If You Are Suited for the Villain's Secretary - Chapter 40

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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 40
How absurd it was.
To long for the hallucinations and phantom sounds my brain had conjured to overcome pain—did such a thing even make sense?
‘Pathetic.’
Aden shook his head and downed the mana suppressant.
He drank it so constantly that he couldn’t increase the frequency any further, nor could he raise the drug’s concentration. Perhaps it would be better to apply a new formula and adjust the ingredient ratios instead.
If the new formula didn’t work either.
‘Then….’
As I contemplated the ‘last resort,’ Iliana stirred in her sleep.
My gaze drifted toward her without thought. I let out a quiet laugh.
‘She sleeps with her glasses on.’
Wasn’t that uncomfortable?
Watching her intently, I found myself thinking: my new secretary was oddly tight-lipped about certain things.
She voiced her opinions readily enough, so why did she never mention pain?
Why had she said nothing to Laklan about reporting it, instead listening silently to my criticism with her lips sealed?
“I told him I was married.”
Bold enough to dangle such a lie as bait to my Uncle,
“…Luther must have mentioned it, but the Crimson has an internal loan system.”
“Yes, I’ve heard. But I’m saving it for when things get truly difficult.”
Why was asking others for help so difficult for her? Such peculiarities.
My curiosity about her had grown by several more questions.
Rising quietly, I reached to remove her glasses. She looked uncomfortable. That was the only reason.
“Huh—!”
But the moment my hand touched the frames,
Iliana’s breath caught, and she reacted reflexively. She gripped the opposite side of the glasses.
“W-who….”
Her vigilance was far too sharp to be mere drowsiness.
Then, recognizing who it was, she faltered. Watching Iliana’s eyes blink slowly, I felt an unusual moment of blankness.
“I wasn’t trying to wake you. You looked uncomfortable.”
“Oh! I see. Thank you.”
Yet Iliana smiled brightly as usual, as if that chilling edge from moments before had been a lie, and adjusted her glasses back into place.
That sharp, defensive sensation of snatching the frames was gone without a trace.
“Um, what time is it now? …Wait. Is the meeting over?”
“It is.”
“What?! Oh my goodness. I’m so sorry!”
She showed no sign of being aware of her own expression from moments before.
Realization crashed over me like a tidal wave. I slowly clasped my hands together and bit down.
For Iliana, those glasses were both a long-standing habit and perhaps… a wound.
A wound she consciously told herself was fine, but unconsciously refused to reveal to others.
“It’s fine.”
“But sir—”
“Leave it be. Considering the overtime hours she’s worked, Iliana Grecia can be marked as taking a day off without issue.”
I had unexpectedly discovered why Iliana wore glasses despite having excellent vision.
One mystery solved. For someone like me who despised leaving questions unanswered, it was a welcome development.
Yet my mouth tasted bitter.
Though I had lain back down as instructed, sleep had already fled—and I found myself studying Aden’s expression without understanding why.
***
Randolph gripped the back of his neck.
“This wretched woman…!”
The moment he saw the newspaper, he rushed straight to Julius’s residence.
He had intended to persuade Julius one way or another—whether by appealing to family ties since he was also of House Noel, or by painting La Mar as a ruthless, heartless merchant guild.
But he failed spectacularly. It wasn’t merely the guards stationed outside.
“You! You! I heard every word you spouted!”
“What? What do you mean? Please, just listen to my explanation—”
“Ha! You’re joking! ‘If I had 10 billion gold, I would’ve bribed the elders long ago and made Victor a marquis! Did you actually believe that old man’s nonsense?’ That’s exactly what you said! I heard it clearly!”
Julius, seething with indignation, had slammed the door shut with a “That old man will keep quiet, so go ahead and ramble to yourself!”
Only then did Randolph grasp the situation. Iliana’s obedient demeanor yesterday had been nothing but an act,
“and she had the audacity to record my words and hand them over to that old man Julius!”
She had deliberately provoked me, intending to use my own words as evidence against me.
An enraged Randolph frantically pressed his communicator to summon Iliana, but she did not answer.
At that moment, she was asleep—it was Selby who had turned off the device.
And when he returned to the Noel Viscount’s Estate…
“What are you doing?!”
“Can’t you see? I’m packing.”
Victor Noel was preparing to leave.
“Are you giving up so easily? If you just hold on a little longer, this vast estate and lands could all be yours—!”
“I’ve thought about it, and this just isn’t for me. What I really want isn’t an estate or lands—it’s a carefree life. Freedom doesn’t require responsibility. It requires money.”
Victor Noel, perched atop an already-packed bag, wore the expression of a child who had finally finished the most tedious homework assignment.
“Power struggles, factional disputes—I’m sick of it all. Since things have come to this, I’m going to attach myself to Grandfather Julius.”
“What are you saying—?!”
“Why? That old man’s rich now. Soon he’ll have 10 billion gold in his account, so naturally I should stick with him, right?”
As Randolph’s mouth fell open in shock, Victor grinned, his narrow eyes gleaming.
“Rather than suffer headaches over managing this worthless estate, I’d rather flatter him, act cute, and live off his allowance. It suits my nature better. Besides, whether he or I live or die, neither of us will ever be truly recognized as members of House Noel anyway, so we have that in common.”
“…”
“So I’m leaving. As for your junior marquis title—well, you can tell people I drove you out and beg the Viscountess to take you in. Though I doubt she will.”
That madman!
Randolph, having lost every card he held in an instant, collapsed to the floor.
“This can’t be happening…”
The years of devotion to House Noel flashed before his eyes like a lantern show.
Just a little more, truly just a little more, and I would have had everything—wealth and honor both!
I despised Jack, Victor, and Julius, but resentment, as it tends to do, found its easiest target in those closest at hand.
“…It’s all because of that wench Iliana.”
Randolph’s teeth ground together audibly.
If Iliana had simply not married, or better yet, if she hadn’t deliberately stabbed me in the back, none of this would have happened.
I’ll admit it now—there was a time I even pitied her.
The sight of her suffering under that foolish father of hers was unbearable, so I’d even considered extending her some goodwill, perhaps a few million gold to help pay off debts.
“Yet she dared deceive me, her own uncle!”
Randolph genuinely believed that she had been the one to ruin this relationship first.
But someone had heard his anguished cry.
“Pardon me, Advisor?”
Randolph spun around in startled surprise to find
“Oh, aren’t you the secretary to the Crimson Chairman?”
“Ah yes, you remember? That’s correct. I’m Norbert.”
Norbert stood before him.
He spoke with casual composure.
“I came to deliver a message from the Viscountess, but perhaps I should return later? You seem rather occupied at the moment.”
A message from the Viscountess?
Randolph blinked rapidly before waving his hand dismissively.
“No, no! Please, speak freely. But did the Viscountess truly ask you to deliver a message to me?”
Ever since the dispute over the title succession, when the Maurel couple had hastily drawn in Victor Noel, the Viscountess harbored considerable resentment and a deep sense of betrayal toward them.
Randolph felt the same way. The Viscountess had been extraordinarily stingy, and after the Marquis’s death, she’d attempted to cast out the Maurel couple under the pretext of necessary staff reductions. In a sense, Randolph had merely been seeking a way to survive.
But then….
“The Viscountess said this: ‘The enemy of my enemy is my ally, is it not? No matter what grievances have accumulated between us, I cannot bear to watch La Mar swallow up Noel Harbor.'”
“Ah….”
“Though I’ve overheard matters unintentionally, aren’t you in the same predicament, Advisor?”
Norbert’s words, delivered with a good-natured smile, held merit.
Even when waging war against a neighboring territory, one must stand united against invasion from another empire. There are times when one must join hands with those against whom swords were drawn mere moments before.
“So, shall we join forces? We at Crimson have a plan.”
“A plan, you say….”
“Of course, one that allows us to take revenge not only on Julius Noel and Victor Noel, but also on La Mar, where your nephew works.”
There was no reason to refuse, not now.
And if Crimson, La Mar’s rival company, was willing to lend its aid?
Randolph’s mind raced, and his fist clenched tightly.
‘No. I can’t trust mere words.’
Hadn’t he already suffered betrayal from those he’d trusted—from Jack to Iliana?
If the Viscountess offered her hand only to change her mind and cast him out again, it would be disastrous.
Randolph decided to act as Tessa had taught him. He must not show desperation.
“Well, it’s certainly a cause I can sympathize with. But strictly speaking, defending the harbor is the Viscountess’s ambition, not mine. What do I stand to gain from my cooperation?”
Norbert smiled warmly at Randolph, who was attempting to negotiate with unwarranted pride despite his precarious position.
As if he had been waiting for those very words.
“Of course, we discussed that as well. The Viscountess said she would be delighted to grant you the rank of Baron once this matter concludes successfully.”
“…Is that truly so?”
“Indeed. And since this matter is equally important to Crimson, the Chairman has also pledged his support. The Maurel Residence is rather aged at present—how would you feel about having a new estate built for you?”
“A new…estate?”
Norbert, who had been watching Randolph’s widened eyes, allowed a subtle smile to play at the corners of his mouth.
“If you wish to make this more certain, I could also prepare a rather special ‘contract’ for you. Shall we do that?”

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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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