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We were able to end the Twilight Cult, and many people became happy because of that. However, I wasn’t. I was summoned by the Minister of Intelligence while I was caught up in my work, and there was still a mountain of tasks to deal with.

Because of Tannian taking part in the battle and writing the report, I had forgotten, but I hadn’t joined the Twilight Cult raid after finishing my work. I joined it while dealing with them. Who will be responsible for the time I lost?

“Ubh-!”

“5 more minutes.”

It wasn’t that my subordinate, who was shedding crocodile tears, was like an enemy to me. I was planning to let her go, but after seeing the tofu in the hands of the 1st Manager, I lost my mind. Only someone with an extraordinary amount of patience and maturity could withstand seeing that.

I didn’t get penalized yet. It just ended with writing a report.

‘Also, is tofu appropriate in a European setting?’

I was thrown off by the unexpected appearance of something nostalgic from my homeland. Or was that the case? In the West, do they give tofu when someone is released from prison? Well, there was no way for me to know that. After all, I had never been to prison.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. If she thought that I had gone back to the mansion, then why did she bring the tofu? Was she planning to come to the mansion to provoke me?

I could already imagine what she would have said before the staff and the club members. It was so obvious. You bastard.

“I’ve got some work to do, so I’ll be going back.”

“Alright, take care.”

Lately, the 3rd Manager’s survival skills have improved, and he sneakily tried to escape. The way he desperately avoided looking at the surprised face of the 1st Manager was impressive.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t seen the 5th Manager. He silently appeared when he was needed, so it wasn’t a problem. But what does he do in his spare time?

***

I had forgotten that the Ministry of Finance’s members are obsessed with survival. That’s why they’re similar to a starving beast that can’t help but bite when it sees the opponent’s weakness.

“Why do news like this spread so fast?”

While I was handling my business after sending back the 1st Manager, the person in charge of the Ministry of Finance called me to make fun of me. Damn it, can’t you give it a rest? Why was someone in his 50s doing something like this?

Judging by the time, he probably contacted me as soon as he heard the news from the Minister of Internal Affairs. He was probably bored by his usual routine when something new to make fun of appeared. Making fun of others was a tradition of the Ministry of Finance.

Seeing the Minister smiling as if he were genuinely happy made me grit my teeth.

He definitely said something like that when I visited him and mocked him while he was imprisoned. Back then, I didn’t think things would turn out like this.

I didn’t think I’d get so unlucky with my subordinates back then. I thought I’d be able to handle about ten people like me. However, I ended up getting the miraculous lineup of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd Manager.

But what could I do? Just like how I became an Executive Manager at a young age, the Managers also reached their positions at a young age. Because of that, everything that could go wrong did go wrong, and the repercussions of those led to me writing all those reports.

Now that I think about it, it’s all because of that jerk, the Crown Prince’s, fault. If he’d promoted me in a normal way, then I wouldn’t have had to write so many reports. One-body-and-mind relationship, my ass; I wish he’d just vanish from my sight.

While I internally renounced my bond with the Crown Prince, the Minister chuckled.

Telling me not to worry suggested that he might cover for me if I really got imprisoned. After all, we’ve been together for four years. If I got imprisoned, it would be a hassle for the Minister as well.

He ignored it. He threw away the four years we spent together.

“That’s reassuring.”

I swallowed the curses that almost came from my mouth and barely managed to say something.

The comment from someone who’d been imprisoned several times was helpful. I’m so grateful that I almost want to gift him a sudden death as an appreciation.

‘Damn.’

I already wanted to go home, but that desire was even more intense today. I was promised that I wouldn’t have to go to work every day in exchange for having unexpected guests in my mansion, but things happened and I’d been coming every single day.

Upon reflection, I had guests and was neglecting them. The club members were okay since they came officially. The one I was worried about was Marghetta, whom I invited.

‘Is she doing well?’

I need to quickly finish my work and attend to my guests.

* * *

Lately, even the smallest things seem beautiful.

‘It’s Carl’s mansion.’

Each window, curtain, and flowerpot felt lovely every time I looked around. This is Carl’s mansion. The place where Carl and I will live together.

Thinking of it as a place to live with a loved one made everything look so beautiful. I would have been happy even if the mansion wasn’t located in the Capital and was a shabby building in the countryside. I’m sure of it.

Objectively speaking, Carl’s mansion was excellent. After all, it used to belong to the Asilon family. Moreover, this mansion had been given to him by the Crown Prince, so it would have been meticulously maintained.

‘As expected of Carl.’

A sense of pride filled my chest. As expected, the mansion was the easiest way to see the owner’s dignity.

That the Crown Prince bestowed such a mansion indicated that he recognized Carl’s worth, and the fact that Carl was maintaining the mansion without any issues proved that judgment was right.

A mansion wasn’t defined just by its appearance and size. The capabilities and dignity of the servants filling the mansion mattered even more.

In that sense, the servants of this mansion were impeccable.

That was a comment made by the butler, who happened to pass me by.

Two young and adorable maids whispered.

Finally, those were the words spoken by the gardener.

Everything was so perfect and excellent. How they predicted the future and prepared for it made me smile.

And I also found out about Carl’s not-so-honest side, which made me laugh.

‘Just how much did he talk about me?’

He acted indifferently in front of me, but he spoke of me behind my back. Otherwise, the mansion’s staff wouldn’t consider me as his future wife. What a bad person. He’s still leading me on even after rejecting the marriage proposal.

To be honest, I was upset until a while ago. I was so excited to live with Carl that I couldn’t sleep properly. However, once I arrived at the mansion, I hardly saw Carl from early morning till late at night.

Of course, I understood. Carl was the Executive Manager and the one of the Prosecutor’s Office on top of that. I wasn’t so narrow-minded to not understand his dedication to the Empire.

But as the days turned to three, then four, then five, I felt neglected. I had high hopes. Despite my father’s pleas to return home, I chose to come to the Capital and not the Duchy’s residence.

‘He entrusted them to me.’

But after hearing the servants talk, I realized the true intention behind the invitation. It wasn’t about inviting me and leaving me alone. He trusted someone to look after the place while he was gone due to work.

When the husband is away, it’s only natural for the wife to manage the mansion. Yes, that’s a given. It’s obvious.

The resentment I felt toward him turned into regret. I had harbored resentment without realizing that he’d entrusted me with the mansion.

“Fufufu…”

Because I was alone in the room, I could laugh out loud without anyone hearing me.

I have to work hard. Right now, it was just his personal mansion. But once he became the Count, he also had to take care of the territory. So, as the Count’s wife, I had many things I needed to manage and take care of on behalf of him.

(TL/N: We’re changing it from ‘Earl’ to ‘Count’ now, guys. Thank you for your understanding! 3)

‘I can do it.’

I’ve lived a life worthy of the surname Valenti. If I can’t even fulfill the basic duties of a noblewoman, then the surname Valenti would be shamed.

Of course, Carl and I were not yet married. In time, of course, we will become husband and wife. The problem was that I couldn’t get involved in the mansion’s affairs right now since I didn’t have the authority and was merely a guest.

‘But I can get involved with the people.’

However, interacting with the guests staying in the mansion was a different matter. I’ll leave the mansion to the capable servants and focus on the people. The pastry club was probably the biggest headache for Carl.

Now that Carl isn’t here, the servants won’t be able to handle the unpredictable actions of the foreign princes or the saint candidate. But I’m a Duke’s daughter. I may not be above the Royal Family, but I’m not far behind.

Using a polite demeanor and persuasive words, I can certainly prevent the actions of royalty. That’s something I can do for Carl.

It was something Carl told me during the semester. Although he said it with a smile, I could see the fatigue in his eyes.

Moreover, unlike in the Academy, Carl was also dealing with his work in the Prosecutor’s Office. He might really collapse from exhaustion if he had to worry about the pastry club as well.

‘At least here.’

Let’s lessen Carl’s burden.