The Marquis' Daughter, a Research Enthusiast, Fails to Notice Her Junior's Devoted Feelings After Her Engagement is Broken. - Chapter 1.4

A month had passed since I joined the research lab. By now, I had grown accustomed to the work environment and study routines, and things were finally starting to settle down. However, there was one ongoing issue that had been giving me a headache.

“Lord Emil! I made some treats for you!”

“I made something too!”

“Hah! That? Please. Lord Emil wouldn’t eat something like that. I, on the other hand, have brought a selection of the finest confections, handcrafted by my family’s top patissier. You must try them!”

A group of noblewomen chattered excitedly, their high-pitched voices echoing in front of the research lab entrance.

The sight alone was enough to give me a migraine.

“As I have told you before, I do not accept any gifts. More importantly, you are disrupting our research. If you are not authorized personnel, please leave immediately.”

No matter how firmly I rejected them, they just kept coming, like mushrooms sprouting after the rain.

At that moment, Petr, one of my senior colleagues, arrived. With his usual mischievous smirk, he offered an outrageous suggestion.

“Yo, Emil, just take them. There’s a trash bin right there.”

Of course, the young noble ladies turned bright red, shrieking in protest.

“How rude!” they cried, indignant.

But Petr remained completely unfazed.

“If he says he doesn’t want them, then they’re garbage, aren’t they? Forcing unwanted gifts on someone is far ruder, don’t you think?”

His words stung like a whip, and I couldn’t help but admire his approach. Maybe I needed to be a bit harsher as well.

“You’re absolutely right,” I added, flashing a polite smile.

“I will accept them—but only to immediately dispose of them in that bin over there. If you’re fine with that, by all means, hand them over.”

With that, I gestured towards the trash bin, still maintaining my calm expression.

The noblewomen’s faces twisted in anger, and one by one, they stormed off.

“Phew… Petr, that was a huge help. Thank you.”

“Yeah, yeah. Must be tough being so handsome, huh?” he teased with a crooked grin.

“At first, I thought, ‘Damn, I wish good-looking guys would explode’, but honestly… I see now that being an attractive noble with no fiancée and a prestigious background is more trouble than it’s worth. You’re basically the last hope for desperate noble ladies looking for a ‘miracle match’.”

“I really wish they’d leave me alone…”

“Hah! Gossip spreads fast in circles like these, man.”

Upon entering the research lab, I froze at the sight of my desk—completely buried under a mountain of letters.

“Ugh… not again.”

“Damn, it’s even more than yesterday.”

“I really wish they’d stop… It’s becoming a nuisance for everyone.”

Petr casually picked up one of the letters and raised an eyebrow.

“Hey, check this one out—it’s written in what looks like bl00d. That’s intense.”

Ever since I started working here, noblewomen who spotted me somewhere in the city had begun sending letters to the research lab.

At first, I simply discarded them all.

But then, Petr, out of morbid curiosity, opened one—only to find it filled with obsessive declarations of love and a lock of human hair.

The entire lab erupted in horrified screams when they saw it.

Since then, my colleagues had started pitying me, and surprisingly, that incident helped me integrate better into the lab’s social circle.

Outside the lab, I always rode a guarded carriage home, and the residence I rented had strict security measures.

That made the research lab the only accessible place for these unwanted visitors, making it the perfect target for them.

“This is getting ridiculous. We need to do something about this—maybe station guards at the entrance?”

“Yeah… If only we had a system that could automatically block unauthorized people…”

Hearing Petr’s offhanded comment, another colleague, Karl, spoke up.

“Couldn’t we just create one with magic tools?”

The moment he said that, the entire lab erupted into discussion, excitedly brainstorming ideas.

That was when Lady Frederica entered the room, slightly late.

“Oh? What’s all this about?”

I straightened slightly, still feeling a bit nervous whenever I spoke to her.

Not because I was intimidated—but because she was breathtaking.

Whenever she walked, whenever she spoke, it was as if flowers bloomed around her.

Just existing in the same room as her made me feel like I was ascending to heaven.

Petr, grinning, turned to her.

“Lady Frederica, why don’t you help us out?”

“Ah! Of course! That sounds fascinating!”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and with that, she officially joined the project.

Eventually, even the professor got involved, and before we knew it, the entire lab was working on it together.

✦ ✦ ✦

One month after the initial idea, we finally completed the first prototype.

It was a recognition gate that scanned an individual’s unique mana wavelength, allowing only registered individuals to pass through. Anyone else would be blocked by an invisible barrier.

Since every person’s mana signature is unique, it was an effective method of security.

Even bl00d relatives had slightly different mana patterns, making it virtually impossible to falsify an identity.

We installed the gate at the corridor leading to the research lab, preparing to test it with the cooperation of staff from other departments.

“Alright… Let’s begin. We’ll test it in small groups first—too many people at once might overload the system.”

We started by having registered lab members pass through—no issues.

Next, we had unregistered individuals attempt to enter.

Each time, the gate emitted a loud warning sound, and the barrier successfully blocked them.

We repeated the test dozens of times, tweaking the system and observing for flaws.

It held up perfectly.

Even after the 1,000th test, there was no mana depletion or malfunctions.

“We did it…! No errors, no misidentifications—it works flawlessly!”

The entire lab erupted into cheers, exchanging high-fives in celebration.

Lady Frederica, too, was subtly bouncing with excitement, making tiny pumping motions with her fists.

Seeing this, I instinctively raised my hand for a high-five.

For a moment, she hesitated, then—somewhat awkwardly—returned it.

That moment alone made my entire day.

Too cute… I’m going to die!

“Good for you, huh?”

Petr smirked, teasing me as the others in the lab gave me knowing looks, their expressions a mix of amusement and warmth.

By now, after two months, it was no secret among the lab members that I had feelings for Lady Frederica.

✦ ✦ ✦

One night, during an overnight research session, I was working alongside a group of lab members, casually chatting as we worked.

That was when Petr suddenly dropped a bombshell question.

“Hey, Emil—you like Lady Frederica, don’t you?”

I nearly dropped the magic stone I was holding.

“…Y-Yes, I do… Is that… a problem?”

Feeling flustered, I admitted it outright, unable to meet their eyes.

“Man, that’s sweet as hell. But… you do know she has a fiancé, right? The First Prince, Prince Ernest.”

“I know… but… I’ve loved her since we were kids…”

At that point, I explained everything—how I had met Lady Frederica, why I had come all this way, and how I had worked tirelessly for years just to stand by her side.

“Whoa! That’s insanely dedicated! Emil, you’re a real man! Respect!”

“Emil, that’s… amazing. To be honest, I always thought you were some unreachable noble, but… you’re just like us.”

“Y-yeah, I, uh, k-kinda assumed you were just a handsome high-ranking noble, but… y-you’re actually just a normal guy inside, huh?”

Karl and Bill, two of the other researchers, chimed in.

Their words made me genuinely happy—it felt like I was finally fitting in.

At that moment, a worrying thought crossed my mind.

I hesitated for a moment before cautiously voicing it.

“Um… I just want to make sure… None of you have fallen for Lady Frederica… right?”

“Nah, not a chance.”

“Lady Frederica is beautiful, and she’s friendly, even talking casually with us, which is nice, but… you know?”

“Yeah, same here. Honestly, even normal women feel like they’re in a different world from us. Lady Frederica is just… on another level entirely.”

“S-she’s gorgeous, but… y-you know… she’s going to be the Crown Princess one day…”

“Right? It’s kind of intimidating.”

“Y-yeah.”

Petr and the others exchanged glances, looking almost apologetic as they answered.

“That’s why we think you’re incredible, Emil. We genuinely support you.”

“Yeah, same here. Good luck, man.”

“Y-yeah…!”

Hearing their support warmed my heart—until Petr’s next words sent me straight into despair.

“I mean… your chances are basically nonexistent, but hey, there’s no harm in having feelings.”

“…I know that.”

No matter how much I loved her, she was someone else’s fiancée.

A harsh, unchangeable reality.

“Emil… you’re really something.”

“I-I… respect you for it.”

And so, with my colleagues’ support and sympathy, I slowly but surely became part of the research lab.