A heavy silence lingered in the office.
Unable to meet Prox’s gaze, Clemati stared only at the corner of the desk as she spoke.
“When Your Grace became my patron, I worked hard so as not to tarnish your reputation. Even though I had the option to go elsewhere, I chose the Hermann Ducal House because I wanted to remain by your side.”
Prox had supported Clemati, his lifesaver, and even sent her to the academy, giving her the opportunity to learn.
She had done her utmost in everything to repay him.
“Even though I knew you had a fiancée.”
Even so, it had been enough.
Even if she could never become his woman, she believed it would be fine as long as she could stay by his side.
If not for him, she would still be living as a fugitive somewhere in the remote mountains of her hometown.
“I thought it would be enough just to remain by your side. But as Princess Rachel’s coming-of-age ceremony draws closer…”
Human greed had no end.
The longer she stayed by him, the more she desired him.
Even when everyone else looked down on her, he alone acknowledged her.
When she made mistakes, he encouraged her; when she achieved results, he praised her without hesitation.
The more Clemati served him as his aide, the more helplessly she fell for him.
“It wasn’t enough. It hurt as if my chest were being torn apart.”
In the end, she endured and endured, all the way until the time came when he would belong to another woman.
As her feelings deepened, her resolve to leave only grew stronger.
In the Carlean Kingdom, seducing or enticing a married person into an illicit affair was a grave crime punished most severely.
She feared that one day, because of her improper feelings, he might suffer harm.
Yet despite that desperate heart, her confession was not desperate in tone.
Her voice carried resignation, as though she had already let everything go.
Even after mustering the courage to confess feelings she had suppressed for four years, she had not expected even the slightest chance of a positive response.
“Mati.”
Prox walked around the desk and stood before her.
The shadow cast by his tall frame fell across her face.
“Think rationally. That’s nothing more than a fleeting emotion.”
A fleeting emotion.
Yes, she knew.
That he did not believe in something like love.
That he rejected it.
That he would never fully understand her feelings.
She knew it painfully well, which made it all the more sorrowful.
The emotions she had suppressed threatened to surge up.
Taking a deep breath, Clemati steadied herself and slowly lifted her head.
“I thought so too.”
Her eyes were moist.
It looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment.
But she clenched her teeth, holding them back.
Seeing her like that, Prox felt a strange tightening in his chest.
“But for the past four years, there hasn’t been a single moment when you weren’t in my heart.”
If only it had been a passing emotion.
If only it could have changed with the seasons, disappearing as though it had never existed.
“It would not be good for you to keep someone like me by your side either.”
That was why she chose to leave.
If she stayed, she knew she would be shaken helplessly by his every warm word and gentle touch.
Unless she left his side, she had no confidence she could erase him.
In truth, she wasn’t even sure she could forget him even if she left.
Still, she intended to try every possible method.
To completely erase the man who now had to belong to another woman.
After listening quietly, Prox turned sharply on his heel.
Returning to his seat, he picked up his documents as if to refocus on his work.
“How long did you say until Princess Rachel’s coming-of-age ceremony?”
“…Pardon?”
He abruptly changed the subject before resolving her resignation.
“Ah, three months remain.”
“Yes. Three months.”
Leaning back comfortably in his chair, he looked up at her with a languid gaze.
“Three months is enough time.”
Then he muttered something under his breath.
“I’ll be your lover for three months, Mati.”
Clemati blinked in shock.
Her confession had not been made with any expectation.
She had never imagined he would make such an outrageous proposal.
“The reason you haven’t been able to erase those feelings in four years is because you’ve never been with me.”
Even now, he analyzed the situation coldly, drawing conclusions.
“Because it’s unfulfilled love, you’re holding onto it. I’ll become your lover and shatter that illusion completely.”
The ideal outcome he desired was for Clemati to completely rid herself of her feelings and return to being his perfect aide.
This proposal was meant to achieve that.
“Three months will be enough. If your feelings remain the same after that, I’ll let you go.”
It wasn’t a romantic confession of love.
It was a declaration that he would prove how insignificant the emotion of love truly was.
“….”
Caught off guard by his firmness, Clemati couldn’t hide her confusion.
“Think it over and tell me.”
Prox lowered his head and began flipping through documents again. When Clemati showed no sign of leaving, he stood up first, passed by her, and exited the office.
Bang.
Even after the door shut, Prox stood in the hallway for a long while, unable to move.
“I like you, Your Grace.”
Her voice still seemed to echo in his ears.
Though her eyes had trembled, she had looked straight at him.
There had been no trace of falsehood in them.
Her voice had shaken, yet her feelings had been unwavering.
Recalling the moment of her confession, Prox furrowed his brows deeply and began to walk.
He shook his head as if the mere thought disgusted him.
Love?
From a very young age, he had realized that “love” was an insidious and twisted emotion.
From the moment he entered high society, that belief had never once changed.
People smiled at one another and upheld decorum, yet in their minds, they constantly calculated and measured—
who would bring glory to their family, and who would bring ruin.
He had grown up witnessing countless times how those who appeared refined in public committed vile acts behind closed doors.
His own parents were no different.
They too wore grotesque masks before others, all while engaging in filthy deeds behind the scenes.
“Mati…”
Prox murmured her name.
As one human to another, he cherished Clemati.
She had saved his life, and even now, she was an outstanding aide who produced exceptional results.
And yet, the woman he had thought wise harbored what he considered the most foolish of emotions.
She too had been living behind a false mask.
How deep into the abyss did you wish to fall, to dare set your heart on me?
I cherish you as my subordinate. I never wished to hurt you.
Why force me into the role of the villain?
Prox loosened his stiff neck and walked toward the staircase at the end of the corridor.
No matter how he tried to clear his thoughts, it wasn’t easy.
Clemati from moments ago kept appearing before his eyes.
Though he should have felt disappointed in her for wearing such a mask, he still found himself caring for her, still holding expectations.
Mati is a wise and intelligent aide.
She’ll realize it soon enough.
She’ll understand that everything she has built, and the sweet rewards awaiting her future, could all be ruined by a single foolish emotion.
And so, she would surely regain her composure and return to how things were.
That was what Prox believed.
Click—
The office door opened behind him.
Prox stopped walking.
A smooth smile curved his lips.
Of course.
As expected, it hadn’t taken long.
He focused on the sound of Clemati’s footsteps approaching him.
He could clearly picture what would happen next.
Clemati, who had followed him out, would stand before him, bow her head, and apologize.
She would say she would no longer be swayed by such trivial emotions, that she would remember the Duke who had trusted and supported her, and devote herself fully once more.
Thinking of seeing her renewed resolve, Prox smiled.
Just as he expected, Clemati approached quickly and blocked his path.
“Your proposal…”
As he had imagined, her expression was resolute.
But something felt different.
“I accept it. I look forward to working with you.”
Prox’s eyes widened in surprise.
A fixed-term lover’s contract with only three months remaining.
Had she really accepted this absurd proposal?
“…Ha.”
Is this truly the clever Mati I knew?
At the ridiculousness of the situation, Prox let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re right, Your Grace. Because I’ve never been with you, I haven’t been able to break my illusion of you.”
Clemati was desperate.
Once she left, she would never see him again.
So if there was a way to completely erase her feelings, she was willing to take part.
Prox looked her over with cold, hardened eyes.
His furrowed brows and sharp gaze made it seem as though he was thoroughly disgusted by her persistence.
After a moment of silence, he stepped closer.
Then he leaned in, bringing his lips near her ear.
In a low, intimate whisper, he spoke.
“Then come to my bedroom after today’s schedule is over, Mati.”
