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Chapter 30
“Hey, human. His eyes are going to slit.”
Where Perry was nodding, Kaian was glaring at me. I quickly calculated the distance between Kaian and myself and whispered to Perry using ventriloquism.
“I know, so be quiet.”
“What? Just stay still? Go hit him! Show him what’s what!”
“…Perry, what book have you been reading this time?”
“A fighting novel! I’ll read more tomorrow too!”
Perry flew up in a circular motion, scattering magic in the air. I secretly sighed as I watched the stardust-like magic sprinkle from Perry’s toes. Such wasted effort, all that magic being given so diligently.
Perry had started enjoying the few days of vacation and had begun exploring genre novels. The genre Perry was hooked on this time was fighting novels.
Even though I told him to stop, Perry seemed to enjoy being disliked by me and came close, raising his fists as if challenging me.
“Life’s about the first punch!”
I shut my mouth, fearing I would look like someone talking to thin air if I engaged with Perry.
“Heh heh.”
Perry laughed like a mischievous character from a comic, covering his mouth with his hand. Then, lying down as if doing a backstroke, he flew toward Kaian and perched on his shoulder. Well, well, is he going to claim a teammate?
I narrowed my eyes at Perry and met Kaian’s gaze.
“What are you looking at?”
“…There’s a bug on Kaian’s shoulder.”
Kaian glanced at his shoulder and gave me a suspicious look. Sure, there was nothing there. But I could see Perry getting upset at being called a bug.
“There’s nothing there.”
“Right, nothing. Ha, ha.”
I couldn’t handle this either. Kaian displayed hostility toward me without fail every day. He often used a subtly mocking tone that scraped at my temper, though most of his words weren’t quite enough to justify getting angry.
Should I fire Kaian? But what if he claims wrongful dismissal? I ran through all sorts of thoughts. Surprisingly, Kaian could clearly separate work and personal matters.
The saying “a hundred men in one” seemed made for Kaian—he handled interpretation, general affairs, and even accounting. There was nothing left for me to complain about. Since the department was formed for a short-term project, a bit of sharp glares at work were tolerable.
“It should be about time.”
It was soon Robert’s turn to arrive, coming to inspect the greenhouse construction in my place. I tapped the armrest of my chair nervously. In the office’s awkward silence, only primitive sounds echoed.
Bang—.
At that moment, Robert burst in, breathing heavily. He brushed the soil off his shoulders and smiled brightly.
“You’re not late for the meeting, right?”
No, angel. You’re perfectly on time. Please, come in and sit.
I gestured to the central table. Robert crossed the threshold, tidying his disheveled hair. Kaian followed with a disinterested expression.
Finally, the small-scale meeting of the Anima department began.
I received the greenhouse construction budget from Kaian and asked Robert,
“Is everything proceeding without problems?”
“Yes, there’s no need to worry.”
Robert smiled with a refreshing, summery calmness.
“I see.”
Beyond the warm sight of a superior and subordinate, Kaian’s sharp gaze remained.
Bang—!
Kaian slammed a pen on the table, right in the middle between Robert and me.
“What—what are you doing?”
“The distance is too close.”
No, you can just say that! Kaian answered rather theatrically as he drew out his pen.
“Let’s focus on work, shall we?”
Kaian scribbled something frantically, then suddenly widened his eyes.
“The time from sowing to germination?”
He opened a document and questioned as if interrogating me. It wasn’t curiosity, but a voice laced with malice.
“It takes about a week, after receiving cultivation permission from the ambassador.”
“….”
“Since we expressed our intention to cultivate Anima through the palace, the reply should come soon. Good job on the translation, Kaian.”
“Ah, yes.”
Seeing his sneering voice and face, the praise hardly felt pleasant. Kaian stuck the pen under his philtrum and pouted. Hold on… hold on. I shut my eyes tightly, enduring, when laughter came from somewhere.
“Robert?”
Robert tried to stifle his laughter with a fist to his mouth. As Kaian restored his lips to normal, the pen fell to the wooden floor. Kaian grumbled.
“Why are you laughing? It’s annoying.”
Robert smiled serenely, seemingly unbothered by Kaian’s stern face.
“I’m sorry. I just thought you two looked friendly.”
Robert has eyes, right? Social skills intact, I hope… A slight worry crossed my mind. Robert stopped laughing and gave me a warm smile, like autumn sunlight.
“You resemble a violet, department head.”
Suddenly? Perhaps thinking the same as me, Kaian overheard the conversation and grimaced, clearly displeased.
“A flower? What?”
What did the flower do wrong? Kaian prodded his ear and added, “Ugh.”
Perry, perched on Kaian’s shoulder, rubbed his chest as if pretending to vomit. Hey, hey, that’s not quite the case. I shot Perry a look, warning him not to get noticed.
I turned to Robert and smiled brightly, making it seem intentional.
“Robert resembles a sunflower.”
“Really?”
“Yes, of course.”
Kaian crossed his arms, observing, then suddenly interjected.
“The department head resembles that, that.”
“…What?”
I answered carefully; there was no room for bullying in the department.
“The spirea flower.”
I bit my lips and repeated Kaian’s words. Somehow, it felt unpleasant. Spirea is clearly a beautiful flower… But how did Kaian’s choice align so perfectly with the slang of the area I grew up in?
“Heh heh.”
Perry laughed, covering his mouth with both hands. No treats for you today, Perry. To avoid a conflict, I changed the topic.
“Sir Robert, I’ve been invited to Countess Yuria’s cousin Yuliana’s birthday party next week. Would you accompany me as a market survey? Kaian, I’ll leave internal work to you.”
“Yes, understood.”
Robert replied positively and looked at Kaian. Contrary to my expectation of resistance, Kaian’s eyes shone faintly as he smiled.
“Have a good time, department head.”
Kaian’s unexpectedly gentle words brought a vague unease, but I brushed it off. Well, what could possibly happen? I shrugged and continued the meeting.
“Miss Yuria, I’m sorry for being distant lately.”
“It’s a misunderstanding. I’ve been busy looking after Yuliana and didn’t have much time.”
As expected, Yuria chatted with her parents, while Yuliana, suitable for her age, mingled with friends. Watching the kids act maturely made me smile.
Yuliana covered her mouth and laughed like a grown-up, then stomped her feet in excitement at her gifts. So cute.
“Where’s the flower tea?”
“Over there, miss.”
Robert heard my muttering and pointed. On the round tables scattered across the garden, there was flower tea supplied from the top of Peard. A servant was pouring tea into a noblewoman’s cup, and she sipped it with a smile. Glad it suits her taste.
“Shall we go in?”
I entered the garden, escorted by Robert. From afar, Yuliana spotted me and dashed past her friends.
“Yuliana, happy birthday!”
“Unnie!”
Yuliana ran into my arms, bumping her head against my chest. It hurt, but I swallowed the groan to avoid a scene.
“Do you like the gift I sent? I bought it myself at the Golden Market.”
“I love it!”
Yuliana, beautifully dressed as the party’s star, lifted her face from my arms. I stroked her fine hair, and Yuria approached from behind.
Yuria, a perfect example of nobility, always looked graceful.
“Yuliana.”
Yuria gently scolded Yuliana, who pouted and stomped her feet playfully.
“Come on, Yuria unnie. Just today, it’s my birthday.”
Yuria’s stern face softened, and she smiled. After a moment, Yuria took Yuliana’s hand.
“Just for today.”
“Of course!”
Yuliana smiled brightly, leaning on Yuria’s shoulder. Yuria returned the smile politely.
“Thank you for coming, Miss Vanessa.”
“Of course. Yuliana is like your own sister.”
Yuria smiled radiantly. Ugh, her eyes are dazzling… I thought, but Yuria lowered her gaze, looking at me with concern.
“By the way, about that matter…”
That matter? I tilted my head, realizing she knew about Evan’s proposal. Dave and Sherry’s childhood familiarity meant she knew his personality well and was probably worried that something went wrong.
“It’s fine. It was resolved smoothly.”
“That’s a relief.”
Yuria exhaled, wiping her chest.
While greetings were exchanged, Yuliana noticed Robert behind me and blushed.
“And this gentleman is…”
“Oh, he’s Robert, who works with me.”
Robert bowed politely to Yuria and Yuliana.
“Happy birthday, miss.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Yuliana responded and lifted her dress slightly, then shyly covered her cheeks with her hands.
“Phew, it’s hot.”
Fanning herself, she picked up a glass of juice. Yuria and I exchanged knowing smiles. A servant whispered something to Yuria, and soon her face turned red with embarrassment.
“Is it true?”
Yuria held the servant’s shoulder, asking again. Her usually composed manner was flustered.
“What’s the matter?”
“Well…”
Yuria couldn’t continue, repeatedly opening and closing her hands. After closing her eyes to think, she quickly spoke.
“Miss Vanessa, I think today…”
At that moment, a commanding presence appeared, dazzling everyone in the room. The murmurs grew as the figure approached and became clearer.
Splash—.
Yuliana’s eyes went wide, her mouth gaping, and the liquid inside poured back into the juice glass like a waterfall. Shocked, she exclaimed,
“Duke Dustin?”
Why are you here?!
