TSTRP 05

Chapter 5

There was one more thing about Prince Lyenel that was worth noting: his handsome appearance.

Perhaps because of that, he was a regular feature on the front page of the weekly newspapers. Even if you stepped outside the mansion for just a moment, you could find both people praising his looks and people condemning his actions.

“Th-this should be okay, right? He’s the protagonist, after all. Surely he isn’t a psychopath who kills people for no reason?”

Although the newspaper had listed the names of missing secretaries one after another, if they had really been killed, wouldn’t the Imperial Family have taken action? There was no way they would simply stand by and watch a psychopath run wild.

“…Right?”

Cold sweat trickled down my back. Considering the authority of the Imperial Family in the Empire, I couldn’t be certain.

“Sh-should I run away?”

But as I had told my uncle, once the Emperor’s order had been issued, running away would make me a traitor guilty of high treason.

In any case, it seemed I was destined to die.

I had tried to escape that old man Montrasche, only to walk straight into another place where I might get myself killed!

Since there was no way to avoid it, I would at least have liked some time to prepare myself to enjoy what little life I had left.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t given even that much time.

For some reason, they were in such a hurry that my first day of work was the very next day.

I wondered why they had scheduled my first day so abruptly, but I could think of one possible reason.

Could it be because they were afraid I might run away?

There was a rumor that the moment someone was appointed as the First Prince’s secretary, all the secretaries would run away. So it was actually a fairly plausible theory.

I stood in front of the mirror, preparing for work, and muttered darkly.

If Lyenel tries to torture me, I’ll tell him this:

“Viscount Montrasche and my uncle said that Your Highness Lyenel is a disgrace to the Imperial Family, worse than a beast!”

Those were the fresh words I had heard this morning.

If I’m going to die, I’m not dying alone, you bastards who caused all this.

I didn’t have the time or money to buy new clothes for work, so I pulled out something I already owned and put it on.

It was a little shabby for wearing to the Imperial Palace, but there was nothing I could do about it.

Mary cautiously cracked open the door and asked,

“Miss, would you like me to help you get ready?”

“No. I’m all ready. How is it outside?”

The atmosphere in the mansion after yesterday’s broken engagement was practically a frozen lake.

I didn’t expect things to improve simply because one night had passed.

Mary glanced outside the room and whispered,

“I can’t even breathe.”

Just as I expected.

I snorted and looked at myself in the mirror.

My hair was neatly tied up, and although my clothes weren’t luxurious, I looked reasonably presentable.

If this had been someone else, it would have been an ordinary appearance.

But this body was still only twenty years old, barely an adult.

Wearing a neat gray dress, I looked like a young girl pretending to be a grown woman.

If I compared it to my previous life, it was like borrowing my mother’s suit and wearing it to a college interview.

There’s nothing I can do about it.

I put on my hat and picked up a bag.

It was a bag my cousin Pablo had set aside because it was getting old.

If I couldn’t even afford new clothes, there was no way I could buy a decent bag for work.

It was still perfectly usable, so I would have to make do with it.

“I should head out now. What about the carriage?”

As we stepped into the hallway, Mary leaned her head out the window.

“Wow! The Imperial carriage really came! They say all the important people who work at the Imperial Palace ride those carriages. I guess it’s true!”

More precisely, it was a service provided to Imperial secretaries.

So secretaries really are important enough for the Imperial Family to provide them with transportation to and from work.

That was the reason Viscount Montrasche had given up on marrying me yesterday.

There was no way an ordinary viscount could force someone to marry him when that person was a secretary directly serving a member of the Imperial Family.

If the Viscount had stubbornly pushed the marriage through yesterday, the Imperial Family would have punished him for insulting the Imperial Family in order to protect the authority of the royals.

An Imperial secretary was someone who stood under the protection of the authority of the Imperial Family.

At least until I quit being a secretary, Uncle Torres won’t be able to force me into marriage.

For me, this position was a powerful shield.

Although I had stumbled into the position by accident, now that I was a secretary, my goal was clear.

I’ll tighten my belt, save money for a few years, and escape this mansion.

Imperial secretaries were paid fairly well.

If I saved for just a few years, I should be able to afford a small house of my own.

At this point, I didn’t want much.

I had already lost any attachment to the heroine’s life when my marriage to Viscount Montrasche was arranged.

Honestly, a heroine’s life sounds exhausting.

What about using the memories from my previous life to become successful?

Taking down the uncle who had seized control of the Albre family and becoming head of the family myself?

I didn’t need any of it.

I was practically burned out.

I had already lost the motivation to live some extraordinary life.

Live quietly, comfortably, and peacefully for a long, long time!

In my previous life, I had worked myself to the bone, only to die young without even getting to spend the money I had earned.

How furious had I been when I saw all the wealth I had accumulated as a child pass into my uncle’s hands?

And how enraged had I been when that wealth gradually disappeared because of my foolish uncle?

For the rest of my life, I would live comfortably in a small house somewhere peaceful, growing into a little old grandmother before eventually falling asleep.

To accomplish that…

…I had to work.

For some reason, my previous life, in which I had died from overwork, flashed through my mind like déjà vu.

But that was probably just my imagination.

I walked down the hallway in my shoes, click-clack, click-clack, keeping my back straight.

And just like that, I became a career woman again for the first time in a long while as I headed down to the first floor.

Neighhh—

The sound of a horse came from the front of the mansion.

Wow. It really is impressive, even after seeing it again.

Yesterday, when I had been completely out of my mind, I had thought the Imperial carriage was extravagant.

But now that I was seeing it with a clear head, I realized that the Imperial carriage was overflowing with dignity despite being, well, just a carriage.

The servants around the mansion pretended not to stare, but they kept sneaking glances at it.

The passersby were no different.

Their faces were flushed with excitement, as though they had just spotted an incredibly expensive dream car.

Feeling strangely proud, I lifted the brim of my hat slightly.

Just then, the coachman standing beside the carriage approached me.

“Are you Secretary Solana Albre?”

“Yes, I am. Please check my appointment letter.”

I showed him the appointment letter the administrator had given me yesterday.

The coachman nodded and opened the carriage door.

“Will you be getting in right away?”

“Of course.”

I smiled brightly and climbed into the carriage.

After being treated so poorly by my uncle all this time, it felt rather nice to be treated with respect.

And so, under the envious gazes of everyone around me, the Imperial carriage set off.

Toward the Imperial Palace—the symbol of everyone’s dreams and success.

I’m really an Imperial secretary now.

So this was what a meteoric rise felt like.

I unnecessarily fixed my hair again and basked in the sunlight streaming through the carriage window.

This is what peace feels like when you have power…

When I saw a child passing beside the carriage open their mouth in awe and say, “Wow,” I crossed my legs with a benevolent smile, pretending to be as elegant as possible.

But then—

Hiiiiiiigh—!

Clunk!

“Eek!”

The carriage jolted violently and came to an abrupt stop.

As I rubbed my aching backside, the coachman shouted from outside.

“Oh, my! I’m terribly sorry, Your Honor! The carriage wheel fell into a pothole!”

“What?!”

…I had a feeling my first day at work was going to be difficult.

We tried for quite some time afterward, but the carriage wheel showed no intention of coming out of the pothole.

The horses were beginning to get irritated as well, snorting impatiently.

As my work time drew closer and closer, I became increasingly anxious.

What would people think if I were late on my very first day?

No matter what the circumstances were, having worked in an office in my previous life, I knew perfectly well that to a superior, an excuse was nothing more than an excuse.

And my superior was that First Prince.

He isn’t going to kill me just because I’m late on my first day, right?

It wasn’t as though the coachman and I could simply lift the heavy carriage out ourselves.

What was I supposed to do?

Just then, another carriage passing by stopped beside us.

The coachman of that carriage approached us like a savior and said,

“My master asks whether you would like to ride with us.”

I wanted to say yes immediately, but I calmly shook my head.

“I need to go all the way inside the Imperial Palace. Ordinary carriages aren’t allowed inside the palace grounds. Thank you for the consideration, but I’ll be fine.”

When I politely refused the offer with a regretful expression, the coachman continued with a cheerful smile, as though it were no problem at all.

“My master is going to the Imperial Palace as well. If you don’t mind, please ride with us!”

I shouted for joy inwardly.

There was no reason to refuse anymore.

I approached the carriage with light steps, and the door opened.

There was one man sitting inside.

A man dressed entirely in black from head to toe.

Judging from his clothes, there wasn’t a single crease or imperfection in his appearance.

He was clearly the kind of workaholic who would look over documents even while riding to work.

Even when the carriage door opened, the man didn’t spare me so much as a glance.

He continued reading his documents.

I looked at him curiously before climbing into the carriage.

“Um, thank you for giving me a ride. I almost would have been late.”

“Yes.”

That was all the man said.

I rolled my eyes around awkwardly for a moment before speaking to him again.

“May I ask your name? I’d really like to repay you later.”

“There’s no need to do that.”

“Oh, I see. There’s no need to do that…”

What the hell?

There was no point in trying to talk to him anymore.

He was obviously a man with terrible social skills.

The people who work under this guy must be dying of stress.

You can’t even have a conversation with him.

Even inside the carriage, a cold wind seemed to be blowing.

I could easily imagine what it must be like for his subordinates.

I turned my gaze away from the man and straightened my slightly disheveled clothes.

Not long afterward, the carriage came to a stop.

“We’ve arrived!”