ISFU 00

Prologue

“I heard a strange noise, so I came to check… everything is alright, right?”

The old butler looked around Mia’s bedroom with a puzzled expression.

In the dark night, candlelight flickered on the walls. The feather blanket on the bed was wrinkled. Other than the slightly flushed cheeks of Mia Lisitsa, the Grand Duke’s secretary, nothing seemed particularly unusual.

Mia waved both hands exaggeratedly.

“No, no, it’s nothing.”

“Then please rest well.”

As soon as the butler left, Mia closed the door and let out a sigh of relief.

She quickly walked to the bed and pulled back the blanket in one motion. Underneath, a tall man was hiding. His black hair, damp with sweat, was scattered softly across his forehead.

Mia lowered her voice and scolded him.

“Grand Duke, you almost got caught by the butler!”

Grand Duke Assad Ulliel lay on the bed, staring at her.

Just as when she had hurriedly hidden him, one arm was raised above his head. His lazy eyes and sharp jawline were captivating. It was no wonder noble ladies were obsessed with him.

Assad kept his lips tightly shut, looking displeased. Being suddenly hidden because of the knock must have annoyed him. Mia sat by the bedside and spoke to him as if calming a child.

“Thank you for apologizing, but it’s not a big deal that you accidentally saw me naked.”

For a moment, he stared at the ceiling instead of her face. Then his red lips parted.

“…I think I did something wrong to my secretary.”

Seeing the arrogant Grand Duke—who had probably never apologized in his life—act like this, it seemed he really did feel sorry. It made sense. Even if it was an accident, he had seen the body of an unmarried lady.

Mia awkwardly looked down at the carpet. The atmosphere in the room, now that they were alone, felt strangely suffocating. Unable to endure it, she spoke first.

“Well, what’s done is done. It’s not like you’re going to take responsibility. Haha…”

There was no answer for a while. Just as Mia started to feel embarrassed—

“I will take responsibility.”

What did I just hear?

Before she could even finish thinking, a large hand wrapped around the back of her neck.

Without giving her a chance to speak, he pulled her toward him. Then, as if he had been waiting, he captured her lips without hesitation.

His warm breath brushed against her nose. Mia felt like she couldn’t breathe. Like a thirsty person in midsummer, the kiss continued, deep and urgent.

Only after a long time did their lips finally part.

He gave her a moment to breathe, then whispered softly—

“Then I don’t have to hold back anymore.”

Mia blinked in confusion. He was completely different from his usual self.

Weren’t they like cats and dogs who always argued? And wasn’t she always the one being pushed around?

Her light green eyes wandered across his face, unsure where to look.

“Grand Duke, what do you mean—”

In an instant, Assad flipped their positions. Mia’s blonde hair spread across the white sheets. The soft feather blanket pressed against her back.

And above her…

Feeling his weight for the first time, her heart dropped.

Her slender wrists were already firmly held. Her vision was filled entirely with his mesmerizing face. She couldn’t move at all, as if trapped.

His dark eyes slowly traced her lips.

“Are you nervous?”

Without realizing it, Mia tightly shut her eyes.

Seeing this, Assad smiled faintly. Something in her chest tickled, like butterflies fluttering wildly inside her.

He slowly lowered himself closer. With her eyes closed, her senses sharpened, and his hot breath brushed against her ear.

Then he whispered—

“The real responsibility starts now.”

Everything can fall apart in a single moment.

That phrase fit Mia Lisitsa perfectly right now.

“Ow… that hurts…”

Mia was sprawled at the bottom of the grand white marble staircase of the Lisitsa mansion. The gazes of the gathered people pierced her like arrows. Her eyes trembled anxiously.

They won’t reject me just because I’m clumsy, right?

Even the pain all over her body didn’t matter compared to her worries about getting the job.

As if she had never fallen, Mia quickly stood up, clasping her hands together. A perfect interview smile appeared on her lips.

If things followed the original story, she had to become Grand Duke Assad Ulliel’s secretary today.

Even though her head was spinning from the fall, she began to recite her lines.

“Your Grace, in place of my family’s debt, I will serve as your secretary—”

Before she could finish—

“Ah!”

Someone kicked the back of her knee without mercy.

Her body collapsed onto the marble floor again. In an instant, dozens of swords and spears were pointed at her.

It seemed she had caused serious trouble.

Did I… bump into something when I fell earlier?

Startled, Mia raised her head.

A man struggling to stand came into view.

Grand Duke Assad Ulliel—the man holding her fate, and the favorite character of Ha-yoon, whose body Mia had possessed.

He was holding his right wrist with his other hand. As he tried to remove his glove from the injured hand, his handsome face tightened in pain.

“Ugh…”

“Are you alright, Your Grace?! This crazy woman—!”

The dark-skinned aide beside him looked ready to cut Mia down at any moment.

But when Assad raised his left hand, the knights fell silent instantly.

Breaking the silence, he walked toward Mia.

His cold black eyes looked down at her.

The moment their eyes met—

“Wow… this is insane.”

That was the only way Mia could describe it.

He was far more beautiful than described in the original story. His sharp jawline, perfect nose, and indifferent expression—

No wonder he was Ha-yoon’s favorite…

Mia was completely overwhelmed.

Only when he frowned slightly did she come back to her senses. Startled, she bowed repeatedly like a wind-up doll.

“I-I’m sorry, Your Grace!”

There was no response.

His gaze had stopped on the cheap locket hanging around her neck.

Perhaps it had opened slightly when she fell—thin black threads were sticking out from inside the heart-shaped locket.

Cold sweat formed on Mia’s forehead.

What did I mess up this time? And what is this tense atmosphere…?

Thinking quickly, Mia forced a smile.

They say you can’t spit at a smiling face. That works in any world, right?

But she forgot one thing.

This man was a ruthless villain.

Someone who could spit on a smiling face ten times over.

“…You’re smiling?”