CHAPTER :1.8

The much-anticipated first day of work was about to end in a deserted archive. Just as Audrey was beginning to lose heart, she heard the old wooden door creak open.

“How’s it going?”

“Oh, brother!”

“What? Did you finish it already?”

“That’s…….”

Claude’s eyes widened at the unannounced arrival and the cleaned-up archive.

His gloomy face bothered her, so she stopped by for a moment. The archive that the six of us had been working on all week and finally gave up on had been organized in just a few hours.

There must have been boxes that were too heavy for one person to take out, and many documents that were jumbled and hard to find. he was proud of Audrey for doing her job without a care in the world.

“Audrey.”

Claude patted her on the crown of her head as if watering a bud.

“Someone did a good job. Hmm?”

“……!”

“What else did she do to the stand?”

They noticed small changes that no one else noticed and praised me as if I had done something extraordinary. I felt like I was dreaming.

“It’s a secret,” I said, “but no one has ever succeeded in organizing these archives.”

“What?”

“Because it was such a mess, I couldn’t do it. You did it.”

“……!”

“Good for you.”

“Well, it’s my job, of course I did!”

Audrey was so flattered by the praise that she couldn’t help but bluff.

“Oops!

I spit it out, and it’s so embarrassing. That’s not something you’d expect from someone who’s been bumping into things all day, is it?

I hesitated, covering my mouth, and Claude smiled at me as if I didn’t need to.

“Ah, dazzling.

A cool, upturned mouth and a deep cavern at the end of it. And the way his eyes slant upward. There was something about this man who smiled with his whole face that I couldn’t quite place. For some reason, I felt like I could see affection radiating from those sweet eyes. It was a cute face.

“……!”

Instantly, my heart dropped to my toes.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

Just before falling asleep at the end of a long day. As fate would have it, Audrey read an article.

“Confession Day, the day love is made

“Love is made?

She flipped through the magazine through half-closed eyes, her mind racing.

Spring is in full bloom. You, the unrequited crush!

“Oh my God. Isn’t this my story?”

Why don’t I tell you how I feel before it’s too late?

“……Can I?”

Audrey spoke to the magazine, her face grim.

She was even more tempted when she saw the words “99.99999% Confession Rate!” written in tiny print above the big headline.

The monastic social scene is all about Confession Day.

Confession Day is a day of love, celebrated because the numbers are said to look like hearts when placed side by side.

It’s coming up on May 2.

But when I read the article, I steamed.

“What is this, another fad?”

A craze in the capital’s social scene? Audrey had never heard of it before. I’m sure it’s a ploy to sell the pheromone perfume, bouquets of roses, and other accessories underneath, but common sense dictates that it’s a day with a 99.99999 percent concession rate.

Numb fingertips tossed the magazine aside and picked up the familiar Imperial Newspaper.

“Don Trusty’s Column Today

: The Desire Behind the Symbol of Abstinence – Are People Who Wear Black More Horny?

“…….”

But even with an interesting topic in front of me, my mind kept drifting back to the magazine. After rolling her eyes as hard as she could, Audrey finally surrendered.

“Hmmmmm, just in case…… Well, it can’t hurt to know, right?”

The magazine flew out of the corner of her eye.

Audrey read the article carefully as if she could memorize it.

Q. Did Confession Day work?

A. Absolutely! On the first day of a new year, you’re kind of new and excited, and I think that’s kind of how it works. My boyfriend was feeling a little flirty that day, too, and he said he thought his heart was falling because I confessed. If it had been a day later, I would have been dumped. (laughs)

He’s got a point!

Despite her snort, Audrey was quickly convinced. But as she continued to watch the interviews of the two-then-one couple, she felt an unnecessary pang of envy.

“I wish…….”

Her paper-doll-like body slumped backward. Outside the window, a cool spring breeze was blowing, and the rain of flowers was drifting down. As I stared at the tickling scene, I felt a tickling sensation, as if a petal had landed on my heart.

Was it the fluttering landscape? Audrey subconsciously began to take stock of her holdings. It was also the way Claude had looked at her today that kept making her stomach churn.

“Let’s see…… how much is left of the golden mansion?

In my head, the gold bars in the secret vault began to stack up like bricks. One more gold bar would be enough to finish the job.

“……!”

That meant that Claude had only two days left to build the landmark in his mind. I decided that I would propose to him one day when I had built a magnificent golden mansion.

“Oh, my God!”

Audrey jumped to her feet and clutched her face. Her face was hot and her heart was beating like it was going to burst.

“This is a sign from heaven!”

Once she realized it, she felt unnecessarily sweet. She wanted to run to him right now and tell him her heart in the rain.

But there was one thing that bothered her: she wasn’t sure about Claude’s feelings.

I know he doesn’t hate me. But there’s no guarantee that he has feelings for me, and the only comfort is that Iam the only woman he’s allowed to be around.

“…….”

Audrey paused for a moment, then looked up again.

Yes, not all emotions start on the same level. Maybe it’s her job to level the playing field, and she doesn’t have to accept it right away. Audrey’s confession is a great first step in their relationship.

Most of all, I don’t want to sit on the sidelines and wait for him. I didn’t have the heart to hide my growing feelings.

“Let’s give it to him while it’s still pretty and fresh before it rots ugly.

It had been a long time since Audrey had grown up. No one would blame her if they met. Besides, she is the third youngest signet in the empire under the pseudonym Claudia Obel. Love for him? That’s a mouthful.

Isn’t that enough to make her a good spouse? At the very least, shouldn’t I be able to make him think?

“Brother, I won’t let you get a drop of water on your hands!

The recommended method of confession by ten pairs of lovers was a love letter. They said that the affection of the other person, which could be seen through the letters, gave them great emotion and resonance.

“Letters. What do you mean, letters?

She waved her hand in the air, and a calendar in the distance flew up.

But as she glanced at the date, her face immediately paled.

“In two days?”

There was only a short time left until confession day. It’s already Wednesday, and if I go to work tomorrow, it’s Thursday. Will I be able to write and deliver the letter by Friday?

Audrey put her head in her hands and despaired.

It was one thing to love someone, but it was quite another to express it in writing. And the biggest problem of all…… was that she wasn’t very good at writing. Love letters weren’t something you could just magically create.

“What can I do?”

Well, first of all, let’s make a love letter or something like it, even if it means staying up all night. Audrey believed that if she put her heart into it, something would happen.

But she was very mistaken.

＊ ＊ ＊ ＊

The next morning. Audrey woke up bleary-eyed to the chatter of her maids.

“Oh my!”

“Miss, come on, wake up!”

“Mmm…… I want to sleep a little longer…….”

“Claude has sent you a gift!”

“……What?”

Sitting up, Audrey looked around with bloodshot eyes.

“Where? Where?”