At the sudden outburst, Kaiden’s face twisted in irritation. “You barge in and start working on your own, and now you say you’re quitting?”

“You said I wasn’t much help. Then I should quit.”

The Grand Duke of Dumar was the man the female lead met after her regression.

Exceptional looks, immense wealth, and the status of being the king’s most beloved grandson.

She is swayed by the flawless Grand Duke who lacks nothing.

Learning this, the male lead, Baron Harion, traps the Grand Duke and frames him for treason.

In the end, the Grand Duke’s assets are confiscated, and he is exiled from the country. The female lead returns to Harion.

To think she had fled to avoid getting entangled with the novel’s characters, only to end up in the house of the second male lead.

Could something this absurd really happen?

Then again, the fact that she was living inside a novel was already unbelievable.

At any rate, she had to leave this house.

“Thank you for everything so far…”

“I’ll pay you a salary.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you say earlier that it’s hard for Eva and Patrick to manage such a large house alone? Then help them and continue working.”

“You just scolded me for being useless. That’s why I’m quitting.”

“You’ve only been working for a week. You’ll improve with practice. And since being unpaid probably killed your motivation, I’ll make sure you receive proper compensation.”

“Hey, listen!”

Geneve momentarily forgot her position and shouted, prompting Eva to jump in shock.

“Watch your tone with His Grace!”

“He’s the one saying strange things when I said I’d quit.”

“Calling His Grace’s generous offer strange?” Eva pinched Geneve’s side and whispered quietly, “You don’t even have a place to go. Where do you think you’re running off to?”

She had a point, but Geneve couldn’t stay in the home of a major character tied to the female lead.

Kaiden stepped toward the two who were whispering and looked down to face the maid. “I don’t let people in lightly. Yet this all happened without my permission?”

“I’m sorry, Your Grace.”

Eva bowed deeply in panic, but the arrogant maid tilted her head with a sullen face.

Kaiden’s limited patience wore thin.

“You absolutely may not quit. Work quietly.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Why are you being like this?”

Kaiden flinched briefly at the maid’s protest, then shouted, “Isn’t it suspicious, how you tried to flee as soon as you learned who I was?”

“Suspicious? I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then you have no reason to quit. Eva, send someone to the steward. Have them bring an employment contract here immediately.”

“Now hold on a second—”

Eva cut off Geneve’s protest and answered politely, “Yes, Your Grace.”

***

“Your surname?”

“Geneve Green,” Geneve answered offhandedly, staring daggers at the contract before her.

“Sign it.”

The standoff had gone on for over an hour.

There was no way out.

When backed into a corner, people tend to resort to positive thinking.

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to work for a short time?

She had nowhere else to go anyway.

She couldn’t return home.

Even if the female lead chose a different path after regressing, it wasn’t safe yet.

There was also the possibility that their regression points were different.

In the novel, the female lead was executed for her crimes months after Geneve’s death, then she regressed.

If time flowed the same way, it would be months before Leonie turned over a new leaf.

Of course, it could be different.

Maybe all their meetings were reset to only after the regression.

Whatever the case, since nothing was certain, she didn’t want to risk bumping into any character from the novel.

“Why won’t you sign? Your hesitation makes you more suspicious. Did you come to spy on us?”

“I didn’t even know who you were. What would I spy on?”

“It could be information about House Javier.”

“For what reason?”

What secrets could a modest count family possibly have?

Tired of the argument, Geneve decided to just sign.

A month should be enough to clear up any misunderstandings, and then she could quit without drama.

Besides, House Javier wasn’t even part of the original novel, so what could possibly happen in such a short time?

Hadn’t the Grand Duke only visited twice in the three years since inheriting the title?

They wouldn’t even run into each other often. Worrying in advance was foolish.

Having made up her mind, Geneve was about to sign the contract but paused.

The working conditions were just too poor.

Four people living off her current stipend was a stretch.

Wasn’t the fight with Mr. Burt today because she tried to buy decent ingredients on a tight budget?

It seemed like he would agree to anything at this point, so Geneve lowered the pen again.

“I think the working conditions need to be adjusted.”

“What do you mean?”

“Living expenses. It’s been three years since the previous count passed away. Due to the aftermath of the war, prices have risen significantly. With the current stipend, it’s too tight for four people to live on.”

Kaiden tilted his head slightly.

He recalled the scene of the maid arguing with the grocer.

“Fine. I’ll increase it.”

“It can’t be delayed either.”

The steward who had been waiting nearby jumped in surprise and stepped forward.

He had come rushing with the contract in hand, having left lunch midway at the Grand Duke’s command.

“Hey, that’s…”

As he grabbed the maid’s arm with a flustered face, a stern voice cut in.

“Silence!”

With a frightening expression, the Grand Duke ordered the caretaker to step back and asked, “What do you mean it can’t be delayed?”

“For five months before I arrived, the staff’s wages and living expenses hadn’t been paid. Everyone pooled what little money they had saved to scrape by, but we nearly starved. I need a promise it won’t happen again.”

“The wages and living expenses were delayed?”

Kaiden’s gaze turned toward the steward, who was trembling like an aspen tree.

“What is the meaning of this?”

The steward quickly fell to his knees and pleaded. “Y-Your Grace, please forgive me. It was a small oversight. I forgot, but I addressed it immediately after realizing.”

“You forgot, did you…”

Surprisingly, the Grand Duke’s voice was calm.

No, it even seemed softer than before.

Mistaking this for understanding, the steward continued to make excuses.

“I was so busy, I missed a few payments.”

“I thought your only responsibility was managing House Javier? Was that not the case?”

When he inherited the title, he had left the long-serving steward in place.

Even Bern had said, since it wasn’t a position involving large sums, it was fine to let the current person handle it.

And yet, this had happened.

It was clear now, neglect inevitably led to problems.

“I took on additional work…”

“So you’ve become busier, have you?”

“Y-Yes, Your Grace. I’m sorry. This kind of mistake will never happen again…”

“If you’re so busy, then resign from House Javier.”

“Y-Your Grace…”

Startled, the steward began to protest, but the moment he met the Grand Duke’s gaze, he fell silent.

The golden eyes staring back at him were cold and predatory like a beast.

Overcome by a chilling fear, the steward dropped his eyes and bowed his head.

“Leave. Someone will come tomorrow to take over your duties.”

At the tone that allowed no argument, the steward had no choice but to obey.

Before exiting, he glared at the maid sitting on the sofa.

He had only borrowed a bit from House Javier’s living funds.

But because she made a fuss, he had to go into debt to repay it.

Wasn’t that the end of it?

And yet she went and tattled to the Grand Duke.

Grinding his teeth, the steward stormed out of the office, vowing never to forget this day.

“With a new steward, there won’t be any delays in living expenses, and I said I’d raise the stipend. Are we done now?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Now that all her conditions had been met, there was no reason to hesitate.

“We should throw a celebration, shouldn’t we?” Philip chimed in upon seeing her sign the contract.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

“This is a rare sight indeed…”

As Philip gleefully teased Kaiden, a knock came at the door.

With permission to enter, Patrick stepped in and spoke politely, “Your Grace, you have a visitor.”

“A visitor?”

Kaiden and Philip exchanged glances.

No one should know they were here. Who could it be?

“A young lady claiming to be the late Count’s daughter has come.”

Startled by the unexpected statement, Philip asked in shock, “The Count of Javier had a daughter?”

“If that were true, I would’ve known.”

“Don’t call a person ‘that.’”

“I don’t intend to treat a con artist like a person.”

“No need to rush. You can decide after meeting her.”

Kaiden gave a faint smile at Philip’s suggestion. “There’s no way Bern would’ve overlooked something like that.”

“True. No chance.”

Baron Bern, the head butler of House Dumar who had raised Kaiden from infancy.

Someone like him wouldn’t have finalized the inheritance without fully investigating the title Kaiden was to receive.

“Still, shouldn’t we meet her? Even if she’s a fraud, we can’t let her go around spreading lies elsewhere.”

Though clearly displeased, Kaiden gave a slight nod to Patrick.

As soon as permission was granted, Patrick dashed out and returned shortly with a woman.

“Hello. I’m Leonie Mans—no, Javier.”

“Unbelievable. Leonie?”

Even before Kaiden could react to the imposter’s appearance, a sharp curse erupted from the front.