This became more pronounced after her not-so-amicable divorce from her ex-husband. Her ex-husband, who always smiled kindly, was well-liked by people. After unilaterally divorcing such a man, her employees generally thought of her as a cold-hearted employer.

Not that she cared.

“Come in.”

At Anna’s words, the gardener Cohen opened the door.

“I’m sorry to bother you, Viscount. Actually, the person I mentioned before has arrived.”

Bam bam bam-!

A fanfare rang in Lily’s head.

The young man who followed Cohen was it. The ideal thighs. And the waist. And the inverted triangle shape that continued above.

He was wearing a shirt, so she couldn’t see his abs, but Lily, who had persistently studied the human body, could tell. Inside there was definitely a magnificent body built not by forced workouts for bulk but by practical lean muscles. Surely, surely, the solid erector spinae muscles would carve a groove down his spine. And next to them, the trained latissimus dorsi muscles…

Saliva almost dripped from her mouth. Lily quickly lowered her head and pretended to have some business, taking off her glasses to wipe them. Then she took a quick glance.

There it was. The large and beautiful shadow cast beneath the shirt.

‘Oh God…’

She didn’t look on purpose. She could swear to that. It just caught her eye. Anyone would have confirmed it if something like that entered their view.

Unlike her ex-husband, who was no more than five acorns even if it expanded fivefold, this was a monster that could grab a person even if it only expanded twofold. Of course, it wouldn’t expand to twice its size.

He seemed to know it too, as he modestly covered it with a long garment.

“The other day?”

“Yes. A guy from our hometown just arrived, saying he wants to start working as a gardener, so…”

“Oh, right.”

Cohen was already old. She had readily agreed when he said he wanted to use an assistant.

“I said he could stay as an assistant for three months and if he was okay, he could continue working.”

“Yes. So, he came to greet you.”

“Where is he staying?”

“Pardon?”

No, she asked the wrong question. Actually, Viscount Lily didn’t need to concern herself with the gardener assistant’s accommodation. Cohen would take care of it. If Cohen couldn’t handle it, the butler would.

Fortunately, Cohen seemed to understand it as a question about whether the arrangements were proper.

“For now, he’s staying in my room. The butler said he would formally assign him a room after the probation period.”

“Okay, got it.”

Lily gestured for them to leave while putting her glasses back on.

Cohen bowed his head and led the assistant out of the room.

“She seems busy.”

“Does she?”

“She usually remembers names. Well, you can greet her properly next time.”

“Yes.”

“Do well, Breck. This house pays well and has good working conditions. But never upset the mistress. She’s a very cold person.”

Cold? Breck tilted his head.

“And she’s very busy.”

Was she really busy?

The viscount certainly maintained an impeccable posture. She wore a dark day dress buttoned up to her neck, and her brown hair was neatly gathered up without a strand out of place. Her eyes behind the gold-rimmed glasses were blue.

But the air in the study was so relaxed that it almost smelled of all kinds of languor. Breck could believe that Lily had been napping there.

But he didn’t feel the need to argue with Cohen’s words. Breck simply answered, “Yes,” and followed him obediently.

As soon as the door closed, Lily trembled while gripping her pen.

“Name.”

“Pardon?”

“I should have asked his name…!”

Inspiration exploded. Anna sighed as she watched Lily search for paper.

“Did you see his face?”

Lily was already too absorbed to answer. Anna shook her head, thinking artists were incomprehensible.

**

Actually, Breck wasn’t particularly handsome at first glance. His black, shaggy hair was overly thick. It wasn’t well-groomed, covering his forehead and the top of his eyes in a messy way. His jawline was rough, and honestly, he looked lazy.

His appearance was perfectly suited for a poor gardener’s assistant. His shoulders were hunched, and so was his waist. Lily felt pity seeing that. To have such a magnificent body and yet maintain such a posture.

However, Breck quickly became the center of attention among the village women. After all, with a body like that, it was impossible not to stand out.

The silhouette was visible through the tight pants he wore to fit into gardening boots. Breck was somewhat conscious of this. Cohen always tucked his shirt into his pants to avoid the hassle of loose clothing, but Breck did not. His shirt flapped loosely.

But when watering the garden or drenched in sweat, clothes often became meaningless.

“Your clothes are all wet, are you okay?”

The maid named Nora asked, who had brought lunch. Breck nodded nonchalantly.

“I soaked them because it’s hot.”

Cohen had taken off his shirt entirely. Breck did not go that far.

The gardening work itself was not particularly strenuous. He was very strong, so he could lift a sack of compost, which Cohen struggled with, using just one finger. Not that he did it to avoid attracting attention.

His main tasks were carrying water buckets or moving the branches Cohen had cut. It was peaceful. Mostly.

“Everything is see-through.”

Nora whispered to inform him. What did it matter if a man’s shirt was see-through? Cohen walked around shirtless. Breck didn’t think much of it. Of course, unlike the over-sixty Cohen, he was still a young man, and a young man going shirtless was a different matter. Especially in a house with a young mistress.

The maids squealed with excitement. Although it was Nora who delivered lunch, several others always gathered, but Breck pretended not to notice.

It was a somewhat refreshing feeling. He had never known that Breck, who was nothing, could be cheered on. Would he have been popular even if he were Breck who had never left home instead of the runaway Breck?

“Ah!”

Nora let out a short gasp.

“The mistress is here.”

The maids scattered, finding their tasks. They were afraid of being scolded by the stern mistress for not working.

Breck picked up the empty water bucket and the basket Nora had brought. He planned to join Cohen for lunch.

When he turned around, the mistress was standing there, watching him with a parasol. Her blue eyes seemed dark, perhaps due to the shadow of the parasol. Indeed, her outward expression was cold. It was no wonder the maids fled in surprise.

Breck found her gaze odd. The way she scrutinized him from his neck to his b*ttocks was enough to be considered lecherous.

‘It’s like she’s estimating.’

Her eyes were meticulous and cold, like a warrior identifying a stranger’s weak points, yet hot like a blade.

When had he seen such eyes before? The orc warlord?

Breck chuckled. The frail-looking viscount seemed like she could be lifted with one hand. Born in this house, the farthest she had probably been was to a sunny resort. The sharpest thing she might have held was a paper knife. Thinking of an orc warlord was absurd.

The thought of lifting her with one arm made the back of his neck tingle. Breck unconsciously touched his nape. A heat rose from deep in his lower abdomen.

What could be happier than being next to the source of inspiration? Though Breck wasn’t her man, just knowing such a man existed in the world made Lily feel life was more worth living.

She delighted in meticulously depicting the previously unnoticed folds in the crotch of his pants. Left side? Right side? Breck was left-sided.

Surely, if the world were full of acorns, humanity wouldn’t have lasted until today.

“Why don’t you try seducing him?”

“I don’t have the confidence.”

Lily replied to Anna’s suggestion while persistently drawing the folds with her pen.

“What do you mean you don’t have the confidence? You’re still in your mid-twenties because you married and divorced quickly. Your face is decent, and your figure is…”

“Ridiculous. A viscount seducing her gardener?”

“There are plenty of stories about viscounts seducing maids.”

“Those men deserve to die.”

Lily handed the finished pen drawing to Anna. Anna whistled.

“Sexy. Did you know that in a recent Verdain Weekly survey, the most desirable man to marry, single or married, was Briston the Dragon Slayer?”

“That’s a Verdain Weekly survey result.”

Briston the Dragon Slayer was the protagonist of the novel written by Randolph and illustrated by Lily in Verdain Weekly.

“But is that okay?”

“What?”

“What if a real dragon slayer appears? Briston is obviously a play on Revaston’s name.”

Lily twirled her pen.