I'm The Boss's Secretary?!

Being a daring person herself, without a single hesitation, Haneul pulled aside the branches, and leaned forward to see the small figure of a boy curled up behind a bushes. 

"A boy?" she asked with a startled face. Was he lost? But the village was so far from here as they were deep in the forest currently.

Haneul didn't had the chance to speak as more rustling noise came around her and at once someone coved both her mouth and waist to bring her away from the spot she was standing at.

"She was here. I saw that she went here. She wouldn't hide or went suddenly disappear..." said the man who stood at the place where Haneul was standing at earlier.

From the top of the tree, Haneul watched the three men who were gathering at the place. She was surprised to see that there were people who followed her as she though she had been alone. 

The people continue to chatter before one pointed his hand to the other road for them to divided in their own path to search for her.

"Are you a princess?" came the voice from behind her ears and Haneul remembered that someone had just pulled her away to hide on the tree.

Haneul tried to make a sound but with his hand on her mouth, her words went unheard. The man sighed, "Promise me you would not scream and I will release my hand."

She wondered how this man could trust her but then Haneul was not planning to scream. Therefore she glared at him while nodding her head. 

When the man released his hold, Haneul quickly made distance between her and him but she couldn't go too far for the fear of falling from the tree. When her eyes looked at the ground, she noted that the tree where this man had jumped to was tall enough to kill a child if they fall. 

Remembering about the child, Haneul saw the child that was carried on the other hand of the man. Now that his other hand was free, he carried the boy with two hands, calming the little child as tears spilled over his eyes.

"Tears won't work with me. How many time have I warned you not to leave the barrier. Many children have been kidnapped and lost," he reprimanded the boy who continue to cry. Another sigh came from his mouth that was covered with black fabric and he caressed the boy's back, "Okay, okay I will stop scolding you so shush unless you want this princess's guards to come again."

"I am not a princess," Haneul answered and the man looked at her with a raise of his eyebrows. "Who are you? There shouldn't be people living in this forest."

"I can't tell you that. You see if we were to tell things about us, people like you who are from palace will try all means to come to our village," the man replied leisurely and Haneul quirked both of her brows in question. Who was this man? And what did he meant by those words. 

The man was quick to change the conversation, "I have been seeing you all parade since afternoon. What are you searching for? I might help."

Haneul could see that the man wasn't genuine with his offer of helping. She knew how most civilian labeled woman of wealthy family as stupid. While she can't refute that as indeed she had seen most of her friend filling their heads with nothing but air, she was different.

Giving the man the benefit of doubt, she smiled, "There had been missing people who came to the forest when all of a sudden they disappeared and the Queen dispatched these people to find them."

"The Queen?" The man pressed his words upon calling the Queen's name and it was clear that his eyes narrowed, a glare came on his eye and Haneul could see the hatred that flashes. "And what are you then? From what I see those people could kill as they are armed with weapons. As for you... lady what are you? If you are not a princess. Are you perhaps a relative of the Queen?"

The darkness was abashing. With no lights or torches, no one can see anything. Haneul could also barely make out the features of the man's but with her training and power of the catalyst, most of her sensed went on par with those of an average vampire and she could hear the thin shrilling sound of a blade unsheathed from the cover.

She didn't have to guess what would happen if she was to say she was related to the Queen. The man's hatred was clear that he wouldn't miss this chance to kill the Queen's relative. 

"I am Sol Haneul," said Haneul and she tested the water. As she had expected the man didn't know who she was. Her name in the kingdom had spread high and low, even the homeless who live in the slums knew who she was as the catalyst but this man did not and neither the boy who looked at her with his large eyes questioning. "Someone who worked here to investigate."

"A woman?" The man asked with suspicion and his eyes run to her appearance where she was dressed in a deep blue dress that held no stain at all which only had him frown. "I can hardly believes that."

"Why can't you? The Queen is a woman and she want more women to work in the palace. I am one of those people. My work is to investigate missing people and the dark witches' involvements. Can you help me to go down from this tree?" She then asked.

The man pulled a grin and Haneul could tell he was smiling because of how his eyes curved in crescent shape. 

"Hold my hand," he offered and Haneul had just reached out her hand when he pulled her waist and with a single swift jump, they reached to the ground. "I will believe you."

"Thank you?" 

"But you can't remember what happened today. My work is to protect my people, just like you," he said. Making his way to her, he reached out his hand to ear forehead. The man was quick with his movement that before Haneul or Seoyeon who was inside her could see, his finger had touched her forehead.

"Forget what you see today. You were lost in the forest and came back after taking a light walk," the man's words turned muddled to her ears.

But the reaction the man expected cam differently as Haneul raised her brows, her expression crunching in confusion. She swatted the man's hand, "Is that your way of telling me to forget what I see tonight?"

"What?!" The man turned suddenly startled, "It isn't working... are you really a human?"

It took Haneul a while to realize that this man had a just tried to erase her memories and failed because her power had reflected his magic. 

"You are a witch!" whispered Haneul with her eyes wide.

The man was even more startled but when a sound of footsteps came, he pulled her by her hands again, and disappeared from there.

Min Hyuk came to the spot where Haneul and the man had been standing a second after they disappeared, missing them in the short interval. 

"Lord Min, is my lady still missing?" Yeseul asked with panic, her eyes holding fear and concern as Haneul had disappeared.

"Her scent disappeared until here," Min Hyuk said, his hand clenching tight in fists, "Don't worry. I will make sure to bring her back safe and sound." Immediately he ordered the men to spread to find Haneul.. "You will be alright," whispered Min Hyuk, "I promise I will find you."