ESML 23

Chapter 23

Just as Emilia was about to stand after successfully signing the employment contract—

The office door opened.

Herald staggered inside, looking utterly exhausted.

Seeing him, Emilia greeted him with a friendly smile.

“Good morning, Sir Herald.”

“Ah, Miss Emilia.”

Spotting an unfamiliar young woman amid the office’s familiar surroundings, he paused for a moment before nodding in return.

Then Emilia noticed the heavy dark circles hanging beneath his eyes.

Concern filled her expression.

“You don’t look well at all. Are you feeling okay?”

It was a sentence of genuine concern—

One Herald had never once heard inside his superior’s office.

“Of course I—”

Just as he was about to be touched by her kindness…

His gaze landed on the stack of papers in her hands.

His expression immediately turned deathly grim.

He would bet his resignation letter on it.

Those papers were undoubtedly the employment contract Kaiden had forced him to draft last night on the way to his bedroom.

“……”

Slowly, Herald turned toward his superior.

Ever since yesterday, Kaiden had been looking forward to completing this task.

Now that he finally had, his face looked positively radiant.

“…What a tyrannical boss.”

The words slipped out before Herald realized it.

“I trust breakfast went down well for you, Your Grace.”

Surprisingly…

The one who reacted wasn’t Kaiden.

Emilia froze.

Her eyes darted toward the person being referred to.

A tyrannical boss?

Now that she technically worked under the same employer as Herald…

She couldn’t simply ignore that comment.

Especially after her own unpleasant experiences with abusive employers in the capital.

Should I have looked over the contract more carefully before signing it?

She looked sympathetically at Herald’s pitiful complexion.

Then her eyes drifted down to the contract bearing her own name.

Maybe…

Breakfast was just bait.

Now that she thought about it…

Kaiden had brought her straight to his office the moment they finished eating.

If that had been his plan…

It had been an excellent one.

After tasting the head chef’s cooking, there was no way she could willingly give this job up.

“Even one meal a day would be enough for me.”

“Would that still be difficult?”

She had always been used to eating simple meals anyway.

One proper meal each day would be more than enough.

Kaiden looked at her as though she had said something absurd.

“What exactly do you take me for?”

“Some sort of tyrannical employer?”

“You may eat as many meals as you like.”

No…

If he remembered how light she’d felt when he’d carried her the previous day…

Even ten meals a day probably wouldn’t be enough.

Kaiden turned toward the aide beside him, who continued muttering nonsense.

“I don’t recall ever preventing anyone from eating.”

Herald’s jaw dropped.

Of course not!

But after working someone to death yesterday…

Expecting them to eat normally the very next morning showed an astonishing lack of conscience.

Ignoring Herald entirely, Kaiden looked back at Emilia.

She was still holding the contract in both hands, gazing at him with those gentle eyes.

“Then I look forward to working with you.”

Only then did the stiffness at the corners of his mouth finally soften into a relaxed smile.

* * *

Scratch.

Scratch.

Holding his fountain pen tightly, Ivan diligently moved his little hand across the paper.

Before long, the once-blank page was completely covered in ink.

I’m finished!

Looking proudly at his work, Ivan suddenly lifted his head.

Across from him sat Emilia.

She was slightly leaning forward, completely absorbed in the book she was reading.

Carefully, Ivan set his fountain pen onto the table without making a sound.

He decided he would patiently wait until Emilia looked at him first.

But…

His resolve didn’t last very long.

Mmm…

He let out a tiny groan inside his head.

He didn’t want to interrupt her.

But…

He wanted to show her his handwriting even more.

Unable to resist any longer, Ivan shifted excitedly in his seat before reaching over and gently tugging on Emilia’s sleeve.

“Emilia!”

“What is it, Ivan?”

“Oh? You’re already finished?”

At last, Emilia’s clear light-green eyes turned toward him.

“Mhm! I finished everything!”

Ivan nodded enthusiastically.

“Then let’s have a look.”

Closing the book she’d been reading, Emilia deliberately spoke with an excited tone as she moved beside him.

“Here!”

Ivan proudly held up his paper.

Emilia carefully examined it.

The page was filled from top to bottom with writing.

The size of the letters varied rather freely.

Ink had smudged here and there.

Even so…

She could clearly see how hard he had tried to keep everything neatly aligned.

“You’re getting so good at writing now.”

Smiling warmly, Emilia gently stroked Ivan’s silky hair.

“Really?”

“Of course.”

“I think your handwriting is even prettier than mine.”

Her sincere praise made Ivan puff up with pride.

He rubbed the tip of his nose.

A black smudge of ink immediately stained it.

Chuckling, Emilia took out a handkerchief and gently wiped it clean.

“Mmm…”

“Can I see your hands too?”

“My hands!”

Like a well-trained puppy, Ivan promptly held them out.

Emilia carefully wiped away every trace of ink.

The ticklish sensation made Ivan giggle.

“Emilia!”

“If you ever need writing done, tell me!”

“I’ll do it all for you!”

“Really?”

“Mhm, really!”

“But only for Emilia!”

His special treatment made Emilia laugh.

“All right.”

“Then I’ll ask you whenever I need help.”

“Yes!”

“I’ll do everything!”

Of course…

She had no intention of actually asking a child to do her writing.

She simply said it because his thoughtfulness touched her.

As if encouraged by her answer, Ivan became even more enthusiastic.

He pulled out a fresh sheet of paper and immediately began practicing his handwriting again.

Watching him, Emilia smiled to herself.

For some reason…

Ivan always seemed eager to do something for her.

The cookies the other day were the same.

A few days earlier…

Ivan had come running over excitedly, announcing that he and Laura had baked cookies together.

At first…

Emilia had absolutely no idea what he was proudly holding out to her.

To be completely honest…

She thought he’d scooped up a handful of dirt from the garden and placed it on a plate.

So she could only ask in confusion,

“…Ivan, what’s this?”

The shape was one thing.

But the color was unlike any cookie she’d ever seen.

“Cookies!”

“Cookies?”

“Oh… did you make them with chocolate?”

“No!”

“No chocolate!”

“I… see?”

Looking at the pitch-black lumps before her, Emilia couldn’t begin to imagine what ingredients they contained.

“I made them for Emilia!”

“Eat!”

“Th-Thank you.”

“I’ll enjoy them.”

Ivan watched her with sparkling, expectant eyes.

There was simply no way Emilia could reject cookies a child had made so earnestly with those tiny hands.

Well…

It’s only a little burnt.

It’s not like it’ll kill me.

But…

The moment she took a bite—

Emilia realized she had gravely underestimated the situation.