Chapter 09
Charles looked at Anette with a pleased expression before speaking.
“This is the first time I’ve seen you. May I know your name?”
“I-I’m Anette.”
She decided not to mention her last name. People in this world seemed to fear Anette Etheled.
“Anette… What a beautiful name.”
He swept his silky platinum blonde hair back and smiled. His smile was just as beautiful.
Such a kind and handsome man.
No matter what flaws he had, she felt she could overlook them.
This man was perfect. She wanted to date him no matter what.
“You’ve cleaned this place perfectly as well. It looks flawless.”
“Thank you.”
Charles looked around the now spotless room and smiled at Anette.
His smiling face was like that of a prince from a fairy tale.
He set down his bag on a chair and moved to take off the coat he had over his knight uniform.
Naturally, Anette stepped forward to help him with his coat.
Smack—
A heavy silence filled the room.
As soon as Anette reached out to touch his coat, he lightly smacked her hand away.
What the…?
Anette froze her hand still in midair, blinking in confusion.
“I don’t need your help. Please leave.”
“…….”
Then, with an elegant motion, he pulled out a pristine white handkerchief from his pocket.
He meticulously wiped the spot where their skin had touched.
What the hell is wrong with this guy?
“Ah, I have quite severe mysophobia. I apologize if that was unpleasant for you.”
“…Oh.”
For someone who was apologizing, he sure looked confident.
Wiping down the area where she touched him right in front of her—what kind of next-level etiquette was this?
“Now, please leave.”
“Ah… Okay.”
Anette reluctantly picked up her cleaning supplies.
As she turned to leave—
He casually dropped the used handkerchief onto her shoulder.
“Throw this away on your way out.”
“…….”
She had to take back what she said earlier.
That thought about any flaw being acceptable?
Yeah, no.
There was something wrong with this temple.
It was full of weirdos.
Still baffled, Anette stepped out of the room.
After finishing a long day of cleaning, Anette returned to her quarters.
On the way, she ran into Anna and made sure to tell her that the commander of the First Knight Order had assigned her to clean his office.
Anna still looked a bit nervous, but she nodded as if she had no choice.
At least now, she wouldn’t be fired.
After washing up and returning to her room, Anette was still in shock.
It was all because of Charles de Avenne, the commander of the Second Knight Order.
She had never met anyone like him in her life.
Is it because of this damn social hierarchy?
The way he insulted people with such elegance—it was a remarkable skill.
If it weren’t for his personality, he’d be the perfect prince.
Once again, she reminded herself that appearances weren’t everything.
First Knight Commander Lucas was like that too.
Were all the knights in this temple like this? Or was this religion itself just weird?
People always said handsome men knew their worth.
Was he just living up to his looks?
“Sigh… Yeah, right. Who am I kidding? Romance? In my life? I should just focus on making money.”
She sighed deeply.
Would she ever be able to date a decent guy?
It was probably better to give up.
She had two simple goals in life:
First, Spend money while enjoying life instead of saving everything.
Second, Date a handsome man and have lots of physical affection.
But for now, making money was the priority.
Thinking about her untouched bank account made her stomach twist.
That money was gone forever.
“Ugh… My money…“
That night, she fell asleep feeling just as frustrated as before.
The next morning, she had to put on quite the act.
It seemed Julie had done a great job spreading the story because the other servants now looked at her differently.
The ones who used to avoid her or look at her with fear were now gazing at her with sympathy.
“Anette… I’m sorry for misunderstanding you. I never imagined the Lois family would spread such terrible rumors.”
Thanks to this, she regained Anna’s trust.
To solidify the story, Anette made sure to show everyone her swollen cheek.
The male servants, especially those working in the kitchen and gardens, were even more furious.
They looked ready to swear an oath of knighthood just to protect her.
Before she knew it, the Lois family had become the villains, and Anette had become the tragic victim.
“Did you hear? The Lois family not only abused Anette but also kicked her out!”
“Oh my gosh, but she was still a royal princess! How could they be so cruel…?”
“I heard this wasn’t the first time they hit her.
How could they use violence against such a delicate young lady? Poor Anette.”
“Yeah, did you see her swollen cheek? It must’ve hurt so much.”
Hearing the maids whispering as they passed, Anette smiled in satisfaction.
That was a great plan. I should buy Julie a gift when I get my salary!
It was all thanks to Julie.
Feeling better than ever, Anette started her day with enthusiasm.
She carried her cleaning supplies to the office of the First Knight Commander.
After knocking, she heard a voice from inside.
As rude as Lucas was, he had to be better than that guy from yesterday.
Now she understood why she was warned not to go near the Second Knight Commander’s office.
When she opened the door, Lucas was sitting at his desk, staring at her.
“I’m here to clean.”
That was her way of telling him to leave.
Just as he was about to stand—
The door behind her suddenly swung open.
A familiar platinum-haired man smiled at her.
“Anette, right? You cleaned my office yesterday.”
It was that lunatic from yesterday.
Speak of the devil, and he appears.
Had he sensed she was badmouthing him in her mind?
Before she could decide how to respond, Lucas spoke first.
“What brings you to my office, Avenne?”
“Oh, Roiental. I’m sorry, but I have no business with you. I simply saw this young lady enter and decided to follow.”
“What do you need from her? She’s assigned to clean my office.”
“Is that so? Not anymore. She’ll be cleaning my office from now on.”
What the hell is this conversation?
Anette rolled her eyes as she watched the two men argue.
It was obvious they didn’t like each other.
As usual, Charles was blindingly handsome, like the sun itself.
He stepped forward with a polite smile.
“Anette, I’d like to hire you. Would you be willing to take charge of my office? Of course, I’ll provide additional payment.”
Additional payment? Oh!
But no amount of money was worth dealing with him.
Anette frowned deeply.
“No.”
“W-What?”
Charles looked shocked.
As if he had never been rejected in his entire life.
Lucas chuckled in amusement. At some point, he had moved closer.
“Why… why not?”
Are you serious?
Anette just scowled at him instead of answering.
He genuinely seemed confused.
How much of a snob did you have to be to not even realize when you were being rude?
Compared to him, Lucas was tolerable.
At least he was openly rude rather than pretending to be polite.
“How… how could you look at me with such contempt…?”
Charles’ cheeks turned slightly red. He looked utterly humiliated.
But—
“How….”
He pressed his hand against his chest and stared at Anette with intensity.
Something was off.
His expression was wounded, but… somehow, he looked happy.
What the hell?
“You should leave now, Avenne.”
“…….”
It was an obvious dismissal.
Charles shot Lucas a glare before walking out.
But right before leaving, he turned back to Anette with another wounded yet weirdly happy look.
Is he… smiling? What’s wrong with him?
“You ran into that lunatic, huh?”
Anette glanced at Lucas. She almost felt bad for him.
It was clear he hated Charles.
Understandably so.
“He’s weird.”
“More than weird. That guy thinks he’s the most noble being in the world.”
Yeah, that checks out.
“But you’re kinda weird too.”
Lucas smirked. “Anyway, I was about to leave. And stop calling me commander—just call me Lucas.”
“…Oh, okay.”
Lucas.
Somehow, his name suited his jerk personality.
“By the way, is your hand okay?”
Lucas frowned, glancing at her hand.
Oh, right. That injury.
Anette put down her supplies and looked at her hand.
She hadn’t even noticed.
Lucas carefully took her hand to inspect it.
The wound had mostly healed, leaving only a faint scar.
“…It left a mark.”
“It’ll fade soon.”
Anette gently pulled her hand away.
Lucas quickly let go, looking slightly embarrassed.
“A knight shouldn’t touch a lady’s hand so carelessly… I apologize for last time too.”
What’s with the sudden apology?
Maybe after seeing an even worse jerk, Lucas didn’t seem so bad.
“It’s fine.”
And it was.
She only used her hands for cleaning anyway.
Besides, he was handsome, so it wasn’t a bad thing.
Now that she thought about it, his hands were huge.
Veins popped out slightly, making them look kind of… sexy.
Anette glanced up at his face.
For some reason, Lucas looked flustered.
