88

“You’re going to swell up badly.”

My eyes were so swollen from nonstop crying that my pupils were barely visible. After finally releasing the anxiety I’d been holding in, I felt a little calmer. There was no clear solution, but I tried to accept things as they were.

‘I feel sorry for Aidan.’

He had lent me his shoulder for a long time before he left. I always assumed he liked to cheerfully probe questions until he got an answer, but in moments like that he felt more mature than I did. I decided to thank him properly later and got ready for work.

‘First, let’s reduce the puffiness.’

I could only leave the house after wetting a spoon with cold water and pressing it against my eyes several times.

Fortunately, my brother and sister seemed unaware of what had happened thanks to Aidan’s magic.

The Chancellery I returned to was as busy as ever. After briefly greeting my colleagues, I began clearing the backlog. Lukan slid up beside me.

“Did you have a good trip?”

I smiled at his kindly face.

“Yeah. It felt nice to go back to my hometown after a while.”

He studied my face and tilted his head. “Did something happen?”

I figured my swollen eyes must still show, but I answered calmly. “No, why?”

“Hmm… it’s just that something seems different.”

“Actually, going back home after a long time brought back a lot of memories. I felt nostalgic.”

“Really?”

Lukan didn’t press and moved on. “Did you see the notice about the delegation?”

It was the first I’d heard of it.

“A delegation?”

“They say they’ll send a delegation to the Yuno Kingdom.”

Elysia, who seemed interested, came over. I never understood why everyone preferred to talk face-to-face instead of using communication artifacts.

“Yuno is that the country where Marcus, the former Chancellor, hid slush funds?”

This affair—started by an adultery scandal—had ballooned so far I couldn’t help but be astonished. Elysia pushed up her glasses and continued, “That’s right. They’ll go to negotiate and trace overseas funds. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will lead the delegation. Each department will send at least one person. It’s safe to assume Coco will almost certainly go.”

“Is that so?”

As the bill’s sponsor, no one knew the noble asset registration system better than I did, so it made sense I’d be on the list. The attendees would likely be drawn from the Asset Department.

When the Duke’s face came to mind, my chest tightened.

‘Would the Supreme Justice go all the way there? He’d probably send the chief magistrate.’

Muttering that senior executives rarely traveled, I headed to the third floor to the Minister of Finance’s office. From there I saw the Duke approaching, speaking with Illya the aide.

I wasn’t ready to see him, so I ducked into the nearest office and hid.

“Who—?”

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I’ll be out in a moment.”

I had stumbled into a bureaucrat sprawled on a sofa; I didn’t care.

Only after the Duke and his party had passed did I come out and breathe in relief. I didn’t have the confidence to meet him with the same easy smile as before.

‘Let’s live like this for a while.’

So whenever I might see the Duke, I hid. In meetings I stuck to the agenda and left as soon as they ended. It might have looked petty, but given the circumstances it was the best I could manage.

It was my minimal protective shield.

But there was a place I couldn’t avoid.

‘If someone comes without an appointment like that, you’re helpless.’

He arrived urgently saying he needed advice, and I couldn’t refuse. Even with my face hidden, I felt guilty rejecting him.

“I confessed.”

“…!”

To be honest, I wanted to avoid it because I expected that would be the topic. But here I wasn’t Cornelia; I was Master Quokka. He didn’t know my identity, so I composed myself and raised my energy.

“O—! A real man indeed! Did it work?”

It felt almost guilty to ask when I already knew the result.

“No. I got rejected.”

“Oh my! Not recognizing Little Lamb’s worth—what a shame for them!”

It sounded like something he was telling himself.

“No. It’s okay. She must’ve been flustered too. I wasn’t planning to confess like that either, but the situation… it turned out that way.”

“…Y-yeah.”

We fell into a solemn silence; no implied words were necessary—we’d both experienced it.

“So, did you come to ask how to win her back? Hmm… sorry, but I’m not a relationship expert—so I can’t be of much help—.”

I tried to deflect, but the Duke’s thoughts ran elsewhere.

“You’re probably better than me at it.”

“……”

“Actually, that’s true as well.”

I wanted to sew my mouth shut for babbling then, not knowing the one he had confessed to was me.

“Rather than my confession… actually, I have another concern.”

Relieved to change the subject, I brightened. “Oh, okay. What is it, what is it—?”

“She is avoiding me.”

For a moment I lost my breath, but forced myself to continue. I hadn’t thought he’d notice that.

“Why do you think that?”

“When she sees me from afar she suddenly hides somewhere, and if I try to speak to her she darts away as if fleeing.”

“Oh, how did you notice that?”

“I could see everything.”

Only then did I remember one obvious fact: his physical abilities weren’t ordinary—they were enough to turn the tide of a war.

According to Pinea, even the current captains of the royal knights couldn’t beat the Duke in swordsmanship. I couldn’t verify the truth, but gossip rarely appeared from nowhere.

“She was fine until a few days ago, then suddenly started acting like this; I don’t know why. I don’t know what to do. I don’t want to grab her and force questions. She’s the type to face difficult things confidently.”

‘He doesn’t know how cowardly and timid I am.’

He worried about my position even though his own feelings would justify disappointment. My throat went dry. I wet it with the water beside me and steadied my voice.

“Maybe she has her own circumstances.”

“Circumstances?”

“There might be a reason she can’t return your feelings, and if her behavior suddenly changed there could be unavoidable reasons. From what I saw, she’s dealing with something right in front of her, leaving no room for you. She’s a busy person, after all.”

The Duke listened in silence.

“If you keep waiting you’ll get hurt. Don’t take it to heart; let her go. She already rejected you… sadly, think of it as not meant to be.”

Saying words I didn’t mean made my heart sink. After a long pause, the Duke slowly removed Little Lamb’s mask with both hands.

“If it were as easy as saying it… then I wouldn’t have even started.”

“……”

Even wearing the Quokka mask, I couldn’t speak.

The day the delegation departed arrived. As expected, my name was on the list. Having avoided the Duke for so long, I resolved to do the talks successfully and return.

‘I can do it.’

Because the Yuno Kingdom lacked mages and had no royal gate, we had to travel by ship.

“Coco, over here!”

At the port, Lukan and Elysia waved. Since it was a delegation, each department had sent extra people for experience: Reyra and finance officer Abel from the Ministry of Finance; the Duke and Illya the aide representing Justice; and Simon, Shaun the foreign officer, and the Foreign Minister leading the delegation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

“Coco!”

The Magic Tower representative Aidan appeared, his fair features framed by pale violet hair, and waved as he approached.

“Aidan.”

He studied my face and gave a small smile. “You look better than before.”

I couldn’t help smiling back. “Thanks to you, Aidan.”

“I’m attending this delegation because of Coco, so you have to have fun!”

The mature demeanor he’d shown earlier was gone; he was back to being an innocent magic enthusiast.

“I’ll definitely repay my debt. But this is work—work comes first.”

“Heh…”

I tried to pout, but it didn’t affect him. Aidan’s aide’s eyes nearly popped out at me, and I just shrugged. I accepted that Kiara’s family inexplicably liked me now.

Before departure, the Foreign Minister gathered the knights, servants, and officials and spoke.

‘I think I’ve seen him before.’

Ian Yudora, the Marquis. His face seemed familiar, though I couldn’t place it.

“The Yuno Kingdom is a coastal realm. The weather is fine, so lodging shouldn’t be a problem, but as representatives of a foreign country you must not act in ways that harm the Empire’s dignity. Moreover, since Prince Raven will be going, be extra careful not to create any scandal. If anything happens, I will report it in full to His Majesty.”

It was a grim, terrifying warning. After that, the Foreign Minister briskly ordered our departure, saying he was busy.

It was a week’s voyage, and I couldn’t leave my cabin the whole time.

“Ugh!”

I was seasick. In my previous life I’d never been on a ship, so I didn’t even know I got seasick.

‘I didn’t expect to feel like I was going to die like this.’

My stomach heaved as if I’d been hit with the worst hangover and my head spun. I couldn’t stand and lay in my cabin with my eyes closed. The fellow who was supposed to be the next Magic Tower Master didn’t know how to cure seasickness with magic either. What useless magic.

At least one good thing: when the Duke came to check on me and voiced concern, I could answer him naturally.

“Secretary Cornelia. Are you all right?”

“No… please save me….”

I thought I saw myself grab the captain by the collar, but feeling so sick I convinced myself it was a hallucination and fell into a deep sleep.