Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Friend, Colleague, or...
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"What should I wear today..."
Even on a Saturday morning, Arselia was bustling about getting ready to head out, murmuring to herself in front of the mirror.
'You don't have to come in on weekends. Especially not Sundays.'
The general meetings happened only about once a month.
Thanks to Arselia and Sion putting their heads together to straighten out the chaotic, octopus-like business structure and simplify it as much as possible, they'd finally established some order.
Even so, there were still things to fix and areas that could be made more efficient, but those would improve naturally with time.
Because of that, what they called a 'meeting' was really just a quick check-in to see how everyone was doing and confirm if there was anything that needed Julian's help.
'How can anyone work every single day of the week?'
'But if we don't...'
'Wouldn't it be better to focus during the weekdays and take both weekend days to recover?'
'Let's leave weekend shifts up to individuals for now, then.'
Julian had said they could take Saturday and Sunday off to rest fully, but no one took him literally.
Arselia, now seated as executive director, wielded more authority than before but also bore more responsibilities.
She wanted to rest on weekends, but taking two full days off meant facing an overwhelming pile of work on Monday.
It was to the point where showing up on either Saturday or Sunday seemed like the better option.
And there were plenty of others besides Arselia who didn't—or couldn't—rest on weekends.
Veril, who spent all day tinkering with some mysterious machine, was one example. Claire, who didn't distinguish between weekdays and weekends or even day and night, was another.
Most of them had never really differentiated days anyway; they just did what they wanted.
They'd rarely even thought, 'I should rest on weekends.'
More like, 'Rest on weekends? Sure, it'd be great for us, but why?'
At least on Sundays, the more devout churchgoers would head out in the morning, but few took both days off completely.
Plus, they got paid extra for weekend work, so unless someone was exhausted or had an important appointment, most showed up.
"Ah, but it's the weekend... isn't this too stiff?"
For whatever reason, Arselia—who now actually had the weekend off—was thrilled at the thought of spending intimate time alone with Julian.
The sun had barely risen when she woke up, washed thoroughly, did her makeup, and still had time to spare.
"Still, he seemed to like this style..."
So Arselia spent the remaining time until their date deciding on an outfit.
A neat white blouse with a black skirt and a jacket draped over her shoulders.
The blouse had lace trim at the chest, and the black skirt clung nicely, accentuating her legs.
It might look simple at first glance, but adding earrings and a necklace struck the perfect balance—not too flashy, not too plain.
"Does he have a thing for blouses?"
She knew it because when she wore something like this to work, he'd steal glances, pretending not to look but with eyes full of heat.
Maybe he thought staring outright would be rude, so he'd sneak peeks sidelong as they passed, but she always noticed.
It was a gaze she was quite familiar with.
And it didn't feel bad at all.
If it had been anyone but Julian, she'd have been annoyed, of course. But when the one looking was the man she liked, it was a different story.
It felt like validation that her choice of outfit was spot on.
"Then today, this one..."
A slightly brighter skirt, a blouse with more ornate lace.
A bit more casual than her work attire, while still showing off her well-maintained figure just enough.
With a final jacket selected to drape over her shoulders, she spun in front of the mirror one last time.
"Hmm, this looks pretty good."
Thinking of how he'd liked her in a blouse, Arselia finally ended her two-hour outfit deliberation.
"Oh, Sion?"
The place where Arselia lived was some distance from Julian's hotel.
It was the house she'd bought with profits from her first successful venture of decent scale after fully committing to the merchant life with the Rosenheim Merchant Guild.
Not a grand mansion that would leave anyone's jaw on the floor, but more than spacious enough for her alone.
Naturally, being away from work, she owned her own carriage.
"I've come to escort you."
It was only natural that Arselia was surprised to see the carriage waiting in front of her house—and Sion with it—when she'd planned to ride to the meeting spot herself.
"Did Julian—er, the young master—send you?"
Sion nodded and opened the door.
"It's more comfortable this way. Please, get in."
The interior seats were even plusher than her own carriage, greeting her luxuriously.
Large windows meant it wouldn't feel stuffy either.
Confirming they were both seated, the coachman started off gently, and the carriage glided smoothly forward.
"...Thank you."
Arselia, who had been silently gazing out the window in the nearly jolt-free ride, spoke first after a while.
Until just moments ago, before she broke the silence, Sion had been steadily writing something.
Neither was particularly sociable, so this was her attempt to dispel the heavy quiet in the carriage.
"Secretary Chief... isn't today your day off too?"
It also seemed like a good chance to get a little closer.
"My role is to assist the young master. I'm the Secretary Chief at the company, but right now, I'm simply devoting myself to supporting him."
'Not that it changes much,' Sion added, tilting her head as if to ask if there was anything else Arselia was curious about.
"If there's anything you'd like to ask, feel free to speak openly."
"...Really? It's a rare day off for you too, though. You sure?"
"Yes. As the young master's current romantic partner, you're the second most important person I need to look after after him."
Her usual expressionless face made it a bit easier to talk to her...
But the response was unexpected—or rather, exactly what Arselia had figured Sion would say.
"Secretary Chief—no, since we're not working, I'll call you by name. Sion. That's okay, right?"
"Yes, call me however you like."
Sion nodded readily, organizing her notepad as she replied.
Noon on Saturday.
Her golden eyes sparkled in the warm sunlight.
The kind of beauty that would make any man fall at first sight.
With a woman like that sticking closer to Julian than Arselia herself, it was only natural she'd feel a twinge of concern.
Every time she thought of Julian, this cat-eared woman by his side popped up too.
"So, Sion, have you been with the young master since your childhood?"
"Yes. He took in a lone stray like me, which allowed me to stay with the Everglow Family."
"Ah, I think he mentioned something like that... but said to ask you for the details."
'Hmm, when was it... when I was 5? 6? It's been over ten years, so it's fuzzy. She was alone in an alley back then, so I brought her home.'
When Arselia had asked about the ever-present Sion, he'd been reluctant to share past stories without her there, saying it wasn't proper.
He'd given a brief how-they-ended-up-together rundown, suggested asking her directly for more, and deftly deflected with a smile.
Arselia had agreed it made sense and planned to ask when the chance arose. Now, alone together, this seemed perfect.
"So you've basically spent your whole life together?"
"You could put it that way."
Precious memory for Sion, apparently—her usually still lips curved into a faint smile.
"I was on the verge of giving up, thinking I'd just die there, when he reached out to me."
It was like a child carefully showing off a treasure they wouldn't share with just anyone.
Arselia unconsciously tightened her grip on her own arms, which she'd crossed without realizing.
"...I see. He must be incredibly precious to you, then."
"Someone I'd give my life to protect."
Sion's eyes gleamed as she said it.
Then, relaxing a bit, she added,
"And as I mentioned, you're the next most important after the young master."
Hearing that, Arselia felt a tiny bit relieved.
Jealousy, envy, admiration, curiosity, friendship...
A jumble of emotions too tangled to put into words, but at least she could confidently say she trusted the woman before her.
"My top priority is always the young master."
"I suppose so. To you, he's the most important person too."
"Thank you for understanding."
It felt like the distance between them had shrunk a little.
Sion seemed to feel it too—her face softened from its usual blank mask into a slight smile.
As long as they shared 'Julian' as common ground, there was no need for walls between them.
"Um, what was the young master like as a kid...?"
"Don't get me started. Even I'm biased, but I've never met anyone who caused so much trouble."
"Gasp, really? He doesn't seem the type..."
"It's true. Why else would His Highness go so far as to personally grant an imperial-sealed certificate?"
"True... I was shocked too. He called himself a VIP, so I figured some duke or connection, but then an imperial showed up out of nowhere..."
"The young master does have wide connections."
"Imperial family ties, and you call that just 'wide connections'?"
"Ah, but no woman trouble, at least."
"...So I'm the first, then?"
"Yes. So please take good care of our young master."
"Ahem. Well, um, what are his tastes like? Tell me a bit..."
"The young master likes women with long legs, so..."
The women's chatter continued nonstop until the carriage arrived at the meeting spot with Julian.
If Julian had seen, he'd have said, 'Ah, so this is that girls' talk thing?'
Their conversation ended only when Julian outside went 'knock knock' on the door.
"What were you talking about so animatedly?"
Arselia blushed as she took his offered hand to avoid stumbling.
"It's, uh, girl stuff."
"Ah, women's secrets? Can't pry, then."
"I'll tell you later, when there's a chance."
Having just gossiped about his tastes made it hard to meet his eyes.
"Looking forward to it."
Following Julian, who smiled and held her hand, Arselia gripped back.
"Where to first?"
"Good question. Lunch?"
Glancing back, Sion nodded silently, a step behind.
Whether from the warmth of his hand or the lingering carriage ride, Arselia's face felt hot.