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After hearing that Eleanor had collapsed from a high fever, the Marquis sent a letter saying that he would appoint a secretary to help her with the work. The drafting of the textbook was so hectic that even ten bodies weren’t enough, so Eleanor gladly accepted the Marquis’ favor.
“Hello, Ellen.”
And the secretary the Marquis had attached was Adrian.
Does it make sense to send the heir of a marquis family as a secretary to a count’s daughter? However, the Marquis didn’t change his will, and Adrian’s will was even more stubborn than his father’s.
‘If I work hard enough to stretch him out, he’ll give up on his own.’
Eleanor really treated Adrian like a limb.
Eleanor chewed on the cookie and dictated the text while Adrian sat up straight and wrote it down quickly. He had a very gentle demeanor without a single complaint. His handwriting was also neat, several times cleaner than the sample Eleanor had made.
‘Voice recognition… is comfortable.’
Eleanor tried everything to bring out Adrian’s irritation. She leaned crookedly on a soft cushion, or even lay down on the sofa, imitating an arrogant young lady.
However, as Eleanor tried harder, Adrian’s expression only brightened. It was the expression as if it was what he wanted. He even put a blanket over Eleanor after she fell asleep and tidied up all the miscellaneous papers while she slept.
‘He’s born to be a secretary.’
Ultimately, she gave up on casting Adrian out. She couldn’t help it. He had thoroughly accustomed Eleanor to her comfort in just a week.
‘I don’t know if he’s a fox or a dog.’
Eleanor narrowed her eyes as she saw him grinning at her with a relaxed face.
Then the carriage came to a slow stop. Adrian peered out through his window and held out his hand.
“Let’s go, go to work.”
***
“We came to get a sample of the workbook.”
“Ah, please follow me.”
Entering the print shop, Eleanor and Adrian followed the clerk. The musty smell of paper and ink filled the building.
“First of all, for the first week. 300 copies were printed, and 30 more copies were selected in preparation for the copies. There would be no defects, but.”
“The print is excellent. There are no creases or wrinkles, and very little ink smearing.”
“Don’t even mention it. The man next to you ran over here whenever he had a chance and stir-fried us so much that everyone was scolded. This is the first time I’ve ever had such a picky customer.”
Eleanor stared at Adrian, who stood beside her. He scratched the back of his head and averted his gaze.
No, such a commendable act.
“Oh my, you must have suffered a lot because of Adrian. I’m worried that he may have offended you.”
Eleanor was determined to take care of Adrian’s expensive meal or incentives.
“Are you going to pick it up today?”
“No. Today, we only check if there is any defect, and the Broden Merchant will come later to take it.”
“If you need a hand to help…”
Adrian replied, cutting off the clerk’s words.
“Thank you, but it’s fine. It’s not a lot, so only us will be enough.”
“Then I’ll be going out first as I have other things to do.”
Eleanor asked after the clerk left the room, leaving only the two of them.
“Why did you refuse? We could have finished it faster if we worked together.”
“That’s why I declined.”
Adrian looked at Eleanor and raised the corner of his lips.
“I want to stay with you for a long time.”
Eleanor’s eyes widened.
It seems that Adrian has a strange hobby lately. Hewas very curious as to where and what to see. If she had given meaning to his actions, she would have been awake for days. Eleanor, somewhat offended, narrowed his eyes.
‘This green-eyed guy just makes fun of my feelings by holding it up and down…’
Adrian deftly untied the knots that held fifty copies of the book together. Eleanor, who was looking at him blankly, smiled wickedly and asked.
“You want to stay with me for a long time?”
“Yeah.”
Adrian answered right away. A smile formed on Eleanor’s lips.
“Shall I teach you how to stay together with me any longer?”
“How?”
Adrian straightened his back and met Eleanor’s eyes. It was a genuinely curious look.
“You can do this all by yourself.”
Eleanor, sitting on the window sill, gently closed her eyes and smiled.
“Yeah. I have no choice but to do it all by myself.”
Adrian shook his head and laughed. Like a diligent worker, he opened the book and began examining each page. He had a very serious face, probably because he really wanted to take care of everything by himself.
Embarrassed, Eleanor added hastily.
“…Rian, I meant it as a joke. You know?”
“I don’t, though.”
“It was a joke. Let’s do it together.”
“Nah, that’s fine. You’ll hurt your hand on the paper.”
Adrian stopped Eleanor from getting up.
“Then what should I do?”
“Sit there and give me your order. Like a prickly princess.”
Adrian smiled at Eleanor. Blake and his son both treat her like a princess, yet the result is subtly different. While the Marquis held her up, Adrian lowered his body to look up to her.
To meet Adrian’s expectations, Eleanor graciously sat with her legs crossed.
“If I were a princess, what would you be? A prince? A knight?”
“Whatever you like best.”
Perhaps I’m more of a servant now, though…
Adrian murmured softly. That wasn’t bad either, but it was difficult because it wouldn’t be easy for a servant and a princess to connect.
‘What I like best…’
Eleanor, pondering his words, opened her mouth.
“I don’t care about status or job. Furthermore, if I were a princess, I would have money and fame…”
Adrian’s fingers froze as he flipped through the pages of the book. He asked, looking at Eleanor with a slightly tense expression.
It doesn’t matter what his status or job is. So, is it the personality?
“Then what is important?”
“Face.”
As if he was asking about something so obvious, Eleanor opened her eyes wide and answered.
“Obviously, it’s the face for men.”
Adrian, caught off guard, stared blankly at Eleanor.
‘Face… It’s the face.’
Adrian has been proud of his appearance all his life. He had a normal aesthetic sense, so he couldn’t help but notice that his face was pretty decent.
In fact, even if there was a big flaw in his aesthetics, it wouldn’t have changed anything. As everyone he met complimented his appearance before even greeting him.
The problem was that the Duke and the Crown Prince were also the second largest people in the Empire in terms of appearance. It’s not known which of them would suit Eleanor’s taste.
Adrian asked in a slightly impatient voice.
“How is my face in your eyes? Is it worth watching?”
What is it, is the answer already decided?
Eleanor made an absurd face for a moment. Adrian pressed her to answer with a serious face. If he were to put down on paper the praises he had heard all his life about his appearance, it would be something like a complete encyclopedia, but does he really want to hear it again?
Eleanor tilted her head and answered in an ambiguous tone.
“Well… It’s worth seeing enough.”
Eleanor’s voice was playful enough to be noticed by anyone, yet it wasn’t heard by Adrian, who was deeply troubled by his shock alone.
“If I leave it to you, it will take all day. Let’s do it together.”
“Huh? Uh, alright…”
“What are you thinking? Let’s finish up and have dinner. I’ll treat you for today.”
“I see…”
“Newspaper ads will start from next week. We’ll probably be busy without being able to blink our eyes. I’m going to make you eat a lot, so make sure you eat well beforehand.”
There was no answer this time.
Eleanor shrugged at Adrian’s subtle reaction. Could it be late puberty? She found it difficult to keep up with his emotional flow these days.
‘Let’s see if the weather is bad, well.’
Eleanor absentmindedly withdrew her gaze and eagerly began inspecting the print. Adrian’s insides were burning as he watched her.
***
“Hey, Demi…”
After class, Sienna and Lucas, who were waiting for the carriage, approached Demian nervously. Sienna nudged Lucas in the side with his elbow.
“I’m sorry. I should have been careful…”
“I won’t play any dangerous pranks from now on.”
Sienna followed Lucas and handed over an apology. The two children had been depressed for a long time after that day.
“…It’s okay.”
Demian accepted the apology of his two friends as if it wasn’t a big deal. It happened after the three of them were playing together in the first place. It wasn’t on purpose, and it was my fault for not being careful.
Sienna asked with a worried face.
“Are you not sick?”
Demian shook his head.
“You must have had a cold because your clothes were wet when you went home.”
“I slept here that day. With Teacher and Brother.”
Demian lightly threw the bomb in a calm voice.
Thump, thump.
The small faces of Sienna and Lucas were cracked.
“W-What did you say?”
“Teacher told me to sleep here.”
It’s an emergency. This is really an emergency.
Sienna and Lucas exchanged glances. Something was wrong, so they couldn’t argue with Demian the way they used to.
“So, you slept here? really? Even your brother?”
As if Lucas couldn’t believe it, he asked Demian again. Sienna’s mouth was stark open in shock.
“Hm.”
Demian nodded his head broadly. It was an innocent face with no lies.
A bashful smile leaked from his lips as he remembered the face of his brother pulling the blanket over him affectionately. Demian’s cheeks were lightly colored pink at the unfamiliar and warm memory of him.
Lucas and Sienna’s faces became even more pale as they watched.
She was relieved to see Adrian and Eleanor hanging out often because of business lately, but to be hit in the back like this. Sienna bit her lip tightly.
“I… see. I’m glad you’re not sick.”
“That’s right. See you next time…”
They tried to answer in an adult manner, yet the small hearts of the two children were beating twice as fast as usual.
The two children, who had been watching Demian leave in the Duke’s carriage that arrived first, looked into each other’s eyes.
A strange sense of kinship was formed between the two who shared the same feelings.
“Now is the time for us to move.”
“That’s right.”
Lucas nodded his head in agreement with Sienna’s words.
“Once I go back, I will immediately inform Uncle of this dangerous situation.”
“I should go see Brother as soon as I get back.”
“Unless he’s an idiot, he’ll think of a way.”
Sienna ran her fern-like fingers through her hair, unable to hide her complexity. Lucas also wrinkled his forehead and put on a serious expression.
“Let’s move a little more aggressively now. As we discussed last time, we’re gathering information.”
“Information.”
Lucas’ eyes sparkled. Gathering information seemed like a wonderful thing.
“It’s too suspicious for one person to ask too much, so let the two of us ask and share the answer.”
“Great.”
Lucas readily agreed with Sienna’s words. He was deeply relieved that they had formed an alliance, thinking that he couldn’t keep up with Sienna and her rolling brain too.
“The Duke… is a much stronger competitor than I thought.”
“Demian too. The Valentine brothers aren’t normal.”
“We can’t be careless.”
The two children looked at each other with determined eyes and nodded.