Chapter 11
“Th-then… I’ll turn away. Right now. Immediately!”
I frantically covered my eyes, my face burning red.
Sir Dylan wasn’t fully naked, but his upper body was bare.
His wet hair dripped down in thick strands, and the sight was… scandalously alluring.
Those defined abs, that overwhelmingly striking physique…!
No. Think positively.
Focus, Ishael.
You didn’t see anything……
“I’m fully dressed now.”
Sir Dylan said hurriedly.
I cautiously lowered my fingers and nodded.
“Y-yes…….”
“…Then I’ll head to work first.”
It was painfully awkward.
I thought we’d just be ordinary housemates.
I hadn’t expected something like this to happen the next morning.
It’s not bad… but it’s hazardous to my heart……
If this keeps up, I might die of a heart attack.
I had a simple breakfast, showered, packed my clothes, and headed out to work.
In front of the townhouse, in the garden…
For some reason, I ran into Sir Dylan having a “flower fight” with the snow.
The combination of his red eyes and the pure white lilies looked decadently beautiful.
There’s an oddly seductive aura about him……
I couldn’t take my eyes off him, clutching my round glasses tightly.
“Ah, Lady Ishael.”
Noticing me, he straightened from his bent posture.
Standing upright, he was impressively imposing.
“The flowers in the garden are beautiful.”
His expression was cold and impassive, his lips perfectly still.
And the flowers…
It really was an unexpected combination.
But it made sense.
“Oh! Sir Dylan, you must like cutting flowers.”
He quietly muttered behind his back, hiding his hands.
“…Yes. I… like… cutting them.”
Then, it seemed Sir Dylan would enjoy the flowers a bit more, and I should probably head to work.
“Enjoy the flowers! I’ll be heading to work now!”
I walked a few steps, feeling excited.
With each step, I heard his footsteps behind me—tapping along.
Curious, I slowed my pace, and the sounds diminished.
Speeding up, the tapping quickened.
That’s suspicious. Is someone following me?
I tilted my head and glanced back slightly.
“…Ah.”
It was Sir Dylan.
I let out a quiet giggle and faced forward again.
My usually dull commute now included Sir Dylan.
It was a new sensation.
I feel… a little happier.
The moment I realized it, my chest tightened.
What? I promised myself I wouldn’t trust anyone. Why am I letting my guard down so easily?
The happier I felt now, the colder the emptiness would feel a year from now, when our contract ended and Sir Dylan disappeared.
I firmly locked the latch on my heart, staring straight ahead as I walked.
No matter what sounds came from behind, I refused to look back.
Unlike before, leaving the townhouse for work now felt a little longer.
At the same time, there was someone else ready to “detonate a bomb.”
The only family Dylan had—the Emperor.
Inside the Emperor’s office, the archmage Mykol tilted his head in confusion.
“Your Majesty, why are you smiling so?”
“Am I? Was I smiling?”
Mykol muttered with unease.
“Yes, you were. The corners of your mouth rose precisely more than 45 degrees. I’ve never realized a human mouth could stretch like that. Truly, Your Majesty, you are omnipotent.”
“Oh? I’ve been planning something amusing.”
A subtle unease crept into Mykol’s mind.
The Emperor was utterly unpredictable.
Whenever he smiled that ominous smile, things usually spiraled completely out of control!
“I plan to be away for a few hours during weekday afternoons over the next month.”
“…Excuse me?”
Mykol’s face colored with shock.
Every second of the Empire’s ruler was supposed to follow a precise plan.
“Why, can’t I?”
The Emperor arrogantly lifted his chin.
“Of course I can. Naturally.”
Such a look on the Emperor’s face made him unstoppable.
It’s for the good of the Empire, of course.
“May I ask, Your Majesty, where do you intend to go?”
“Ah.”
A painted smile appeared on the Emperor’s lips.
“To… the Knights Management Team One.”
He shook the ring on his hand decisively.
Mykol, the archmage, shivered—undignified for someone of his stature.
That ring…!
I entered the Knights Management Bureau feeling satisfied.
But the atmosphere was… off.
What’s going on?
A tense situation had formed around one person.
I froze as I approached my desk.
“Doing things like this on the first day? Did I assign a difficult task?”
The rookie seemed to have landed in a tough spot.
“I’m sorry.”
“Does saying sorry make it okay to kill people? Huh?”
“Gah, this is infuriating.”
Perhaps because I had recently regained awareness of my previous life, my sense of justice kept stirring inside me.
I exhaled and approached the center of the commotion.
I’ll just put on the brakes a little.
There, I noticed a familiar ring on the part-time worker’s hand.
Wait… that ring!
A plated ring with the coating worn off.
In its center sat a faded gem—half amethyst, half sapphire—a unique imitation stone.
I had seen that ring before I reincarnated.
It was a disguise ring.
In my previous life’s future, it had been a sensational hit.
But now?
High-end disguise rings weren’t commercially common yet.
And yet an ordinary part-timer wore it?
I swallowed hard, observing the situation.
“You’re terrible at your job.”
“How do you even shred the paper? Unbelievable!”
“Samuel is harsh, but he’s not entirely wrong!”
“You have to scold and train part-timers.”
Focus, everyone.
This rookie is suspicious.
Though apologetic, he didn’t slump his shoulders like an ordinary part-timer.
Even under a barrage of criticism, he stood firm, unshaken.
I think I know who this part-timer really is.
If my guess is correct, I absolutely need to protect him.
I stepped closer and spoke loudly.
“People can make mistakes!”
For now, I shielded him.
Everyone, including Henry, looked at me in shock.
“Mistakes? He’s way too clueless! Too incompetent to even take a salary from His Majesty the Emperor.”
“This is grounds for immediate dismissal!”
“He’s not a mage, so he can be replaced quickly. He’s expendable.”
No! I couldn’t let him see the team fall apart!
Because of the rumors about me being close with Sir Dylan, Marilyn had preemptively targeted me.
“Fine then, Ishael, you handle this klutz.”
“What?”
“Hah, you don’t want to, right? Thought so—”
“Okay! I’ll do it!”
“Ishael, why are you acting like this? You were barely there like air before.”
I quickly composed my expression.
Why am I doing this, everyone?
“Did you do everything perfectly from the start?”
“Why are you acting like this?”
“Acting like what? I’m just realizing the importance of teamwork.”
Cough, cough.
I cleared my throat and looked at the small, slight part-timer.
“Are… you… okay? Did… you… get… hurt?”
A rather over-the-top performance, but fortunately, no one seemed to notice.
My colleagues looked bewildered at my sudden intervention.
The part-timer, on the other hand, seemed surprised by the sudden savior.
His pupils, behind his glasses, slightly widened.
I smiled benignly, pretending to be a concerned citizen.
Don’t worry. I know who you really are.
I hid my mischievous intentions, letting a faint shiver twitch at my lips.
You are…
The X-Man dispatched from the Audit Team.
And intentionally stirring trouble to observe the team’s lowest points?
This was certain.
The HR or Audit Team had sent this part-timer to shake up our internal atmosphere, to properly evaluate performance.
Time to grab those incentives. I have a house to buy in a year.
For now, I’ll protect him!
I could never let go of my source of power.
