Meanwhile, after the three black-robed figures had walked some distance away, the woman in the rear suddenly spoke.
“How did those two end up in the Royal Capital, too?”
The male figure turned his head slightly.
“If you mean Tidelys, she’s probably here to find Viana. Their families have been friends for generations, so it’s not strange.”
After answering, he turned his gaze forward.
“But you’re something else. They didn’t recognize you at all.”
“You even ran into the enemy who reduced you to this state, and you still managed to hold back?”
“Lei Norflin.”
The black-robed figure at the front finally reacted to the outside world.
He raised his head. The face revealed beneath the hood belonged to none other than Lei Norflin, who had once dueled Tidelys.
“Now… isn’t the time to appear in front of them yet.”
His voice was hoarse. No one knew what he had been through.
The male figure shrugged.
“Well, you’re right. We can ignore them for now.”
“The mission comes first. Good thing we managed to get the admission ticket at the last moment.”
As he spoke, he waved the item in his hand.
It was unmistakably an invitation to the auction held by the Gilded Fortune Trading Company.
“Ah, what a shame you refused to use your family’s influence. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have needed to snatch this thing from someone else. Three duels in a row nearly killed me.”
Lei frowned.
“You promised we’d let me complete my revenge without relying on my family.”
“Ha, you’re so rigid. Fine. The invitation’s in our hands now, anyway.”
……
The so-called vendors’ district was actually one enormous marketplace.
Stalls piled high with goods crowded the streets like a long, winding serpent. All kinds of wares dazzled the eye.
The vendors’ district was packed with people. There were leather goods from distant lands, rare fruits imported from the Elven Forest at great expense, exquisite accessories crafted by workshops, and—most of all—every variety of card-making material.
After getting permission from the stall owner, Simon picked up a feather from an unknown bird. He examined it for a while, then shook his head and set it down.
“Mr. Manager, there’s so much stuff here!”
Tidris had vanished the moment she entered the vendors’ district. Now she had appeared from somewhere again.
Simon was a little surprised to see her looking even more excited than he was.
“You grew up in the Royal Capital. You’ve never been here?”
“Mm… Maybe I came a few times when I was little. After that…”
She lowered her head as she spoke.
Right. This girl’s finances had apparently been a mess since she was barely a teenager.
“Then let’s explore it to our hearts’ content this time.”
Simon placed a hand on her head.
Then he added, unnecessarily,
“If you don’t have enough money, I’ll cover the rest for you first.”
“Yay!”
Simon: …
Watching Tidris’s mood change like a weather vane, Simon felt that something was off.
Aren’t I the boss? How did my employee end up psychologically manipulating me?
……
“Tidris, why did you buy so many ingredients?!”
Tidelys was carrying several bags of food. More than half of them contained various kinds of meat Simon had never seen before.
“…They’re to help Mr. Manager regain his strength,” Tidris said softly.
“Then they all belong to me now. You’re not allowed to eat any.”
“No!”
Tidris hurriedly turned around and hid the bags behind her.
To scare her, Simon put on a vicious expression.
“You spent so much of my money. Now you’ll have to work for me for two years without pay!”
Tidris shuddered like a little animal at those words.
Thinking he had frightened her, Simon patted her shoulder in satisfaction.
“Good. It’s fine as long as you know to be afraid. Come on, let’s return to the inn and put these things down first.”
Tidris nodded.
She looked obedient on the surface.jpg
Little did he know, she was already celebrating inside.
Plan successful!
Two years of free meals secured!
As for having to work, Tidris considered that completely harmless.
Business was so slow, and Mr. Manager was always running off somewhere. She wouldn’t even need to work more than a few days each week.
No salary?
She’d eat back every penny through her own ability!
Still, to keep Simon from getting angry, Tidris put on an apologetic expression and placed a flower-shaped hair ornament on his head.
“Please don’t get angry, Mr. Manager. Here, have a little flower.”
Simon was suddenly filled with the satisfaction of raising a daughter.
She really was a kind-hearted girl, after all.
“Mm, your attitude is pretty sincere. I’ll let this expense go.”
Huh? Why had giving him a flower backfired?!
Tidris panicked and reached out to remove the ornament she had just put on him.
“No! How can you let it go?!”
Simon: ?
He quickly ducked beneath her hand.
Had something short-circuited in this girl’s head?
“What are you doing?!”
Tidris set the bags of ingredients on the ground.
Then she rushed forward, grabbed Simon by the collar, and spoke in a way that sounded incredibly suggestive.
“Mr. Manager! Please punish me as harshly as you can!”
Why did it feel like she was the one planning to punish me?!
Just as Tidris had Simon backed against the wall, a third person’s voice suddenly rang out.
“Little Ti, have you and Mr. Simon already gotten this wild?”
Hearing that familiar voice, Simon immediately called for help.
“Viana, save me!”
“Ah! Nana!”
Tidris had already thrown herself forward and hugged Viana, who was dressed in a black dress.
She rubbed back and forth against Viana’s chest, expressing how much she had missed her.
“I missed you so much! Why have you been staying in the Royal Capital lately?”
Viana gently stroked Tidris’s head.
“All right, I know you missed me. But I’ve had things to deal with.”
As she spoke, she cast a resentful glance at Simon, who had come closer.
I’m this busy thanks to your manager, you know.
Simon: …
Why are you looking at me?
The agreement clearly said I was only responsible for providing the recipes.
My hands-off approach is perfectly reasonable.
Viana knew that this man had wanted to be a hands-off boss from the very beginning. So she didn’t dwell on the subject.
She ran one hand through Tidris’s hair.
“What brought you to the Royal Capital?”
“We came to attend an auction.”
“An auction… Don’t tell me it’s the one hosted by the Gilded Fortune Trading Company?”
Tidris nodded repeatedly.
“Yes, yes! Someone gave Mr. Manager the invitation.”
Viana raised one slender eyebrow and looked at Simon.
“Oh? I didn’t know you had another patron in the Royal Capital.”
The teasing tone instantly triggered Simon’s PTSD. He remembered at once that this woman was no pushover, either.
He only wanted to get as far away from her as possible. So he quickly looked toward Tidris in her arms.
“Um… Tidris, the sun’s almost set. Let’s return to the inn and put everything away first.”
At the mention of the inn, Tidris’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, right, Mr. Manager! Why don’t we just stay at Nana’s place?”
Cold sweat trickled down Simon’s back.
“Uh… Well… Would that really be convenient?”
Viana’s eyes narrowed into crescent moons.
“What’s inconvenient about it? If you’re coming, I’ll gladly welcome you with open arms.”
