For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 18
The more time I spent with him, the more dangerous moments seemed to increase.
With my eyes tightly closed, I had to reflect on whether I had been too kind to him.
Had I treated him too well at the market today?
‘I gave him a little money and then was too busy to pay much attention…’
His harmless smile just now made my heart uneasy.
I needed to send him back quickly before he developed feelings too close to me.
‘When will the Duke arrive?’
***
I purposely left for work before Declan woke up.
It seemed necessary to keep some distance from him.
He listened to me well and didn’t bother me. It felt like I had a pet who greeted me when I came home from work, so I had unknowingly started being kind in my expressions and tone with him these days.
I reprimanded myself for becoming lazy.
Because Declan was friendly to me, I had been certain I wouldn’t be executed by him.
I had been complacent.
‘Avoiding execution doesn’t solve everything.’
Even if I won his favor and avoided immediate death, if the male lead’s obsession in this depraved novel turned towards me, it would be equally miserable.
Last night.
Indeed, Declan’s red eyes had a different light than usual.
My heart pounded anxiously, signaling a red flag.
I felt that if things continued this way, I wouldn’t escape the fate of the original female lead. So, I resolved to put in more effort.
And the best choice I could make was to minimize the time spent with him.
I decided, tearfully, to work overtime every day.
‘I’m tired, tired, tired.’
After a few hours of flipping through documents with bleary eyes at work.
Knock, knock.
Someone was tapping on my desk.
“Yes?”
“It’s for you.”
Assistant Frassy handed me a square box, saying it was for me, so I unwrapped it under everyone’s gaze.
It was the first package I had ever received, and I felt bewildered as I unwrapped it. Inside the luxurious box was something round and elongated.
The sender was…
“Chief Ribolto?”
The moment I saw that name, I was wide awake and hastily pulled out the letter to read it.
「As a token of our contract’s success, I am sending you this gift.
P.S. I hope it serves well in many places.」
Ribolto had sent a cooling magic tool that, when sprayed on something, would quickly lower its temperature and, if used for a long time, would freeze it.
While thinking that Ribolto lacked the sense to choose a proper gift considering the snowy weather outside, I found a small note at the bottom of the box.
「They have adjusted the schedule and will arrive within three days.」
Even though the sentence lacked a direct object, I immediately understood.
It was a message sent to inform me that contact had been made from the Duke’s residence.
‘Three days…?’
The short deadline made me bite my lips.
I had to raid the safe immediately.
Before the Duke arrived, I had to have evidence to ruin this household in my hands.
***
Dragging my tired body, I walked through the long corridor of the mansion.
‘They made me work overtime until dawn, and now I have to leave with extra work in hand.’
Plodding along, yawning widely, I suddenly stopped in my tracks at the sight of a pale figure perched on the railing at the end of the arched corridor.
In the middle of the night…?
Thinking it might be a ghost, I squinted my eyes, and what came into focus was Pacion.
He jumped down and stood in front of me.
‘What the…’
I swallowed the curse that nearly slipped out and greeted him. Pacion looked down at me with his usual inscrutable expression.
“You.”
“…Yes?”
Just as his prolonged silence was beginning to make me uneasy, he tilted his head slightly and spoke.
“I have grown fond of you.”
“…?”
What was that supposed to mean?
Was he saying his feelings had changed? But why did he have to come here to tell me that?
And at such an ungodly hour with the moon so high.
Trying to gauge his intentions, I waited for him to finish.
He took a step forward and came right up to me.
The scent of grass wafted from him. He must have spent time in the trees again.
“The insignificant life you’ve struggled to preserve, don’t you find it pitiful?”
“…?”
“You are intelligent, so I trust you will not do anything foolish.”
His voice, cold enough to drop icicles, made me realize one thing.
He knew what I was planning to do.
“This is the first and last warning.”
Pacion turned and walked away from the corridor, his long sleeves fluttering like something out of a martial arts novel.
