‘This is just like when Olivia made deals with the Guildmaster in the original story.’

With her skilled rhetoric and quick wit, Olivia even managed to extract money from the Guildmaster, who was a step above me.

She was definitely not someone I could handle.

“I… just got my first payment recently. Before that, I was living like a real beggar. So, you have to give me a good price. I’m really a pitiful person.”

As I confessed my circumstances, I found myself choking up slightly from the sadness.

Olivia seemed somewhat taken aback by my vulnerable confession.

“Ah, um. I didn’t mean to make you cry…”

At that moment, the wall behind me slid open like a door. It was where Minky had been hiding.

And through that gap, a pleasant voice rang out.

“Who dares to make my darling cry?”

The Guildmaster, who reached my side in just two steps, was both a welcome and reassuring presence.

I hugged his waist tightly, like a child who had just found their lost mother.

“Honey… I got a bit scared of Lady Olivia.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen your aegyo, darling.”

The Guildmaster stroked my hair as if petting Minky.

“W-well, I couldn’t help it because I was scared.”

“There, there, you can relax now that I’m here.”

Olivia was watching us act like lovers while resting her chin on the desk.

However, her expression wasn’t particularly pleasant.

While she had seemed thrilled when cornering me, her excitement seemed to have cooled at the Guildmaster’s appearance.

“I preferred talking with cute Anya alone.”

“No matter how cute my darling is, you shouldn’t make her cry.”

“Well, I could take responsibility by comforting her after making her cry.”

“I said no, clearly.”

A chill ran between the Guildmaster and Olivia, who were barely acquaintances despite having met before. They both seemed eager to tear each other apart.

“So who’s the Guildmaster? It’s you, right? Will you tell me your name today?”

The Guildmaster gave a slight smirk before shaking his head.

“Please just call me Guildmaster.”

Then he subtly gestured to me with his chin.

It seemed like the Guildmaster was trying to emphasize to me that he had told Olivia to call him ‘Guildmaster’ instead of ‘darling.’

As if to prove that he doesn’t use the term ‘darling’ with other clients.

I was starting to believe his previously half-doubted claim.

But still. If that’s the case, shouldn’t he at least tell me his real name?

I belatedly became curious about his real name, which I hadn’t cared about until now.

“Since it’s a secretive organization, I won’t pry anymore.”

Olivia said this while twitching one corner of her mouth.

“There’s nothing to find out even if you did pry.”

“Is that so? I think I’ll be getting some interesting information soon. I might demand the Guildmaster’s name as payment for information.”

“No matter how obsessed with information I might be, I won’t sell my personal details.”

The hostile atmosphere between the two continued to escalate.

If Benjamin and Olivia were madman versus madman, the Guildmaster and Olivia were more like merchant versus merchant.

I didn’t want to get involved between them, as neither would give an inch.

I might end up like a shrimp caught between fighting whales.

But one of the whales deliberately dragged me into their fight.

“Then I’ll have to target Anya. As a lover, she must know your personal details well.”

…Despite knowing him for several months, I’m someone who doesn’t even know his face.

And I don’t know his name either. I’ve gotten so used to calling him Honey that I never even thought about knowing his name.

But I couldn’t tell Olivia this pitiful truth.

“Of course I know everything! How handsome Honey is, how good his body is, how big of a snake he is hiding… Oops! Please forget that last part.”

“Snake?”

“So where were we earlier? How much money did you say you needed to deceive Lambert?”

Olivia, unfazed by the sudden topic change, stated what she wanted.

“Just three sheets.”

The Guildmaster answered instead of me.

“I’ll give you just two sheets.”

“…Hmm. Fine. Since we might have more dealings in the future, I’ll go with what the Guildmaster says.”

“Thank you. I’m glad my darling’s safety can be secured with just two sheets.”

The Guildmaster who finished the deal looked down at me quietly. It was a cold gaze that should have been directed at Olivia.

“I believe you claimed Lambert wouldn’t notice.”

Those words, spoken through clenched teeth, were full of killing intent.

Just how much of our conversation had the Guildmaster overheard? He seemed to have at least heard about Lambert noticing my touch.

I tried to pull away from him as his menacing aura penetrated through his hood.

But even that was prevented. The Guildmaster firmly held my head to keep me from running away.

“He hasn’t completely noticed, he just vaguely remembers the feeling of someone holding his hand. Haha.”

“Hah… Next time, just let whatever happens to them happen.”

“Are you saying that because you regret the money we have to give to Lady Olivia?”

“No. What do you take me for?”

“A greedy boss who loves money?”

I didn’t know my haircut cost would actually be deducted from my first settlement.

That’s the kind of person the Guildmaster was.

Perhaps even the cost of the potato skewers we ate yesterday might be deducted from next month’s settlement.

“Well, I’m not saying I’m not like that…”

“Not like that?”

At that moment, the Guildmaster’s hands firmly gripped my cheeks.

He switched his demeanor surprisingly quickly and put on a sorrowful voice.

“Darling, don’t you understand my true feelings? I’m doing this because I’m worried about you, not because of some money!”

The acting was so real that I almost got genuinely moved.

The Guildmaster firmly stepped on my foot under the desk, as if telling me to play along with his act.

“Really? I misunderstood then. So this expense will come from Honey’s pocket, not my salary, right?”

“Yes… let’s do that.”

We roughly finished our touching performance and looked at Olivia.

The sole audience member’s review was short and simple.

“Bravo.”

Olivia even clapped her hands, looking touched by our love.

“Is an encore performance possible?”

I shook off the Guildmaster’s hands that were still gripping my cheeks and shook my head.

“That’s impossible. Actually, we’re not usually this cheesy.”

“Anya is even cuter because you’re so honest. I want to stuff you in my mouth and eat you up. That’s why I’m curious about your face.”

Wait. There seems to be something strange mixed in there.

Olivia didn’t give me time to respond.

“Will you show me?”

“I’ll reveal my face after we become closer friends. I’m very shy. And as a guild member, I’m reluctant to show my face.”

“You promised! I’ll have to visit the guild often.”

Will I be able to handle Olivia?

The Guildmaster, who seemed to handle her better than me, answered.

“This isn’t a café where you can drop by anytime.”

“Then I’ll just meet Anya outside, without the Guildmaster.”

“I will absolutely accompany her. My darling needs my protection in many ways.”

“Oh my, are you jealous even of another woman?”

Instead of answering, the Guildmaster pressed my face firmly against his abdomen, as if refusing to hand me over to Olivia.

While I don’t understand why they’re suddenly fighting, his body felt quite impressive even through his clothes against my cheek.

Firm and lean… I wonder how magnificent his n*ked body would be.

“Don’t covet her. She is the gem I discovered.”

“Wow, that really makes me competitive.”

I had a feeling it would be tiring to be caught between these two in the future.

And I could guess why the Guildmaster wasn’t a second male lead in the original story.

The two were perfect opposites. So much so that they could never mix no matter what.

I just indulged in exploring the Guildmaster’s abs more while their argument served as background music.

This is a fight I can’t mediate anyway.