If You Are Suited for the Villain's Secretary - Chapter 59

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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 59
***
A sky so dark and starless it seemed rain might fall at any moment.
And water that rippled with a blackness far more oppressive than the heavens above.
The moment I glimpsed that landscape—where only the occasional white foam crashing ashore revealed the presence of The Sea—I understood.
‘This dream again.’
That moment from ten years ago visited me often in my dreams.
The day I learned that when Father gazed into my eyes, he dredged up despair rather than hope.
I, who had wandered aimlessly while weeping, ultimately arrived at The Sea where the salt-laden wind blew.
It was a place where I could insist these tears were merely from the sea breeze, that the stinging salt wind was simply too harsh—and yet….
“Mother.”
It was a place where I could speak words I could never voice elsewhere, words that rose above the sound of the waves.
“Father said if I lived righteously and correctly, I would see Mother again.”
I rubbed my tear-soaked eyes roughly and murmured.
“I actually know. That was Father’s lie. There were times I wanted to believe it… but I understood all along that it was something he said to comfort me and himself. But you know what?”
I had thought there were no more tears left to shed.
Yet as I spoke quietly to The Sea, my eyes inexplicably grew hot once more.
“Trudy told me something.”
Trudy was an elderly woman afflicted with dementia.
Having lost most of her memories, her days were spent sitting in an armchair provided by her neighbors, gazing out at The Sea.
I would visit her home occasionally to keep her company and share snacks, passing the time together.
She was the only adult who didn’t know my circumstances, and thus the only one who never looked at me with pitying eyes.
The neighbors didn’t know my true nature and praised me as such a good child, but Iliana understood differently.
“The souls of those born from The Sea return not to the heavens but to The Sea itself. So unlike the distant sky, when you speak to The Sea like this… the Lorelei will deliver your words to all of them.”
The people of Sirena dared not speak carelessly of the Lorelei, who summoned storms and lured sailors to their doom.
Yet Trudy, who had forgotten such taboos, spoke of them without hesitation.
She had even shared a great secret with me.
“Grandmother—or rather, Trudy—aren’t you afraid of the Lorelei?”
“Afraid? Everyone speaks from ignorance. When I was young, I once fell into The Sea by accident while aboard my father’s ship. It was a very, very deep part of The Sea. My father didn’t notice I had fallen while he was busy fishing.”
“And then?”
“Just before my breath gave out… I saw a beautiful woman with the most vivid blue eyes swimming toward me. And that woman sang to me.”
“…She sang to you beneath the water?”
“She did. And then suddenly I could breathe again, couldn’t I? That’s how I made it back to the ship. But this is a secret—you mustn’t tell anyone, understand? That day, I met a Lorelei….”
That’s why Trudy said she wasn’t afraid of death.
The Lorelei who had saved her would convey the stories of those left behind. So she would never be lonely.
It was a fairy tale—the kind I would have believed had I been four instead of ten, a story so beautiful and wondrous.
“But you know, there’s something about Trudy’s story I kind of want to believe. …At least the idea of a Lorelei serving as a messenger beneath The Sea is more believable than the notion that the dead can be brought back to life, don’t you think?”
I smiled faintly and touched the keepsake hanging at my neck—my mother’s legacy.
I caressed the sapphire and pearl necklace that gleamed faintly even on this starless night, and I sent my words out upon the sea breeze.
“I miss you, Mother. …I miss you so much.”
If only someone would deliver this message for me.
“I’ll only cry today. Starting tomorrow, I won’t cry anymore. So please, just once in my dreams tonight, come to me, Mother.”
“….”
“Come to me just once. Just one time, please come and sing me a lullaby. Can’t you stroke my head…?”
As I continued muttering like that, I collapsed sideways, and the dream would end.
Of course, Mother never came to my dreams that night either. Or perhaps she couldn’t? I had lost consciousness after all.
When I came to, I was in the home of the Neighbor who had always looked after me. Apparently, I had collapsed at The Sea.
After thanking the Neighbor, who had been frightened by my groaning all night, I suddenly asked if she could spare me a pair of glasses. She, who wore magnifying lenses, happened to have an old pair and indulged the presumptuous child’s request.
In any case, the dream should have ended here. It always did.
But then.
‘…What?’
For the first time, the dream was continuing.
Something appeared in the dark depths of the sea far away.
I, lying on my side at ten years old, rubbed my eyes and opened them slightly.
Something white like a piece of cloth was fluttering in the seawater, almost like clothing….
‘A person…?’
The moment I recognized it, I jolted awake from the dream.
***
“What is this….”
I blinked blankly and murmured.
“Why did I suddenly see that?”
Had my brain grown so weary of the dream I’d had for nearly ten years that it created a variation?
Bewildered, I tilted my head.
“Is it because of the alcohol? …No, I didn’t drink much. I took just a few sips and suddenly felt tipsy, so I thought I’d close my eyes for a moment at the table… Wait, hold on.”
Where am I?
Only then did my surroundings come into focus. I jolted upright and looked around the unfamiliar room.
It was a small room with only a nightstand and a bed. When did I come to the Bedroom?
More importantly.
“…What time is it?”
My body felt unusually refreshed, and a chill ran down my spine.
As I hurriedly searched for a clock, I noticed a note and a key lying on the nightstand.
[Come to the Office whenever you wake up.]
The handwriting was familiar.
A note written in neat, ruler-straight characters left carelessly behind meant that Aden….
“He went to work alone?!”
I hastily threw on my clothes and rushed out of Aden’s Safe House.
Of course, I didn’t forget to lock the door.
***
Fortunately, I managed to arrive at La Mar just one minute before work hours began,
“Good morning—”
“Pack your things and depart for Vito Marquis Territory with Luther. Deputy Director Greta will be waiting.”
I was ushered out before I could even finish my morning greeting.
Because of that, I didn’t even return the key, let alone get a proper look at Aden’s face.
‘It’s not like I absolutely need to see Aden’s face or anything…’
Still, I’d always been allowed to at least finish saying “goodbye,” even if he cut off my “good morning.” This was different.
We’d talked yesterday and eaten pancakes together—I thought we’d grown a little closer. Was that all just my imagination?
‘…He must just be busy, right?’
I forced the thought away.
Luther had already briefed me on the work details.
“We’re to deliver documents to Branch 11 and review the distribution records of Airen flowers with Deputy Director Greta, correct? We’ll also hold a meeting and tour the flower nurseries in the Central Region.”
“Right. Just as in the past when they tried to import and distribute Delphiniums that looked similar to Airen flowers, the Director suspects that this time they might be hiding the fact that Delphiniums are poisonous by calling them Airen flowers and cultivating them under that name.”
“That makes sense. It would be difficult to cultivate flowers in the cold Northern Region. There’s a good chance they’re growing them in the Central Region and sending them up.”
“Exactly! The Southern Region is too far away. If the flowers wilt before we can even extract the poison, the Central Region is the best option.”
…But couldn’t Luther or I handle this alone?
I wondered if there was really a need for both of us to go. My ability to gauge workload intensity seemed to have completely atrophied.
“Right, we need to stop by the Investigation Bureau for a moment, Luther.”
“Ah, you need to register a backup communication device? I’ll register mine too—let’s go together.”
After stopping by the Investigation Bureau, Luther and I boarded the train together.
Luther, who had grabbed a drink first from the muffins and beverages for breakfast, asked casually as he passed by.
“By the way, they’re searching the Company Residence, right? So you slept in the secretary’s Break Room yesterday? The office must have been empty—weren’t you scared?”
“No, I stayed at the Director’s residence for the night—”
I didn’t even get to finish my sentence.
Luther spit out his drink.

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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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