CHAPTER 07
When he was younger, he was called the Little Duke. Now, he had become a real Duke. Which meant—the story starring him had already begun.
That was exactly why Riana had always avoided the Veloci estate like the plague.
“…The Droche Duke’s estate.”
Only after the cat added that did Riana finally breathe again.
“Thank goodness. But seriously, how are you so smart for a cat? You can tell the quality of paper, and you even memorize noble family crests…”
She grumbled as she tore open the envelope. But her voice trailed off, and her expression went blank after skimming the contents.
She stared at it again from the beginning, doubting her eyes.
This request was unlike anything she’d ever seen.
“…Hey, Cat.”
The cat, who had been peeking at the letter over her shoulder, twitched its ears. Riana gently patted its little head.
“Mom got a job.”
The grand gates of the Duke’s estate were so tall that even tilting her head all the way back, Riana couldn’t see the top.
Standing in front of them, she took a deep breath and gathered her thoughts—reviewing the information she’d researched about the Droche Duke.
‘Killian Marius Droche. One of only two Dukes in the entire kingdom.’
The Veloci Duke had been cursed and hidden away for years, so there was no doubt that Droche was the most influential noble.
He was so powerful that he lived in a palace right in the capital’s royal district. And above all…
“They say he’s insanely handsome…”
The words slipped from her mouth.
He was so good-looking that people talked more about his looks than the fact that he was an excellent magician. And that didn’t mean he lacked magical skill.
‘With that kind of backstory, he’s either the male lead or the male lead’s legendary grandfather.’
Either way, there was a high chance he was the male lead of this romance fantasy webtoon set in the capital.
But even if that were true, it didn’t matter.
The pay for this job was too good to pass up just because the male lead might be intimidating.
“Two months of work is enough to buy an island…”
Of course she was going to do it.
Getting dragged into the story was scary, sure—but money was more important. Getting involved didn’t always mean a tragic death.
‘As long as I don’t become a villainess who dies a terrible death, I’ll be fine.’
Falling for someone else’s man—especially the heroine’s love interest—was the fastest route to a bad ending.
So, as long as she didn’t fall in love, she wouldn’t die.
Riana braced herself and stepped forward.
There were several buildings inside the estate. The Duke was in the eastern isolation tower.
Riana went all the way up to the top floor. Other than her—and the man who was waiting—there was no one in the building.
After walking down a quiet hallway, she entered a drawing room and immediately saw a man standing by the window.
His hair was black like a winter night. Underneath it, his pale neck was visible. His broad shoulders were covered in the kingdom’s finest suit fabric, and his long arms extended from the sleeves.
A silver watch wrapped around his wrist gleamed as he gracefully picked up a teapot from a shelf.
Pour—
Even the sound of him pouring tea felt magical.
No, it wasn’t just her imagination.
It really was special. She could swear she’d just heard the sound of the Milky Way being poured into a cup.
Dizzy from the surreal moment, Riana staggered slightly. The Duke sensed her presence and turned his head.
Regaining control of her body, Riana stepped forward and bowed politely.
“I’m Riana, from the Midas Employment Agency.”
Maybe it was the pressure of being in front of someone who might be the world’s protagonist, or the awe of standing before such nobility—or maybe…
It was because he was just too perfect and beautiful.
Her mind went fuzzy. She couldn’t breathe.
Clink—
The Duke set down the teapot and turned to face her. His shirt was flawlessly crisp, and his pants were neatly pressed.
Riana only realized they had made eye contact a moment too late. His eyes were truly blue.
The most perfect shade of blue that could exist. Probably the exact color of the Caribbean Sea.
From this moment on, Riana felt she had earned the right to say she’d seen the most beautiful ocean in the world.
She didn’t even notice right away that he was offering his hand.
‘So elegant.’
Too precious to touch.
Thinking it was for a handshake, she reached out—and he gently took her hand. His touch was as delicate as a master watchmaker handling a timepiece.
He spoke softly.
“This is a problem.”
Then, suddenly, he knelt on one knee.
“My secretary didn’t tell me the new maid would look like this.”
His soft lips brushed the back of her hand.
“Killian Droche. Welcome to the Duke’s estate.”
Riana focused on his appearance like she was admiring a piece of art.
Because of that, most of what he said went in one ear and out the other—except one thing stuck:
“Do you like black tea?”
Even his voice was art.
‘Is this workplace for real? The benefits are amazing.’
Even though she was too dazed to answer, the Duke handed her a steaming teacup.
She took it before she could even register if it was a grenade or a porcelain cup.
Watching her stunned expression, the Duke smiled gently.
“I’m glad you like it.”
Snapping out of it, Riana finally spoke.
“…I didn’t say I liked black tea.”
“I didn’t mean the tea.”
He narrowed his eyes and added calmly:
“You looked like you liked something else.”
He wasn’t wrong. The more she stared into his eyes, the more her mind blanked out.
“That’s why I’m glad.”
Her brain had already shut down. She had no strength to argue.
“Because I feel the same.”
And still, his smooth, noble voice filled the empty space in her mind.
Then came the finishing blow:
“I fell for you at first sight.”
I fell for you at first sight…
…at first sight…
…first sight…
The words echoed in her head.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Her heart pounded as if it were trying to escape her chest.
In that moment, Riana thought: If death has even a sliver of pleasure, it probably feels like this.
Before she came to this world, Riana had loved stories—but she wasn’t exactly a diligent reader.
She had majored in theatre and film, preferred visual art over books, and remembered scenes more than lines.
That’s why she read romance fantasy webtoons, not novels.
Even then, unless it was a really memorable one, she only recalled the basic plot and what the characters looked like.
Thanks to that, she had been able to recognize main characters until now.
But this time…
‘Damn it. I still don’t know who he is, even after seeing his face.’
A ridiculously handsome man with black hair and blue eyes?
That’s the most common look ever! At least in romance fantasy.
There wasn’t even anything unique to go on. No scars, no crooked nose, no heterochromia.
The only traits he had were terrifying symmetry and golden proportions. Basically, the signature look of 90% of male leads drawn by skilled webtoon artists.
“Hmm…”
Working seven hours a day next to a potential male lead without knowing the original story? That was a major disadvantage.
She sighed deeply, feeling troubled—then someone called out to her.
“Miss Riana.”
Snapped out of her thoughts, she looked up.
Across the round table sat Bastian, the Duke’s butler.
He folded his hands carefully and looked her in the eye.
“Whatever happened during your first meeting with the Duke…”
Suddenly, he raised his voice.
“It’s all fake!”
“…Excuse me?”
“It’s a pattern! He seduces them, and just when they want something more, he pretends it was nothing and throws them out for indecency! He’s done it countless times!”
Ah. Riana blinked in surprise, then smiled.
‘So the male lead is trash, huh.’
Well, at least she had one more clue.
“Miss Riana, can you resist the Duke’s seduction?”
Bastian asked solemnly, handing her the contract and a pen.
Riana gave a small laugh as she accepted them.
“Of course.”
No kidding—she was ready to bet her life on it. Her heart earlier had sounded like it was knocking on the gates of the afterlife.
Bastian’s eyes widened at her confidence. She was completely different from any other maid who had worked in the isolation tower.
In fact, not even people outside the tower had stayed that calm after seeing the Duke. Bastian included.
She showed no signs of being flustered. If anything, she even looked a little gloomy.
‘As expected of the top-tier talent sent by Madam Midas.’
Her mindset was incredible.
Bastian felt like hiring from that agency was the best decision he’d made all year.
“Oh, by the way—Madam Midas said the agency fee is 10% of my salary. Is it okay to include that in the contract?”
He was so impressed that he beamed and said,
“Let’s make it 20%!”
