The Villainess's Secret Bedroom Service
Chapter 33: The Helper

Chapter 33: The Helper

Rosalie kept pacing back and forth in the duke’s study, her whole body overwhelmed with anxiousness. Excited to go on a picnic with the duke, she rushed to prepare everything needed for a pleasant time outside, and now it was all done and ready, except for one crucial component – Damien Dio himself.

She cast another restless glance at the large golden clock on the opposite wall and let out a disappointed sigh. The day was nearly over, and she feared that her momentum would be lost as having a picnic in the dark garden sounded rather depressing than nice.

Felix, who was busy going through the endless piles of paperwork, tried to remain calm and reserved this whole time, but with each short session of Rosalie’s pacing and loud sighing, his whole body winced, making him either spill the ink or crumple an important document. At last, tired and irritated, he put away the papers, adjusted his round spectacles, and said, struggling to remain calm and courtly,

"Lady Rosalie, please, take a seat and wait quietly. I have a lot of work, and your presence here does not help me one bit. Moreover, His Grace is a very busy man, so he might not return until very late. Perhaps you should try again tomorrow."

Lady Ashter’s face turned sad and somewhat darkened. She was not upset because her effort to do something nice for the duke might have been in vain, but because she realized once again how overworked Damien was already, and on top of his piling duties, he now had to take care of her as well.

’Felix told me that Damien left for the Imperial Palace at five in the morning. Even if he does manage to come back before dinner, he would most likely be too tired to entertain my idea of having a picnic outside.’

The girl pulled another chair next to Felix’s, then placed her elbows on the wide wooden desk, and rested her chin on her hands, casting sneaky glances at Lord Howyer’s scribbling. She spent a good couple of minutes watching the man work until she could no longer hold back her curiosity and asked,

"What are you doing?"

Startled by her loud question and the overall proximity of her body next to his, Felix almost dropped the fountain pen, risking destroying yet another important paper. He took off his glasses, wiped his tired face with both palms, and sighed. There was no escape from this girl.

"I apologize, My Lady, but this is rather tedious. Do not concern yourself with it."

Rosalie put on a playful pout and nodded in response, although her curiosity was still left unsatisfied, flaring up her already growing restlessness and boredom. She returned to watching Felix work with the papers when she noticed him pausing a little longer on one particular document with the word "Confidential" written at the top in red ink. The girl leaned closer in an attempt to see what it was about and read,

’Suspicious movement at the Eastern border. Suspecting illegal border crossing.’

Rosalie scratched her right cheek and tried to recall the plot of the novel. There was indeed a mention of such a case – convicted members of the Demonic Cult, who were awaiting their trial and execution, managed to find a way to escape prison and even secretly cross the border near the Kingdom of Izaar, seeking refuge from religious persecution.

The author only briefly mentioned that case, stating that Damien was busy with its investigation, but he never managed to find the mastermind behind it nor could he prevent it from happening in the future.

’Now that I think about it, why did the author even write about it? I do not remember it emerging again further in the story... Did she just do it to fill in the gaps before starting the main story with Evangeline? Or did she forget about it altogether?’

She shook her head lightly, trying to free herself from unnecessary thoughts, and leaned on her right arm, returning to watching Felix’s meticulous working process. Rosalie then noticed that the aide’s hands were smudged with ink and covered in multiple paper cuts from all the papers he had to sort, and a sudden exciting thought came to her mind.

"Uhm, Felix? Would you like me to help you with that? It looks like you still have a lot of paperwork to do, and I am entirely free."

Lord Howyer raised his eyebrows in complete bewilderment and was ready to reject her offer, but Lady Ashter’s beautiful smile and beaming eyes melted his heart almost instantly. Thus, all he could do was sigh and reluctantly reply,

"Well... If you are so eager to engage yourself with something useful, Lady Rosalie, then you can help me sort these documents for His Grace. Take this pile and sort each document according to the priority marked by the stamp."

Rosalie smiled again and offered Felix an enthusiastic nod. She was happy that she could be of any help to him; after all, this was also something that would benefit Damien Dio. Moreover, she herself was very good at handling paperwork – back in her real world, Wang Meiling worked as an office manager; therefore, such labor was a piece of cake for her.

***

As the two of them continued to work side by side, Felix could not help but feel amazed by how diligently and skillfully Rosalie was handling the documents. Since he had never met her before and had molded his opinion of her by collecting bits and pieces of the gossip circulating among socialites, he considered the girl as nothing else but a spoiled and overprotected young lady, averse to any kind of work. However, as he observed her working enthusiasm, his heart began to slowly open up to her as well.

’I thought His Grace was simply blinded by love, enchanted by her elegant beauty, but I am starting to think that I might have been wrong after all.’

The moment he finished that thought, both Rosalie and Felix flinched as they heard heavy steps approaching the duke’s study. The heavy wooden door opened with a quiet creak, prompting them to rise to their feet instantaneously, as if they were struck by a lightning bolt. While Felix’s face regained its composed and serious expression, Rosalie’s lips curled into a warm and affectionate smile.

Damien was back.