There were many things I wanted to avoid in this palace.

1. The King, because one wrong move and I'd probably be executed for treason.

2. Lord Cassian, because I did not need more smug commentary in my life.

3. And, most importantly, Duke Adrian Reinhardt, because apparently, I was now the center of a ridiculous palace rumor involving him.



Naturally, because the universe hates me, I ran into all three of these men within the same week.



After the tea tray disaster in the guest wing, I made a pact with myself:



I will never cross paths with Duke Reinhardt again.



I would stick to my assigned maid tasks, keep my head down, and pretend that nothing happened.



...That lasted for exactly three hours.



Because the head maid had a very different plan.



[New Task Assigned: Deliver a Letter to Duke Reinhardt (Difficulty: Beginner)]



I froze.



Beginner difficulty?!



Was the system mocking me?!



I tried to negotiate for my life.



"Surely someone else can do it," I pleaded.



The head maid raised an eyebrow. "Are you refusing a task?"



I immediately caved. "No! Of course not! I love tasks! So fun!"



And that was how I found myself standing outside Duke Reinhardt's office, clutching an envelope like it was a death sentence.



I took a deep breath. Okay, Thalia. Just deliver the letter and leave. No disasters. No awkwardness.



I knocked.



No response.



I knocked again, slightly louder.



Still nothing.



"...Maybe he's not here."



I peeked inside.



The room was empty.



Perfect! I'll just leave the letter on his desk and run!



I tiptoed inside, placed the envelope neatly on the table, and—



The door slammed shut behind me.



I jumped three feet in the air.



And when I turned around, my worst nightmare stood in the doorway.



Duke Adrian Reinhardt.



Looking very unamused.



He crossed his arms. "Are you breaking into my office now?"



I choked on air. "NO. I WAS JUST—"



He strode forward, glancing at his desk, then at me.



"Strange," he mused. "Every time I see you, you're somewhere you shouldn't be."



I scowled. "I'll have you know that I was assigned this task! I didn't want to be here either!"



He tilted his head slightly, as if debating whether to believe me.



Then, slowly, he reached for the letter.



I watched intensely.



A normal person would have handed him the envelope politely and left the room like a proper servant.



I, however, was not normal.



So, when his fingers brushed against mine as he took the letter, my brain short-circuited.



And I yanked my hand away so fast, I knocked over a cup of ink on his desk.



SPLASH.



Ink. Everywhere.



I froze in horror.



The Duke's desk. His letters. His VERY IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS.



All covered in black ink.



Adrian stared at the mess.



Then, slowly, he looked back at me.



"...Are you trying to make me hate you?"



I panicked.



"IT WASN'T ME!" I shouted, despite it VERY OBVIOUSLY BEING ME.



He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then who was it?"



"...A ghost?"



Silence.



I wanted to dig a hole and disappear.



I frantically grabbed a cloth and started wiping the ink, only making it worse.



"Oh gods, it's spreading," I muttered in horror.



The Duke sighed deeply, as if questioning every life choice that had brought him to this moment.



Finally, he grabbed my wrist, halting my disaster.



"Stop," he ordered.



I froze.



Not because he was touching my wrist. Not because his grip was firm but strangely gentle.



No.



I froze because I was absolutely about to ruin this man's life, and I was somehow still employed.



"...I'll handle it," he muttered, grabbing a fresh cloth.



I stared at him, baffled.



"Wait. You're... not yelling at me?"



He exhaled sharply. "It wouldn't change anything."



Oh.



Oh no.



This man had accepted that I was a walking disaster.



That was so much worse than yelling.



After ten more minutes of awkward silence, the ink was mostly cleaned up.



I stood there, unsure what to do.



"...So, I'll just... go now," I muttered, backing toward the door.



Adrian sighed. "Yes. Before something else happens."



I nodded. "Good talk! Let's never do this again!"



He shot me a look. "With the way you attract trouble? I doubt it."



I scoffed. "Excuse you, I am a very responsible—"



Before I could finish my blatant lie, the door suddenly opened again.



And in walked Cassian.



Who immediately stopped.



And then—a slow, amused smirk spread across his face.



"Oh," he drawled. "What's this?"



I groaned. "NOTHING. IT'S NOTHING."



Cassian glanced between me and Adrian—noticing the faint ink stains, the messy desk, and my guilty expression.



And then he said something so evil, so cruel, that I nearly collapsed from sheer secondhand embarrassment.



"...Am I interrupting something?"