TMBS 12💖

Chapter 12. I’m Good at Picking Things

From the moment Gray stepped into the office, Adele couldn’t focus on her work. It was because the name “Nox”—meaning Winter—had come out of his mouth.

As Gray dropped hints here and there, Adele pieced them together to figure out what Winter had been up to. It had been a while since she last saw him—he’d been subtly avoiding her lately.

The weather would soon turn cold, and before that happened, she wanted to give him some ointment to prevent his skin from cracking. That was all. Her wish wasn’t a big one.

But as usual, the conversation between Mensha and Gray veered off into their usual back-and-forth of silly jokes. And just like that, talk of Nox disappeared. They ended their chat with the same loose, meandering vibe.

“I’m heading out.”

“Oh, want me to walk you?”

Gray smiled faintly.

“Have you lost your mind? Let a man walk you home? Take care of yourself first.”

“Don’t worry. I’m perfectly capable of doing that.”

Mensha scratched his cheek, clearly embarrassed to say something positive about himself in front of others. Seeing that, Gray narrowed his eyes mischievously.

“Are you sure about that?”

“Sure? Uh… of course.”

The Treasury staff chuckled, heads down, amused by the awkward manager and Gray’s teasing.

Then, just as he was leaving, Gray abruptly turned on his heel.

“Should we check?”

“Check what?”

He strode over to someone’s desk and tapped it with his fingers. His long, pale fingers glided smoothly next to Adele’s ledger.

As if purposely disrupting her, he poked at the city shop management logbook with one finger and casually stirred the pages—just like he had when he’d twirled the “Addy’s News” newsletter.

Their eyes met.

Gray’s lips curled with sly amusement.

“I’m going to borrow her for a bit.”

Though his gaze was locked on Adele, he addressed Mensha.

“What? Why? Why her, you jerk?”

Gray gestured at Adele to follow. She hesitated for a moment, then quietly closed her ledger and stood up.

“Hey! Gray! Why Adele?! She can’t lie! Take someone else!”

The staff snickered again.

Gray raised his palm toward Mensha and wiggled his fingers gently—like a dandelion fluff floating on a spring breeze.

“I always pick the best.”

Gray left first, and Adele calmly followed. Mensha stared at the closed door in disbelief.

Behind the west wing, in a shadowed alleyway, Gray leaned against a weathered brick wall with the paint peeling off. He looked like a delicate lily of the valley blooming against an old garden wall—soft and graceful, both in looks and tone.

“How about handing over ‘Addy’s News’ to me completely?”

Only the content of his words clashed starkly with his charm.

He was asking for the entire newsletter now. Adele stared at him, stunned.

“I’ll pay you two years’ worth of profit up front. Not a bad deal, right? Let’s be honest, that little pamphlet of uncertain future is a pretty profitable venture, isn’t it?”

“As I said last time, I’m not interested.”

Gray glanced at the sky, sighed lightly. His wind-blown hair slowly slipped between his fingers.

Adele quietly watched. His perfectly symmetrical features emerging beneath his large hand gave off a strange tension—like he was too beautiful to be real. Like his very presence was an alarm bell.

“How about this, then? I hire you instead.”

That unexpected offer made even the usually stoic Adele flinch.

“Hire me?”

“Yeah.”

“As what?”

“My personal aide.”

Oh no. Adele almost sighed aloud. Was he really trying to make her cave this easily?

Outwardly calm, Gray softened his gaze.

“As you might have heard, my aide’s salary is three times a typical officer’s.”

Adele pretended to think it over. Gray, sensing her interest, delivered the final blow.

“I’m moving my private office from the city hotel into the Vallonique estate. If you accept, I’ll give you your own working room inside the mansion.”

Adele finally failed to keep her expression in check.

The Vallonique estate—Winter’s home. And the best place to gather dirt on that family.

She could go there every day?

“…Inside the mansion?”

Seeing Adele visibly intrigued, Gray inwardly shouted, Bingo.

It is Nox, after all. I knew it. My instincts are never wrong.

Gray slowly reached out and lightly grasped a lock of her hair. For once, his hand wasn’t smacked away.

Adele had raised her hand reflexively, but she couldn’t bring herself to stop him. The offer was too tempting. Now wasn’t the time to push back.

The setting sun painted the sky red. Gray’s golden lashes glowed like a victor’s banner. His gentle voice followed.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

He smiled, like a thief who’d finally secured the jewel he desired. His long fingers twirled in the air, then gently gripped her hair tighter.

“Looking forward to working with you, Adele.”

“…”

Her silence was assent.

Gray felt a rare sense of satisfaction. It was just as thrilling as he’d hoped. Once again, he was proud of how flawlessly he pulled things off.

Even this shabby old building looked romantic bathed in twilight. The world really was perfect.

And in his contented eyes, there was no way he could see the darkness behind Adele’s calm gaze.

From that moment on, everything progressed quickly.

On the day Adele resigned from the palace, Mensha lamented that he must’ve been insane to ever introduce her to Gray at the Full Moon. Adele quietly looked up at the sky and pretended not to hear.

Well, technically she hadn’t become Gray’s aide back then—but she knew Mensha would only be more baffled if she explained, so she kept her mouth shut.

As promised, Gray moved his private office from the city hotel to the Vallonique estate. Adele began commuting to the estate instead of the royal palace.

She took full advantage of the opportunity—snooping around the mansion whenever possible. Fortunately, Gray was so disinterested in her activities that it was easy. Being the aide to a spoiled noble came with perks.

Oddly though, she didn’t see Nox nearly as often as she expected. He worked at the palace during the day and only returned to the estate in the evenings.

Still, Adele had no real complaints. She now had easier access to the Vallonique archives and occasionally even rifled through vacant offices within the estate.

Ownership of Addy’s News had formally transferred to Gray, but Adele continued to manage every aspect of publication. Gray showed no interest in editing it. She began to wonder why he even wanted it in the first place.

She also got along reasonably well with Gray’s other aides—and most of all, she loved the salary. Three times the usual pay felt more like five times in real life.

Of course, even good days sometimes required her to grit her teeth—and most of those moments had Gray at the center.

So time passed—peaceful, yet not entirely so.

Two years later.

In that time, Adele and Gray had regularly reported the progress of their duties—managing the estate, mining operations, and national events—to the Duke of Vallonique.

Gray remained consistently uninterested in her work, but Adele took these reports seriously. She wasn’t trying to prove herself to Gray—she was aiming higher. To the master of the mansion.

Winning over the Duke was no easy task. The man ruled like a Zeus above mortal affairs for a millennium—arrogant and impossible to please. But she tried.

And today was one of those days.

“In September, the Eastern merchant ship Bangsia will arrive in Karlo. We’re sending a liaison vessel ahead to secure exclusive access to rare goods: ivory ornaments, premium fermented teas, and exotic plants. These will be centerpieces at the upcoming World Expo.”

Adele was presenting her plan to win the October World Expo hosting rights. She’d spent the entire week preparing it.

Knowing the Duke served as the backbone of Karlo’s noble society, Adele avoided the usual “industrial modernization” theme. Instead, she restructured the Expo around rare artifacts that showcased the elegance of aristocratic tradition.

She hadn’t forgotten the king either—the final decision-maker—who was currently fascinated by high-end Eastern culture. Adele cleverly blended that trend with the Duke’s taste, proposing a theme of “The Glamorous Fusion of Global Nobility.”

Every item was meticulously selected. The plan was realistic, the logistics solid. Adele was confident.

“As it’s the largest trade vessel, we expect some unlisted rare goods on board. We also plan to secure those mysterious pets that have recently captivated Karlo’s nobility. With your approval, I will board a fast vessel and finalize the deals in person.”

The Duke listened silently.

He acknowledged Adele’s competence. Her dedication went beyond expectations—she didn’t let gender or status limit her. The Duke had witnessed this firsthand.

But for some reason, his sharp blue eyes showed disapproval today.

“Adele.”

Her heart sank.

“Yes, my lord?”

“You’ve wasted your time.”

“…Pardon?”

He clicked his tongue, then looked at the man lounging on the opposite side of the meeting table—his son.

“Gray. Why didn’t you tell her that the hosting rights went to Countess Chloe’s house three days ago?”

What?

Adele’s fists clenched on instinct. She turned toward Gray.

He was staring out the window, unfazed. Then, slowly, he turned and said,

“Oh, right. That did happen, didn’t it?”

That son of a—!

Once again, Adele had to bite down hard enough to crush her own molars.