If You Are Suited for the Villain's Secretary - Chapter 12

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

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If the Villain’s Secretary Suits Me
Chapter 12
“I heard from a close real estate broker last night that someone came by asking rather abruptly, ‘Has any woman purchased a house recently?’ Can you believe it?”
“And?”
“Well, the description this person gave matched our new secretary perfectly! Ash-colored hair, cyan eyes, and glasses too!”
Aden’s brow furrowed slightly.
“The broker I was drinking with said the question was so suspicious that he denied knowing anyone like that, but… could our new secretary be running from something?”
Luther leaned in close, whispering conspiratorially.
This was definitely it!
“What if she’s a spy, or worse—being blackmailed into this?!”
Truth be told, Luther had taken quite a liking to Iliana.
She was quick and sharp, and not only had she sent Jeremy flying with a single blow, but the audacity and composure she’d shown in restraining him afterward was remarkable!
La Mare needed employees like that.
‘The director already has so much work. I’ve always wished he had a truly capable secretary to help him, not just someone like me who’s a secretary in name only, or a useless con artist like Jeremy.’
In Luther’s mind, Iliana was the perfect fit.
Even if she were a spy, so what? We could just bring her over to our side!
It was a characteristically Luther-like thought—the kind of persuasion he could accomplish simply by cracking his knuckles.
“What do you make of it?”
“I think it’s speculation. Especially the part about hastily judging her personal circumstances, rather than considering the old house as a means to gain sympathy.”
At the immediate response, Luther’s expression cooled.
“Still, it was effective—the fact that you’ve decided to advocate for Miss Grecia in just one day shows her skills are genuinely impressive.”
“No, that’s not what I meant…”
Somehow the situation was deteriorating smoothly.
Luther’s eyes rolled as he thought he’d said something unnecessary.
“However.”
Aden tilted his head slightly.
“I can’t simply overlook the fact that someone was searching for Miss Grecia by describing her appearance in such detail.”
“Exactly?! She’s definitely being pursued by someone…”
“No, it’s because it’s too blatant. You’ve seen firsthand how Lenox conducts his tracking, haven’t you? What kind of tracker searches for someone so openly?”
“…”
“Then there are two possibilities. Either it’s a signal meant to confuse us, or…”
Aden continued.
“Someone who isn’t an expert—someone unfamiliar with conventional tracking methods—is searching desperately for Miss Grecia for very personal reasons.”
Aden tapped the table thoughtfully, then nodded slightly.
“If that’s the case, then whoever this person is, they know Miss Grecia well—whether for good reasons or bad. Which means they’re a suitable source of information.”
“What are you suggesting?”
“Find out through what channel this contact came. But don’t approach them hastily. Understood?”
“Yes, understood!”
Luther left and the door closed.
Aden stared at the closed door for a moment, then shifted his gaze to the documents resting on one corner of his desk.
The documents contained a transfer record of the three million gold congratulatory payment I had given to Iliana Grecia yesterday.
The tag attached to the identification code had moved.
And quite coincidentally, that money….
“A loan shark.”
It had been transferred to a loan shark in the Southern Border.
Of course, from Aden’s perspective, whether the person Iliana sent the money to was a loan shark wasn’t particularly important.
The real question was ‘which’ loan shark it was.
“A fellow who frequently laundered money for Crimson and southern nobles, no less.”
Of all people, it was a loan shark who had once taken money laundering for Crimson and southern nobles as a side business.
After being semi-forcibly retired when a noble client grew dissatisfied and reported him, he’d been running money games targeting local residents ever since, or so I’d heard.
“A signal of successful infiltration, or tribute money? …Or perhaps Miss Grecia’s personal debt?”
Aden rolled the word ‘coercion’ that Luther had mentioned around in his mouth, raising one eyebrow.
Aden still thought Luther’s speculation was closer to conjecture.
If Iliana had heard it, she would have protested indignantly, but unfortunately Aden simply didn’t believe in coincidence.
However, at the same time, Aden wasn’t the type to sweep aside unanswered questions and move on.
So I decided to verify properly by summoning Iliana, and
“We are not an ordinary Merchant Guild.”
I dropped a bomb right in front of her.
“Do you have any questions?”
It was a statement sufficient to fluster anyone—whether a spy or an ordinary employee.
For the former, it would be the shock of a carefully constructed infiltration scenario going up in flames in an instant; for the latter, the shock of employment fraud.
As expected, Iliana before me froze momentarily in surprise.
She drew in a breath, adjusted her glasses once, and clenched her fists tightly.
“Yes, Director. Since you’ve given me the rare opportunity to ask questions, there’s something I’d like to inquire about.”
But then.
“I’ve never handled such specialized assets before. What account should they be recorded under in the ledger? And if something happens to them during transport—or rather, if there’s an incident, how would you handle it? Standard shipping insurance wouldn’t cover it, would it?”
“….”
“And with such secretive goods, receipt processing would be difficult, wouldn’t it? If a tax audit comes later, how are you planning to handle it? You’d be paying confidentiality fees to the workers too, so which account would that go under….”
“Miss Grecia.”
“Just a moment. I still have more to ask. If what you said was metaphorical, then La Mare must also serve the role of an Information Guild, which would mean there’s a separate business entity, right? Would I be working on Information Guild tasks in a dispatched position format?”
“Miss Grecia?”
The bewilderment that crossed Iliana’s face was only momentary.
It was Aden who found himself at a loss for words, bombarded with questions that far exceeded expectations.
“Is that what you’re curious about right now?”
“Yes.”
I managed to ask back, but Iliana remained composed.
As if she’d been waiting for this very moment, her eyes sparkled as she shrugged.
“I had many questions during the interview and yesterday too, but you didn’t give me much opportunity to ask them. So I thought I should ask everything while I had the chance.”
Iliana smiled faintly and added, “Ah.”
“By the way, I should mention that I have no complaints about the additional duties. After all, it’s ‘not something that violates Empire law.'”
Having dismissed the true nature of La Mare—revealed as either a threat or a warning—as merely “additional duties,” Iliana continued with refreshing composure.
“Just as there’s no grave without an excuse, there’s no money without one either. The moment I saw the 6 million Gold salary specified in the employment contract, I thought to myself: this must be confidentiality compensation. High salaries always have their reasons, after all.”
Aden tried to determine whether Iliana was attempting to escape this situation through humor, or if she truly was someone obsessed with money and work.
“Oh! I forgot to mention that. I’ll work hard going forward. Thank you for having me, Director.”
But that assessment proved difficult.
It was genuinely rare for Aden.
***
“…The questions you asked earlier have a separate manual. You can request it from Luther.”
“Understood.”
“Then I’ll be going. Review the manual today, and we’ll begin actual work tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.”
After bowing and turning to leave, I stumbled the moment the door closed behind me.
Why were my bad premonitions never wrong?
“Surely Aden isn’t suspecting me of being a spy too, or something like that? …Right?”
That’s exactly it….
‘That bastard’s definitely suspicious of me right now…!’

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

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