Please Lend Me 50 Million - Chapter 15

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The one who rescued Melos from the hell of working through the night for a week was none other than a maid sent by Harriet. To be precise, it was Harriet’s message delivered by the maid that saved him, but for a man who could finally see Cecile tonight, such trivialities didn’t matter.

“The Master wishes to see you in the Tea Time Hall, Madam.”

“Harriet, me?”

Unlike Melos, whose lips were twitching at the thought of leaving work, Asha’s face stiffened awkwardly. It suddenly hit her that this was the first time they would face each other since parting ways at that breakfast table. Furthermore, her thoughts, soaked in lewdness, naturally skewed in a different direction.

He’s going t-to f**k me into a mess in the Tea Time Hall…!

Before Asha’s reason could correct the thought, the voice of a guilty person strangely popped out. Her voice trembled like a shy goat while her neck retracted like a tortoise, making her look like a one-woman petting zoo.

“W-what is he planning to do by meeting me…?”

A common, ordinary answer returned to her shy question.

“Uh… I believe he requested a tea time.”

The maid tilted her head in confusion at Asha’s oversensitive reaction. Only then did Asha realize she had reacted excessively to a mundane routine. Straightening her body, which had been buried into the soft back of the chair, Asha let out an awkward laugh. What was the point of trying to fix it now—the milk was already spilled.

“Ah—ah! Tea time. Tea time. That’s good.”

Asha tried to cover up her reaction by deliberately stretching wide. However, from her suddenly outstretched arms to her rambling words, everything from head to toe was incredibly awkward. Not that Asha herself was aware of this fact.

“Haha! Documents. Right, I thought he wanted to talk about documents. Haha, have I been looking at documents too much lately?”

“Madam, what is wrong with you?”

Seeing her lift a thick stack of papers as if to show off and thrusting the ignorant bundles toward the maid, Melos couldn’t stand it and added his two cents. He didn’t forget to glance at Asha with a look of distaste.

“What about me, Melos? Just go home. Ah, why is it so hot? Is summer coming already? Argh!”

Thump!

A cheerful sound rang out as her weak knee collided with a drawer said to have been polished by a master craftsman from sturdy Hoso wood. The dull thud drove everyone in the room into a state of horror.

Did her knee break?

“Kyaa! Are you all right, Madam?!”

The moment the same thought flashed through everyone’s minds, the maid shrieked and approached Asha. With her trembling hands and pale face, one would have believed it was the maid who had hit the desk.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. Haha! Phew.”

Why is the normally dignified Madam acting like this today? As Melos and the maid leaned in to check her knee, Asha pushed them away excessively, refusing their kindness. It was clear she had slammed it hard, but since she was only fanning her innocent face with her hand, Melos’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s just tea time, so why are you acting like this? Is the Count going to eat you alive or something?”

“No way!”

Melos acted as if he were interrogating her with his thin eyes, but Asha chased him out with the documents in her hand. Even as he was pushed away, he didn’t forget to add a spiteful comment.

“Since you are a debtor of fifty million Rublangs, the Count probably won’t eat you up just like that. No, forget eating you—if you’re missing for even a day, the police will be dispatched immediately! Where else could there be a safer debtor than you?”

“Melos, do you want to not go home?”

It was power and overtime that shut his spitefully chattering mouth. Since leaving on time was more important to him than Asha’s strange behavior, his expression changed instantly, and he personally escorted Asha to the office door.

“Hehe, Madam. Isn’t the evening tea time meant to be spent with family? How could I keep you in the office when you should be having a sweet time with the Count? Hehe.”

Asha, who was pushed toward the door like a cow being herded by his massive frame, eventually had no choice but to step outside.

Even if she held out in the office, it wasn’t as if Harriet wouldn’t be waiting for her. The maid, letting out a sigh of relief at her now-cooperative mistress, guided Asha to where Harriet was.

Why is he calling me so suddenly?

Tea time was originally about enjoying light snacks before a meal, so this time, right after dinner, felt somewhat out of place. Wondering what his ulterior motive was, the maid led Asha into the Tea Time Hall.