I Reincarnated Just to be Unemployed

[CASSIAN’S POV — THE NEXT DAY — ASHCROFT MANOR — OFFICE]

I sat behind my desk, reading the parchment in front of me for what felt like the tenth time; across from me stood Archmage Aurelius.

He was grinning, not smiling.

Grinning.

The kind of grin that made me seriously consider whether removing someone’s lips with a sword would be considered excessive.

I stared at him, and he continued grinning. My fingers tightened around the parchment.

Could I do it?

One clean movement and Aurelius would be silent, the office would be peaceful, and my life would improve considerably.

Then—

NUDGE.

Something pressed against my leg. I lowered my gaze as a white fox-beast was sitting beside my chair, its fluffy tail curled around its paws. It looked up at me with those innocent eyes before nudging my leg again.

My expression softened immediately as I recalled my lovely wife, Lucielle. The way she had clung to me after falling into the lake, the way she had fallen asleep in my arms every night now.

My anger receded but only slightly.

I looked back at Aurelius; the desire to cut off his irritating grin returned. I picked up the parchment.

"You are certain that you intend to spend the greater part of your life here IN. MY. territory?"

Aurelius’s grin widened. He walked toward the couch as though he had already lived here for years, sat down comfortably, picked up an apple from the table, and bit into it.

CRUNCH.

I stared at him, and he chewed slowly and deliberately.

Then he said, "Your Grace, an archmage who has spent his entire life pursuing new knowledge would be a fool to abandon a territory containing an entire lake of mana stones."

He gestured lazily toward the parchment.

"This is not simply a new resource. It is an unprecedented magical phenomenon."

Another bite.

CRUNCH.

"I have a very strong feeling that Ashcroft is going to become an exceedingly interesting place."

. . .

. . .

I should wipe that smile from his face.

I should. I truly should, yet I remained seated because, unfortunately, Aurelius was not merely an irritating young scholar with an unhealthy relationship with rocks. He was one of the strongest archmages in the empire, a man whose knowledge of magic surpassed most living mages, a man who had the potential to challenge the High Archmage himself, and now this man wanted to remain under my roof.

It was troublesome but it was also useful.

I placed the parchment down.

"Do not mistake the discovery of the mana-stone lake for permission to turn my territory into your personal laboratory."

Aurelius raised an eyebrow. "I would never."

I stared at him, and he took another bite of the apple.

CRUNCH.

"You are lying."

He smiled. "I am an Archmage, Your Grace. I prefer the term selectively truthful."

My jaw tightened as his smile became wider. I leaned forward slightly. "You will follow Ashcroft’s laws. You will not conduct experiments without authorization. You will not enter restricted areas and...you will not approach my wife without permission."

Aurelius paused, then slowly smiled.

"Ah...well..."

There it was, that look and hesitation. That irritating little spark in his eyes as he leaned back against the couch. "I wondered when you would mention Her Grace."

My expression became colder. "I have mentioned nothing unusual."

"No?"

Aurelius took another bite of his apple. "You threatened me three times before mentioning the Grand Duchess."

"I did not threaten you."

"You considered killing me."

"I considered several possibilities."

He laughed and I didn’t; then his smile eventually faded. "Your Grace, you needn’t worry. I have no intention of causing trouble between you and your wife. I merely find her fascinating."

My hand moved toward the hilt of my sword. Aurelius immediately raised both hands. "Fascinating as a magical anomaly."

I stopped and he smiled.

"Mostly."

I almost again reached towards my blade, but then I decided that patience was a virtue. A virtue I possessed in very limited quantities.

"You are an exceptionally annoying man."

"I have been told."

Aurelius laughed, and I picked up the parchment again. "Have you formally resigned from the Imperial Palace?"

His expression became more serious. "Yes."

I looked at him.

"The Imperial Palace has not responded?"

"Not yet."

"Yet you consider your resignation valid?"

Aurelius shrugged. "I submitted it through the proper channels. Until they reject it, I have no intention of returning."

I studied him carefully. "You understand that abandoning an Imperial position without approval could be considered treason."

Aurelius smiled as he looked toward the window.

"Then the Empire may come and retrieve me. I would be delighted to explain why I chose to remain here, and if they come...I suspect they will be even more interested once they see what Ashcroft possesses and what...the Empire lost."

Silence.

He was right; that was precisely what concerned me. The empire would not remain blind forever; the mana stones were too valuable, the white fox beasts were too rare, and now Aurelius himself had chosen to stay.

One discovery could be ignored; two could be explained, but three? Three was a pattern, and patterns attracted attention.

I signed the parchment.

SCRATCH.

The sound of the quill against the paper filled the office. I pressed the seal into the wax, then I pushed the document toward him.

Aurelius’s eyes immediately lit up as he rose from the couch and crossed the room. He picked up the signed parchment with almost reverent care.

"Thank you, Your Grace." He bowed. "Your hospitality will not be wasted. I shall serve Ashcroft to the best of my ability."

. . .

. . .

I stared at him with disgust. "That insufferable smile."

He looked genuinely offended. "I am expressing gratitude."

"You look like a merchant who has just purchased an entire gold mine."

Aurelius’s smile widened. "...An excellent comparison."

. . .

. . .

"Leave before I regret my decision."

He bowed again. "As you command."

He reached the door, saying, "Have a proper laboratory constructed for me, a large one and preferably somewhere in this manor itself."

I looked at him coldly, saying, "GET. OUT."

He laughed. "As you command, Your Grace."

The door closed behind him, and silence, finally. I leaned back in my chair, muttering, "How can one man be this irritating?"

NUDGE.

I looked down; the white fox beast had returned to my side. I couldn’t help smiling as I reached down and rubbed beneath its chin; the fox immediately leaned into my hand.

"Are you hungry?"

Its tail wagged as I reached towards the fruit table, feeding him the fruits.

Aurelius was a headache, an extremely intelligent headache, but there was no denying the advantage of having him within Ashcroft. He was one of the most powerful magical scholars in the Empire.

If his loyalty truly belonged to this territory now, then Ashcroft had gained something far more valuable than a researcher.

We had gained protection, and yet...my gaze drifted toward the closed door; there was another matter.

The mana stones. The white fox beasts are The hidden lake and now an archmage who had abandoned the Imperial Palace to remain here. One after another, these discoveries had appeared around us, and strangely enough...they all seemed to lead back to one person.

Lucielle.

My lovely wife.

The woman who had entered Ashcroft as a quiet, isolated bride and somehow, after many years, had turned my entire world upside down.

A small smile touched my lips.

The fox nudged my hand again. I continued stroking its head. "Perhaps Aurelius is right."

The territory was becoming interesting, far more interesting than I had ever expected, and somehow...everything seemed to revolve around her.

I leaned back in my chair as I muttered, "Looks like I have to protect way more than I imagine."

As long as Lucielle remained beside me, I would deal with anything the Empire dared to send, after all Ashcroft was my territory and Lucielle was my wife.

"Looks like I have no choice but to take that step."

***

[LUCIELLE’S POV — LATER — ASHCROFT MANOR — MY CHAMBER]

I was lying across my bed like a woman who had finally achieved the highest level of existence. My legs were stretched out. My arms were spread across the pillows.

My hair was a complete mess, and beside me, Mia sat patiently with a small plate of pastries and a spoon in her hand.

"What shall I feed you next, Your Grace?"

I opened my mouth without even bothering to lift my head. "Blueberry again..."

Mia smiled.

"Again?"

"Yes."

She scooped up another bite and gently fed it to me. I chewed slowly, then closed my eyes.

This...this was life~~

I had spent years believing that happiness required some complicated achievement, a career, and a house. Money. Success and a stable future.

Apparently, I had been overthinking everything.

All I needed was a fantasy world, a comfortable bed, unlimited pastries, a personal maid willing to spoon-feed me dessert, several murder muffins sleeping on my legs, and enough money that I didn’t have to get out of bed unless I genuinely wanted to.

A white fox cub was curled against my thigh, completely asleep; another had somehow stolen half my blanket.

Murder muffins.

They looked adorable now, but I had personally witnessed what those claws and teeth could do. Nature had really looked at these creatures and thought the following:

’Let’s make them fluffy enough that humans will want to hug them.’

Then nature added:

’Also give them enough killing power to destroy a knight.’

Perfect.

I took another bite of blueberry pastry; this was heaven...actual heaven.

I had money; we had a mana stone lake. Ashcroft was becoming stronger. I had magical foxes sleeping on my bed. I had a husband who was absurdly protective and apparently considered carrying me around a completely reasonable form of transportation.

And, most importantly...I was unemployed.

I stared at the ceiling with deep satisfaction as I had successfully achieved the dream I never knew I had.

UNEMPLOYED. RICH. SAFE.

I almost cried from happiness. "Thank you, God. I take back everything I said about you."

Mia looked confused, but she is too used to it now. I had been given a second life and somehow, instead of becoming a legendary heroine, a powerful mage, or some world-shaking figure... I had become a wealthy grand duchess whose primary daily activity was existing horizontally.

This was success; this was civilization; this was—

"Here is another bite, Your Grace."

Mia’s voice interrupted my thoughts. I opened my mouth as she fed me another spoonful.

WHAT A AMAZING LIFE...~~~

Then—

"MY DEAR BELOVED!"

Mia immediately stood and bowed.

"Your Grace."

I remained where I was; there was absolutely no reason for me to move. I simply lifted one hand lazily and waved toward the doorway.

"Hello, dear husband~~"

Cassian stepped into the chamber. He stopped as his eyes traveled over me, from my head to my feet. To the fox cubs sleeping across my legs, then back to my face.

"Beloved."

"Yes?"

"Are you having fun?"

I smiled wider as I spread my arms dramatically. "Oh, I am experiencing heaven. Look at me. I haven’t moved in hours."

Cassian’s lips curved upward; he looked pleased, but for some reason, a small chill traveled down my spine.

I ignored it.

"What brings you here?"

He walked closer; his expression remained far too calm. "I came to announce something to my beloved."

I blinked.

"An announcement?"

"Yes."

I waited.

He stopped beside the bed; the fox cub nearest him opened one eye, looked at Cassian, then went back to sleep.

Cassian looked down at me, and then he smiled, but... It was not his normal smile. It was the smile of a man who had just prepared a perfectly reasonable punishment.

"From today...my beloved shall begin sword training."

. . .

. . .

Silence, a horrible silence.

My soul left my body; somewhere in the distance, thunder probably exploded, except there was no thunder. There was only the sound of my own brain crashing.

THUD.

I sat upright so quickly that I nearly sprained my neck.

"What?!"

Cassian remained perfectly calm. I stared at him; he stared back.

I pointed at myself. "Me?"

"Yes."

"With a sword?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because you need to learn self-defense."

I looked around the chamber as though someone else might be hiding behind the curtains.

"Who? Who needs self-defense?"

"You."

I stared at him. "But...I have you."

Cassian’s smile widened. "Beloved."

That single word sent another chill down my spine; you cannot expect me to be beside you every moment of every day. There are times I have no choice but to stay away from you and...anything can happen at that time."

I blinked.

I opened my mouth, closed it, and opened it again. "But..."

He continued calmly.

"You nearly fell off a mountain and you nearly drowned."

"That was an accident."

"You don’t know how to swim."

"That is a minor technical issue."

"You have no idea how to defend yourself."

"I have you."

He sighed.

"You keep saying that."

"Because it’s true."

Cassian stared at me for a moment, then he leaned slightly closer. "Then allow me to teach you what you should do when there’s a threat when I am away."

I stared at him in horror.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Cassian."

"Lucielle."

I narrowed my eyes; he smiled, and I hated that smile. It was the smile of a tyrant who had already won.

"But I have a very important schedule."

"What schedule?"

I gestured dramatically around the room and glanced at the pastries. He looked at Mia, and she immediately lowered her head.

"She has been eating pastries since morning, Your Grace."

I gasped.

"Betrayal."

Cassian almost laughed. I quickly added, "And the foxes need me."

The fox cubs remained asleep. "They seem to be managing."

"They need emotional support."

"They are sleeping."

"Exactly. Very emotionally demanding."

Then he looked at me with perfect calm, then said the words that destroyed my entire peaceful existence.

"I will stop your monthly allowance."

. . .

. . .

Silence, complete, absolute, and devastating.

I stared at him in horror, this man...this tyrant. This beautiful, handsome, annoyingly affectionate tyrant had found my one weakness.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to protest. I wanted to overthrow the government.

And just like that, ladies and gentlemen, my peaceful unemployment was destroyed; now I was going to learn how to swing a sword.

All because my husband had discovered the terrifying power of withholding my allowance. Honestly? He was supposed to destroy the Empire but...he was destroying my retirement plan.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!