Chapter 216
Having found peace of mind, the Second Manager safely arrived at the mansion. That kid seems to be the type who can drink but still keep their memory intact; I’m worried they’ll wake up tomorrow and accidentally bite their tongue.
He watched as the Second Manager was helped inside by the maids and let out a sigh of relief.
‘Thank goodness.’
At the very end, I almost triggered the Second Manager’s tears again. I guess my head was spinning too, leading to some serious slip-ups on my part.
“Anyway, we’ve built a good bond, so I’ll think about it seriously.”
Looking back, that was a dizzying statement. It sounded nice on the surface, but it really came off like a typical civil servant’s evasive response—‘I’ll consider it positively’ and all that.
Even as I said it, I realized I might have made a huge mistake. I genuinely meant to say I would think it over deeply, but ended up saying something that could easily be interpreted as a roundabout rejection.
Fortunately, the Second Manager, with a face smeared in tears, seemed to understand me correctly this time. It looked like her tears had dried up, which was a relief because otherwise, she might have dehydrated and died on me.
‘Is it really a relief?’
A bitter smile crept onto my face. While it was great that I had stopped the Second Manager’s wailing, my own worries were far from over.
With Marcilio, Louise, Irina, and now the Second Manager, I just don’t understand why everyone’s confessions are happening like a copy-paste job. Is this some kind of glitch?
‘Now, how am I supposed to view the Second Manager?’
To be honest, her confession was a bit… no, a lot heartbreaking. I felt like I had seen her at her lowest.
If it had just been a simple confession, I could have just worried alone about it. But seeing her cry and plead makes me think about how I should face her from now on.
‘…It should be okay, right?’
Yeah, I should just trust the Second Manager. With her remarkable mental strength and liveliness, she’ll likely act like it doesn’t bother her at all. Then I can just follow suit.
After this experience, I reaffirmed my resolution.
‘For now, let’s keep our distance from the academy.’
For the sake of my mental health, I decided not to even look at the academy.
I definitely made a similar resolution not long ago, only to completely fall apart, but this time I believe it’ll hold.
Please.
I delayed returning to the academy and wandered a bit instead.
Going to the Magic Tower where Marcilio is holed up isn’t a good idea. The Crown Prince knows that, so he had the wizard at the Crown Prince’s Palace send me back, but he didn’t set a timeline, so a little detour should be fine.
Originally, I intended to head back right away. However, after witnessing the Second Manager’s desperate cries, I couldn’t possibly return comfortably.
I wanted to pour my heart out to someone. I was desperate enough to want counsel on what I should do.
‘But I have nobody to talk to.’
Unfortunately, I didn’t have anyone in mind.
Talking to the Judicial Minister or the Information Department just feels like I’d be blabbing about the Second Manager’s embarrassing moments. Mentioning it to Marghetta or the Pastry Club feels downright insane.
And the Crown Prince? If I told that brat, he’d probably laugh and say something like, “The Executive Manager’s child sure has a lot of mothers,” as if he didn’t care. The Crown Princess would just be happy for her close junior’s upcoming marriage.
Realizing my circle was this limited, I felt lonely. I have no friends…
“So, that’s why I came to you guys.”
I chuckled quietly, stroking the memorial stone.
Funny, isn’t it? After looking for someone to counsel me, I ended up here.
But what else can I do? You’re the only ones I can consider friends, and if I told you, it wouldn’t make its way to anyone else’s ears.
“I couldn’t get any Boyar wine. I’ll bring some next year, so bear with this.”
I poured out some alcohol I picked up along the way onto the stone. It’s only polite to ask for counsel while bringing something.
I hesitated for a moment in front of Hecate’s memorial but ended up pouring the rest.
‘Talking about love in front of an ex-wife.’
It’s a situation that could make anyone laugh hysterically.
But what can I say? You left me behind. If you hadn’t, my love life and my wife would have been just you.
Just a little, I felt some resentment toward you. No, honestly, quite a bit. I can’t help but think that if you hadn’t left me, none of this would even have happened.
Of course, that resentment won’t last long. Isn’t it said that the one who falls for someone loses? I’d probably be losing to you for the rest of my life.
“Your husband now has five potential wives.”
I casually leaned against Hecate’s memorial stone. It’s a bit comforting, feeling connected to her in this way, even if all that’s left under the stone are just her belongings.
“Funny, right? I only wanted to be with one, and look what happened.”
I ended up laughing at my own words. Yes, I had only thought of one. Until two years ago, that was you, and more recently, Marghetta.
Yet, suddenly there are five contenders. It felt as if Enen was artificially creating these occurrences for crossbreeding!
“You’d be surprised if you knew who they are.”
I couldn’t stop laughing. The youngest daughter of the Iron Blood Duke, a current Duchess, the young lady of the Baron family, the young lady of the Count family.
Plus, one of those mediocre team members who used to be in the Information Department when we were team leaders. You’d remember her too. That quirky girl who came in by her own initiative and now has become a Second Manager.
While chuckling, I took a swig from the bottle. I wasn’t feeling sharp enough for any serious counseling, so I got myself some too.
“Hey. I was supposed to be tied down to just one person! What’s going on here?”
After gulping down more, I glanced over at Oliver’s memorial.
I knew that guy was a bit clueless, but I never imagined he’d confidently blurt out something so wildly incorrect.
“I may not see the future, but I’ve got some experience under my belt. After encountering so many people in life, I can pretty much tell just by looking at their faces.”
“Then why don’t you know your own future?”
“Yeah, right? I should know just by looking in the mirror!”
Seeing him get annoyed by that makes it seem like he felt a little triggered himself. I should’ve caught on to how untrustworthy he was back then.
As I drank the last of my drink, something suddenly dawned on me.
“Wait, are you saying that getting tied down isn’t about a wife but a boss?”
Thinking that way, it makes a lot of sense. The one who’s been on my back the most is really the Crown Prince. The Judicial Minister is more like a puppet who does what he’s told.
Shifting the direction of my thoughts, his goofy advice morphed into a creepy prophecy. Sorry, Oliver. I misinterpreted and wrongfully resented you.
‘You could have at least given me a heads-up this was going to happen.’
I knew it was pointless to whine about it, but still.
Oliver was basing his thoughts on his own experiences; he couldn’t foresee the future like Tannian. There’s no way he would’ve expected this to happen.
Even if he did, how on earth could he ever say, “We’re all going to die, and you’ll be the only one left. You could end up with multiple wives”? If he’d said something like that, he would’ve been lynched.
“This is tough.”
I mumbled, placing the now-empty bottle on the ground. This situation is way too complicated.
With all these unexpected confessions hitting me, my head is spinning. Accepting these confessions lightly wouldn’t be respectful to Hecate or to the individuals involved.
Yet, rejecting them seems hard too. Am I worried it might get awkward? Maybe that’s part of it. My feelings for Hecate? That’s a reason too.
But somehow, I can’t shake the feeling that my hesitation goes deeper than that.
‘It’s just an excuse.’
Suddenly, that thought hit me. Using Hecate, who’s no longer here, as a shield is a bit like taking advantage of her, isn’t it? It might just be me lacking the courage to face my true feelings, using her memory as a diversion.
I started to realize that if I were to genuinely accept these confessions, Hecate wouldn’t hold it against me. That’s just how she was.
On the other hand, if I were to deceive myself and turn down everything to hold onto some misguided loyalty to Hecate, she would probably get angry. Is it fair to throw away the lives of the living because of the dead?
‘Am I thinking too selfishly?’
Of course, I can’t really say for sure that Hecate would think that way. That’s just my perspective, my assumption.
And with this positive line of thinking, it’s pretty evident where my heart lies.
‘It’s already shaken.’
A chuckle escaped me. Drunk and rambling, and here it is—the truth I’m finally confronting.
I didn’t hate the idea of confessions. In fact, the desire to receive their affections is growing stronger.
These are people who think well of me. This could be the first true family I ever have in my life.
‘My family…’
Sure, I have the Krasius family now, but it’s hard to call them truly mine. I’m technically just a thief who took over this body, after all.
It’s the same way in my past life too. How can an orphan like me ever think of family? I just shared a space with other kids from the orphanage, trying to convince myself that the director was family.
But now, I’m talking about ties that aren’t just of this flesh. Bonds that I created through my actions. Bonds that think kindly of me.
Exclusively, exclusively my family built by my own merits.
‘This feels nice.’
I found myself laughing uncontrollably, almost like I was broken inside.
The more family, the merrier. I’d be grateful for even one, let alone five.
…But can I truly settle with that many? Here I am, someone who’s already lost five friends or potential family members.
“You crazy fool.”
Even I thought that was a ridiculous thought and hastily shook my head. Of course I can be satisfied. In fact, I should be more than satisfied. Even just having Marghetta would be more than enough.
If I can’t find contentment in this, who would even dare to confess to me again? My plate’s already full! There should be no more confessions left.
‘All the women I know have already confessed!’
I spent quite a while laughing at my own ridiculousness.
A strange sky loomed above.
“E-Executive Manager.”
“Oh.”
And a strange voice startled me.
After spending the night outside, my body felt stiff, and as I looked around, everything was a mess.
Empty bottles rolled around, the memorial stone still seemed wet, dirt caked onto my clothes, and finally, the anxious caretaker of the National Cemetery.
…Ah.
“Excuse me.”
I had only planned to lay down for a moment but had fallen asleep completely. I must have slept right through the caretaker’s patrol.
‘Damn it.’
My face turned hot. I had just managed to escort the Second Manager to her mansion, and here I was devolving into a homeless person myself.
Especially in a fully drunk state. I wouldn’t even want to show anyone this look.
“I-I’ll clean up!”
As I started picking up the bottles, symbols of my early morning shame, the caretaker rushed over.
“No, I brought them, so I should clean them up.”
“It’s fine! Keeping the area clean is my job!”
In the end, I got bulldozed by the caretaker’s enthusiasm and left empty-handed.
‘Damn it.’
I really shouldn’t visit the academy before the New Year Ball.
If I do, I might as well have transformed into some beast.
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