The Male Lead Is Trying To Tame Me With Money - Chapter 3

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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03.

I hurriedly fixed my hair and climbed into the carriage where Casian was waiting.

Seeing me like this, he chuckled, which somehow made me even more annoyed.

Actually, even without Casian’s behavior, my mood couldn’t have been good today.

‘I really don’t want to go where we’re going.’

Casian Artez was an absolutely insufferable person without any redeeming qualities, but there was still one tiny point in his favor.

At least he saw people as people?

Casian seemed to judge people only by whether he could use them or not.

So what mattered to him was whether I could do the job I was assigned well or not.

The fact that I was from a humble baron family drowning in debt, or that I hadn’t even had a debutante ball, wasn’t even worth causing a ripple in his thoughts.

‘But the place we’re going now is…’

I let out a deep sigh without realizing it.

At that sound, Casian’s gaze, which had been busily flipping through documents even inside the carriage, turned to me before indifferently falling back to the papers.

“Open that.”

“Pardon?”

“We’ve arrived. Don’t dawdle too much.”

After bluntly saying something incomprehensible, he stepped out first without even waiting for me to get down.

I thought I should hurry down while dutifully opening the box Casian had pointed to.

He had a tyrannical nature of extremely disliking when his direct orders weren’t followed immediately.

Since it was the right size for documents, I thought it would be additional paperwork and opened it.

‘…What is this?’

A new form of harassment?

Inside the box was a hair ornament with a neat design.

And it was an ornament that perfectly suited my usual hairstyle.

He wants me to wear it, right? That must be it, but…

The moment I saw the ornament, my hands trembled.

Just a few months ago, I had to frantically study all kinds of luxury goods circulating in the capital.

‘Because I had to forcibly confiscate from those bastards who evaded taxes left and right and claimed they had no money.’

And this hair ornament was among the top five most expensive items among the confiscated goods.

I put on the hair ornament with gloom written all over my face.

In a place already full of people who whisper whenever they see me.

This bastard Casian Artez was trying to use my head as a declaration of war!

*

“I told you not to dawdle.”

It’s only been 1 minute and 20 seconds.

I looked at Casian with slight dissatisfaction, then quickly turned my head away, and heard a low chuckle from above my head.

“Not bad.”

Of course it wouldn’t be, just looking at the piercing stares already pouring toward me.

I sighed deeply inside.

This place was none other than the Ceremony Hall, which oversaw various national and imperial ceremonies.

Haughty elder nobles occupied the main positions, and they were people who absolutely loved formalities and their sense of privilege as nobles.

How stuffy were they? To the extent that there still wasn’t a single female noble among the Ceremony Hall members.

‘Isn’t she ashamed? Being His Highness the Prince’s aide without even properly debuting in society. What times we live in.’

‘The Salice Baron family truly doesn’t know proper etiquette. How can they let their adult daughter run so wild?’

‘Look at her wearing clothes that even commoners would wear. No matter how humble a family from a remote estate she’s from, wouldn’t it be better to just sell the title?’

For the past year, whenever we encountered each other due to Casian’s work, their whispered words still echoed in my ears.

To those already conservative people, I was undoubtedly like a protruding stone they wanted to chip away and remove.

But today we came here for an ‘audit’ of the Ceremony Hall, so how could their gazes be kind?

Even now, in front of His Highness the Prince, they were having a cultured conversation.

“Look at that, brazenly wearing that precious hair ornament she so viciously confiscated!”

“Good heavens, is she trying to threaten us now? A mere baron’s daughter?!”

“Who says otherwise? Why does His Highness allow such barbaric behavior! Or perhaps His Highness’s judgment has been corrupted by that shabby thing?”

“Exactly. Ever since Miss Salice came, His Highness has been making enemies with nobles instead of maintaining friendship.”

Casian Artez was like this even before I came!

This was truly an unfair accusation.

Of course, the very person whose shamelessness could rival anyone in the Empire,

“Enjoying yourself, Rose?”

spoke to me as if he were having a great time, quite familiarly.

“It would be best to start work quickly, Your Highness.”

Of course, I answered him with no desire to delay quitting time even a bit.

“That’s my Rose.”

At my answer, Casian let out a cheerful laugh as if pleased, and opened his mouth toward the Ceremony Hall nobles.

“Then let’s begin the audit.”

The eyes of the Ceremony Hall nobles became piercingly sharp with resentment.

Ugh…

It really was a morning that made me crave an iced americano with about four extra shots.

*

Within 20 minutes of arriving at the Ceremony Hall, Casian Artez thoroughly exposed their weaknesses and embezzlement cases with pre-investigated materials, then walked briskly toward the Ceremony Hall Document Room without hesitation.

“Even if you are His Highness the Prince, this is excessively disrespectful treatment of us!”

The elderly Ceremony Director, faced with the disaster named Casian for the first time in his life, shouted with his complexion turning red and blue.

“Open it.”

Of course, Casian pretended not to hear such shouting and instructed a servant.

Though it was a distance where he could claim he didn’t hear if he wanted to.

“This cannot be allowed!”

Once again, the Ceremony Director’s lamenting cry echoed.

That is, from a position more than fifteen steps away from where Casian was standing.

Clack clack clack clack.

The sound of urgent yet dignified footsteps from the Ceremony Hall nobles, as if they wouldn’t lose their composure even at such a time, could be heard from behind.

“Open it.”

“I said it cannot be done!”

So the situation was that only the servant was turning pale in front of the Ceremony Hall Document Room, unable to do this or that.

Casian looked at the servant for a moment, then sighed and said to me.

“Rose, open it.”

“It would be faster if Your Highness opened it yourself.”

“That can’t be, Rose. You must open this document room. That’s the only way the thing I put on your head has meaning.”

“…Pardon?”

At my question, Casian smiled unpleasantly, pulling up the corners of his mouth.

My heart pounded.

Not from excitement.

But from a very certain premonition that he was preparing something that would annoy me again!

“I thought you’d be able to relieve some stress.”

“What do you mean by that, Your Highness?”

When I looked at him with utter disbelief, Casian smiled beautifully and told me.

“My lovely Miss Rose, are you doubting me right now?”

“Pardon?”

I think a creepy modifier just got attached, Your Highness the Prince.

And this is the Ceremony Hall!

You kept postponing raiding this place because you didn’t want to get involved with them either!

You want me to take all that resentment?!

At my face that intentionally didn’t hide my emotions, Casian chuckled lowly and whispered to me affectionately.

“Five times.”

“….”

“I’m asking if you suspected I wouldn’t pay at least that much when entrusting these bothersome things to my precious Rose.”

Click.

My actions were faster than my answer.

“Ro, Miss Rozelita Salice! Are you daring to ignore the words of this Ceremony Director right now?”

The Ceremony Director raised his voice sharply and shouted.

So I.

Bang-!

Forcefully opened the door to the Document Room and turned my body toward them.

Then I responded to them with the business smile I had diligently honed under Casian.

“I apologize, but as His Highness the Prince’s aide, I only follow His Highness’s words.”

“Can’t you move aside immediately, Miss Salice!”

“As of 9:45 AM today, this Document Room is subject to audit by the Second Prince’s Palace, and complaints will only be accepted through official documents. Please understand that processing and response may take approximately five business days.”

“Can’t you hear what I’m saying?!”

“From now on, this place is off-limits without permission from myself or His Highness the Second Prince, Ceremony Director.”

Beyond my voice consumed by five times the magical power, Casian wore a satisfied expression as he stepped into the Document Room.

“Th, th, this is…!! What lawless and discourteous behavior! This is an outrage! Miss Salice, you are mistaken!”

I had heard these words so often now that they weren’t even scary anymore.

It might be a tiny bit bothersome, but since becoming Casian’s aide, I had been trained in various ways and wasn’t afraid at all.

With an unwavering smile, I maintained my tone and guided the Ceremony Director.

“Thank you for your concern, Ceremony Director. If I come to regret my mistakes, I will surely come to seek your guidance.”

I didn’t forget to follow up with a respectful ninety-degree bow, then followed Casian and slammed the Document Room door shut.

“You, you…! Devils of the Winter Palace!!”

The Ceremony Director’s undignified voice echoed loudly beyond the door.

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