My Life Was Taken by My Charm-Wielding Sister—But It Ends Here (The Mind-Reading Noble Lady’s Journey to Happiness After Escaping Her Toxic Family) - Episode 18

Varick guided Otilie to a tall table in the corner of his office.

“We use this space when I have meals with my assistants or when we’re working together. I can’t join everyone in the dining hall, and moving to other rooms would be a waste of time, right? The reception table isn’t great for meals either. So, I asked Airny to prepare this space for us.”

“I see.”

While making conversation, Otilie checked which seat was considered lower in status and began moving toward it.

“Otilie, over here. Sit next to me.”

But Varick stopped her immediately and designated her seat.

(Is this really okay?)

Sitting next to Varick felt intimidating. Should a newcomer really take such a good seat… When she glanced at Airny, he nodded firmly.

[It’s fine. Since Lord Varick wishes it, please do as he says.]

(Lord Varick wishes it….)

Otilie hesitantly raised her face. Then she met Varick’s eyes, filled with expectation, staring straight at her.

“Come here, Otilie.”

Urged once more, she took the designated seat. After watching Varick sit down, the other assistants took their places as well.

Once everyone was seated, the maids arrived. Meal preparations began immediately.

“That dress suits you very well. It’s cute,” Varick said to Otilie. Completely caught off guard, Otilie’s heart skipped a beat even more.

“Thank you. Karan picked it out for me.”

She was happy to receive praise from Varick. But that made her all the more embarrassed, and she couldn’t look directly at his face. Hiding her bright red cheeks, Otilie managed to thank him with great effort.

“Don’t hide. Let me see you properly.”

“Eh? Th-that’s impossible. My face is completely red right now, and it’s definitely not in a state fit for Lord Varick to see.”

Just sitting here was hard enough. Otilie tried to calm her racing heart while desperately taking deep breaths.

“Lord Varick—if you tease her too much, Miss Otilie might start disliking you,” Airny came to her rescue. Varick laughed, saying “That would be troublesome,” and gently patted Otilie’s head.

“Sorry, it’s just that Otilie is too cute.”

“No…”

Stifling the urge to say “That’s exactly why—”, Otilie fanned her face rapidly. Once she finally calmed down, she exchanged introductions with the assistants other than Airny.

“Everyone is kind, so don’t hesitate to rely on them. If you ever have any trouble, make sure to consult with someone. Of course, you can come to me too.”

“Thank you. I’ll do that.”

Though she replied that way, Otilie didn’t want to burden Varick if possible. She was already grateful just to have been taken in like this. She secretly resolved to turn to the other assistants when needed.

“Um, I’m ashamed of my lack of knowledge, but what exactly do your official duties entail?”

What kind of work would she be doing from now on though she’d gradually begun to understand through her conversation with Airny, her imagination still couldn’t keep up. Since she’d be starting actual work this afternoon, she needed to mentally prepare herself to some extent now.

“I brought you here suddenly. You don’t need to think of yourself as lacking knowledge.”

Varick smiled gently. Thanking him, Otilie bowed her head slightly.

“As for my work… Well, there are various things, but first, based on the national policies decided by my father, we set goals for each field and consider what we want to accomplish. Then, the civil officials from each department create more specific plans regarding laws, budgets, and future national plans. My job is to review those, grant approval, or make revisions. Of course, we’ve already communicated the general content of ‘what we want to do’ to the officials beforehand, and we have many meetings, but neither my father nor I can handle all the work ourselves. We need to align the discrepancies that inevitably arise.”

“I see…”

He made it sound simple, but would there really be anything Otilie could do? While replying, she grew increasingly anxious.

“Well, that said, everyone is excellent, so I basically think of my job as stamping seals. What I ask of my assistants is mainly handling appointments with officials and document exchanges, so you don’t need to be so tense.”

Is that so, she replied while glancing at the other assistants. Judging by their inner voices, it didn’t seem to be an exaggeration. She felt a slight relief.

“Then there’s attending state-sponsored ceremonies and diplomatic relations. Just attending ceremonies isn’t too burdensome, but beforehand, I need to revise the speeches and letters drafted by officials. There are also surprisingly many administrative tasks.”

(Huh…)

As she listened with admiration, Airny leaned forward slightly.

“We assistants handle these administrative tasks instead of Lord Varick. Of course, we consult Lord Varick if there are any issues with the content, and there are generally standard templates and formats, so rest assured. What’s important is how efficiently we can process the volume.”

“U-understood.”

Worrying wouldn’t help. Otilie nodded firmly and took a deep breath.

“Also, this year is when I seriously need to choose my marriage partner.”

Varick said this with a troubled laugh.

“Marriage partner…”

“Yeah. I’ll be eighteen soon. It’s about the age when I need to consider inheriting the throne. Both my grandfather and father announced their engagements at eighteen.”

The clinking sounds of forks and knives felt unusually loud. For some reason, her chest pinched with pain, and Otilie unconsciously placed a hand over it.

“Actually, we should have already made informal decisions by now. But Lord Varick wasn’t enthusiastic about choosing a partner.”

“Eh? Is that so? More than that, you really haven’t decided on anyone yet?”

When it came to royal marriage partners, it was an ultra-important matter that could shape the country’s future. Selection should have started quite early. She’d heard that in other countries, engagements were made when people were still very young, and it seemed likely Varick would have someone like that secretly.

“It’s true. Completely blank.”

“Why…?”

“Because you never know how people will turn out, right? It’s common for so-called prodigies to end up being evaluated as ordinary in the end. The opposite is also true. So, I don’t think there’s a need to rush into choosing a marriage partner. That’s my view. That said, dragging it out too long isn’t good either, so I need to get serious about it soon. I don’t want to make the citizens anxious.”

Saying this, Varick looked straight at Otilie. Feeling somewhat unable to bear it, Otilie lowered her gaze slightly.

“Well, practically speaking, my mother will be the one advancing the selection of my consort. Even so, my preferences will be respected as much as possible. So, I need to properly think about what kind of woman would be good within this year.”

“That’s right. Since Lord Varick hardly attends evening parties… we’ll need to think of some method to select a marriage partner that aligns with your intentions.”

I see, so that was also part of the assistants’ duties. Otilie replied, “Understood.”

“Well, maybe that won’t be necessary anymore.”

Varick narrowed his eyes. At the same time, the other assistants subtly exchanged glances.

“Eh? Why is that?”

Even when she asked, Varick only smiled and didn’t reply. She still couldn’t hear his inner thoughts either.

(Part of me wants to know, part of me doesn’t want to know.)

Confused by this unfamiliar restlessness in her chest, Otilie squeezed her eyes shut tightly.