CH 2.4

CHAPTER 2: SPRING COMES TO EVERYONE (IV)

Part 021

Since most of them were administrative nobles, they were able to select working hours for nobles who had to engage in social activities such as banquets and gatherings. There was a difference in salary, of course, but the choice was free, and most nobles who lived without worrying about money chose half-work. It was common.

Administrators, who started their work in the morning, show up at nine o’clock. Low-ranking officers had to go to work before 9 o’clock and be self-sufficient for those with higher ranks, but it was common for those with ranks to be gangsters to be one or two hours late, and there were a lot of people who went to work in the morning only after lunchtime. There were quite a few cases in which the first and second level administrative officers went to work every other day. However, it was impossible for a probationary administrator who has not yet been issued a 7th grade appointment to be late. Furthermore, it looked strange when a low-ranking reserve officer, who had to share an office with the highest ranking officer in the capital-gun command building, showed up later than the owner of the room. So the second day after work, she arrived at the office at exactly at 8:30h. And she received the flower-like hospitality of the Duke. She literary received flowers.

The simple vase that had been placed on the desk yesterday was gone, and there was an armful of splendid summer roses that looked as if they had just been picked from the royal garden. Even the desk had been changed. There was a mahogany desk with many drawers, and the chair was not the same as yesterday. A large chair with cushions all over the place waiting for her, like the ones she had seen in her father’s office, no, better than that.

“Hey, what is this all about?”

“I heard you’re comfortable. Don’t you like it?”

Today, the commander took out the chair himself, but he looked at her with a confused face as she did not sit down and only closed her eyes. Then, bending over the large body, he began examining the chair carefully. The height of the desk was not right, so he looked at the legs of the desk with a serious face. When she saw the sky-like commander’s one knee touching the floor, she said in fright.

“No, that’s not it. I’m a trainee officer in training. You’re doing too much.”

The Duke, who was sitting with one knee folded and looking up at her from below, grinned. Then he jumped up. His eye level went up all at once and he moved his head at a wide angle. He said, looking down with his wide-eyed grin.

“It’s not excessive, young lady.”

Unable to respond to the Duke’s smile, she stood there parenting and then sat down on the chair he had hand-picked for her. The cushion felt too comfortable. As soon as she sat down, the Duke, who had watched her bury herself in the burial mound with satisfaction, walked over to the tray this time. He made a strong black tea and brought it down to his seat and asked if she would like coffee, so he shook his head happily and raised the cup. After watching her smile again, he went back to his seat and climbed it again.

Maybe it was in exchange for missing the timing to turn down the hospitality that overflowed with grace but she worked hard all morning. She rewrote the boots-related documents she had processed yesterday in a perfect report format, and sorted through the other piles of papers one by one. It’s not just the boots, it’s all messed up. After rewriting several crazy reports that made her wonder if she was getting the numbers right, she found out that the Marquis of Talus was at the center of this absurd scale of embezzlement. She also noticed that the documents exchanged between the Duke and Cale were in the preparation stage for a big meeting. However, like a probation officers, he pretended not to know.

During lunch, they ate together a special meal for the commander, just like yesterday. When they came back after eating, the Duke gave her a ride. It was a wonderful chamomile scent. The paperwork was removed, and cookies and books were placed on the desk. When she looked at it with curious eyes, the commander who should give her the job smiled like a father and told her to rest. Picking up a decent-looking history book from among the wide range of books, from light novels to finance-related books, and biting into a cookie with seven packs of chocolate, she remembered deliciously eating a chocolate chip cookie yesterday.

As she read through the third almond-studded cookie to see what was going on, she thought she saw a flash of light among the piles of papers on the wide desk across from me. She sighed inwardly.

* * *

On the fourth day of work, she left home without even saying goodbye to her father. She ate the sandwich Jenny gave her and rode the wagon without skipping family meals. Even the day before when he had gone to work a little earlier, the Duke had already gone to work, so she made up her mind and got up early. It was 7:30 when we arrived at the commander’s office.

She triumphantly opened the door. Then, today, she received the Duke’s flower-like hospitality again. The bright smile she had grown accustomed to was still bad for my heart. As she sat down in the chair that was being pulled out, she couldn’t stand it and asked.

“When are you coming out of the office? Are you going to your house?”

“Of course. Lady Damian, I just arrived.”

“Just now? Really? The public wagon can’t be called sooner.”

He paused at her grumbling. After that, he stood in front of her and wanted to choose a word, and then he asked her.

“If you are uncomfortable using the public carriage, can I go and pick you up?”

“Pardon?”

“It is dangerous for a young lady to use a public carriage alone in the early morning. I will go pick you up.”

Not even a question at all. She declined because she was in the mood to continue going to work at dawn.

“It must be too burdensome. The Duke’s house and my house must be on the opposite side? We can’t have you come all the way there in the early morning.”

“It’s no problem at all. You’ll be tired too early, so I’ll make sure to arrive at Count Ethart every morning at nine o’clock.”

At the words of nine in the morning, her gums swelled. She woke up at 5 o’clock this morning… Looking at the swollen carp eyes, Jenny cheered up. But nine o’clock! Two hours, no, three hours if she could convince Jenny well was the time she could sleep better.

Even in the female executive officer’s uniform, which was prescribed as a blouse with no excessive decorations, a blouse with no colored jewel buttons, and a dark skirt below the knee, Jenny showed amazing application power. When her hairpin was broken, she made a flower on her head with her hair, and instead of colored jewels, she obtained buttons decorated with mother-of-pearl and tassels. And, the same color lace was tightly attached to her monochromatic blouse.

She scolded her for focusing on things that she couldn’t even see unless she looked closely, and then she had to listen to Jenny’s lecture on the importance of detail. The blouse Jenny had picked out, the skirt that had been cleverly pulled up, and the harmony of stockings and shoes seemed perfect to me, so she just let Jenny do what she wanted. It would have been fine if she hadn’t put her corset on. The point was, even if she’s wearing a set outfit, getting ready to go to work for a lady takes a lot of time. Even today, she woke up at five in the morning and ate breakfast, but he was able to leave the mansion just in time for seven. She thought she had to refuse, but while she was parenting her mind in a comfortable morning time, the commander smiled brightly and said.

“It’s going to be fun going to work tomorrow.”

She couldn’t answer and just laughed ahaha.

The routine was the same as the day before. Following the ridiculous boots, the amount of embezzlement calculated by Marquis Talus until today exceeded the Count’s budget for the year, and she began to worry. With this amount of money, wasn’t it hard for even a Marquis to just pass by?

She had plenty of time in the morning thanks to going to work early. After completing the paperwork that recalculated the budget for this year and last year, it was lunchtime, and she had dinner face to face with the commander today. And after the meal, they went for a walk under the guidance of the commander. At first, military administrators and commanders, who had seen the sudden appearance of the commander, stiffened their discipline, now passed by with a look of disbelief. Upon returning to the office, a cute boy with burning hair was standing with a large basket in his hand, and when he saw the Duke, he screamed.

“My lord, now you’re even having me running errands for sweets…”

Seeing him peeking out from behind the large Duke, she quickly swallowed her words. The Duke looked at the red-haired boy and clicked his tongue before introducing him to me.

“This is my butler, Ethan.”

Ethan threw away the basket in his hand and strode towards her. His eyes were twinkling, he looked at her with a face like a little brother meeting his sister after a long time. She widened her eyes in surprise that this man with a boyish face was the butler of the Duke’s family.

“Daughter of Count Ethart. This is Ethan. I really wanted to see you.”

“Nice to meet you, Ethan. You look young, but it’s surprising that you’re a Duke’s butler.”

Upon receiving Ethan’s greeting, who was surprisingly happy, Cale, who was standing behind, interjected awkwardly.

“Don’t be fooled by the face. He’s a 36-year-old monster.”

“Yes?”

She was startled, Ethan glared at him, and Cale rinsed and snorted his nose. Meanwhile, the Duke got into the car. Then, he unwrapped the basket Ethan had brought and set the almond-covered cookies on her desk. Ethan looked at Cale with a dazed face as he watched what his lord was doing. Cale, who had grown accustomed to seeing her for a few days, shrugged her shoulders.

She looked at Ethan, who looked like a well-grown 16-year-old no matter how she looked at it, with a shocked expression on her face, then sat down in the chair the Duke had given her. Taking a sip of the tea served in his hand, she naturally bite the cookie.

She stood up belatedly realizing that she had been completely trained in just a few days, but the three men who were looking at her with similar faces happily were buried in a mountain of documents before she knew it. She chewed almonds and looked at the Duke who was busy working. Perhaps he felt her gaze, he suddenly raised his head and smiled at her.

“Do you want to say something, young lady?”

She shook her head and said no, then reached for the book and his eyes returned to the paper. At this point, embarrassed, she opened the book and pretended to read and rolled her eyeballs.

Did he think this was right?

‘No, why is he like that with me? There is no stomach upset when drinking kimchi soup, Damian.’ But, no matter how kind a person was, how could he be so kind? At the New Year’s banquet she first saw it, she thought he was a kind person, unlike what he was known for. It was this person who should be thanked, but he came to visit her at her coming-of-age ceremony, and she thought he was a very considerate person because she liked the gift. But after working together for a few days, she found out. He worked with a sharp and cold face like a black blade, craving subordinates, giving orders, but when he made eye contact with her, his smile melt away any worry. No matter how much she thought about it, what it was?

Oh my, how did he have a crush on her, Duke? Since when? What the hell! With the power to explode the dress? If that’s the case, he had a very bad taste… 

Somehow, she thought she had to spend all the good spring days in the dull study. But the flowers seem to be blooming now.