IBML 04

Chapter 04

I felt a little flustered and recalled the original story.

Come to think of it, there was a setting like that early on, wasn’t there?
That Kallian had a knack for growing plants.

Suddenly, I remembered the top comment from the episode where that detail appeared.

“He looks like a flower himself, so of course he’s good at growing them.”

Mm, I couldn’t agree more.

Anyway, that meant Kallian was confident enough in gardening that he’d even considered it as a job.

But either his skills weren’t good enough to actually pass an interview, or he thought the bar was too high and gave up without even trying.

Considering the stat distribution usually given to novel protagonists, it was probably the latter.

I was turning my head, trying to figure out how to make use of this, when a gentle voice spoke up, and eyes as clear as a cloudless sky looked straight at me.

The gaze was intense enough to make me flinch.

“Once again, thank you so much. My benefactor.”
“……”
“If my siblings had been hurt, I really would’ve despised myself. Well, I still do, but…”

Benefactor? Benefactor?

Kallian—who had strong family devotion and an almost doting personality—was calling me the benefactor of his family.

They say fans never get lucky, but I guess that’s not always true.

I covered my mouth with a trembling hand. For a moment, I almost asked him to say it again, wondering if I’d misheard.

Honestly, I didn’t think what I’d done was worthy of being called that.

Throwing yourself into danger to save children as an adult isn’t exactly something that deserves praise, is it?

Still, if Kallian thought that way, I could only be grateful.

Without even a week since possessing this body, I’d somehow become the main character’s benefactor. You could say I’d obtained a hidden title.

In Kallian’s eyes, clear, dewy droplets were just about to form.

The corners of his eyes were flushed red. He looked like something straight out of a photoshoot.

“May I at least treat you to a meal?”

With that expression and that tone, it was unfair.

I couldn’t bring myself to refuse and just stared at him, when a good idea suddenly came to mind.

I’d decided how to make use of his specialty.

I crouched down to meet Kallian at eye level and spoke.

“I’m fine without a meal. Instead, could you do one thing for me?”
“……What is it that you want?”

Don’t look so grave—it makes it seem like I’m threatening you.

I glanced at Kallian and the two children sniffling in his arms.

“It’s nothing much. Just go to one interview. Just once.”
“A-an interview?”
“Yes.”

I held the newspaper I’d been carrying right in front of his eyes.

Since he’d even marked it with a star, he should recognize it.

“This. The gardener interview at the Duke of Montenium’s estate.”
“……When?”

Even while looking utterly dumbfounded, he gazed at me with that beautiful face. I answered with a bright smile.

“Right now.”

It seemed impractical to keep talking inside the bookstore, so we went outside and introduced ourselves.

“Would you like to come to our place?”
“If it’s somewhere quiet, sure. Please wipe away your tears.”

I took a handkerchief out of my bag and handed it over. Kallian first tidied up his siblings’ faces.

And so, we headed to Kallian’s home.

So this is where Kallian lives.

I looked up at the shabby apartment building.

The wooden corridors creaked and the soundproofing was poor, but it looked livable enough.

I’d been living in a place like this myself until yesterday.

“It’s humble, but please come in.”

Kallian seated me at the table and bustled around. He set out some simple refreshments—madeleines and tea—and then sat down.

“Thank you for the meal.”

The twins, clearly hungry, devoured the madeleines. Watching them, Kallian looked consumed by guilt.

As a caregiver, he knew his responsibilities better than anyone; he’d reflect and do better on his own.

I brushed back the loose hair by my temple and began.

“You’ll need a self-introduction letter and a résumé for the interview. You have them, right?”
“Yes. But there’s something I’d like to ask.”

I nodded and waited for him to continue.

“Who exactly are you, and why did you suggest that I take this interview?”

A perfectly reasonable question.

I swallowed and introduced myself.

“My name is Rasha Berni, and I’m an aide to Duke Montenium.”

As I showed him my pass, the sharpness in Kallian’s gaze softened.

A duke as powerful as Montenium wouldn’t hire a con artist—was what his look seemed to say.

Being mistaken for a scammer was rather unfair, but still, even a benefactor shouldn’t trick someone into a job.

I met his eyes gently and explained that we were currently looking for a gardener.

“I noticed you’d marked the posting with a star.”
“Ah. You saw that.”
“It felt like a chance that came along by fate, so I made the suggestion right away. You understand now, right?”

I smiled brightly and made a subtle gesture, as if asking him to trust me.

But Kallian didn’t back down.

“Isn’t this interview more beneficial to me than to you, Aide?”

At some point, his form of address had changed. I waved my hands lightly.

“Just call me by my name.”
“Benefactor.”
“Wouldn’t ‘Ms. Berni’ be better?”
“Yes, Aide Berni.”

I’d told him to call me whatever he liked, but he’d gone right back to “Aide.” I took a deep breath.

“It’s true that this interview helps me more than it helps Mr. Ripe.”
“Then… why is that?”

His serious expression made me serious too. I paused briefly, choosing my words.

Rekalin personally conducted every interview whenever someone was hired at the estate.

So I couldn’t exactly say it was because this would conveniently kick off my Cupid of Love Project.

My project had to proceed without anyone noticing—or at least with minimal suspicion.

I’d go with the loyal-employee route.

“If you become a gardener and tend the garden well, the Duke will enjoy the sight of it.”
“But you don’t really know my skill level.”
“Still, if you went as far as to star the ad, you must’ve had some confidence, right?”

That argument seemed to land; he pressed his lips together.

Having lived his whole life without anything to rely on, persuasion took time.

True to being a protagonist, he was a master of push and pull. And right on cue, the twins joined in.

“Brother, just do it. When will you ever get a chance to work for a duke’s family?”
“Yeah, hyung. I agree with Pana.”

Kallian brushed the madeleine crumbs from the twins’ mouths.

“If I do this, I’ll ask for one more wish after the interview.”
“……All right. It would be rude to refuse after you’ve gone this far.”

He said it with a faint smile.

“I’ll take the interview.”
“Good choice!”

I was so happy I almost jumped up and grabbed his hand, but awkwardly sat back down instead.

“I’ll go get my self-introduction letter and résumé.”

As if he’d prepared them in advance, Kallian quickly brought out the documents.

With that, we headed back out onto the street to go to the interview.

The street was quiet, with few carriages passing by. We’d likely have to wait.

While we waited, I bought two drinks for ten millas each at a nearby shop and handed them to the children.

They’d already eaten madeleines, but after what they’d been through, they drank eagerly.

Feeling guilty for having left them unattended and put them in danger, Kallian doted on them attentively.

As we waited, I spoke to him.

“By the way, what are their names?”
“I’m Pana. Pana Ripe.”

The girl answered quickly. The boy, Paul, gulped his drink and spoke up too.

“Thank you so much for saving us.”
“Yeah. If it weren’t for you, sister, it would’ve been really bad.”
“It wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“But still.”
“Being thankful is being thankful!”

A warm conversation flowed. I scratched my cheek and looked at the two children fondly.

“Can we call you Sister Rasha?”
“Can I call you Big Sis Rasha?”
“Call me whatever you like.”

“Yay.”
“Yay.”

Pana and Paul chattered away at me, though their movements were quieter than those of most children their age.

Then a carriage arrived, and we climbed aboard.

As he stepped inside, Kallian said,

“But… what if I fail at the document stage before even getting to the interview?”
“Why do you think that?”

Leaning back against the stiff carriage seat, he whispered carefully.

“It’s from when I was once employed by a noble.”

He explained that when he was much younger, he refined his horticultural skills and became the gardener for a wealthy, influential baron.

The pay was good, and he was happily working there—until rumors broke out between him and the baron.

To cover up his own disgrace, the baron drove Kallian out and ensured he couldn’t be hired anywhere else.

After that, Kallian scraped by doing short-term and day labor, barely keeping the three of them fed.

Seeing the posting this time, he’d finally worked up the courage to mark it with a star.

“I was thinking of giving up again, but then you appeared, Aide, and here we are.”
“That’s fortunate. Don’t worry too much—you won’t be rejected without even getting an interview.”

After reassuring him, I rested my elbow on the carriage window frame and propped up my chin.

A baron, not a lady…

So it really was a BL novel. And having gone through a scandal like that, it was no wonder he found it hard to trust others.

As I quietly enjoyed the evening breeze, the carriage rattled along and soon arrived at its destination. Night had fallen.

Clatter—thud—

The moment the carriage stopped, I jumped down and hurried toward the head butler’s quarters.

There was a small commotion when I bumped into the vice-captain, but he seemed distracted by something and waved it off after an apology.

The Ripe family followed slowly, eyes wide as they took in the interior decor. The head butler was still in his uniform.

“Ms. Berni?”
“You asked if I knew any gardeners you could be introduced to, remember?”

Smiling, I brought Kallian forward.

“He’s someone I met today, and he wants to apply for the position, so I brought him!”

After that, the head butler went up to the office to report the situation. Meanwhile, Kallian sat neatly with his hands folded.

He looked like he was praying—to Lire, the continent’s only god.

Pana and Paul were busy running around, fascinated by everything indoors.

There was quite a racket, but I pretended not to hear it.

Clenching his interlaced fingers so tightly that veins stood out, Kallian suddenly jumped up like the hero of a comedy and shouted with determination,

“This won’t do. I should back out now while I still can—”
“The pay will be better than just a part-time job, you know.”
“……”

The moment he heard that, Kallian sat back down. All his flustered movements vanished, replaced by a composed demeanor.

Paul, who’d been looking at some well-worn books, called out in a clear voice,

“Hyung, it’ll work out. You’ve brought lots of dead plants back to life.”
“That’s right, brother! I know how good you are. So you have to do well—absolutely. Absolutely!”

As soon as Pana finished speaking, the door flew open. The head butler called Kallian out.

“He’s asking for Ms. Berni to come along as well.”
“Yes.”

I’d been summoned too.

And so, together with Kallian, I followed the head butler to the office.

Inside sat Rekalin at his desk, his black hair looking even darker in the night’s light.

I turned my head slightly, waiting for the moment he would lift his gaze. Kallian stood stiffly, staring straight ahead.

“You’re here for the gardener interview?”
“Yes.”

Rekalin adjusted his glasses as he spoke, then lifted his eyes.

At last, their gazes met. As their eyes connected in a straight line, I clenched my fist in excitement.

This was the moment the very first button was fastened.