# Chapter 6
“Cough!”
Edmund was directly in front of me, but the sound of coughing came from behind me. I made a sound like a rusty machine rotating slowly, and then I slowly turned back.
When did time pass like this?
The clock hanging on the wall indicated working hours, and at the entrance a number of people were gathered like a swarm of ants. None of them dared to enter because of the tension that had prevailed over the place.
“These days, the trainees are very rude.”
Edmund said, then turned his gaze towards the entrance.
“Aren't you going to go to work?”
“Yes, sir!”
With his sharp voice, everyone quickly entered and sat in their places, but they looked at me from time to time, so I buried my face in the papers, trying to hide the redness of my face.
“Oh my God, Olivia. I've never seen an intern like you in my life.”
Dante, the personal assistant, laughed loudly as he ate his lunch sandwich.
“You dare ask His Highness for an appointment? Really?”
Natasha, my direct supervisor, shook her head in disbelief.
"Why not? As long as he stays silent he doesn't look so bad, right?" Campbell, my classmate, said with a smile, and Natasha raised her finger threateningly and said, “The problem is that he never closes his mouth.”
That was an honest confession. Edmund is far from the image of the hero of a romantic novel.
His tongue is terribly harsh, especially when someone doesn't do the work he's asked to do.
This morning alone, he raised his voice three times and an employee ran away crying each time.
“He is obsessed with work to a terrifying degree.”
“He is an unbearable perfectionist.”
"Exactly! And yet a cute girl like you falls in love with him!"
Natasha grabbed both of their cheeks and said slyly: “Do you like cruel characters? Sadistic ones, for example?”
"What are you saying!"
I shouted, choking with embarrassment, and Dante laughed loudly.
"In my opinion, as a man, he's all right. Competent, intelligent. Maybe that's what you like about him?"
“No, not at all,” I said as I swallowed the bite. “Anyway, I will definitely go out on a date with him!”
Everyone looked at me in amazement as if I was talking crazy.
Is it that strange? What is said about him may be just rumours, and his character may be much worse than it appears, but that does not matter.
Whether he's difficult or not, as long as he's my boss, I have to please him.
If he likes competent employees, all I have to do is prove my competence.
I've always been good at studying, and I'm not going to start failing now.
‘If he is the alleged owner, I will steal his heart first, if not him… that’s okay.’
“Wow...”
Natasha muttered as she stared at my desk.
“Did you accomplish all this yourself?”
“Yes! Please check it.”
I presented her with the tables I had carefully organized. I wasn't good at math, but it wasn't difficult for me.
“This way the data looks much clearer!” Natasha said, amazed.
The problem with the documents that Edmund requested earlier is that this scientist does not know the concept of “graphs.”
'No concept?' Then I'll invent it myself.'
“Representing quantitative values in these columns is easier to read, while lines are useful for tracking time.”
“And this circle?”
“This is a pie chart to show the proportions. For example, this shows the distribution of projects in the provinces: yellow for grains, red for fruits, green for livestock, and blue for mines.”
***
“You're saying the intern did this?”
I almost introduced myself again, but I held back. As long as I have not proven myself yet, my name will remain “trainee.”
“Yes. This is called a graph. It will make the data easier to digest, and it will save paper, too.”
I said that with confidence, even though I did not invent it but rather brought it from my previous world.
“Good idea.”
Edmund muttered, glancing at me and then at the arranged papers.
“So, would you go out on a date with me?”
“...I refuse.”
Yes. I was flatly rejected. I ignored the look of pity in Natasha's eyes and stared at him with burning stubbornness.
'Don't underestimate the determination of those who have gone through a long battle of exams.'
I didn't expect him to accept the invitation easily, but I was slightly hopeful.
Even though I have knowledge from my previous world, many things here are still mysterious.
Having knowledge is one thing, but being able to apply it is another.
I used to learn from Natasha, and I made sure to review and read after work.
Until I realized that the office was empty of everyone, and only me remained.
‘I have to go back now, otherwise Mr. Ruan will worry again.’
But as I was crossing the dark garden, I heard a voice calling me: “Oh, you.”
I turned around and a handsome cat-like face appeared, smiling sarcastically in front of the palace entrance.
I almost cursed him out loud, but I held myself together.
“I greet His Highness, the Second Prince.”
I said this as I grabbed the instruction booklet, which I almost fell on his head had I not seen the guard in the tree.
“You know who I am then.”
Lucid said, stepping forward with sluggish steps.
He only shared a father with Edmund, and perhaps that was the reason for their different features.
Edmund has the sharp features of a mature man, while Lucid is beautiful as an artist.
“Last time, I unintentionally misbehaved.”
“Really? Because your face never looks remorseful.”
"What?"
He came closer until his face was directly in front of mine.
'Why is his face so small? And his skin is better than mine too!'
“Your expression says you want to hit me.”
'Wow, does he read minds?'
I smiled nervously and took a step back.
“Impossible. I am just a commoner in front of His Highness the Prince.”
“You're even good at sarcasm, huh.”
But he took two steps forward and I took one step back.
“For my brother to keep someone who was late for work in his office...this is unprecedented.”
“His Highness seems to be strict about time?”
"He's obsessed with it. He can't bear to waste a single second. He's a real weirdo."
'So I wasn't the only one who felt that way.'
I forgot for a moment my hostility towards Lucid as I listened to him curiously.
“That man without blood or tears. He alienates the families who served him for years for one mistake.”
“Oh my God, how does he do that?”
His enthusiasm for my interest increased and he continued talking: “He has an obsession with cleanliness, and he does not wear the same dress twice.”
“Ah, now I understand.”
'That's why he abandoned the gloves that I washed carefully.'
“Even when he's asleep, he's probably wearing gloves.”
"truly?"
“I think he was ten at the time. I entered the bathroom after joint training and found him showering with gloves on!”
'Maybe he hates seeing the cut marks on his hand...how painful that was for a kid.'
“Is he good at fighting too?”
“Look at his body, it is clear that he is proficient in every sport.”
Lucid frowned as he remembered his brother, then added, "But there's one thing he's not good at."
"What is it?"
He smiled mysteriously as he escorted me to the outer palace gate.
“I'll tell you next time. Come back safe.”
'Huh? Who ends his speech like that?'
I muttered annoyedly as I waved goodbye to him and left the palace.
But I left with a lot of information about him.
The first is that he hates sweets, prefers the bitter taste, and even in coffee he never adds sugar.
'Well, at least he didn't drink the coffee I made for him last time.'
“Good, I will use the new information and start the giveaway campaign.”
I returned to the temple and started searching my drawers.
“Where was...ah, the grass jelly!”
It was a gift that Mr. Rawan had received and given to me, but I did not like its bitter taste, so I left it in the corner.
“There she is!”
It was neatly packaged, suitable for serving as is.
“Now…what else did Lucid say?”
I started writing two lists:
The first is “possible gifts for the prince,” and the second is “absolutely prohibited.”
Project title: “Stealing my master’s heart!”
“But the most important thing is work!”
Gifts are nice, but efficiency is more important.
It may be sad for my worth to be measured solely by production, but as long as that's what he deems important, I'll excel at it.
I took out three educational booklets and a notebook, and sat down to review my lessons as I had done in my previous world.
Writing long notes on white paper was something I was familiar with.
“I will survive...no matter what it takes!”