TCBUP 46

Chapter 46

The first thing she tried was: “Let’s look pretty.”

People are sensitive to visual stimuli.

She had previously not paid much attention to her appearance around him, choosing comfort for work instead.
She hardly wore makeup, tied her hair back in a plain ponytail, and wore simple blouses, skirts, or undecorated dresses—just whatever she could grab.

So she put on makeup, dressed nicely, styled her hair for the first time in a while, and went to see Nox.

But—

“Can you sit for long in such an uncomfortable outfit?”

She was scolded immediately.

Not only did he not say she looked pretty—he didn’t even spare her a glance.

That was when she realized how serious this was.

All her attempts to look good in front of him had only caused him to see her as a coworker or assistant—not as a woman.

So, next, she tried spending more personal time with him.

She’d show up around mealtime under the excuse of helping with work so they could eat together.
After eating, she’d say she was too full to work and suggest going for a walk.

Nox seemed a bit annoyed when he was busy, but she couldn’t help it.

Despite all her efforts, there were no real results.

Nox’s favorability hovered at 46%, occasionally rising or falling by 1–2%.

“Haa… What should I do to make him really see me as a woman?”

After much thought, she decided to act cutely.
Siena did have a lovable appearance, after all—so she’d try being cute and bubbly.

Thus, before heading to Nox’s office that day, she stood in front of a mirror.

She wasn’t confident about being cute, so she figured she’d at least practice first.

She composed herself seriously and first tried a shy smile.

“Siena wants to go hang out with you, teacher~”

“Aww, don’t reject meee~ Siena’s saaad~”

The room fell into silence—there was no one else there, but the silence was deafening.
A strong wave of cringe and self-loathing hit her hard.

Ugh. Ahhh. No. Absolutely not. This is impossible.

She couldn’t act cute. She wasn’t used to it. It was just… no.

A violent urge to either punch something or smash the mirror rose within her, and she quickly gave up.

While she stood with her forehead pressed to the mirror, drowning in self-loathing, the doorbell rang.

“Who would visit this early in the morning?”

Startled, she hastily fixed her messy hair and opened the front door.

Unexpectedly, Eugene was standing there.

“What brings you here, Eugene?”

“I have something urgent to discuss. Do you have a moment?”

“If it’s just for a bit. Come in.”

Eugene said it wouldn’t take long and declined her offer to sit, getting straight to the point.

Though the conversation hadn’t even started, the atmosphere felt frozen, heavy with an unspoken tension.

“How far are you prepared to go, Miss Siena?”

“Prepared in what sense?”

“I’m asking how far you’re prepared to be involved in His Highness’s great cause.”

“I’m willing to do whatever I can…”

“That kind of naïve thinking is dangerous. If we fail, we’ll all die.”

As expected.

She had already guessed that if she refused Leon—or rather, Aiden—one of his subordinates might silence her, knowing his secret.

And she was certain that subordinate would be Eugene.

“It’s not easy for me to refuse a proposal from the Imperial family. I had no real choice, and if it’s from Leon—no, Prince Aiden—I think it’s better to help with all I’ve got.”

“Helping out with such innocence won’t get you far.”

“…”

“If you’re expecting His Highness to fall for you, that’s also far too naive. This isn’t child’s play.”

Sigh. Eugene was practically her mother-in-law.

If she was determined to win over Leon, this man would be the biggest obstacle.

“He’s not someone who lets personal feelings interfere with his work. If you become a hindrance, he’ll abandon you without hesitation.”

“I don’t expect anything. I’d be content just to return to my rightful place.”

But if she could hope for anything, it was simply to see a better world tomorrow than today.

If she could help even a little in the peaceful, ordinary lives of Nox, Mary, Huperion, the children from the orphanage, and the neighbors who cared for her more than her own parents ever had—that would be enough.

“Back to being the beloved daughter of the wealthy Count Hargreaves? Or perhaps to your position as Duchess of Ortiz?”

“I left Count Hargreaves on my own, and I have no intention of returning. I don’t want that. And I want even less to be Duchess of Ortiz. Don’t associate me with that.”

Eugene fell silent with a strange expression.

Maybe he didn’t believe her—after all, Damian had requested none other than Aatrox to guard her.

She didn’t know why Damian had done that, but as she’d already said: it didn’t matter to her.

“I don’t know much about politics. But like you said, I didn’t accept Leon’s proposal on a whim.”

“…”

“I just don’t want any more children to be separated from their parents because of poverty. And I want a world where people’s hard-earned efforts aren’t taken by the privileged for no reason—without even a chance to protest.”

“Do you expect Prince Aiden to make that kind of world?”

“I don’t know.”

Eugene raised an eyebrow in surprise.

She shrugged lightly and smiled just as faintly.

“Joshua is a commoner. What about you, Eugene?”

“…”

“Regardless of status, those around him show such remarkable trust. Don’t you think that’s worth hoping for?”

But Eugene still didn’t seem to trust her.

Well, of course—not even a heartfelt speech could move someone like him that easily.

“Words aren’t enough, right?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re trying to assess me for Prince Aiden’s sake. Let me be clear—I have no intention of becoming a burden or a hindrance. And just like you, I want him to become a great emperor. So…”

She looked him in the eye and smiled calmly.

“If there’s anything I can do, just tell me.”

“…”

“If it’s something dangerous, I don’t mind keeping it a secret from His Highness.”

For a moment, Eugene’s face turned cold and unreadable.

His sharp, scrutinizing gaze made her feel like every secret she had was being laid bare.

But she couldn’t afford to back down in this power struggle. If she lost here, she’d never gain his trust.

Her main target was Nox. Her second was Huperion. But even if her engagement to Leon was fake, she couldn’t treat it lightly.

And if she wanted to stay close to Leon, she’d need to break through Eugene’s guard first.

“You came here early in the morning because you didn’t want the prince to know, right?”

“…”

“Including today—I’ll keep it a secret.”

Eugene let out a faint sigh as the furrow in his brow eased.

He looked resigned, returning to that indifferent expression he’d worn the first time they met.

“Since that woman arranged the engagement, there’s no reason to reject it outright. I’ll keep watching for now.”

“Please do.”

“Don’t forget—I’m watching your back.”

“I won’t. That said, I really need to go to work now.”

“Ah. Then I’ll be going.”

Eugene turned and walked out the front door.

As she watched him disappear into the morning air, a strange heaviness settled over her.

She was risking her life to win over the male leads—but so were they.

So in a way, she could understand them a little better.

To help, to not be a burden—those were obvious.

If she could do anything at all, she had to do it.

Without that determination, she wouldn’t last long in the palace—or by Aiden’s side.

“Until the day I leave, Leon must remain safe.”

Like he said, whether she liked it or not, they were in the same boat.

If he sank, she couldn’t stay safe either.

Once Aiden was eliminated, there was no way his fiancée—even if only a pretend one—would be left unharmed.

Or worse, they might keep her alive only to use her—as bait.

For example…

To monitor every move he made.
To report everything about him in detail.
Or to carry out terrifying commands she didn’t even want to imagine.

“Ah! I’m late!”

She checked the time and panicked, rushing out of the house.

Nox hated tardiness.

She sprinted full-speed, breathing heavily—yet a faint laugh escaped her lips.

Even after getting involved in such a massive plot surrounding the imperial throne… what felt most urgent right now was being late for work.

It was so absurd—it made her laugh.