SDD 15

Chapter 15.

1.Becoming the Villain’s Secretary (15)

The Emperor clearly saw the color drain from my face, yet he kept smiling like he was having the time of his life.

“…Surely you’re not telling me to repay my father’s kindness by working overtime for free, are you?”

If that was what he meant, I swear—boss or not—I’d grab him by the collar.

Helwid let out a hearty laugh.

“That’s not it.”

“It’s not?”

“That’s right.”

“Then what is it?”

“I want my ideal secretary to give me her weekend.”

“…Excuse me? What… does that even mean?”

“Just what I said. Give me your time this weekend.”

“No—wha—Are you being serious?”

Give up my holiday? Really?

Helwid watched the way my expression changed every second, biting his lower lip as if it amused him to death.

Hey—don’t just stare. Explain properly. Are you telling me to give up my weekend or not?

“Yes. I’m telling you to give up your weekend.”

“Ah! Just make me work overtime instead!”

Working on a day off? Nothing makes hair fall out faster.

I clutched my head and screamed, and Helwid lifted his hand as if to calm me down.

“You’re not working.”

“…I’m not?”

I blinked, still confused. Helwid rested his chin on his hand and smiled with eyes that curved gently—seductive, yet soft.

It was dangerous how good-looking he was. My heart skipped—no, it did NOT skip.

Anyway, he was seriously too handsome.

Seeing me dumbfounded, Helwid said gently,

“Please go on a date with me.”

“Tomorrow at eleven. Don’t forget.”

“Y-yes, I know.”

“My ideal secretary has good memory as well.”

“How could I forget? You’ve already said it nineteen times just today.”

“You counted? That makes me happy too.”

His laughter spread throughout the office like the scent of coffee.

“Well then, I’ll head out first.”

“Alright. Good work today. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes~ See you tomorrow~”

It had already been a week since he asked me out—on the condition that he would release Mellen.

You wouldn’t believe how many times I’ve heard about the date since then.

“You worked hard today. Tomorrow’s the big day, right?”

My father, who came to escort me home, handed me a cold orange juice.

“It’s hot. Why did you come all this way? And yeah… tomorrow’s the day.”

“What’s tiring about coming to see my daughter? By the way—packing a lunch box? That’s a demanding condition.”

He said sympathetically.

Exactly…

I let out a deep sigh, remembering the cause of all this.

‘Oh, did I mention?’

‘Mention what?’

‘I’m a boring man who only knows how to work.’

‘Yes, I’m aware. Why?’

‘It’ll be my first date.’

Right after saying that, he smiled brightly.

‘I have a dream. Will you grant it?’

‘You’re the one who asked me out, Your Majesty.’

‘But you accepted, my ideal secretary.’

‘Regardless of what I say, you’ll do what you want anyway. Fine. What is it?’

‘You speak so freely to your Emperor. It isn’t difficult.’

I was absolutely sure it would be difficult, but then he flashed a heart-stopping smile and said:

‘I want to eat a lunch box made by your own hands.’

So tomorrow, I had to bring a homemade lunch.

I briefly considered tricking him by bringing something the chef made, but an emperor who reads minds would catch on instantly.

“I already bought the ingredients. Enough to make that… ‘gimbap.’”

“Wow, really? Thank you.”

I had been debating what to make and finally decided on gimbap.

If he said it was his first date, he wasn’t lying.

In the original story, he was a workaholic and never went on picnics before meeting Gloomy.

For a man who had only a handful of happy memories in twenty-six years, if we were going on a date anyway, I wanted it to be memorable.

And maybe—just maybe—he’d realize how amazing I was and stop working me to death.

“But that thing… ‘gimbap.’ Where did you even learn to make it? And rice—”

Rice wasn’t a staple food in the Empire. You had to visit markets for foreigners to find it.

“Ah—uh—well! I dreamed of it. It looked delicious.”

“You want to present something from a dream to His Majesty? Well… even if you made me a witch’s porridge, it’d be delicious since you made it…”

Witch’s porridge? Dad, that hurt.

“In any case—my precious daughter entering the kitchen because her father is incompetent… I’m sorry you always suffer.”

“Dad, please. I’m fine. I mean, who else gets to go on a date with the Emperor?”

If there’s anyone else who’s forced to give up their weekend, make a lunch, and go on a date with their boss, I offer them my deepest condolences.

“You must be hungry. Let’s go eat. Gloomy is waiting.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

I hooked my arm around my father’s, and although he cleared his throat and looked around, he didn’t shake me off.

We walked toward the manor together, chatting happily.

Gloomy, a bandage still wrapped around her neck, greeted us with a bright smile.

“Welcome back, Count. Lady!”

After the hostage incident with Mellen, Gloomy had been living with us.

We weren’t adopting her yet—I opposed it, and Gloomy didn’t want it either—but she would probably become family soon.

It was written all over my father’s face.

“Dinner is ready,” Milina announced politely.

We headed to the dining room.

“You’re spending the day tomorrow with His Majesty?”

“Yeah. So I have to wake up early.”

I cut her food because she was clumsy with the knife.

“Thank you… always.”

With her soft brown hair and bright green eyes, Gloomy looked exactly like the heroine she was.

I didn’t think I was unattractive, but main characters and supporting roles were on different levels.

My father cleared his throat.

“So where are you two going?”

“I don’t know. Since I’m preparing the lunch, he said he would handle the rest.”

“I just hope nothing dangerous happens.”

“What danger could there be when moving with His Majesty—”

Ah, actually… moving with the Emperor is the most dangerous.

He is the villain.

Even if the original plot was changing, he still had those dark eyes sometimes—a reminder he could snap any moment.

I sighed, imagining death flags popping up.

I put down my utensils, and Gloomy looked panicked.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

“Did you get heatstroke?”

“No, just… I got full quickly today.”

I stood from my seat despite their concerned eyes.

Back in my room, after changing into something comfortable, I sat at my desk.

“Gimbap, huh.”

It had been a while since I rolled gimbap myself.

Usually, I just bought it. Grandma’s gimbap was the best…

After losing my parents young, I was raised by my grandparents. Nothing beat her gimbap.

While writing down the recipe, there was a knock.

“It’s me, Lady.”

Gloomy.

“Come in.”

“…You didn’t eat much… I was worried.”

She looked like she might cry any moment.

“If I get hungry later, I’ll eat. Sit. Want tea?”

“Oh—I’ll brew some!”

I watched her move, still with that bandage around her neck.

“Gloomy.”

“Yes?”

“Is your injury really healed?”

Clatter—crash!
She dropped the teacup.

“Oh no!”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. Are you hurt?”

“N-no. I’m okay…”

Milina entered, cleaned everything in seconds, brewed tea, and left just as quickly.

I sat across from Gloomy.

“How… did you know?”

“Huh? Oh. You have holy power.”

Gloomy had holy power—the heroine of <T.S.S.>.

She wasn’t born with it; she awakened after meeting Mellen.

In the original story, the villain used me because I could faintly sense divine energy.

So, she awakened because of Mellen… just like the original.

“He came to me after your family rose again,” she said.

“Mellen?”

“Yes. He said he knew I helped the Nostalgia family. He was injured… badly. I wanted to help, but—”

So her awakening followed the original plot.

“You awakened because you wanted to save someone.”

“If I’d known he was someone who would commit such sins, I wouldn’t have helped him.”

She bit her lip angrily.

If only she knew that in the original timeline, they were madly in love.

I messed up the protagonists’ fates just to survive.

Guilt tightened my throat.

“The wound really healed?”

“Yes. But I didn’t say anything because it would look suspicious…”

No ordinary priest could heal that fast.

But Gloomy was the heroine—an overpowered chosen one.

“Lady.”

“Hm?”

“I will never forget the grace you’ve shown me.”

“Eh?”

“You wanted to quit your job so badly. But because of me… Your precious holiday…”

She believed it was her fault that I was stuck like this.

“So I’ll do anything for you.”

“…Anything?”

“Even if it means betraying the god who chose me.”

She stood up and knelt before me, like confessing before an altar.

She removed the bandage.

A golden sigil—emblem of the deity—was glowing on her neck.

In the original, it appeared on the back of her hand after Mellen kissed it.
This time, it appeared on her neck, where he had touched her.

Gloomy covered the mark with both hands, as though shielding it from divine sight.

Looking up with clear eyes, she vowed:

“My beloved Lady, Blain Nostalgia.
May the god of Impellion grant you eternal glory.
I, Gloomy, shall offer my unwavering loyalty.”

“T-that’s—!”