In the Chelsea Center Director’s office, a familiar face was seated. It was Evans, who had occasionally been seen around the imperial palace.

“Your Highness, you have no idea how much I’ve missed you! There’s so much work. Please save me!”

Evans seemed to have been doing the work that ‘Duncan’ should have been doing. While Demian was settling matters with his mother.

“Guide Yerena, please convince him. I’m going to die from overwork at this rate!”

Demian, far from pitying the whimpering Evans, seemed to be enjoying it.

He sat naturally with me on the sofa and spoke condescendingly to Evans.

“Why? How about becoming the Center Director yourself? I was thinking of resigning from the position now that my exile is over.”

“…Huh? You’re really giving me this position, not just temporarily?”

I wondered if this was the same person who had been whimpering just moments ago. Evans was blinking his eyes with an expectant face.

Despite the workload and difficulty, it seemed he wanted the Director position.

“Yes. Take it or leave it. But even if you return to being my assistant, there will still be mountains of work.”

“Hmm… Your Highness. Have we been together too long? As they say, people can get on each other’s nerves when they’re together too much. Perhaps we need time apart to realize each other’s value…”

“Enough. So what’s your point?”

Evans smiled brightly and said.

“If you’ll entrust it to me, I’ll work hard!”

The Center Director position required managing many people and dealing with overflowing monster-related issues, so many people avoided it.

Of course, that applied to high nobles or royals like Demian.

For ordinary nobles like Evans, who was a Viscount, it was different.

Perhaps for Evans, this was an opportunity for social advancement.

Demian chuckled at Evans, who had changed his stance so easily.

His attitude suggested he had anticipated this reversal all along.

“Fine, you can have it.”

“Really? No taking it back!”

“Yeah. I think I’ll be even busier now, so I really can’t be the Center Director anymore.”

“Busier? Did something happen at the imperial palace?”

“No.”

As he answered, Demian’s lips landed with a peck on my cheek.

“I need to plan a future with my darling.”

Evans was shocked by that sudden kiss.

“Eek!”

I looked at Evans in bewilderment.

“Is it really that surprising?”

“I-I haven’t married yet, and haven’t met many women… I’m not used to public displays of affection.”

“My goodness. You’ve just been working under Demian all this time.”

“Yes… He worked me to the bone… Sob.”

Demian shrugged his shoulders with a feigned expression of being wronged.

“But if you miss being my assistant, you can always come back.”

“I won’t miss it for a while. Hahaha.”

“Even as Center Director, you’ll still need to help with the guild work?”

“Yes. But are you continuing to operate the guild?”

“Of course. The guild needs to keep growing alongside Jinjijo Transportation.”

“Very wise words.”

…Why does Evans suddenly look like such a sycophant?

“Um, Guide Yerena.”

Evans, who had been giggling, carefully called out to me.

“Yes?”

“Do you remember when I said I had something I wanted to tell you before?”

I nodded.

Evans had a face that seemed to have made some decision.

“Actually, I…”

The eloquent Evans suddenly disappeared.

“Evans?”

And soon after, something timidly walked out from behind the desk where he had been sitting.

“…Minky?”

Surprisingly, it was Minky, the guildmaster’s dog. Our cute little Shih Tzu mix.

“Evans, come here.”

Demian beckoned with his finger, calling the suddenly appearing Minky by the name Evans.

No sooner had he done so than Minky bared his teeth and growled.

I finally seemed to understand what this strange situation meant.

“N-n-no way, is Minky actually Evans? So Evans was also an esper?”

Minky answered my question full of surprise.

—Whine…

‘I’m sorry for hiding my identity… I’m a transformation ability user.’

Good heavens! Could it be that the guildmaster’s other animals were also Evans?

‘And I’m also Mountain Path, the transformation ability user you met at the Duke’s mansion.’

I felt completely deceived.

I looked back and forth between Minky, or rather Evans, and Demian.

“You two were quite the con artists.”

I was utterly flabbergasted at being deceived by these two men.

—Woof! Woof!

‘I didn’t mean to deceive you… I would be so grateful if you could forgive me.’

Unlike with Demian’s case, I didn’t feel greatly betrayed by Evans.

After all, Evans wasn’t in a deep relationship with me, and he had transformed to help me.

But finding it a shame to forgive him right away, I reached out my hand to Minky.

“I’ll forgive you if you let me touch your paw pads.”

‘…Pardon?’

“And occasionally transform into Minky so I can pet your fluffy fur.”

Evans hesitated for a moment and glanced at Demian.

When their eyes met, Demian said in a very authoritative voice.

“I think you’d better do as Yerena says.”

‘…Yes.’

Evans, answering in a dejected voice, trotted over on all fours and flopped down on his back in front of me.

Then he stretched his paws upward, clearly inviting me to touch them freely.

‘C-cute!’

That thought almost escaped my lips.

Afraid that Demian might get sulky if I found Evans too cute, I maintained a poker face while playing with his paw pads.

Those soft and squishy pink paw pads.

“I’m so happy…”

My inner thoughts finally escaped my lips.

Demian looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“That’s enough. Evans, turn back into a human.”

‘…Yes.’

Without objection, Evans quickly left the Center Director’s office, appearing eager to make his exit.

He probably went somewhere he could put on clothes, since returning to human form would leave him n*ked.

“I wish I had paw pads too. Then I could make Yerena happy.”

Demian stared at his own smooth palm with what seemed like a wistful look.

I wonder if he knows.

That him being jealous over me finding a puppy’s paw pads cute makes him even cuter than Minky.

I planted a smacking kiss on the dejected Demian’s cheek.

“Even without those, you already make me happy.”

“Yerena…”

“For example, being able to come to the Chelsea Center without any issues, despite having only terrible memories here, is all thanks to you.”

“….”

“I think I’ll be happy wherever I go and whatever I do as long as I’m with you. Even if it’s a place where I almost died.”

“Yerena, you really… You questioned whether this is my first relationship, but aren’t you also too skilled at making someone’s heart flutter?”

“Did your heart flutter?”

“Who wouldn’t be moved by words like that?”

“Knowing I made your heart flutter makes me even happier.”

I wondered if there was anyone in this world as happy as I was. A slanted smile formed on my lips.

But at that moment, a voice broke through my happiness that had seemed unbreakable.

“May I come in?”

The person requesting entry from outside was Lambert. I thought he had gone out in response to the monster appearance.

How did he know we came to the Center? We had entered very quietly.

I whispered in Demian’s ear.

“What should we do?”

At that moment, another voice was heard.

“I know you’re in there, Your Highness. Let’s talk.”

This time, it was Baron’s impertinent voice.

Demian whispered to me.

“If you’re okay with it, let’s allow them in. And I want to make something clear this time.”

“What’s that?”

“The fact that we love each other. I want to warn them never to come between us again.”

If that was the intention, I welcomed their visit too.

I nodded and said.

“Come in.”

Finally, the door opened and Lambert and Baron entered.