The day after the holiday. I was cleaning the garden when I suddenly heard a familiar voice coming from outside the gate.
Startled, I glanced over, then jumped in shock and yelled, “Why are you here?!”
“Hi, Bell.”
Standing awkwardly and waving at me was none other than Leon. From his sheepish expression, it was obvious he’d shown up despite knowing I’d hate it. I’d completely misjudged him. Clearly, I’d underestimated Leon’s stubbornness. My glare turned icy, full of annoyance and a sense of betrayal, causing Leon to slowly lower his waving hand.
“Are you out of your mind?”
“Sorry, Bell. But I really need to talk to you.”
“Whatever it is, tell me later. I’ll come again eventually, so just wait until then.”
“But it’s urgent. Can’t you spare just a minute?”
“No, I can’t.”
I shoved Leon with all my strength, but he didn’t even budge. Honestly, why were all these guys such muscle-headed idiots? So irritating.
Anxiously, I glanced around. I was worried that one of the animals might unintentionally reveal themselves because they hadn’t noticed Leon yet. Thankfully, Jack had already frozen perfectly still, pretending to be a statue. Unfortunately, Leon followed my gaze.
“Huh? Has that giraffe moved since the last time I was here?”
“..!”
This wouldn’t do. It’d be better to just listen to whatever nonsense he had to say and quickly send him off.
“Fine, you win. If it’s really so urgent, spit it out—but make it short. Three sentences, maximum.”
Then disappear immediately. Crossing my arms, I glared coldly at Leon. He paused, gazing upward for a moment, carefully choosing his words, then delivered his entire point succinctly in one single sentence.
“Bell, why don’t you quit working here and come work at my place instead?”
What kind of nonsense was this now?
“You said it was urgent, but you came here just to say something ridiculous like that? Leave. Who quits a perfectly fine job for no reason?”
“No, coming here today made me even more certain. Isn’t it strange you have to act so cautiously just because someone you know dropped by, even if you are working?”
That was due to the special circumstances of the castle’s employees. There was no actual problem with me working here. If anything, it was closer to employee welfare. But this clueless idiot had no idea.
Besides, what would happen to my Merchant Guild if I quit? Or my comfortable retirement plan? There was no need to even think about it further.
“There. You’ve had your three sentences. You promised, so now leave.”
“Wait a second, Bell. I’m serious about this offer.”
“And I’m even more serious about telling you to leave right now.”
Leon stubbornly stood his ground, forcing me to shove him away with both hands and feet. As our struggle dragged on, my kicks grew increasingly hostile. Eventually, Leon looked hurt and started trudging away miserably.
“I’ll come again…”
“Don’t you dare! If you show up again, consider our friendship permanently over!”
“What was that? Didn’t quite catch it. See you next time!”
That jerk. He definitely heard me but was pretending otherwise. I carefully locked the gate, sighing heavily as I turned around. What was I going to do? He’d definitely return again. I’d already used up my two outings for the month, so escaping to the village wasn’t even an option. Lost in thought, I trudged forward until I reached the mansion’s entrance. As usual, Gold opened the door from inside.
“Thanks, Gold.”
“Woof!”
Smiling gratefully, I lifted my head and immediately froze as a large shadow blocked my path.
***
Ever since Briel had mentioned going down to the village again for the holiday, Kalz had felt a strange unease settle in the corner of his heart. He knew exactly why—Briel’s trips to the village always involved meeting that suspicious guy named Leon.
Fortunately, perhaps due to his lingering fear of wolves, Briel returned much earlier than Kalz expected. Thanks to that, Kalz was able to hear all about Briel’s day during dinner.
“I figured Leon’s house would be big, but the bookshelves were surprisingly impressive. There were tons of books by my favorite authors. I got so absorbed flipping through them that I completely lost track of time.”
“You sound thrilled. I get it, but at least eat while you talk.”
“Can’t help it, you know? It’s been forever since I’ve had someone to discuss novels with. Sharing interests is special. If only you liked novels too, we could have fandom conversations—uh, I mean, talk about novels together at every meal.”
“Liar. You just want an excuse to fill my library with novels.”
“Well, you’re not entirely wrong. Imagine if your huge library were filled entirely with novels… Just thinking about it makes me so happy.”
Briel wore a blissful expression. When Kalz asked if anything else had happened, Briel suddenly remembered to brag about the delicious pecan pie he’d eaten. He generously promised Kalz he’d bring him a piece next time if he ever got the chance again.
However, Briel didn’t mention a single word about what Kalz really wanted to know.
Specifically, why exactly had Leon proposed to Briel?
Several times, Kalz had resolved to just ask Briel directly rather than continue suffering in curiosity, but every attempt ended in failure. Strangely, whenever he intended to bring it up, the words wouldn’t come out. Normally, he’d casually tease to ease into it, but this topic felt strangely difficult.
Eventually, his frustration grew so intense that Kalz lost sleep. He found himself pacing near the window much earlier than usual, restless with uncertainty. It was because of this sleepless agitation that he was the first to spot the arrival of their unwelcome guest.
“That’s…”
Kalz stared down at the young man lingering beyond the gate. He was tall, with a muscular build and a distinctly dark complexion. Even though Kalz had never met him personally, he matched perfectly with the description of the man who had recently become his greatest annoyance. Just as he’d suspected, moments later Briel rushed toward the gate. Kalz instinctively stepped back and hid himself behind the curtain.
“What could they possibly be talking about?”
He narrowed his eyes, peering carefully through the small gap between the curtains. His ears perked up, but he couldn’t clearly make out their conversation. Even when he risked exposure by cracking the window open slightly, all he managed to catch was the irritated edge in Briel’s voice.
Judging by their gestures and posture, it was obvious that Briel was desperately trying to send Leon away, while Leon stubbornly resisted. The argument escalated until Briel resorted to physically pushing him back.
“Tsk. He can’t even handle kicking out a single nuisance. Where’s the brute strength he showed when he drunkenly tackled me?”
Kalz’s irritation grew sharper the longer their argument dragged on. His frustration reached its peak when he saw Leon stubbornly grasp Briel’s hand, refusing to let go.
Finally, after practically being kicked and shoved by Briel, Leon reluctantly retreated. Only then did Kalz head down to the lobby, fully intending to reprimand Briel for allowing an outsider to approach the castle again. However—
“Huh? What are you doing here?”
Briel smiled brightly upon seeing Kalz, instantly dissolving the sharp reprimand Kalz had planned.
“…I heard some commotion outside reaching all the way to my room, so I came to see what was going on,” Kalz replied awkwardly, managing only to state the obvious.
“Oh, that’s all? Don’t worry, I took care of it. He’s already gone.”
“Didn’t you say you took care of it last time too? Considering he’s back again, your reassurance isn’t exactly convincing.”
Briel merely smiled back silently, clearly having no intention of being held accountable. This was precisely why befriending someone suspicious was a bad idea. Kalz’s lips pressed together in a sour pout.
He briefly considered scolding Briel—pointing out that he didn’t pay him to slack off with friends—but quickly changed his mind. The risk of upsetting Briel enough to make him leave the castle was far too high.
“…Just be more careful in the future.”
“Yes, I’m sorry.”
When had he become the type of employer who had to watch his words around his own employee? Mourning the loss of his authority, Kalz turned away bitterly.
Yet, just the next day—
“He’s back again.“
Leon, who’d been driven off yesterday after getting thoroughly shoved by Briel, was once again standing boldly in front of the gate. Worse still, his attitude was even more determined this time as he broke past Briel’s attempts to block him and forced his way inside the castle grounds.
A low growl rumbled from deep in Kalz’s throat. Briel’s face flushed angrily as he shouted something at Leon, who merely reached out, clearly trying to calm him down. Ignoring Briel’s repeated rejections, Leon finally crossed a line by firmly gripping Briel’s shoulder.
“Enough.”
Kalz hesitated for only a moment before quickly making up his mind. Briel was his employee, and as his employer, it was Kalz’s responsibility to protect him. Without further delay, he opened the top drawer of his desk, took out the white mask hidden inside, and prepared to intervene.
