The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 17

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

17.

It seems like you were already monopolizing me quite sufficiently through our contract?

Both work-wise and even some of my personal time…?

Rather, it feels like I have even less of my own time.

When I looked at him with questioning eyes, Casian whispered low.

“You’re having other thoughts again, Rose.”

He really was a ghostly superior.

I willingly decided to participate in Casian’s act.

Just imagining the pile of work that would accumulate if I left this position even briefly…!

I can’t let my precious personal time be stolen away any further.

And Casian and I are supposed to be lovers in love, for now.

Though no one believes it…

If we keep pushing it consistently, there might be some people who’ll just go along with it.

“You’re being too harsh. Don’t you truly know that I’ve already given everything to Your Highness?”

I recalled lines from romance novels I’d read in my spare time and answered as calmly as possible.

“There are too many people coveting you for me to know that.”

Casian kissed the back of my hand, then turned his head toward Alexis and spoke.

“Though I can’t blame my Rose for something like this. How could it be her fault that Princess Alexis covets her?”

It was truly fortunate that today’s final dessert was refreshing grapefruit sherbet.

Otherwise, things might have gotten a bit too sweet.

However, even at Casian’s sickeningly sweet words, Alexis responded with a rather pleased expression.

“Since Your Highness is being so stingy, it makes me even more curious. I won’t make the outrageous demand of asking for your fiancée outright.”

Alexis straightened her back and spoke.

“For the approximately one month I’ll be staying in the Empire, I’d like to keep your aide by my side. Of course, this isn’t mere curiosity.”

Alexis’s gaze turned sharp.

“As the heir to the Anden Kingdom, I want to know her for the future. What better way to understand someone than by observing the people they value?”

Unlike her earlier flirtatious behavior in front of me, Alexis made this proposal with a very serious attitude.

A sharp glint appeared in Casian’s violet eyes as well.

“You make a bold statement.”

“I’m not without eyes to see.”

At Casian’s words, Alexis smiled slightly and replied lightly.

If the Empress had heard this conversation, she would have been furious about how Alexis could rate Casian higher than the First Prince.

I remained quietly still without adding any words, but I could guess what decision he would make.

“That statement would apply to me as well, wouldn’t it, Princess Alexis?”

“Of course.”

Indeed, he was a not-too-bad superior.

To even bring someone who could shoulder some of the hellish burden in my place…!

Even while thinking this, I felt a strange mood.

“I’ll come to pick you up tomorrow, Miss Salice.”

Having achieved her goal, Alexis left the Winter Palace with a very refreshed expression.

And I.

“You’ll regret this, Your Highness. Losing such a capable aide as myself.”

I grumbled at Casian for no particular reason.

Even though I knew I could spend the next month or so in a more relaxed work environment than now.

“Rose, you don’t know me well.”

What? At times like this, you should play along with me…!

When I turned my head with such feelings, Casian buried his head against my shoulder and whispered.

“I’m already regretting it.”

My body stiffened at his low voice.

It probably doesn’t mean anything, right?

Even so, I somehow felt sorry for him and reached out to pat his shoulder.

Soon, a deep sigh flowed from him.

“…How will I handle all this work without Rose?”

At those sincere words, I patted his shoulder even more vigorously with greater sympathy.

“Ugh, that hurts, Rose.”

It really was meant to be encouraging pats.

*

“Hello, Miss Salice.”

Alexis really came to pick me up as promised.

“…Good morning, Your Highness.”

Though the location was in front of my house rather than the Winter Palace office.

It was truly an ill-fitting scene.

Even though it was a reasonable distance from the Imperial Palace, with well-decorated townhouses lined up despite being small.

‘The difference in splendor is too great.’

The carriage she brought was unfortunately the same one used for the entrance parade.

When I looked with bleary eyes, Alexis burst into hearty laughter.

“You don’t seem to like it much. I thought there would be some splendor in the means Prince Casian used to win you over.”

When I looked up at those words, Alexis smiled while lifting the corners of her firm lips.

Eventually, she took my hand to help me aboard, then started the carriage and spoke.

“You’re looking at me as if you’ve only thought about why Prince Casian chose you.”

I neither affirmed nor denied those words.

Since Alexis wasn’t a character with much significance in the original work, I don’t know her very well, but somehow I felt this was the best response.

“I’m trying not to do that, even consciously. This position tends to narrow one’s vision quickly.”

Alexis crossed her long legs and shrugged her shoulders.

“So Miss Salice, you also don’t need to tell me the answer. Speculating is also part of my qualifications.”

I gazed into her wine-colored eyes and quietly lowered my gaze.

Since she’s clearly a foreigner, she was deliberately telling me not to let my guard down.

This person is more wonderful than I thought, and also…

“You’re kind, Your Highness.”

“Your character is also excellent. The Empire was full of people trying to misunderstand me.”

Alexis let out a short sigh and tousled her hair.

It must have been a test directed at me too.

She probably wanted to see what kind of person I was, and likely wanted to conduct a sort of employment test.

I relaxed my stiff shoulders and spoke to her with confidence.

“Though it’s a short period, I’ve been ordered to serve as Your Highness’s aide. I’ll act to ensure you won’t be troubled by such matters.”

At my words, the corners of Alexis’s mouth stretched longer.

She softened her eyes and spoke playfully.

“Don’t do too well. I don’t want to commit any diplomatic discourtesy.”

At those words, I felt deeply relieved.

It meant she was very pleased with the attitude I’d briefly shown.

*

If the difficulty of working with Casian was hellish fire, assisting Alexis with her work was definitely at the level of the human world.

‘To leave work on time for an entire week…! In a situation like this.’

She said she received a handover from Casian, but whatever she heard, she even took two-hour lunch breaks.

Even though other aides ate at the staff cafeteria, I always had full-course meals separately with her.

“Aren’t we going to be family? Of course it should be different.”

I thought that coming here would at least give me some workplace colleagues, even briefly, since there were other aides.

That didn’t happen.

Well…

Still, it wasn’t a bad work environment.

Everyone was professionally courteous, and they weren’t the types to cause unnecessary trouble in work matters.

Well, I suppose the only difficult thing was one of the young aristocrats who followed Her Highness Alexis grumbling whenever he saw me?

Since aristocrats grumbling at me was practically a daily occurrence anyway, it didn’t really bother my ears much.

In any case, contrary to my worries, working with Her Highness Alexis went smoothly.

Since I was working here directly, I was able to handle matters related to Casian more quickly too.

And, well….

Actually, I wasn’t even leaving work on time.

Because I was too concerned about this side.

6:15 PM.

When I quietly entered the Winter Palace Office, Casian frowned slightly, and Alexis’s assistant, who was suffering from heavy workload in my place, looked like he was about to cry.

“Oh, you’re here. Assistant Salice…!”

He couldn’t even put down his pen—no, he kept moving while making a desperate face toward me.

“Please go, His Highness is looking for you.”

Telling you to go home.

At my words, the assistant made a moved expression and hurriedly organized his documents neatly before getting up from his seat.

He must have been someone Alexis sent with considerable care, as his work abilities were excellent.

I habitually sat down and picked up my fountain pen while checking the daily work summary that the other assistant had left behind.

Then Casian got up from his seat and tapped on my desk.

“…Rose seems really kind only to people other than me.”

“Aren’t I very kind to Your Highness?”

“I can’t say you’re not very kind.”

“It’s just normal, Your Highness.”

Actually, I had skipped the first day. I wanted to enjoy the freedom of leaving work on time.

But when I did that, the assistant who jumped into this hellfire in my place looked anxious, and Casian’s blonde hair had rarely lost some of its luster….

So I couldn’t help but look into it.

It’s not like it’s a position I’ll never return to anyway.

“If you’re grateful for my kindness, please prepare very spicy stew for dinner tonight.”

The food Alexis prepared was very good, but it felt too gracious, so right now my stomach wanted something spicy.

It seemed that K-taste buds were unavoidable even with a changed body.

Just as I was thinking that and about to start working in earnest.

Click.

Casian lifted my left arm and put on a bracelet.

It was a beautiful bracelet made of several thin, delicately crafted gold strands. And the purple gem in the center was….

‘It’s imbued with magic.’

Why on earth would he give me something like this?

“I’ll have them prepare spicy stew, so go home after you eat that. Rose.”

What did I just hear?

This work demon.

Is letting me… go free…?

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