~TMPM 08~

Chapter 08

And I really did go to work.

“…Rose?”

“…Your Highness?”

After opening the office door with a deep sigh, I had to check the calendar for a moment.

Saturday, January 2.

Today was definitely a holiday.

I was pretty sure Cassian had said he was going to rest too.

“Starting the new year by collecting overtime pay—just like you, Rose.”

“You really know how to say pleasant things at the start of the year.”

At my sarcastic remark, Cassian simply smiled leisurely.

“So? Should I have them prepare lamb for lunch today?”

My boss was, once again, absurdly quick to catch on.

The morning was so relaxed that it was hard to believe I had come into the office at all.

We had pushed through a massive amount of work at the end of the year, and for some reason Cassian only handed me easy tasks today.

Meanwhile, he occasionally frowned as if deep in thought, which made me curious about what he was working on.

Then, while focusing on his work, he suggested lunch earlier than usual.

Just as he had said, it was thick cuts of lamb.

The imperial chef was so skilled that the meat had no gamey smell and was grilled perfectly.

“The Empress and Countess Irenol really don’t understand your tastes at all, Rose.”

Cassian spoke while watching me eat with a satisfied smile.

“What Rose likes is meat, alcohol, and pretty things.”

He really did know my preferences frighteningly well.

It was even scary that, since it was lunch, he had ordered chilled vin chaud instead of alcohol.

“Of course, you like money too.”

If he hadn’t added that last part, my opinion of him might have improved a little.

Naturally, I reported to Cassian about Countess Irenol.

After all, I had boldly used him as an excuse for working on a holiday.

“I apologize for acting without reporting to you first, Your Highness.”

“No, it’s fine. You can use me as a shield for things like that anytime.”

Cassian replied leisurely as he put a piece of meat into his mouth.

Thinking about it again, Cassian really ate very neatly.

From the way he held his utensils to the way he chewed—there wasn’t a single flaw.

In the original story, Cassian had spent so much time on the battlefield that his etiquette was a bit rough, and people even mocked him for it.

Did my quitting as the protagonist affect even things like this?

I felt a little less guilty.

Things seemed to be going in a good direction for Cassian in many ways.

“But Rose, even if we got past this one, Countess Irenol will definitely try to attach you to that young lord again.”

“I know.”

“Of course, I can block it with excuses like today as much as you want, but that’s not really your style, is it?”

At Cassian’s words, I nodded while putting the last piece of lamb into my mouth.

“Of course not.”

I already had the answer in my hands.

When the Empress summoned me and talked about the Irenol heir, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu.

And yesterday, when the Irenol family invited me to a dinner gathering, that feeling turned into certainty.

‘The point where Roselita in the original story faced a major incident wasn’t after coming to the capital—it was after meeting the Empress.’

I should have realized this sooner.

That unpleasant feeling I had forgotten over the past year began to rise again.

But unlike back then, instead of shrinking back, anger filled me.

‘How dare they make an office worker come to work voluntarily?’

Did they think I would respect the original story that I had already destroyed enough?

Maybe because I was angry about coming to work on a holiday, the contents of the original story came back to me vividly.

‘Think carefully, Miss Salice. Is there really a need for you to risk your life for Prince Cassian?’
‘You should be grateful. My son marrying into a baron family is something you could never dream of without Her Majesty the Empress’s grace.’
‘Isn’t this a good thing for you? The heir of a viscount family is willing to become a son-in-law of the Salice barony.’

Even thinking about it again, they were completely insane.

Who did they think they were, ignoring someone’s will like that?

Even the Irenol heir, who already acted like I was his wife, was unbelievably unpleasant.

‘I’m taking a bit of a loss here, but I’ll endure it.’

Trash inside and out, yet acting like he was something special!

Still, unlike the original Roselita, I had already crushed the first flag.

The dinner gathering was a very private event, and after the original Roselita attended, the Empress began spreading rumors first, saying Roselita and the Irenol heir were officially involved.

Ugh, how could someone say something so horrible!

But unlike the original story, I had a sturdy boss shield.

Well, the original Cassian didn’t just sit still either.

But he wasn’t helpful.

That Cassian was far too young compared to my current boss, and instead of using schemes, he officially protested openly.

Then he got scolded by the Empress for meddling in someone else’s marriage as a friend.

The original Roselita tried to clear things up alone, but the more she tried, the worse the situation became.

They started saying nonsense like she had already agreed to the engagement and was now trying to back out, or that she was insulting the viscount family. Later, they even threatened Roselita’s parents.

They said they would pretend nothing happened if she accepted the engagement, and asked if she had thought about what would happen to the Salice territory if she refused. It was unbelievable.

Of course, my parents bowed their heads and begged, saying they wanted to respect their daughter’s wishes until the end.

‘Thinking about it again really makes me angry.’

Anyway, seeing her parents like that made Roselita grit her teeth even more, and she gathered all kinds of information to strike the viscount family and resolve the situation.

Of course, I didn’t have the information guild that original Roselita had.

But instead, I had state authority.

After suffering under that demon of the Winter Palace for a year, did they not realize how many nobles I had dug up dirt on?

I smiled darkly and began picking out only the necessary information from the pile of documents and organizing them.

The grudge of being forced to work on a holiday—I would repay it with compound interest.

Countess Irenol was anxious and in a bad mood.

‘A mere baron family.’

How dare they act proud toward our family?

‘She’s still a young lady, probably just shy.’

That’s what the Empress had said, but Countess Irenol thought she was simply arrogant.

If it weren’t for the Empress’s orders, they would never have dared aim for the Irenol family!

To think her precious son was being sold off at a disadvantage like this.

Today, her useless husband irritated her more than usual.

‘Still, I must endure. Didn’t Her Majesty say she’s young and can be educated?’

Once she entered the viscount family, she planned to make her cry her eyes out.

To think she shamelessly said she worked to pay off her family’s debts.

Well, fortunately, the Empress had promised to pay off all debts if this marriage went through.

Both the Salice barony’s debts—and the Irenol viscount family’s as well.

‘Then all the money Miss Salice earns will belong to our family.’

It was an open secret among imperial employees that Prince Cassian paid his aide a very large salary because he valued her so much.

The Empress said Roselita would be allowed to return to the Salice territory to live, but Countess Irenol had no intention of allowing that.

Leaving aside that she didn’t want her precious son to go live in some distant rural territory, why would she let such a good source of money go?

What, let her waste money on her son and the family? Know her place!

If she was going to work herself to the bone for the Salice barony, then she should do the same for the Irenol family too!

She could simply give her beloved son a mistress.

Taking a deep breath and thinking about the future, Countess Irenol decided she would summon Roselita again.

If she threatened her by saying that refusing twice would be an insult to the Empress, she would surely ask Prince Cassian to free up her schedule.

Just then, noise erupted downstairs as Countess Irenol finally calmed herself and picked up her pen.

“What—what is the meaning of this?!”

At the loud voice of the hot-tempered butler, the Countess felt her irritation rising again.

Ink leaked from her pen tip, staining the paper, meaning she had to take out a new sheet—another annoyance.

She should have fired that noisy butler long ago.

“What is all this noise about?!”

Thinking she would finally fire him this time, she stomped loudly down the stairs.

But the sight before her left her speechless.

“M-Miss Salice?”

Standing there was Roselita, wrapped in a simple dark navy dress.

What was with that unfashionable outfit, and why had she brought so many people?

Dumbfounded, the Countess barely managed to speak.

“What are you doing right now…?”

Despite the Countess’s question, Roselita finished giving instructions to the royal guards and the exhausted administrative officials before turning around.

Facing the stunned Countess, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and held out a document.

“As of January 5th, 14:27, by order of His Highness Prince Cassian, the Irenol Viscount family estate is to be seized and searched.”

“W-What?! Seized?!”

The Countess shouted angrily at Roselita.

“Miss Salice, shouldn’t you not be doing this?!”

How dare she do this to the family she was about to marry into!

This was beyond rude.

But Roselita didn’t look scared at all. Instead, she simply smiled and replied in a businesslike tone.

“For the details, please refer to the attached documents, Countess.”

As if this kind of thing was very familiar to her.

‘W-What is that attitude?! Shouldn’t she be scared?!’

Why was a young lady so calm?

For some reason, Roselita’s figure overlapped with the image of the Demon of the Winter Palace—the man who had spoken sarcastically to the Empress without fear.