Such a splendid history being destroyed in an instant, crashing into the ground.
“He was pretty cute back then.”
Leticia looked at the photo from Les Kishir’s admission to Wünterhausen for a long while. The fresh-faced fifteen-year-old boy looked like a completely different person from the skinny man she’d seen at the banquet hall a few days ago.
His hair, which she had thought to be a faded light brown, was actually closer to a golden brown. And his eyes shaded with long eyelashes were slightly raised at the ends with the whisper of a smile. The muscles of his shoulders and chest were surprisingly straining his plain shirt that was buttoned all the way to his throat. But above all, the boy with the tense shoulders had what twenty-five-year-old Les Kishir crucially lacked; innocence.
It was such a tender thing that Leticia gently touched the photo of the boy without realizing it.
“Tesira.”
At her call, Tesira, who had been sitting at a huge desk working alongside five of her underlings, appeared in front of her without a sound.
“How’s it looking?”
The subject of the matter was omitted, but Tesira’s answer came without hesitation.
“Unfortunate. Since he’s retired from the military, he would either have to go home or find another job. But you know the whole reason he retired was because— you know…and his leg too. Plus, it’s not easy for a person who has been working for the military all his life to try to learn how to do other things after retiring. And even if he tries, there are endless rumors to set him back.”
“And going back home would be…?”
“You saw the financial report.”
“Yes, quite horrible.”
“In the worst case, of course, if he can’t find an answer before his severance pay runs out, he’ll still have to go back. At least lodging is cheaper in the countryside.”
“So, what’s he doing now?”
“It seems he’s looking to work at a school or at a home, while currently living with a colleague from his time at Wünterhausen. But he doesn’t seem to have any ties with anyone who could become his employers.”
“And his other colleagues?”
“Half of them are still on the front line, and the other half… well, rumors are rumors.”
“Must be so hard for him.”
“Yes, it must be.”
“Even though all the morning papers are talking about him being my lover?”
“Well, since they think he dared to reject the princess, it’s probably gotten worse if anything.”
Lying on the sofa, Leticia wagged her feet that were atop the armrests. As was her habit when she was lost in thought, her green eyes stared quietly into the air, then narrowed slightly.
Tesira’s brand-new limited-edition shoes sparkled underneath her skirt. It was a new product that had just been released yesterday, so it seemed she had bought them as soon as they came out on the shelves. Since the shoes were new, she would have bought everything from a new dress to new accessories in order to match them, and as she never so much as looked at anything that wasn’t a luxury-brand item, everything that she was currently wearing probably cost enough money altogether to buy a house down in the countryside.
Because of this the chief secretary, who was one of the top five highest-paid people in this nation, always suffered from a chronic case of excessive debt. At the same time everyone acknowledged that there was no one in all of Lanstein who had a better eye for luxury items than Tesira Jarden. It was even said that among all the luxury goods in Lanstein, if it wasn’t known by Tesira Jarden, then it wasn’t really a luxury good. She was the secretary who wore more expensive things than her employer.
Looking her up and down, Leticia got up from the sofa.
“Tesira, you still enjoy shopping these days, right?”
Bewildered at the sudden change in direction, Tesira blinked before replying truthfully.
“Of course.”
“I want to offer you something.” She waved her hand in the air.
At her movement, Tesira, who was having a rare moment of confusion, quickly ran to the desk and brought her check-book to her.
Leticia Levanstein. A check with a signature and official seal was placed into Tesira’s hands, without its amount written. Tesira’s hands trembled as she held the piece of paper that could buy the entire capital of Brinzel, if so desired.
“Make it so that there is not a single soul in Brinzel that doesn’t know I’m courting Les Kishir.” Leticia looked straight into her eyes and emphasized each word, making sure she understood her.
She would force Les Kishir to kneel in front of her, hang on to her ankles, weeping and begging for her. And then! Then she would turn away from him and leave him to suffer!
“Hehehehehe!!” The princess chortled to herself.
At this annoying behavior of her employer, Tesira politely turned her head away before she could see her frown. She is crazy.