Chapter 37
Cancer is a kind, gentle, and family-oriented zodiac sign.
For a Cancer, the most important thing is affection. They are prone to loneliness and eagerly wait and hope to love someone with all their heart and soul.
Marien was busy fulfilling her duties as a government official.
Sitting at her desk with a deliberately serious expression, she was reading the zodiac analysis printed in the corner of today’s newspaper.
Giving one’s body and heart completely meant that they were devoted, romantic, and passionate lovers.
Let’s not forget: Cancer is the most lustful sign of the twelve zodiac signs.
Marien closed her eyes tightly and then opened them. She hadn’t misread it. Over the line that called Cancer the most lustful sign, Baileon’s face overlapped in her mind.
“Of course, he’s a prepared man.”
She wanted to submit this as supporting material for why Odette should pair with Baileon Beers—a hundred reasons why.
Of course, this was only Marien’s imagination. Odette wasn’t the type to even look at zodiac personalities for fun.
Below the personality analysis, today’s horoscope was briefly printed. Marien read it out loud:
“Today, emotions will be unstable. Be careful around water and your stomach.”
She recalled herself yesterday, even considering putting laxatives in a cake. Even thinking back, it had been a truly terrible act.
“Sorry, Lord Beers.”
Feeling guilty, Marien decided to pretend she didn’t see the words about stomach troubles.
“T-this horoscope is quite something.”
Just as she was about to check her and Odette’s horoscopes, someone knocked on the office door. It was the message that the birthday cake she ordered had arrived in the kitchen.
Marien hurriedly stood up. She would read the rest carefully after finishing her work.
When she went down to the kitchen, everyone greeted her with excited expressions.
“The cake looks amazing!”
“I actually thought, couldn’t we just make it in our kitchen? But no… this is a work of art.”
“Lord Beers will surely love it too.”
People eagerly praised the taste and discernment of the Third Aide. Marien smiled faintly and then checked the time. Soon, Baileon would finish his government report and return to the Prime Minister’s office.
“You four, go deliver the cupcakes. Don’t forget to go to the Fourth Princess’s quarters first.”
“Yes!”
“When I give the signal, the bodyguard will run in holding the bouquet. Got it?”
“Yes, understood.”
Before leaving the kitchen, Marien glanced at the cake. Decorated with a soft milk-tea-colored cream, it was flawless.
Regardless of what would happen this afternoon, Baileon deserved to receive this wonderful cake.
“All right, let’s move.”
At Marien’s words, everyone moved efficiently.
And Marien vowed to herself that she would handle the Rocket Necklace incident this afternoon as well.
Hopefully, it would end as well as it did at the Opera House.
Baileon was someone who deserved the happiest birthday of all.
◇ ◆ ◇
“Lord Beers, it’s Didi. I have something to ask…”
“Come in.”
The answer came before she even finished speaking. Marien opened the office door and entered, deliberately leaving it open for the bodyguard who would soon rush in with a large bouquet.
“Hm? Lord Beers, where are you?”
“Behind the partition.”
Usually, people use the space behind partitions to change clothes. But Baileon never did.
He arrived at work already dressed formally and didn’t stain his clothes until leaving.
He was quite different from Marien, who always fretted over leaving even faint jam or tea stains on her chest.
Yet here he was, behind the partition.
Was he playing hide-and-seek? Did something happen during the report to the emperor?
As Marien approached the partition, which had been purely decorative until now, she had no idea what she was about to see.
“Wait a moment, Marien. I’m taking off my clothes right now.”
“Yes.”
Marien responded reflexively, but only a few seconds later did she fully understand what he meant.
“…What?”
A shocked, chick-like voice escaped her.
‘Why are you taking off your clothes? How did it happen? Are you fully naked or just taking off your coat? Please be clear!’
Of course, she couldn’t say that. She just opened her mouth slightly, realizing she had approached the partition too closely.
‘If I accidentally knock it over with my outstretched hand…’
Her imagination immediately ran wild. She pictured the partition falling and Baileon, completely nude, panicking.
He must have a sculpted body. But she didn’t want to see her favorite person’s bare skin like that. And the office door was wide open!
Marien took a sharp breath and stepped back quickly before making an irreversible mistake.
Yet that turned out to be another kind of mistake.
“Lord Beers…?”
“I’m listening.”
“Do you have clothes to change into?”
“Yes, fortunately, I have a spare set in the office.”
“I see…”
Marien tried to continue the trivial conversation, just to divert her attention elsewhere.
Because through the decorative holes in the partition, she could see Baileon.
Whether the holes had always been there was irrelevant.
Of course, they had. Lord Beers wouldn’t have made them on purpose, painstakingly, along every fold of the partition.
She berated herself for not having noticed before and blamed the partition maker in vain.
Marien tried to formulate what to say next:
“Did something get on your clothes?”
Glance.
Now that she was aware of the hole, her eyes kept drifting toward it. Just then, she caught a glimpse of his lean back dipping in the middle.
Her eyes went wide. Even though the white shirt covered his bare skin, the outline of his toned waist lingered.
‘My goodness. If he leaned forward, he could carry water in his back.’
She suddenly felt the room’s temperature spike.
“Tea and milk got spilled on me.”
“How did that happen?”
“The Emperor, enjoying the fine weather, received a report at the cricket grounds. During a race, a spirited young noble collided with a servant, causing the accident.”
Baileon stood facing the partition, completely unaware that his aide was peeking through the hole.
“I reflexively tried to help the servant and ended up spilling tea and milk on myself. Fortunately, the servant was carrying a tray at the time.”
“You weren’t hurt? The tea must have been hot…!”
“Luckily, it was lukewarm.”
A slight smile appeared in Baileon’s tone.
“The Emperor cannot drink anything hot.”
He buttoned his shirt fully and put his arms into his vest. The movement lifted his shirt a few centimeters.
‘Huff!’
Marien greedily stared at the abs revealed beneath the shirt. She even thought she could grate potatoes there when she couldn’t find the grater in the kitchen.
Cover that hole.
No, make it bigger.
No, you pervert! Can’t you just look away?
Bigger! Bigger! Bigger!
“What kind of trial is this….”
Muttering to herself, Baileon said he didn’t hear properly from the other side of the partition.
Marien pressed her hands to her cheeks. Her face felt hot. She needed to calm down before Baileon came out.
“Oh, I saw today’s horoscope in the newspaper earlier. It said Cancer should be careful around water today.”
“I see. I wish I had seen that too.”
Baileon tucked his shirt into his belt. Fortunately, he turned away before she could poke her eyes out.
“By the way, you know my zodiac sign?”
“Of course.”
“So, how’s your horoscope today?”
Baileon continued, “You’re a Scorpio, right?”
“…How do you know?”
“How do I know?” he said with a small laugh.
“I saw it in your personal records and remembered.”
“Oh.”
“So, how was it?”
Marien confessed honestly, “I didn’t look.”
“So you saw my horoscope first?”
“Yes.”
Without warning, Baileon stepped out from behind the partition.
It wasn’t the first time she saw him in a shirt and vest. But that was at Lord Beers’s house, where the family wore more casual attire.
She had never seen him take off his uniform coat at the Prime Minister’s office. Perhaps that’s why she felt slightly embarrassed.
Even with the same outfit, just the place changed, yet it somehow felt like a boundary had been crossed.
“Why am I always the first?”
Baileon whispered. Marien replied that it was already ingrained in his behavior. She raised her head and looked up at him.
The tips of his brown hair were damp.
“I washed up briefly. Tea is fine, but milk smells if left too long.”
Noticing her gaze, he explained.
“I washed, but… could you check if it smells bad?”
Baileon leaned forward slowly. Marien stared blankly as if he were going to kiss her. Just like at the ice cream shop, her eyes were drawn to his lips again.
What would a kiss with Baileon taste like?
At that moment, a subtle, indescribably pleasant scent reached her. Marien inhaled deeply.
“You’re teasing me again, aren’t you? What soap did you use? Mint is nice, but this has a hint of cold water too.”
“Marien?”
“…It’s fine.”
Marien muttered with unfocused eyes. Baileon’s lips seemed to tremble slightly.
“Fine? How much?”
“Just… a lot.”
“If you like it that much, should I always wash like this?”
Marien nodded as if under a spell, then shook her head. Everywhere Baileon passed, noblewomen and maids would gasp for breath.
“I’m curious why you changed your mind, but if that’s what my aide thinks, I understand.”
Baileon laughed and straightened up.
“But didn’t you have something to ask me?”
How lucky that he was more rational than she was! Marien snapped out of her pink dream-like haze at Baileon’s reminder.
‘Signal!’
How long had it taken? Marien tried her best not to glance suspiciously down the corridor.
“Ah, yes. I was checking the mail.”
Marien moved naturally as she spoke.
“I received a strange package. I left it by the door for now…”
As she bent down to pretend to tie her shoe, a pen awkwardly stuck in her jacket pocket fell to the floor. The round pen rolled past the door and into the corridor.
Marien hid her triumphant smile as she stood up.
“Could you take a look at it with me?”
