Deborah narrowed her brows and tilted her head slightly as she asked, “Pardon?”
Zen elegantly crossed his long legs and opened his arrogantly curved lips.
“I plan to, rather, I have hired you.”
“Hired me, all of a sudden?”
“Suddenly? We decided earlier. Surely you must have noticed how the long line in the hallway has completely disappeared?”
Deborah stared at the arrogantly raised corner of his lips and calmed herself down.
‘Relax. No need to reply in haste. Just speak slowly.’
Regaining her composure, Deborah spoke,
“Mr. Baker, as you can see, I am not suited to be a personal maid.”
A personal maid should be sensitive to trends and extraordinarily beautiful.
The most desirable maids among the nobles are often older, with plenty of experience, connections, and knowledge of scandalous rumors that entertain or embarrass the nobility.
If not reaching that level, it’s better to hire a younger maid who is adaptable to changes, especially in this sensitive period of rapidly changing trends.
But Deborah fit neither category. She might have a somewhat acceptable appearance, but that was it.
She was neither a veteran maid familiar with trends and high society nor a young maid sensitive to fashion trends. Moreover, she was a widow who had to wear mourning clothes for another year.
Why would anyone deliberately hire such a woman?
‘No reason at all.’
After organizing her thoughts, Deborah said,
“There must be better candidates than me. Are you sure you want to miss out on those options?”
“None of the people I’ve seen so far matched up.”
“There must be someone among those who couldn’t finish their interviews who could satisfy Mr. Baker.”
“Well, from what I’ve seen, they were all mediocre.”
Zen replied, not avoiding Deborah’s calmly shining eyes, even smiling as if pleased.
“……But let me remind you again, I am not suitable”
“Whether you’re suitable or not is for me to decide.”
His golden eyes blazed fiercely, like a predator eyeing its prey.
Deborah sighed and said,
“Mr. Baker, please understand my position.”
“Well, I don’t know what your intentions are.”
“I am a person with many shortcomings.”
“The letter from the Duchess of Forea was full of praise for you. By belittling yourself, aren’t you insulting the judgment of your ‘Lady Saint’?”
Deborah’s lips parted slightly then closed again. She glanced at her teacup before Zen continued speaking.
“Anyway……”
Zen took a sip of his tea, perhaps to calm his mind as well.
“You’ve had your interview, and I’ve chosen a candidate that I like. So, I’ve wrapped up the interview schedule. But now you’re saying you don’t want to work? That means gathering the interviewees again and wasting more of my precious time. Who’s going to compensate for that loss?”
Zen spoke sharply. In response, Deborah put on a pitiful look.
‘If I could, I’d scream at you for irresponsibly ending the interviews and sending everyone away.’
‘Was I such a desirable candidate that you wanted to coerce me into accepting the job? Unlikely.’
Zen always chose the best. Even Dia, the protagonist, was the most beautiful in the kingdom and of noble blood.
‘Why can’t this man let go of someone as flawed as me?’
Deborah’s head was clouded with confusion, but she couldn’t just remain silent.
“Mr. Baker.”
“Please, speak.”
Deborah, belonging to a weaker class in this world, was also a wise person. Even in ‘fairly normal situations,’ she knew it was easier to bow her head, a fact she understood all too well.
In the stifling situation, Deborah wasn’t one to stay silent and just be swept away. She had to struggle to escape.
“Regardless of the interview result, I must return to Lady Saint. That fact remains unchanged.”
Deborah’s gaze as she spoke was steadfast.
If Deborah were truly an ordinary candidate, she would have needed to return home to pack her things. There was the handover of her previous job to think about too. That was the common sense approach.
Of course, Deborah planned to plead with Lady Saint that she couldn’t take this job and even considered fleeing if necessary.
‘I hope it doesn’t come to that.’
The reason for Deborah’s unusual behavior was that the story of Zen and Dia was just that terrible. To witness it right beside them? Deborah didn’t have the confidence for that.
Then Zen, with a beautiful eyebrow raised, asked,
“Do you really need to go on such a long journey?”
“Anyway, I have to gather my belongings, don’t I?”
“I’ll send someone to fetch them.”
“I have many precious belongings. Difficult to entrust to others…”
“I’ll make sure someone meticulous, down to the last speck of dust, takes care of it. Don’t worry.”
Deborah was taken aback. She hadn’t expected the conversation to be so difficult.
‘So headstrong!’
Her head throbbed with frustration, but she didn’t show it.
“But shouldn’t I at least say goodbye to Lady Saint?”
Zen, following her smile, also smiled. It was far from a peaceful smile.
“That will be taken care of too.”
At that point, Deborah frowned.
Zen watched her pupils and thought for a moment.
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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