If You Are Suited for the Villain's Secretary - Chapter 11

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

If the Villain’s Secretary Suits Me
Chapter 11
2. I Became a Full-Time Employee
I hadn’t slept a wink the night before.
So I did what was perfect for when sleep wouldn’t come—
“You said you’d give 50 gold per quill pen assembled, right? I’ve earned 10,000 gold.”
I took on a side job.
After assembling 200 quill pens, I gained something beyond the 10,000 gold.
“La Mar is truly a wonderful workplace.”
It was company loyalty.
“La Mar can’t go under before I pay off my debt. Well, and Aden shouldn’t go under either, for that matter.”
Of course, I couldn’t love Aden, but I’d definitely developed affection for my salary—no, for the Merchant Guild itself.
Yesterday, I remitted this month’s interest by combining the 3 million gold congratulatory bonus with the 2 million gold I had on hand.
If that bonus hadn’t come through, I would have needed to assemble 60,000 quill pens. Even plucking every goose feather in the Capital City wouldn’t have been enough.
“….”
Before I left the house with the box of quill pens.
I turned back and stared at the jewelry box sitting on one corner of my desk.
It held several lustrous large pearls and a few smaller ones, but with empty spaces, it looked forlorn.
“Iliana, come here, dear….”
They were things my mother left behind when she passed away fourteen years ago, when I was six.
Even when my circumstances became dire, I chose to sell the house rather than touch my mother’s keepsakes.
The reason there were empty spaces was simple.
‘My gambling-addicted father took one and fled.’
The pendant necklace my mother had personally placed around my neck, set with a pearl and sapphire.
“Just let me meet him once.”
That was why I searched for my father, and it was one reason I was paying off this debt.
They said my father hadn’t gotten far before the debt collectors caught him.
The debt collectors were kind enough to show me a photograph—they needed to keep me paying, after all, so they confirmed it for me.
‘He’s probably doing forced labor in some mine or other.’
But if that were all there was, I might have given up long ago.
I’d never harbored any real hope that the necklace would still be in my father’s possession.
He’d either sold it, pawned it, or had it taken by the debt collectors—one of those three.
Yet I continued searching for my father because….
“Iliana, when you turn twenty, there’s something you need to know. I’ve already told your father, *cough*, about it….”
“Oh, Mother!”
It was because of my mother’s dying words.
How could he flee with something else to take, without telling his own daughter the final message her mother left behind?
‘Of course, I couldn’t trust the debt collectors, so I’ve saved money bit by bit and commissioned the Information Guild, but with such a small fee, there’s been no progress.’
Once I learned those two things, I’d have no further business with my father.
It might seem cold, but he was the one who abandoned his family first and sought only his own survival.
“I’ll be back soon.”
I waved my hand slightly at the jewelry box as if it were Mother, bidding it farewell.
On my way to deliver the quill pen box to the Job Placement Office and then head to La Mar for work.
I recalled the original story information and plans I’d scribbled on paper, partly to test the quill pens as well.
My objectives at this point were crystal clear.
Goal: Keep La Mar running “without problems” and “legally” for as long as it takes to pay off the debt
It would have been wonderful if I could aim for “Aden’s redemption” or “world peace,” but that was a dream too grand for an extra like me.
I would be satisfied if I could at least protect the peace of my own bank account.
But this goal, which seemed like mere status quo maintenance on the surface, was far from simple.
※ In other words: prevent Aden from doing anything wrong going forward
A man whose hobby was scheming and whose specialty was covert operations—I had to guide him onto the righteous path somehow.
The one saving grace was that I possessed knowledge of the future.
‘First, I need to gain the authority to access and adjust Aden’s schedule. That’s the first step.’
The problem was that Aden didn’t have only “Merchant Guild” schedules.
‘He definitely won’t reveal right away that La Mar also operates as the Information Guild.’
The true nature of La Mar would remain secret until he deemed me trustworthy.
‘Until Aden tells me himself, I’ll pretend to know nothing and just do my job well at the Merchant Guild. Eventually, an opportunity will come, right?’
I was planning to build trust step by step.
“Good morning, Director. What a lovely—”
“Let’s go to the office.”
In any case, that was the plan.
“Grecia. Now that you’ve officially become my secretary, there are things you need to know.”
But what in the world was this….
“We are not an ordinary Merchant Guild. What’s loaded onto La Mar’s ships isn’t just merchandise.”
“….”
“What La Mar handles can sometimes be secrets, sometimes intangible value, and sometimes—people.”
My plan fell apart in five minutes.
Am I dreaming right now….
“Any questions?”
Aden, who had just revealed La Mar’s true nature to his secretary on only her second day of work, asked expressionlessly.
***
A moment earlier.
Aden, who had arrived at the office early, answered without lifting his head at the knock.
“Come in.”
“It’s Luther… yes, sir.”
Luther entered awkwardly and cleared his throat with a soft cough.
“I’m reporting on the Jeremy matter. I left him near Crimson.”
“Their reaction?”
“The staff discovered him when they arrived for work and made quite a commotion. The Chairman came out wondering what was happening and was absolutely shocked. Then he personally dragged Jeremy, who still hadn’t regained consciousness, away with him.”
Luther shrugged his shoulders.
“Lenox found the contract documents for the shell account safe deposit box, and I neatly folded them and placed them in Jeremy’s pocket. By now, they’ve probably discovered that Jeremy was embezzling money instead of following orders.”
“Good work.”
It was rare for Aden to praise someone’s efforts. Luther responded sheepishly.
“I didn’t really do much, haha. But when will you handle Crimson? Sending in a spy like that… it does seem like we’ve crossed a line.”
“We’ll see.”
When Aden spoke like this, it meant he already had a plan in mind.
It was simply that the time to execute it hadn’t arrived yet.
“For now, it’s advantageous to have a company in La Mar that ‘appears to be’ our rival.”
“Ah, that’s right. We can’t afford to stand out too much.”
“And aren’t you curious?”
Curious about what?
Luther, about to ask, was met with Aden’s smile—far more terrifying than his usual expressionless face.
“What Crimson will attempt this time, despite their failure even with a spy in place.”
“…”
“So I plan to wait. Ideally, I’d like them to do something unexpected. I have a use for it.”
Even Luther, who had known him for years, couldn’t tell if he was joking or serious.
Did Aden even experience unexpected things?
Ah, there was one recently. Just yesterday, in fact.
“I didn’t see that coming.”
It was when I witnessed Iliana and Jeremy grappling with each other.
‘Though, who could have predicted that?’
Luther, recalling Iliana from that moment and the Iliana who had smiled so brightly in front of the old house, ventured to speak.
“Sir, if I may.”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s about the new secretary.”
Aden, whose eyes had been fixed on documents the entire time, lifted his head for the first time.
Luther had escorted Iliana home because of Aden’s orders.
‘Was it because you suspected her of being a spy and worried she might flee midway?’
Or perhaps, even if she were a spy, she was still an employee, and you were concerned about any aftereffects from the physical altercation?
Luther couldn’t discern Aden’s intentions, but he thought it had been worthwhile to visit Iliana’s home.
In truth, he wouldn’t have thought to escort her if he were alone.
Luther opened and closed his mouth, hesitating, so Aden asked coldly.
“And?”
“The house was incredibly dilapidated. Seriously so.”
…That’s all?
Seeing the expression on my face that screamed the wait had been a waste of time, Luther hurriedly added more.
“W-well, that too, but actually there’s something that’s been bothering me.”
Aden’s pen came to an abrupt stop.
He asked quietly.
“Something bothering you. What is it?”

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————