  

“Seems like you’ll have to treat me very well, then.”  

Sabrina lightly joked in response to Chase’s words before cautiously asking,  

“What did you think of the last candidate, Miss Evenheim?”  

“She seemed… average.”  

Chase’s reaction was ambiguous. When Sabrina discreetly peeked at his evaluation sheet, even the scores were neither particularly high nor low.  

‘Did she really leave no impression at all?’  

Sabrina’s mind grew restless. Watching her closely, Chase asked,  

“Is there a particular reason you’re interested in Miss Evenheim?”  

“Oh, not really. I just haven’t finished scoring her yet.”  

Sabrina wrote Elena’s name on the evaluation sheet and took a deep breath.  

For the story to proceed as written, Elena needed to pass. Knowing that the original story ended with Chase’s perfect happy ending, Sabrina felt conflicted.  

‘Should I give her a high score myself?’  

Sabrina found herself unable to make a quick decision and fell into deep thought.  

Was it right to actively intervene to ensure the story followed its original path? Or should I step back and observe the unfolding events from a distance?  

After much deliberation, Sabrina carefully filled in the blank score.  

‘I hope this was the right choice.’  

***

“For the past week, you’ve all worked hard. Starting today, you’ll each be assigned your respective tasks. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask your seniors.”  

Sabrina addressed the two new aides who had joined this term.  

“Yes, Ma’am!”  

“Understood.”  

Among the two, Elena was not present.  

After some brief hesitation, Sabrina had given Elena a fair evaluation. She believed it was the right and just decision.  

‘So… does this mean Chase and Elena are over? Because of me?’  

No matter how she thought about it, Sabrina couldn’t help but feel that the reason their fate had gone astray was her own existence.  

Like a butterfly’s wings causing a hurricane, her presence—something absent from the original story—seemed to have disrupted the world’s narrative.  

‘I was just quietly doing my job.’  

But what could she do now? Dwelling on the unchangeable was a waste of time.  

All Sabrina could do was continue working diligently for Chase, as she always had.  

‘If they’re truly meant to be, won’t they end up together eventually?’  

Lost in such thoughts, Sabrina was startled by a sudden voice from behind.  

“Um, Ma’am?”  

The voice snapped Sabrina out of her reverie.  

“Yes, what is it?”  

The one who had called her was Jeremy Candel, one of the newly hired aides. Looking like a scolded puppy, he fidgeted nervously and spoke in a timid voice,  

“I think I made another mistake…”

Sabrina couldn’t help but feel as though she was looking at a large puppy every time she saw Jeremy. Perhaps it was because of his fluffy light brown hair or his round eyes.  

Jeremy, although a bit slow in grasping his tasks, had such a polite and endearing personality that it was impossible to dislike him.  

“Let me see.”  

At Sabrina’s words, Jeremy hesitantly handed over a piece of paper.  

As Sabrina carefully examined the document, she pointed to one of the items and said,  

“It looks like you calculated the value without including this. Isn’t that right?”  

“Ah! I’m sorry. I really tried not to make any mistakes…”  

When Jeremy, overwhelmed with guilt, looked as though he was about to cry, Sabrina spoke soothingly,  

“It’s normal to make mistakes at first. The important thing is to avoid repeating them.”  

“Ma’am…!”  

Jeremy’s large eyes began to fill with tears.  

“Let me explain it again slowly. This time, make sure you don’t miss anything. And if you’re confused, ask questions right away.”  

“Yes!”  

“Alright, watch carefully.”  

Sabrina leaned toward Jeremy to explain, just as a voice called out from behind her.  

“Sabrina.”  

It was Chase’s voice.  

He entered the room with Avery, striding toward Sabrina and Jeremy while leaving his office behind. His gaze was fixed on the shoulders of Sabrina and Jeremy, who were practically sitting side by side.  

“Your Majesty!”  

Jeremy jumped to his feet as if startled. Sabrina also stood up to greet Chase.  

“Is there something you need us to do…?”  

“No. It just seemed like the two of you were having an important conversation.”  

Chase smiled as he naturally stepped between Sabrina and Jeremy.  

Sabrina explained,  

“I was just going over some work-related matters.”  

“Ah.”  

Chase patted Jeremy’s shoulder lightly and said,  

“Make sure to learn well. It’s rare to find a senior as competent as Sabrina.”  

“Y-yes! I’ll do my best to learn.”  

Chase gave Jeremy’s shoulder a firm squeeze before letting go and slowly turning away.  

As soon as Chase had moved far enough away, Jeremy, who had been stiff and tense like a statue, let out a sigh of relief. His face was pale as a sheet.  

“Ma’am.”  

“Yes?”  

“Did I… do something terribly wrong?”  

Sabrina widened her eyes at Jeremy’s sudden question.  

“Why would you think that?”  

Jeremy scratched the back of his neck awkwardly and said,  

“His Majesty seemed… a bit…”  

“A bit?”  

“No, never mind. It just felt like he had this… charisma or something.”  

“Did he?”  

Sabrina narrowed her eyes as she recalled the interaction between Chase and Jeremy.  

‘It didn’t seem much different from usual… Why is he so scared?’  

Tilting her head in confusion, Sabrina sat back down.  

“Shall we continue where we left off?”  

“Oh, yes!”  

Sabrina leaned forward again, fully immersed in her explanation. She didn’t notice that a certain pair of eyes had been fixed on the back of her head all along.  

***

Knock, knock.  

Sabrina lightly knocked before entering Chase’s office. He was resting with his eyes closed, seemingly tired. Slowly, he opened his eyes at the sound of her presence.  

“Were you resting?”  

“Yes, just for a moment.”  

As Chase’s gaze focused on Sabrina, his eyes gradually regained their clarity.  

Seeing him rub his cheek as if to shake off his drowsiness, Sabrina asked cautiously,  

“Ah, it’s not urgent. Should I come back later?”  

“No.”  

Chase straightened his posture, brushing his cheek once more before leaning toward his desk.  

“It’s fine now. What is it?”  

“Ah, are you sure?”  

Sabrina walked over lightly and stood before Chase.  

“There are no scheduled appointments for this morning. In the afternoon…”  

After finishing her briefing clearly and concisely, Sabrina placed the folder she had been holding on Chase’s desk.  

“Also, about the document you reviewed yesterday—there’s one revision I need to inform you about.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“While reviewing the schedule earlier…”

As Sabrina continued her explanation in a calm and composed tone, Chase kept glancing at her, as though he had something to say. After hesitating for a while, he finally spoke up.  

“…I can’t seem to find the part you’re talking about.”

“Oh, the part I just pointed out?”  

It didn’t seem like a difficult section to locate…  

Sabrina tilted her head in confusion. It wasn’t like Chase to ask for help with something so straightforward.  

Still, everyone has those moments.  

Sabrina moved closer to Chase and leaned slightly toward him.  

“Here, let me show you…”  

She ran her finger down the document.  

“It’s right here.”  

Chase leaned slightly toward her as well. A clean, soapy scent wafted from him.  

“Is this the only part that’s changed?”  

“Yes. Please take a closer look and let me know.”  

Chase lowered his long eyelashes, his profile exuding a serene focus that looked like it belonged in a painting.  

‘Wow…’  

Sabrina found her gaze drawn to Chase’s face as if pulled by a magnet. It was only natural to stare at something so unrealistically beautiful.  

Just then, Chase lifted his head, sensing her gaze.  

Feeling caught, Sabrina flashed a wide, sheepish smile.  

“Did you finish reading?”  

“Huh?”  

Chase’s eyes widened slightly. After a brief pause, he broke eye contact and replied,  

“Ah, yes. I’ve reviewed it. Everything seems fine to proceed as is.”  

“Are you tired? Should I prepare some tea for you?”  

“No.”  

Chase shook his head.  

“I was definitely feeling tired earlier, but now I feel fine. Strangely enough.”  

Tap, tap.  

Chase lightly tapped the document with his fingertips, a slow smile spreading across his lips.  

“Right now… I just feel good.”