The 1st Manager, who was now at peace, arrived safely at her mansion. Even though she handled her liquor well, it was worrying to think that she might regret everything tomorrow once she woke up.
I let out a sigh of relief after making sure that the 1st Manager was escorted into her mansion by the maids.
Thank goodness.
I almost made her cry again at the last mont. I ended up saying sothing quite risky, perhaps because I was also dazed.
“I’ve grown quite fond of you. I’ll seriously consider it."
That statent made cringe even now. While it sounded like a sincere promise, it could easily be interpreted as a classic civil servant’s dodge technique.
I realized it imdiately after saying it. I genuinely ant that I would consider it, but those words could be taken as a polite refusal.
Thankfully, the 1st Manager seed to take it at face value this ti.
What a relief. Another misunderstanding might have caused her to collapse from dehydration.
Is it really a relief?
I couldn't help but chuckle wryly. Stopping the 1st Manager's tears was good, but my own dilemma was far from over.
After the Mage Duchess was Louise and Irina, and now even the 1st Manager. It was baffling how the confessions seed to multiply over ti. Was this so kind of glitch or bug?
How should I look at the 1st Manager now?
Honestly, the 1st Manager's confession was quite pitiful, maybe even a bit tragic. It felt like seeing the bottom of her heart.
If it were just a simple confession, then it would’ve been my problem alone to deal with. But I felt at a loss on how to face her from then on after seeing her beg and cry.
...It'll be fine.
Yes, I'll just trust in the 1st Manager. With her remarkable resilience and lively nature, she'll just act like nothing happened. Then, I'd just follow her lead.
What happened today reinforced my decision.
I won't go back to the capital for a while.
For the sake of my ntal health, I wouldn't even look at the capital.
I knew I made this resolve before and failed miserably, but I believe that this ti would be different.
Please, let it be.
***
I delayed my return to the academy and wandered around the capital for a while.
Visiting the tower where the Mage Duchess lived wasn’t an option. The Crown Prince suggested that I return through the mages at the Crown Prince's palace, but I figured that a short detour would be fine since there was no strict deadline.
I had intended to return imdiately, but I couldn't bring myself to go back so casually after seeing the 1st Manager's desperate tears.
I felt the need to confide in soone and to seek advice on what to do.
But there’s no one to talk to.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t anyone who ca to mind.
Telling the Minister or the Prosecutor’s Office felt like exposing the 1st Manager's embarrassing past, and talking to Marghetta or the pastry club seed insane.
The Crown Prince? He would just mock , saying sothing like, ‘It's good for the Executive Manager’s children to have many mothers.’ And the Crown Princess would be too happy about her close friend's marriage to care.
My social circle was so narrow that I didn’t have any friends...
"That's why I ca to you."
I laughed softly, touching the gravestone.
Wasn’t it ironic that I ended up here after searching for soone to talk to?
But what choice did I have? They were the only ones I could call friends, and telling them wouldn't let the secret slip.
"I couldn't get Boyar wine. I'll bring it next year, so bear with this for now."
I poured so liquor I bought on the way over the gravestones. After all, it wasn’t polite to ask for advice while being empty-handed.
I hesitated for a mont in front of Hecate's gravestone, but then I poured it all.
Talking about love in front of my ex-wife...
The absurdity of the situation almost made laugh.
But what could I do? She left . If she hadn't left, then she would have been my only love and my only wife.
I resent you a little, no, a lot. If you hadn't gone away, then none of this would have happened.
Of course, that resentnt didn't last long. They said that the one who fell in love was the one who lost, and I always lost to her.
"Your husband now has five potential wives."
I sat down, leaning against Hecate's gravestone. It made feel a bit more connected to her, even though there was only a keepsake under the stone.
"Isn't it funny? I only wanted one, but here we are."
I laughed at my own words. Yes, I only thought of one. Up until two years ago, it was her. And recently, it was only Marghetta.
But sohow, the number grew to five, as if Enen was joking.
"You’d be surprised if you knew who they are, too."
I kept laughing. The youngest daughter of the Iron-Blooded Duke, a current Duke, a Baron's daughter, and a Count's daughter.
Add to that soone she might rember, soone who was in the Prosecutor’s Office back when we were still team managers; it was that quirky girl from a Marquis’s family who voluntarily joined the departnt. She was a manager now.
I laughed hard and then took a swig from the bottle. I bought so for myself too, thinking I couldn't have this conversation sober.
"Hey. You said I was destined to be tied to one person. What happened?"
I took a long drink and then looked over at Oliver's gravestone.
I knew he was a bit of a klutz, but I didn’t think he’d get sothing like this so wrong.
"I might not be able to see the future, but I have experience. I've seen so many people that I can guess just by looking at their faces."
"Then why can't you see your own future?"
"Exactly. I should be able to tell just by looking in the mirror."
I should have realized then that he couldn't be trusted.
Another thought struck as I drank, and I turned my gaze back.
"Did you an being tied to a boss and not a wife?"
That made a lot of sense. After all, the Crown Prince was the one who really kept in check. The Minister was just following orders from above.
Thinking about it that way, Oliver's clumsy advice turned into a chilling prophecy.
I'm sorry, Oliver. I misinterpreted and blad you for nothing.
You should have told how things would turn out.
I knew it was a pointless complaint, but I did it anyway.
Oliver made predictions based on experience, unlike Tannian who could actually see the future. Of course, he couldn’t have known how things would turn out.
Even if he had known, how could he have said, ‘We’ll all die, and you'll be left with many potential wives’? He’d have been lynched for saying that.
"How complicated."
I murmured as I set the empty bottle on the ground. It was really complicated.
I felt overwheld by these constant confessions. It wouldn't be fair to Hecate's mory, or to the people involved if I were to take them lightly.
However, I also felt hesitant to reject them outright. Was I worried that things would beco awkward? Partly. Or was it because of my feelings for Hecate? That was one of the reasons, too.
But honestly, was it just because of my feelings for Hecate?
That's just an excuse.
A thought suddenly struck . Using Hecate as an excuse to push people away—wasn't that exploiting her mory? Was I using her as a shield because I lacked the courage to be honest with my own feelings?
Hecate wouldn’t resent if I genuinely considered their confessions and accepted them with sincerity. That was the kind of person she was.
On the other hand, she would be angry if I deceived myself and pretended to honor her by rejecting everyone. She’d say, ‘Are you ruining your life because of soone who’s already dead?’
Am I being too selfish?
Of course, I couldn't be certain that was what Hecate would think. It was just based on my experience and speculation.
And the fact that I was already leaning toward a positive interpretation showed where my heart truly lay.
I’m already wavering.
A bitter smile crossed my face. My true feelings finally surfaced after getting drunk and ranting at their graves.
I didn’t really dislike the confessions. In fact, I liked the idea of having people care for .
These were people who genuinely liked . They might even beco the first real family I’ve ever had.
My family...
Sure. I had the Krasius family now, but they didn’t feel like my true family. Technically, I was just a thief who stole this body.
Before that, I had no family. As an orphan, the best I could do was to consider the other kids and the orphanage director as my family.
But these new bonds were different. They stemd from my own actions and efforts. These people liked for who I was.
They would be a family created purely by my own abilities.
Nice.
I couldn’t stop laughing, like sothing inside had broken.
The more family, the better. Having even one person care about was already a blessing, but to have five? I should be bowing in gratitude.
...But would I really be satisfied with just five? Could soone who had already lost six potential friends or family mbers be content with just five?
"You crazy bastard."
I shook my head at my own ridiculous thoughts. Of course I should be satisfied. Even having one person, like Marghetta, was more than enough.
And it wasn’t like there were any more people left to confess to .
All the won I know have already confessed.
I laughed alone for a long ti.
***
It was an unfamiliar sky.
"Uh, Executive Manager?"
"Ah."
And an unfamiliar voice.
I slowly got up, my body aching from sleeping outside for the first ti in a while.
Then, I saw empty bottles scattered everywhere; the gravestones were still damp, and my clothes were covered in dirt. Lastly, I saw the national cetery caretaker fidgeting, looking very uneasy.
...Ah.
"My apologies."
I had only ant to lie down for a mont but ended up sleeping through the night, right until the caretaker's patrol.
Damn it.
My face felt hot with embarrassnt. I had managed to get the 1st Manager to her mansion instead of leaving her on the street, but now I looked like a holess drunk myself.
And I was very drunk, too. It was definitely not how I wanted anyone to see .
"I-I'll clean this up!"
The caretaker hurriedly rushed over as I started picking up the bottles.
"No. I brought them, so I'll clean them up."
"It's fine! Keeping this place clean is my job!"
In the end, I left empty-handed, pushed out by the determined caretaker.
Damn it.
I really shouldn’t co back to the capital until the New Year’s Ball.
I wouldn’t be a man but a beast if I ca back before /genesisforsaken
Reviews
All reviews (0)