Chapter 61
Wow. This was almost too powerful.
Each of them radiated such overwhelming presence that I couldn’t even find the right words—just that they were all amazing.
Aslan had already tossed aside his jacket somewhere and was down to his vest.
With two or three shirt buttons undone, he oozed raw, beast-like energy.
When he rolled his sleeves up to his elbows, the tightly knit muscles in his arms flexed with every little movement.
It was like he was the kind of wild, untamed butler who’d be rough with the world—but unfailingly gentle to his lady.
To sum it up, all three of them wielded completely different kinds of charms.
And the kicker? None of it seemed deliberate. These were unconscious, natural gestures—which only made their impact stronger.
Adrian: the warm, sunny butler whose smile alone could make a lady’s heart flutter.
Alperen: the quiet, dependable type who never complained yet did everything asked of him.
Aslan: the rebellious wild horse, but one who seemed like he’d devote himself wholly to his woman.
‘This isn’t some random, spur-of-the-moment gimmick. Obviously, whoever planned this knows these three inside and out.’
For the first time, Julia looked different to me. No wonder she was the leader of Zenus.
She was handling these three notoriously uncontrollable men with effortless grace.
Realizing all this was Julia’s work made my chest tighten with unease.
‘This… could be a problem.’
The club that earned the most “coins” today would receive not only a special prize but also a Badge of Honor.
And the perks that came with the badge were huge—every club here wanted it.
When we first planned our booth, I’d bragged boldly: We’ll be the ones to win first place!
But now Sierra leaned in and whispered seriously,
“I think we’ve been seated in the wrong spot.”
Her eyes said it all: How do we compete with that?*
And I had to admit, she wasn’t wrong.
Still, I squared my shoulders.
“Crisis can also be opportunity, you know.”
“Right now, it just feels like crisis to me.”
Her pessimism made me click my tongue.
“You’re forgetting a rule of business. Ever heard of the ‘next-door restaurant effect’? If you’re next to a super famous eatery, your sales go up too.”
“Oh!”
Sierra’s eyes lit up as she clapped like a monk reaching enlightenment.
“Then let’s give up on first place and aim for second instead!”
Once she accepted that, our plan shifted swiftly and smoothly.
***
And the results? Surprisingly good!
As expected, Zenus’ butler café drew a massive line, which meant plenty of spillover traffic for us, their next-door neighbors.
“My Momo hasn’t been eating at all lately. She used to love anything I fed her…”
“Alright, let’s hear what Momo has to say.”
With the flair of a snake oil salesman, Sierra cast the spell.
Woof woof!
After interpreting the dog’s words, Sierra beamed brightly.
“She says: ‘Even delicious food gets boring if it’s the same every day!’”
“Oh my goodness, so that’s it!”
“She wants the jerky she had before. Buy her that, and she’ll eat just fine.”
“You’re a lifesaver, thank you!”
The noble lady rushed off with new determination to buy snacks, leaving behind more coins for us.
As the coins piled up, I couldn’t help the wide grin spreading across my face.
Sierra, Glaster, and Edwin took turns doing the actual spellcasting.
Sierra and Glaster’s sessions went smoothly, warm and cheerful.
Edwin’s… not so much.
Crash!
A young lady in front of him shot up from her chair so fast it toppled over, causing a commotion.
‘Here we go again.’
I pressed my hand to my forehead.
If there was a flaw in today’s plan, it was Edwin—the lone wolf who never listened to anyone.
The lady’s face was bright red as she shrieked,
“What did you just say?!”
All eyes turned her way. She ducked behind her bonnet in embarrassment.
Edwin, chin propped lazily on one hand, replied without interest,
“I already told you. Your cat said, and I quote: ‘Your butler’s farts stink so bad I can’t stand being near him.’”
“Th—that’s absurd! I don’t fart! Ever!”
“Who doesn’t? Anyway, your cat says whenever you come home, it’s like a poison gas attack.”
His blunt, half-rude tone made the poor lady tremble violently.
Tears welled in her eyes as she glared at her cat.
“This is all your fault! I’ve been constipated for weeks because of dieting! Do you know how hard that is?!”
“And he says: ‘Why should I care? Instead of dragging me here, go buy some catnip, woman.’”
“You shameless brute!”
Smack!
Unable to take any more, the young lady slapped Edwin across the face and fled in tears.
Edwin’s head snapped to the side. When his eyes met mine, I let out a long sigh.
“How many times have I told you? Tone it down. Soften the message.”
This was a formal noble event.
Some people genuinely adored their pets, while others just brought them to kill time.
Naturally, animals would have all kinds of opinions about their owners.
That’s why I’d instructed Edwin to filter what he repeated.
But of course, he hadn’t.
Edwin lounged back, balancing on the chair’s back legs, swinging them idly.
“This was the softened version. That cat’s mouth is filthy. Probably takes after its owner’s temper.”
Guests who had been lined up in front of him quietly shifted over to Sierra and Glaster instead.
Seeing his queue disappear, Edwin snickered.
“No customers left.”
As if that was the excuse he’d been waiting for, he rose to leave.
And then I realized why he always pulled stunts like this.
I stepped in front of him.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“I need a break. All that yapping in my ears gave me a headache—and I’m starving.”
With a mock-innocent shrug, he raised his hands in surrender. Then—poof. Gone.
When it came to running away, no one was faster.
‘Fine. Honestly, it’s probably better without him anyway.’
No one could control Edwin. Not even Sierra, who had known him the longest.
He didn’t even bother to say her name right.
‘If he’s out of the picture, maybe things won’t spiral into disaster like in the original.’
Later, Lottie joined us to help at the cash table, freeing me up.
While Sierra and Glaster worked themselves ragged, I made lemonade for them.
That’s when it happened.
“Deli.”
A soft voice. Alperen’s face peeked in from behind the tent, motioning me over.
Glancing around, I slipped out back.
He immediately pulled me into his arms.
“Break time? I saw the line out front—it looked brutal.”
“Mm. Just for a little bit. I’m tired.”
His face showed a weariness I hadn’t seen before.
Even with magic letting him serve remotely, the endless requests for him specifically had worn him down.
When his large frame slumped against me, I staggered under the weight.
Alperen… asking for comfort?
This was a rare, precious sight.
And honestly, watching noble ladies fawn over him earlier had been irritating.
But knowing he came running straight to me the moment he got a break—well, that felt good.
He held my gaze and asked,
“How about you, Deli? Are you holding up?”
“Yeah. My job’s easy. Just lining up customers and counting coins.”
With Lottie covering, I didn’t have much left to do.
Not that dealing with guests was effortless, but compared to what he’d endured, I had it easy.
Looking at his exhausted face, I couldn’t help softening.
Cupping his cheeks in my hands, I asked,
“You’re really worn out, huh? Then slack off a little. Or ditch it all on Adrian and run away.”
My brother seemed very committed to the butler concept.
It was torture enough watching him charm girls all day.
“Honestly, Adrian could stand to suffer a bit more.”
If Adrian heard me, he’d definitely yell: That’s so unfair, Deli!
But then Alperen stared at me for a long, quiet moment—
And said softly,
“Should we? Want to run away with me?”
