SDA 17

Chapter : 17

Johann, who had been sulking, blinked his eyes. He seemed a little surprised.

“Pardon? You’ll take responsibility…?”
“…!”
“What do you mean by that?”
I snapped back to my senses.
‘Crazy.’
I quickly corrected my words.
“Well, I mean…”
“…?”
“I… I, as the head of the Willow Center, will take responsibility and ensure that the Marquess’ love life is a success.”
“…”
“You don’t have to worry about the other young nobles. You’re already quite splendid as you are.”
“…”
“I’ll do my best to make sure that Marquess Bellostar shines even brighter at the ball.”
More words slipped out, contrary to my true feelings.
‘No, Johann, I really don’t want you to shine.’
I want to hide you in a place where only I can see you…
But good Johann didn’t seem to catch onto any of these dark thoughts of mine.
He stared at me for a moment and then flashed a smile that revealed his dimples.
“That’s what you meant.”
“…”
“You’re truly a sincere and kind person, Center Director. I feel incredibly lucky to have met you.”
Sigh…
‘And just like that, my love life slips further away.’
I had no words left, so I awkwardly smiled.
I turned my gaze out the window.
In the distance, the blue roof of the Center building began to come into view.
‘I don’t want to get off the carriage.’
I wish this moment with Johann could last forever…
Like the heroine in a drama, I repeated in my mind several times, “I wish time would stop.”
In the midst of that, Johann spoke.
“But…”
His gaze was fixed on the hawk.
“I’ve never seen someone keep a hawk as a pet. I heard their population isn’t that large.”
Johann, who had been scanning the suspicious-looking hawk, let out a small huff.
His blue eyes soon returned to me.
“You and the hawk seem to go together quite well. The calm Center Director and the sharp hawk….”
“…”
“It’s like a twist of charm.”
Johann’s eyes curved like a bow.
In that moment, I regretted once again.
‘Damn… I should never have met my favorite.’
It would’ve been easier if I had just lived my life as an NPC, oblivious to everything.
“You and the hawk… really go well together.”
“…”
“Th-thank you… ahaha.”
The possessed person who failed at unrequited love could only suppress their tears today as well.

Next Scene:

Thanks to my kind and considerate favorite, I was able to easily enter the Center.
Of course, I was carrying coffee in my left hand and a large hawk on my right shoulder.
The first person I ran into was Heaven, who gasped in shock.
“Ugh!!”
Instinctively, Heaven shrank back a few steps, placing his hand over his chest and panting.
He scolded me.
“Center Director, are you trying to kill us?”
Hearing that, Finn and Isadora, who had been writing letters, turned to look at me.
Their eyes were as wide as Heaven’s.
“…Eeh? Is that a hawk?”
“Center Director, why did you bring a hawk?”
“Wow, it really looks like a weapon of mass destruction.”
Though their reactions weren’t as extreme as Heaven’s, it seemed like both of them were just as uneasy about the hawk.
“It’s not a weapon of mass destruction… It’s not like that.”
“…”
“It’s gentler than it looks. Don’t worry.”
I petted the hawk’s beak to reassure the staff.
The hawk closed its eyes and rubbed its face against my palm.
Isadora asked,
“Are you raising it, Center Director?”
“No, I’m not raising it. It suddenly flew in through the mansion window last night…”
“…”
“I don’t even know how it happened. It just keeps following me around.”
Heaven tilted his head.
“So, you were chosen by the hawk?”
“I guess so.”
It was the first time I’d been ‘chosen’ by a hawk, not a cat…
Anyway, the Center, which had been chaotic for a moment, quickly became quiet again.
I set down the coffee and hawk at my desk.
“Chik.”
The hawk, with its slender and sharp claws, walked over to an empty chair and settled in.
Its posture looked so comfortable, as if it were in its own bedroom.
‘This little guy… Do I really have to raise it?’
What should I even name it?
Even with a pile of work to do, I now had to figure out what to name the hawk.
‘First, I should get to work.’
I picked up a stack of papers on my desk.
Then, I suddenly realized.
That gloomy gaze that had always been directed at me… wasn’t there today.
‘Huh?’
I checked Rian’s usual seat.
No one was sitting on the couch.
“This is strange.”
Even if Rian wasn’t working, he was the type to always be punctual for his shifts.
Since joining the Center, there had never been a day when he arrived later than me.
‘What’s going on? Where’s that guy, the one who’s usually so punctual, off to?’
I turned to Isadora, who sat closest to me.
“Dora, do you happen to know…”
Then I stopped myself.
‘…No, why would I ask Dora about that guy’s whereabouts?’
If it had been Finn or Heaven who were absent, I would have asked them, of course, because they were essential to the work at the Center.
But Rian was just a parachute employee who the director had randomly placed here.
Whether he was here or not, it didn’t matter to the work.
‘That’s right.’
I was already busy enough, so why was I worrying about the parachute employee?
‘It’s all because that guy kept bothering me for a month.’
Always singing, “Center Director, Center Director,” he must have brainwashed me.
Isadora pushed up her glasses and looked at me.
“Yes, Center Director. Is something wrong?”
“No, nothing.”
I pouted and sat down at my desk.
‘He’ll come back eventually.’
I erased the image of Rian’s shameless face from my mind.
Just then, Finn approached my desk with a serious expression.
“By the way, Center Director.”
For some reason, he looked very serious.
I blinked.
“What? Is something wrong?”
Finn, with a frown, faced me.
“Why didn’t you get one for us?”
“Yeah, why not?”
Heaven added from a distance.
At first, I had no idea what they were talking about.
Then, I realized that Finn was eyeing my coffee.
‘So, they’re complaining because I didn’t get them coffee?’
These guys…
But I answered anyway.
“…Sorry, I’ll get yours next time.”
The truth was, I wasn’t good at saying no.
‘So that’s why I took Johann’s request.’
Finn grinned and showed his teeth.
“Yay. Thanks!”
“Center Director, I’d like mine without milk.”
Heaven excitedly added.
‘Ugh…’
Today, once again, the only person I could trust was Dora.
I shook my head lightly and flipped through the calendar on my desk.
“Anyway, I have an appointment at 11 today, so I’ll finish the letter drafts before the client arrives…”
As I was planning, something suddenly came to mind.

“Center Director, you’re truly a kind person.”

I recalled what Johann had said to me earlier.
‘Ah, crazy. This isn’t the time for that.’
I needed to have a meeting about Johann before the clients arrived.
I immediately set down the papers and spoke up.
“Everyone, hold on for a second.”
The staff, who had been sitting at their desks, all turned to look at me.
“Actually, I met Marquess Bellostar on my way to work today. We talked…”
I told the staff about the ‘Royal Palace Ball’ Johann had mentioned.
It was certain that Violet would attend, and Johann was looking forward to it.
Isadora slowly pushed her glasses up with her finger.
“The Royal Palace Ball… It is a good environment for developing relationships.”
“…”
“Everyone will be there, so the atmosphere will be heightened. Lady Bringor and the Marquess will benefit from it.”
She was right.
‘It’s like this.’
Even if you don’t drink at a drinking party, you can still feel drunk from the atmosphere.
‘And on that day, all the men and women of marriageable age will gather.’
Johann and Violet would be swept up in the atmosphere.
At that moment, Isadora added,
“However, the key is that, realistically, we won’t be able to use that opportunity to our advantage.”
“…”
“We can’t enter the Royal Palace.”
…That’s right.
I was suddenly reminded of the reality I had forgotten.
Commoners couldn’t enter the Royal Palace.
‘Looks like Johann and I forgot about that for a moment.’
In other words, it was impossible to carry out the love manipulation request at the ball.