CHAPTER 25: A NEW SECETARY FOR A NEW CHANGE.

"So this is what you were after from the very start." Seraphina kept her gaze glued to the contract, her eyes scanning every single message written there.

Dorian, with a smirk, leaned his back on the wooden chair, crossing his legs at the same time.

"What? Seems fair, no?" he negotiated, "In exchange for me blowing up your father’s trade work, you come work for me. It’s your goal from the start, no?"

"Y-yeah, but it says here for free, and also, a period of 90 years." Seraphina looked at him with lenient eyes, knowing Dorian probably had her trapped.

"Humans live hundreds of years; 90 years off isn’t that bad." Dorian shrugged, "Loyalty is the first thing to consider when hiring. I wouldn’t want you leeching off me and then leaving whenever you wanted."

"F-free..."

"You get to keep 100 percent profit for the first product, and then 80%. If anything, I think I am being generous here."

While all the terms he applied do sound good to hear, for some reason, Seraphina couldn’t help but feel she was getting scammed in some way.

After thinking about it for a while, Seraphina finally made her decision.

"I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t second-guessing. I don’t do anything without being 100% sure about my choice," she threw on a serious look. "But this time, I am willing to throw my principles to the side and give you the benefit of the doubt."

She then stretched her hand forward—

"Give me a pen, please; I’d like to sign the contract."

Upon hearing that, Dorian smiled triumphantly.

"Great choice," he uttered as he handed her a pen from his pocket.

Moving forward, Seraphina ended up signing the contract, making her a full-fledged employee of the Aurelian household as Dorian’s personal assistant and secretary.

[Congratulations on acquiring a new employee.]

[500 E-points have been allocated.]

A satisfied expression appeared on Dorian’s face.

A knock on the door interrupted him before he could continue the conversation.

"Lord Dorian," uttered a female voice, "I have gotten all the materials you requested."

It was Maria.

’Eh? She’s back? That was awfully fast of her.’

"Come in," he responded.

The door opened. Maria walked in, holding a list while carrying her usual stoic expression on her face.

Once she was inside the room, the first thing she saw was Seraphina on the bed, staring back at her.

Showing respect, Maria slightly bowed her head, which prompted Seraphina to do the same.

Taking care of that, Maria switched her focus to Dorian.

"A lot of the stuff on this list was a bit hard to find; Sebastian has taken care of that and has said he would have them all ready before tomorrow morning."

"Is that so? Well, as long as everything is accounted for, one more day isn’t going to hurt." Dorian stood up from the chair, his hand in his pocket.

Maria steeled herself before she curiously uttered—

"My lord, please pardon my nosiness, but what exactly are these for? Steel, iron bars, and wires? Are you planning to have the workers build a machine of some sort?"

Dorian looked at her.

"What are you talking about?" he raised a brow. "It’s all for the mining ground we are going to be building, and this woman here will be the one to supervise it, so you should hand her the list." He pointed at Seraphina with his thumb. "I’ll hand her the blueprint tomorrow as well."

"Pardon?" Seraphina’s eyes had bulged out in shock.

She was going to supervise? She doesn’t even know what she is supposed to be overlooking.

Maria took one glance at her, judging her from head to toe before looking back at Dorian guiltily.

"I don’t mean to be rude, my lord. But she looks like a spoiled noble; are you sure she can handle the stress?"

Ack!

Seraphina felt a hit in her chest at the indirect insult.

"Now now, Maria, you should not judge a person based on how short they are." Dorian pointed naggingly, "She is rather smart; her short height has nothing to do with her brains."

Ackkk!

Another hit.

Seraphina remained on the bed, shaking angrily. A part of her wanted to lash out at them, while another part knew not to react and leave a bad impression.

In other words, the young woman was in battle with herself.

During her breakdown, she noticed both of them were now staring at her.

While she couldn’t read Maria’s stoic expression, Dorian’s was more readable.

He had his hand on his waist, a positive smile on his face, radiating with warmth and also a hint of deceit.

"Welcome to Aurelian, Secretary; let’s hope you don’t die before I do."

Seraphina sighed.

"I asked that you don’t underestimate me," she carried an air of conviction. "Lord Dorian."

....

One week later.

Changes had begun to appear not only in the Aurelian household but also in the barony as well.

....

[A/N:]

The next arc will focus on a new threat and also the transformation of the Aurelian house and its influence in the kingdom.

We will also get more romance from the characters, so if you don’t like butterflies, you might as well adapt.

I’ll be dropping character profiles tomorrow. If you want to show your support, I’d appreciate it if you drop powerstones and see if 50ps before the weekend is possible.