“Mm……”
“Is there something difficult to say, Miss Roselia?”
While Maurice maintained his silent observation, Roselia lowered her head with a troubled expression.
If it were any other woman, Maurice would certainly have asked what was bothering her.
But wary as he was, he said nothing.
Besides, that young master by her side was sure to speak up.
As expected, Clement was fooled by Roselia’s act and immediately put on a look of concern.
“Ah, no, it’s nothing serious. It’s just that there are a few things I’d like to discuss with Lord Maurice alone. But seeing how happily you two are talking, I thought I’d wait a bit~”
In contrast, the secretary, who was being fussed over, immediately raised her head and showed the two of them a charming and gentle smile, full of understanding.
“……”
“I see. In that case, there’s no need to hesitate at all. In fact, we’ve just finished our talk, and I was about to leave.”
Maurice remained silent and calm as ever.
Clement, on the other hand, laughed heartily and explained that he ‘just happened’ to be leaving as well, so there was no need for Roselia to worry.
“Oh, is that so?”
Though she could see Clement was deliberately saying this, the seemingly innocent secretary still feigned surprise. In those eyes, unobscured by her bangs, pure innocence was written all over.
“That’s right. You two go ahead and talk, I’ll excuse myself first. Wishing you both a wonderful afternoon.”
Played for a fool by Roselia’s performance, Clement continued to act suave, looking all refined and socially adept, leaving behind an effortlessly elegant back.
But in reality, he was completely at the mercy of a wicked woman.
“…What an impressive performance.”
Watching the departing figure, Maurice, who stayed behind, quietly voiced his thoughts in a low tone only the two of them could hear.
“Hehe~ I have no idea what you’re talking about~”
Probably because there were still others passing by in the corridor.
Roselia did not immediately drop her act, instead keeping her bright smile and playing dumb.
Maurice had met many women, but it was indeed the first time he’d seen someone who could act like her.
“So, do you really have something to discuss with me? Or is that person actually quite suspicious?”
Still, it wouldn’t do him any good to butt heads with Roselia, so Maurice didn’t pursue the topic.
Instead, he looked at that fake smile and voiced his guess.
“Hahaha, you’re as sharp as ever, but this isn’t a good place to talk. Let’s switch rooms~”
Roselia didn’t argue with Maurice either, smiling as she gestured for him to follow, suggesting they find a different room to talk.
“……”
Though somewhat cautious, Maurice still followed along.
After all, no matter how much this woman disliked him, she wouldn’t use the opportunity to humiliate him in any indecent way, would she?
So, with one in front and one behind, the two quickly entered a meeting room near the government office.
This room was used by Roselia, the Queen’s aide, and other officials for meetings. Normally, it was empty.
It was perfect for their conversation.
“Honestly, I can’t believe it. Knowing full well that man is a problem, you still sat there chatting away with that stupid look on your face. Is your brain still functioning properly?”
Precisely because there was no third party, the secretary—who had been all smiles a moment ago—immediately changed her expression, looking at Maurice with utter disdain, her words brimming with hostility.
No more pretenses.
“It was my first time meeting the man, how could I possibly think there was anything wrong with him? It was your attitude that made me suspect he might be a problem.”
In response to her accusation, Maurice spread his hands to show his own innocence.
He was merely probing Roselia for information.
He didn’t expect there really was a problem.
“…So that’s how it is. Testing me, huh? How unpleasant.”
As Roselia withdrew her scornful gaze, she replaced it with an icy stare, making no effort to hide her feelings.
Maurice just shrugged lightly and said nothing.
Don’t be fooled by Roselia’s words—truthfully, even if Maurice hadn’t probed her, it would have been the same.
For some reason, she simply disliked Maurice. No matter what he did, her expression would probably always be full of malice.
“…Clement Spittel, currently serving as a diplomat from the neighboring country Ilente. According to intelligence, though he doesn’t openly oppose His Majesty, he’s not exactly loyal, either. To him, it probably doesn’t matter who sits on the throne. What matters is whether he gets a chance to climb the ladder.”
Maurice’s silent approach was the right one.
After a moment of silence, with no strong reaction from Maurice, the secretary began to reluctantly share intelligence about Clement.
“However, as you know, for His Majesty, anything less than absolute loyalty is absolute betrayal. That man will eventually be punished by His Majesty. If you want to be punished too, then go ahead and associate with him.”
With that, Roselia intended to leave the meeting room, apparently unwilling to say another word.
Dressed in her white uniform, she briskly passed by Maurice, her flowing golden hair leaving a faint fragrance in the air.
“Thank you for the warning. I’ll be careful… But as unbelievable as it sounds, are you actually concerned about me?”
Maurice, his gaze following her, offered a minimal word of thanks and didn’t forget to probe her once more.
“Hah? What else? You think I’d waste my breath on you for no reason?”
Roselia immediately stopped, turned, and glared fiercely at Maurice, her tone growing more impatient.
Just like a hissing cat.
Her attitude was awful, but her words actually did seem to show concern for him.
“You don’t need to worry about traitors. For now, just be a good little prisoner. Understand?”
“Is that a warning or a command?”
“It’s a warning for now. But if you do anything unnecessary, it’ll become a command. And if you still insist on doing as you please, you’d better watch your back. Slipping something in your food is easy for me. If I wanted a rational man to turn into a rutting beast thinking of nothing but breeding, I could get my hands on that kind of drug, too.”
Roselia spat a vicious warning at Maurice, then, regardless of whether he understood or not, turned and headed for the conference room door again.
She didn’t slam the door, but closed it politely.
In other words, she wasn’t just speaking recklessly out of anger, but was making these statements with a clear mind.
Honestly, it was pretty intimidating.
But her attitude only made Maurice more confused.
Why would someone both hate and care about him at the same time?
No matter how he looked at it, she didn’t seem like a tsundere at all?