Chapter 48: I Stole Her First Love
I headed to the research lab where Raymond was to check on the progress of the product development.
The people monitoring him had urgently contacted me, saying that he had been holed up in the lab for days and wouldn’t come out.
‘What is that weird guy up to now?’
Raymond and I didn’t know each other well.
Partly because of our short six-month relationship, but fundamentally, we were not a good match.
I was the type to be more honest and open with those close to me, speaking only the truth.
But Raymond was different.
The closer someone was to him, the more deceptive he became, and the more distant he felt from someone, the more he revealed his true self.
Thanks to this, I could see the ugly depths of Raymond that Tatiana and others never saw.
The anxious monitor bowed his head in greeting.
“He’s inside. Even if we try to go in, he won’t open the door and just throws magic at us...”
“If something happens to me, your position won’t be safe either.”
“Sir Raymond doesn’t care about such things...”
Raymond pretended not to, but he had a strong desire for power and money.
Of course, few people knew this.
“Don’t worry. I won’t hold you responsible.”
I reassured them and then knocked on the door.
There was no response from inside. I gently turned the doorknob.
Creak, the door, which hadn’t been opened for a long time, made an unpleasant sound as it opened.
The inside was so dark that I couldn’t see anything. It seemed impossible to do anything in here. I felt around with my hands, waiting for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.
Once I could distinguish objects, I cautiously headed towards the desk by the window.
Pale pink hair, illuminated by the moonlight, was scattered messily on the desk.
He was motionless, like a dead person.
‘Until yesterday, he would come out to eat, but today he hasn’t moved a step. When we tried to go in, he shouted and used magic wildly.’
I recalled what the monitors had said and gently placed my hand on his shoulder.
Raymond suddenly yanked my hand, pulling me towards him.
The strong scent of flowers almost numbed my nose. I tried to push him away, but it wasn’t easy.
He held me tightly, burying his face in my neck.
“Wait, Raymond. I’m not Tatiana!”
He didn’t seem to hear me; the grip on my waist tightened. I slapped his broad back, hoping he would come to his senses, but it was no use.
But something was off about him.
I thought he was just enjoying my reaction, but he seemed different somehow.
It felt more desperate, like he was clinging to a lifeline.
He was trembling all over, clinging to me as if he needed someone to hold onto. Moreover, he didn’t seem to be mistaking me for Tatiana.
“Raymond, snap out of it. Did something bad happen?”
Reluctantly, I reached out and stroked his hair.
The soft texture slipping through my fingers made goosebumps rise on my back.
In contrast to my unease, Raymond’s trembling gradually subsided.
After a while, Raymond let go, seemingly coming to his senses.
He usually acted so brazen and confident, but now he avoided my gaze, which was absurd.
“Everyone thought something happened in here and contacted me. They asked me to check on you.”
Raymond slightly raised his head and tilted it.
“Don’t the knights hate me? Why would they report to you?”
“Well, it would be creepy if you died here.”
He was silent for a moment before asking me.
“Did you worry about me?”
I didn’t want to admit it outright. I avoided his gaze and said,
“You don’t look well, so take a rest today. That way, you can work properly tomorrow.”
“But the research isn’t finished yet?”
“What are you talking about? You need to rest because you’re not feeling well. What does that have to do with the research?”
He still had an unreadable expression.
I stood up and straightened my skirt.
“I’m not that evil. I’ll be going now.”
His voice was a tone higher than usual, so I turned to look at him.
Raymond was smiling at me with an unusually pure smile, which felt out of place.
For some reason, I found this Raymond more frightening.
Trying to hide the instinctive fear, I quickly moved away.
In preparation for the hunting festival, we put all our efforts into opening the store.
‘Even if there was no fire, we didn’t need to do this.’
Originally, we planned to finish the interior decoration and start selling immediately.
However, it took quite a long time to repair the store that had been burned.
So, we decided to introduce the perfume at this hunting festival to gather more attention and then hold a grand opening event.
Since we had missed one launch opportunity, we needed to plan more carefully.
I also had a special request for Lily.
“Miss, here’s a list of people I know.”
I entrusted her with the task of hiring a manager for the top floor. I thought it would be nice to work with someone who, like her, had learned massage in their homeland.
Lily sat next to me and explained her recommendations.
I was impressed by her meticulousness, which was even more thorough than I had expected.
“You did a better job than I thought.”
“There are a lot of these in my hometown.”
I became interested in what Lily was saying.
The kingdom of Avana, where she came from, was much hotter than the empire.
Their main industry was tourism, particularly resort businesses centered around the beach and islands.
“So, those resorts often operate spas with unique concepts.”
Now that I think about it, such a system existed in my previous life as well. Moreover, if a spa became famous, it could operate as a franchise.
‘If this works out, it might not be bad.’
I shook my head to clear my thoughts.
It was a good idea, but we had more urgent matters to attend to. We went through the resumes, selected candidates for interviews, and sent out contacts.
“And the most important thing is their attitude.”
Since it was a service industry, especially one that dealt with high-ranking nobles, their customer service attitude was crucial.
Moreover, we had someone else to be cautious about.
‘Tatiana will definitely do something.’
Lily was temperamental, so I was uneasy about entrusting her with customer service. Sensing my concern, Lily bowed.
“I know I’m not a perfect maid, Miss.”
Her serious eyes were full of passion.
“But I want to do this job perfectly. Please give me the same chance to take the exam as them.”
It was a surprisingly strong resolve, unlike her usual self.
This was the first time I had seen Lily so focused after working with me for so long.
Lily scratched the back of her head and added. After a moment of hesitation, she spoke hesitantly.
“Actually, I once talked with my hometown friends about opening a store like this someday. I’m also very interested in this.”
I was a bit surprised by her confession. I had assumed Lily would stay with me forever.
Of course, she would eventually get married and have children.
After a moment of daze, I snapped back and nodded with a smile.
I was going to train her more and have her work here anyway.
After all, this idea originated from Lily.
“Who else can I trust? I was planning to entrust this to you. But you need to study thoroughly and pass the exam.”
Seeing Lily’s bright smile, I smiled too.
Somehow, I was looking forward to her future.
At the same time, a part of my heart ached.