Because she hated Morris, she had to secretly have an affair behind her boss’s back.
At first glance, this answer sounded completely illogical.
However, on closer thought, it might not be so strange after all.
Although Elvira looked bewitching and domineering, she was inexperienced, so when it came to bedroom matters, she couldn’t possibly win against Morris, a seasoned veteran.
In that case, if the loyal secretary was sneaking around to give her boss a boost of self-esteem—making sure her boss never found out about her own shortcomings—then it all made perfect sense.
As for the reasons for her dislike, those weren’t hard to guess either.
From a public perspective, Morris’s presence was destabilizing to ruler Elvira’s mental state, which could negatively affect the whole nation.
From a personal angle, Morris stole away Elvira’s affection for others, especially the attention she, as the most trusted of secretaries, was supposed to receive.
She clearly disliked Morris, yet had to seduce him for her boss’s satisfaction.
Her heart was full of her boss, yet her actions betrayed her.
Thinking about it like this, Miss Secretary was really quite a pitiful character.
With that thought, the previously tough attitude of Morris inevitably softened, and as he looked at Roselia, there was a hint of sympathy in his gaze.
This also explained why Roselia always looked disgusted when the two were alone, yet still dressed so provocatively—it was all for her proud Majesty the Queen.
“You’re getting sentimental over there for no reason. Sit down and eat. Best finish before Her Majesty returns.”
Seeing that Morris seemed to have misunderstood something, Roselia didn’t bother to explain. She simply pressed him coldly to sit down and eat.
Since he really did need to eat, Morris didn’t keep arguing. Under her frosty gaze, he obediently sat down on the sofa.
“By the way, there’s no poison in this food, right? And you didn’t slip any aphrodisiac in, did you?”
But before he started eating, Morris didn’t forget to look over at the secretary and ask if the food was safe.
“I’m rather regretful about that myself. If it weren’t for the risk of Her Majesty noticing, I really would have liked to poison you.”
Still dressed in her white-stockinged bunny girl outfit, the secretary didn’t mince words in her reply.
Even though her attitude was terrible, she still addressed Morris with honorifics, and her posture was like a proper maid—hands folded in front of her, slim waist and full chest held upright, her white-stockinged legs in high heels tightly pressed together with utmost elegance.
It was clear she wasn’t ignorant of etiquette. She simply refused to respect Morris.
“You really don’t hold back, do you? What did I do to make you hate me this much? If it’s because of Elvira, then I’m a victim too, you know.”
Deciding her words were credible, Morris picked up his plate. Only after asking Roselia this question did he start to eat unhurriedly.
That was actually somewhat rude, but since this wasn’t a formal setting, and since the other party was openly hostile, Morris figured there was no need to be polite either.
“I’m well aware of that. You are indeed a victim.”
“See?”
“But that’s exactly why you can’t be forgiven. You really are the worst.”
Roselia’s words dripped with malice, making Morris pause in mid-bite and look up at her again.
“You mean I’m not virtuous at all? A disgrace to knights and the Church? If you put it that way, I really can’t argue.”
Morris was not the kind of person who couldn’t take criticism. He was well aware he was an oddball among straight-laced knights, so he straightforwardly acknowledged the reasons Roselia hated him.
Of course, admitting it didn’t mean he would ever change.
After giving his answer, Morris resumed eating as if he’d said something completely normal.
But that single sentence made an expression of near-furious disgust flash across Roselia’s face.
This time, however, she didn’t continue attacking him verbally, but suddenly moved into action.
The sound of her high heels caught Morris’s attention. He watched Roselia as he chewed.
It was rather amusing, really. No matter how sexy Roselia’s outfit was, Morris had only been surprised at first; now, he didn’t even react. There was no awkwardness or embarrassment—Roselia’s getup just seemed ordinary.
This was mainly because Morris was used to such things. After all, Queen Fastal always changed outfits for their secret meetings; at this point, a bunny girl outfit was nothing compared to this exquisite meal.
But Morris’s calm only held as long as her behavior was limited to odd outfits.
If she actually walked over, pushed aside the plates on the table in front of him, and sat down herself—then there was no way he could stay composed.
Roselia’s high heels were clearly aimed straight at his treasured sword.
Realizing what this blonde subordinate intended, Morris instantly prepared to get up and dodge—though he had no intention of letting go of his plate.
“You’d better sit still, Lord Morris. You wouldn’t want me telling Her Majesty that you forced me to satisfy your desires, would you?”
Just then, Roselia spoke with the classic sharp-tongued line.
Except, instead of being teasing or smug, her tone was full of contempt and disgust.
“…That’s low, even for you. I might not be a proper knight, but I am still a knight. This sort of thing is nothing to be proud of, Lady Roselia, Deputy Assistant.”
Morris did sit back down, but his attitude shifted from casual to icy, his gaze toward the white-stockinged bunny girl turning steely.
“I’m not a knight—just Her Majesty’s assistant, that’s all.”
Roselia made it clear she felt no moral burden—she wasn’t a knight after all—and continued with a look of scorn.
“…Are you sure about this? If Elvira finds out, you’ll be in trouble too, you know?”
Unable to stop her, Morris could only watch as Roselia continued, reminding her that both of them would be doomed if Elvira discovered this.
So it was better to stop.
“That’s true, but you’re just so hateful. If I don’t do this, I’ll feel terrible. Besides, you’re already used to it, aren’t you?”
The secretary glared at Morris with utter loathing, and thus began the battle that belonged to the two of them alone.