“That’s right. That’s why I wore the hood. But inside the branch, I should be able to be comfortable too.”

Taking off the hood felt refreshing. It might have felt more so because my hair was shorter now.

The hair ends that used to flutter around my neck were a bit longer now, almost but not quite touching my shoulders.

When I meet the Guildmaster, I should ask him to cut my hair a bit shorter.

When I first got the bob cut, it felt awkward, but now that I had short hair, it couldn’t be more comfortable.

Now it might feel strange to go back to long hair.

“Master, you’re so beautiful!”

What a master of social skills.

“Really! You might get even more stalkers!”

“You’re now department head.”

Perfect social skills, approved!

“What’s a department head?”

“It’s the position right below me, the branch manager. I guess I should call you Department Head Ma now?”

I patted Marco’s small back vigorously. This kind of social skill is always welcome.

Marco just grinned with an innocent face. Though he might not have understood completely, he seemed to realize it was a situation where he should smile and be happy.

After checking even the rooftop that was made for pterosaurs to land and take off, we returned to the office.

“Department Head Ma, you can use that empty desk.”

“Yes!”

Marco beamed as he sat in his new chair. Then, a bit late, he raised the fundamental question.

“Um, Master. What kind of business branch is this?”

Finally, the moment to boast about my business had come.

I flicked my shoulder-length hair with my hand. Then, proudly, I moved my lips.

“This is the first branch of ‘Jinjijo Transportation’, the most prominent business in the capital with infinite potential for growth! Marco, now that you’re an employee here, others will be envious of you! Heehee!”

―Kyukyukyuuu!

‘I’m the little boss here!’

Bless, still perched on Marco’s head, proudly raised one wing.

But while we two were excited, Marco looked bewildered.

“Um… but what exactly is a transportation business?”

The answer came from somewhere else, not from me.

“Jinjijo Transportation mainly transports people rather than goods.”

It was the Guildmaster, who hadn’t shown his face for a week despite promising to visit often.

He seemed to have timed his visit with the completion of our branch’s repairs.

“M-Master, could this person be…!”

“Yes, I’m the one who helps with the transportation business…”

The Guildmaster was about to boast like us but was cut off by unexpected words.

“Are you Master’s stalker?”

“…Pardon?”

After a moment of confusion, the Guildmaster seemed to grasp the situation and suddenly smiled.

“Yes, that’s right. I am indeed darling’s stalker.”

“Gasp!”

“Even if he’s young, a man is still a man. Shall we hear why you brought another man into our hideout, darling?”

It was a typical smooth response from the Guildmaster.

Thanks to that, I found myself in a position where I had to explain.

The Guildmaster waited for my answer as if his words weren’t just casual. As if he wasn’t quite pleased about having a man in the branch, regardless of age.

“Honey, this is Marco. He’s my first friend that I made while wandering around alone during the week you abandoned me.”

“Abandoned? I was just busy with work.”

“Anyway, Marco is a good kid who works hard to earn money for his sister’s medicine. So I decided to help him by giving him a job at the branch. I needed someone to do odd jobs anyway.”

“I’ll do anything you ask!”

I’ll have him do anything except moving plates.

“But Master, if you call your stalker ‘Honey’, aren’t you two dating?”

“We’re not dat…”

“We are dating. We’re madly in love with each other.”

Look at this person. He lied to Olivia before, and now he’s lying to Marco too.

I thought about denying it but couldn’t find a reason to bother, so I closed my lips.

The Guildmaster quickly noticed my acquiescence and came over to put his arm around my shoulders.

“Calling me a stalker is going too far. Where would you find such a handsome stalker?”

“Hey, let me see that handsome face.”

“Haha. I’m worried your eyes might go blind…”

“Stop. I don’t want to hear the same excuse anymore.”

“Yes, darling.”

The Guildmaster changed the subject while chuckling.

He seemed to have come to check the completed branch and had something else to tell me.

“Now, now, let’s not be like that. We have many things to celebrate today.”

“Like what?”

“Since this is personal, that person…”

“I’m Marco!”

“Yes, Marco, would you mind stepping out for a moment? We’ll call you back later.”

“Yes!”

Marco left the office without asking any questions or arguing.

Who cares if he’s not business-savvy? He has social skills and knows when to step in and when not to.

I found myself liking Marco even more.

Finally, just the three of us who shared almost all secrets remained.

“Honey, what’s this celebration you mentioned? Did the transportation business become even more successful?”

“It’s not about the transportation business.”

Besides our business, what else could there be to celebrate? Then I thought of Rosie.

Was there anything more worth celebrating than that annoying woman getting her punishment?

“Could it be that Lady Rosie got what she deserved?”

I threw out the question without much expectation.

At that moment, I recalled when Duncan declared that I should trust only him and that he wouldn’t easily fall victim to Rosie and Benjamin, and I felt hopeful inside.

The Guildmaster responded with absolute clarity.

“Yes.”

“What?!”

“The lovely and adorable Lord Duncan has completely destroyed Lady Rosie’s family. I flew here to deliver this joyous news.”

“Goodness! Tell me the details quickly, hurry!”

The Guildmaster began explaining proudly as if he had done it himself.

I already knew that Lady Rosie had testified under Benjamin’s instruction that Duncan had killed me, and that the palace investigators had investigated Duncan.

After I left for the Philia Islands, the investigators apparently announced their findings regarding Duncan.

Despite Benjamin’s assistance, Duncan was found ‘not guilty’ of all charges.

“…And as soon as he was proven innocent, Lord Duncan magnificently revealed that the former Center Director Count Vilter, who belonged to Lady Rosie’s family, had been embezzling the Center’s funds!”

“Calling me a stalker is going too far. Where would you find such a handsome stalker?”

“Hey, let me see that handsome face.”

“Haha. I’m worried your eyes might go blind…”

“Stop. I don’t want to hear the same excuse anymore.”

“Yes, darling.”

The Guildmaster changed the subject while chuckling.

He seemed to have come to check the completed branch and had something else to tell me.

“Now, now, let’s not be like that. We have many things to celebrate today.”

“Like what?”

“Since this is personal, that person…”

“I’m Marco!”

“Yes, Marco, would you mind stepping out for a moment? We’ll call you back later.”

“Yes!”

Marco left the office without asking any questions or arguing.

Who cares if he’s not business-savvy? He has social skills and knows when to step in and when not to.

I found myself liking Marco even more.

Finally, just the three of us who shared almost all secrets remained.

“Honey, what’s this celebration you mentioned? Did the transportation business become even more successful?”

“It’s not about the transportation business.”

Besides our business, what else could there be to celebrate? Then I thought of Rosie.

Was there anything more worth celebrating than that annoying woman getting her punishment?

“Could it be that Lady Rosie got what she deserved?”

I threw out the question without much expectation.

At that moment, I recalled when Duncan declared that we should trust only him and that he wouldn’t easily fall victim to Rosie and Benjamin, and I felt hopeful inside.

The Guildmaster responded with absolute clarity.

“Yes.”

“What?!”

“The lovely and adorable Lord Duncan has completely destroyed Lady Rosie’s family. I flew here to deliver this joyous news.”

“Goodness! Tell me the details quickly, hurry!”

The Guildmaster began explaining proudly as if he had done it himself.

I already knew that Lady Rosie had testified under Benjamin’s instruction that Duncan had killed me and that the palace investigators had investigated Duncan.

After I left for the Philia Islands, the investigators apparently announced their findings regarding Duncan.

Despite Benjamin’s assistance, Duncan was found ‘not guilty’ of all charges.

“…And as soon as he was proven innocent, Lord Duncan magnificently revealed that the former Center Director Count Vilter, who belonged to Lady Rosie’s family, had been embezzling the Center’s funds!”

“Come to think of it, the former Center Director would delay or cut the salaries of lower-ranked people! He was lining his own pockets with that money.”

Of course, almost everyone at the Center must have suspected the former Director’s embezzlement.

But the McCloy Duke family, Rosie’s family, stood behind the former Director.

That’s why no one could freely speak about his corruption.

Moreover, like Benjamin, the former Director never touched the money of powerful family heirs.

He only targeted powerless people like me to avoid making big problems.

To think they caught such a despicable man.

I thought anew how truly remarkable Duncan was.

“Even the McCloy Duke family won’t be able to overlook this one. Embezzlement and instigating murder… my, what a terrible family.”

I agreed with the Guildmaster’s words.

I never wanted to get involved with the McCloy Duke family again.

“Lord Duncan. He was confident, and he really pulled it off.”

“Yes, he’s really amazing.”

“But didn’t Lord Benjamin help Lady Rosie when she was cornered? He cooperated in this matter.”

“Not at all. He seemed quite active at first, but at some point, he quietly withdrew. He probably pretended to help Lady Rosie while having different intentions.”

“Different intentions?”

“He was probably investigating whether you were really dead, or if Lord Duncan had faked your death.”

“Ugh. Just hearing that gives me chills. Why does Lord Benjamin go to such lengths? He could just forget about someone like me and live his life.”

At my words, the Guildmaster made a thoughtful face, then answered after about two seconds.

“Because he likes you?”

“Don’t say such nonsense! Honestly, I can barely believe he used Lady Rosie to confirm whether I was alive or dead, but to say he did it because he likes me! That’s absolutely impossible!”

Benjamin liking me instead of Olivia?

That would never happen even if the sky split in two.

Moreover, there weren’t even any incidents between us that could develop into love… No, wait. Come to think of it, Benjamin did suddenly kiss me once.

Now that kiss, brief but intense, started to bother me. As did Benjamin’s trembling hand that touched my cheek.

“What do you think it means to like someone, darling?”

“Well… When you keep thinking about that person, your heart pounds when you see them, and you feel like you can’t live without them…”

“What’s this? Do you like me? You can’t live without me, after all.”

“Whaaaat?!”

“Is it that shocking? I’m hurt.”

“It’s not that I dislike you.”

“….”

“I think of you fondly.”

The Guildmaster fell silent at my unconsciously revealed honest feelings.

I wondered what he was thinking. I wanted to know what true feelings he held behind those tightly pressed lips.