The 2nd Manager's ridicule made my blood boil, but there was nothing I could do about it. I would have rushed over and given him a few punches if only I knew how to teleport.

Well, at least he answered my questions. If he had just mocked me without answering, I might have lost it completely.

Bastard.

I stared dejectedly at the communication crystal, where his face had just disappeared.

To be fair, I did have a way to retaliate if he pushed me too far. He was about to get married, so I could attack him there.

But him getting married before me was both my weapon and my weakness.

He'd just go even crazier.

The more I fought back, the worse it would be for me in the future. It was a situation with grim prospects.

That future was painfully clear. This jerk was going to come back and stab me in the chest as soon as his wedding was over. The more I taunted him now, the more stabs I would get. I even have five wedding ceremonies.

It was a structure where I'd inevitably lose if I kept fighting. The 2nd Manager seemed to have noticed this, so his provocations, which he used to moderate, were now running wild.

Please, I hope the Minister messes with him instead of me. I wish he’d make him wrestle at his wedding, saying, ‘You can't marry my niece until you beat me!’

...Should I provoke him?

That thought crossed my mind. If I couldn't do it, then I could get the Minister to do it for me.

Considering the pressure he was putting the 2nd Manager under to get married, the Minister seemed to care about his niece. If he didn't care, then he wouldn't bother about her love life or marriage.

Yes, let's awaken his fatherly instincts of not wanting to marry off his daughter to a jerk. The Minister knew that the 2nd Manager wasn't normal, so this should work well.

Perfect.

If I couldn't do it, then I'd use one barbarian to defeat another.

It sounded crazy, but it was definitely brilliant. I must do it immediately.

***Although I said I’d do it immediately, this needed to be done face-to-face, not over the communication crystal. There were only a few days left until the closing ceremony, so I should wait until I returned to the Prosecutors’ Office.

Moreover, there was a more important task at hand than this scheme.

— I see you're coming again this time.

I needed to inform the butler about the trip to the capital. It was only fair to give him a heads-up so he could prepare to host the guests.

However, the butler's expression seemed oddly stiff when he mentioned ‘again this time again.’

He’s really stiff.

It was understandable. After all, it'd been so long since we'd had such a miraculous lineup of imperials, royalty, and the next saint.

Seeing such an illustrious lineup once in a lifetime was rare. Meeting them again within the same year was unheard of.

However, that was a misunderstanding. This time, he didn’t need to suffer.

"Not everyone is coming this time. There’s just four of us, including me."

The butler's expression relaxed considerably after hearing that.

"Me, Lady Marghetta, Lady Louise, and Lady Irina."

At that, his expression became even more relaxed.

— I see. Understood. I'll prepare the best I can.

"Don't overdo it."

— Haha, when will I have a chance to shine if not now?

Seeing the butler's worries turn into a smile put me at ease as well. It was peaceful now that the high-ranking people were returning to where they belonged.

Although there was still a duke’s daughter in the group, the butler could certainly handle one noblewoman after having faced royalty.

Additionally, the butler knew about my relationship with Marghetta, so he must feel like he was preparing for the future lady of the house. She wasn’t just an inconvenient guest, but someone to be served with utmost respect.

"Then, take care."

— Yes, Master. I look forward to seeing you again.

I ended the call after seeing the butler bow. He was someone who handled things well once given a task, so I didn't need to worry further.

In the meantime, I should think about the ring designs. Giving the same ring with the same design to all five would seem insincere. Even if I used diamonds for all of them, the shapes should be slightly different.

Not that I'm making them myself anyway.

The artisan would make them. And an artisan would make whatever the person with the money wanted.

There was no such thing as an impossible design if you paid enough. If there was, then it was only because you didn't pay enough.

***Sophia and I entered the storeroom while carrying the blankets. We were replacing all the bedding in the mansion with ones suited for winter.

It's finally done.

It took several days just to change the bedding because the mansion was so big. We had to wash and dry the winter bedding stored in the storeroom, and wash, dry, and move the autumn bedding from each room.

After dozens, if not hundreds, of trips back and forth, we finally finished the last room. Proper winter preparations were handled by others, so we were ready for this winter, too!

"Ugh, my neck is going to break."

Sophia, who had just put the last blanket in the drawer, groaned. Of course, it hurt. She'd been carrying winter blankets on her head all this time.

"You should have just carried them normally."

"It's faster this way."

Sophia replied with a giggle while rubbing her neck.

Silly girl. She wasn’t even in great health. She could have taken it easy, and no one would have minded.

"Let's go since we're done. I heard they made a cake in the kitchen?"

"Yay! Cake!"

As soon as I mentioned the cake, remembering what I heard this morning, Sophia ran towards the exit. I naturally followed her. She'd eat it all if I came late, and I can't let even Sophia have the chef's cake all to herself.

But it seemed that it wasn't time to eat yet, as we couldn't leave the storeroom.

"Ugh!"

Sophia, who was running ahead, bumped into the butler who had just entered the storeroom.

Even though she was the one who bumped into him, only Sophia was sent flying due to the size difference. The butler didn't even budge, like he was just hit by a balloon.

"Sophia, are you okay?"

The butler, who seemed momentarily surprised, hurriedly helped Sophia up. He probably didn't expect an accident the moment he walked in.

"I think I hit the wall..."

"You're fine then."

The butler seemed relieved by Sophia's complaint.

Last time, when Sophia really fell, she couldn't even speak and just cried. Seeing her complain meant that she wasn’t hurt.

"Mr. Butler, what brings you to the storeroom?"

I asked as Sophia brushed the dust off her skirt behind me. It was rare for the butler to come to the storeroom.

"The Master said he's bringing guests, so I need to find bedding for them."

"Guests?"

At those words, a few faces flashed through my mind. The noblewoman who had a special relationship with the Master, the pink-haired lady who brought a strange sense of comfort, and the blonde lady who I personally felt sorry for.

And then there were the high-ranking guests who came with an unclear purpose.

"Um... are they the ones who came in the summer?"

I asked cautiously, feeling a little hesitant.

When those high-ranking people stayed here last time, everyone had a hard time. Especially the head chef, who barely slept and was completely exhausted. If it happens again, he might really collapse this time.

The butler, seemingly understanding my concern, smiled gently.

"There will be fewer guests this time. Just the Master and three ladies."

That was a relief. The ladies would be Lady Marghetta, Lady Louise, and Lady Irina. That much was manageable.

...

Huh?

Something felt off. Thinking about the people coming this time gave me a strange feeling.

The high-ranking guests weren’t coming? That was possible. In fact, it was normal. The Master’s younger sibling also wasn’t coming? That too was possible since the Master's family lived in their territory, not in the capital.

So, with all those deductions, the remaining guests were all women.

...Could it be?

While I was unsure about the pink-haired lady, the blonde lady definitely had feelings for Master. Two out of the three companions liked Master.

If that was the case, then there was a possibility that the pink-haired lady liked him, too. And if all three did, then surely Master must be aware of their feelings, right?

There was no evidence. It was just a hunch. However...

There's no proof that it's not true, either.

Though it sounded forced, my instincts were screaming that my hunch was correct.

This is bad...

While it was wonderful if Master was meeting good people, now was not the right time to celebrate.

I haven't heard from Penelia unnie lately. She used to send us messages through letters or the communication crystal, but now there was nothing.

It wasn’t the first time this had happened, so I wasn’t overly worried. But did she have to do that now, of all times? With Master coming to the capital and many people targeting him?

I'm sure there was no progress.

If something had happened between Penelia unnie and Master, the mansion would already know.

It would’ve been obvious if Penelia unnie got close to him. The people around her, like the oppas and unnies in the Masked Unit, would know, and the news would spread back to the mansion. It was inevitable.

But surprisingly, there had been no news.

You idiot...!

Penelia unnie, what are you doing?

People who met Master later than you were already sticking close to him, but why weren't you doing anything? How much longer do you plan to wait?

"Yuris?"

"Oh, yes!"

"What's the matter? Are you okay?"

I heard the butler's voice while I was stewing in frustration. He seemed concerned since I had been staring at the floor without saying a word.

"Hehe, it's nothing."

"You seem to have a lot on your mind for it to be nothing."

"Actually, I was just thinking about how to make a 'Yikes~' sound."

"Hey!"

Unfortunately, I had to sell out Sophia a bit.

I have to say it.

I made up my mind while ignoring Sophia's shriek and the butler's laughter behind me.

I would tell him. I would definitely tell Master that Penelia unnie liked him when he came to the mansion.

There was no more time to wait. Waiting for Penelia unnie to make a move wouldn't lead to any answers.

She's such a nice unnie, but why...

I sighed. Why was everything so complicated when it came to Master?

***The final exams, the last task of the academy, were over.

Even though they were nobles, students were still students, and the academy was filled with excitement as soon as the exams ended.

Although the closing ceremony was right after.

"Good job, everyone."

On the morning of the closing ceremony, I quickly headed to the student council room.

"Thank you. It's all thanks to you, Prosecutor."

"Haha, what did I even do?"

To collect the new, eagerly awaited slaves—I mean, new recruits.

Perfect.

There was no better treasure than this. This was indeed a goldmine.