Fortunately, as the music changed and people began pairing up to dance, the focus on me faded. It must be the time for social dancing.

I sighed in relief, internally. Maybe it was the magic, but thankfully, the attention was dispersed quickly.

I had no knowledge of dan.cing and planned to just stand in a corner, but then,

Bates extended his hand to me.

“……?”

“If you don’t dance here, you’ll attract more attention.”

“…But I don’t know how to dance.”

“It’s okay.”

Despite my confession of not knowing how to dance, Bates didn’t find it strange and reassured me.

“Just follow my lead.”

With those words, Bates took my hand and led me.

We naturally blended into the crowd of dancers.

Despite not knowing a thing about dancing, I could mimic others reasonably well, especially with Bates guiding me.

“You seem quite adept at social dancing, Sir Bates.”

“…Not really.”

To lead someone as dance-ignorant as me this well, his skills must be more than ordinary.

He must have learned it from a young age. But if he’s neither a noble nor a fallen noble, then what exactly is Bates’s identity?

“If the Landon family doesn’t exist, are you a noble or a commoner?”

I couldn’t help but ask directly.

Bates answered without a hint of perturbation.

“I’m a knight.”

While spinning me around, he continued.

“The lady’s knight.”

It was a vague answer.

Not wrong, but not the answer I was hoping for. I stared at Bates blankly.

“Now’s not the time for such discussions.”

“……?”

“I’ve looked into the suspect of the carriage incident.”

My eyes widened.

Now that I think about it, I never asked if the carriage incident was resolved. I was caught up in so many things afterward that I didn’t pay attention to the actual perpetrator.

“Who was in the carriage?”

The carriage seemed to be moving too fast at the junction to be just a coincidence. I believed that the accident was intentional.

“Upon checking the carriage.”

Bates continued, moving to the rhythm.

“It seems there was no one in it.”

“…What?”

Startled, I stumbled in my steps. Bates quickly caught me.

I was briefly in Bates’s arms, but only for a moment. He soon stepped back and continued to lead.

I followed Bates’s movements and said,

“Could they have escaped?”

“I thought so too, initially, given the chaos at the time. But after investigating, it’s clear the carriage was stolen and there was no one inside.”

Thinking back, there weren’t even horses. The carriage itself was moving on its own towards me.

‘…Was it magic?’

Carriages driven by magic were gradually becoming more common. But unless one was a noble, acquiring one would be difficult.

‘A magician? Or a noble?’

It was clear now that the ‘accident’ was no accident at all.

It was a deliberate attempt on my life, employing even magic.

‘To involve Anna in this, of all things.’

If I hadn’t acted, Anna would have been the one to lose her life.

It was definitely a character. Just a character in a novel, and yet.

‘I can’t just stand by and watch this.’

It was a line crossed, involving a child. My heart sank with cold determination.

As the song ended, Bates released my hand and offered a bow in proper noble etiquette.

“Oh my.”

A mocking voice came from nearby.

Bates and I turned towards it.

Strangers. Not just one, but a group of three.

“Look who it is. Isn’t that Anais Erpeso?”

A woman with chestnut-colored hair. Her eyes held a condescending gaze towards me.

Shouldn’t the magic still be in effect?

Then I realized, the attention had shifted towards Bates and me. It seemed the magic had worn off while we were dancing.

‘Damn it.’

I didn’t want to beg the Erpeso duke for money, so I hired any magician I could afford with my own funds. The spell’s duration was disappointingly short. It felt like I’d been scammed.

“It’s been a while, but you don’t seem pleased to see us. Oh, I guess the situation is too embarrassing for you to greet us properly?”

It seemed like they were once close to Anais.

Back when they were flattering Anais, and now, finding her in a lower position, it was the perfect opportunity to look down on her.

Just typical provocation. Bates seemed indifferent, his expression nonchalant.

No need to engage in petty retorts. I was planning to just let them vent and send them on their way.

“Stop it!”

If it hadn’t been for that sharp voice that cut through,

Suddenly, Selena was behind me.

‘Selena…?’

It was the first time I saw Selena raising her voice like this, and it was quite shocking.

Selena strode forward, positioning herself between me and the woman, as if to protect me. I could see Selena’s short bob just in front of my eyes.

The woman scoffed at her words.

“Ha, do you even know who I am to be raising your voice at me like that?”

“No matter who you are, you have no right to treat my sister like that!”

It was the first time I saw Selena so angry.

The murmuring around us grew louder. This could tarnish Selena’s reputation.

The woman’s expression contorted with anger.

“A commoner dares to interfere?”

Selena was indeed not treated as a noble. Coming from a fallen noble family and living like a commoner all her life. It was a situation often depicted in the novel.

Usually, this was when Kabir would step in and save the day…

‘Useless male lead.’

Probably celebrating his absence from the ball, enjoying his dinner alone. Truly detestable.

Just as I was about to step in and intervene, someone approached.

“What is going on here?”

The voice was cold and stern.

There stood Finley, holding a plate of finger food, seemingly having gone to get something for him and Selena to share, only to return to this scene.

The woman took a step back, clearly taken aback by Finley’s presence.

“I asked what you’re doing.”

Finley’s expression was one of severe irritation as he glared at the ladies who had started the quarrel.

Feeling the situation might escalate further, I hurriedly tried to defuse it.

“Finley, let’s not make a scene…”

“Stay out of this. You should leave.”

Finley seemed intent on seeing this through to the end. I had never seen him this angry, not even in the original work.

Staying would only attract more unwanted attention. Especially now that the spell had worn off, it was better to leave.

The unfolding scene was troublesome. While the viewers seemed thrilled, it was giving me a headache.

“Let’s go, Sir Bates.”

“Yes.”

Bates, sensing my discomfort, readily followed me.

We exited to the nearby garden, thankfully finding it empty.

The social scene was truly appalling. The confrontations and disputes were enough in my previous life at the company.

Bates noticed my deep sigh.

“Are you not good with situations like this?”

“I have something like a trauma.”

Back then, I was the one instigating the intrigues and disputes.

Having been the villain, perhaps experiencing similar situations now was even more distressing. It was like seeing my past self in that woman.

“……”

“Are you feeling a bit better now?”

I nodded.

Meanwhile, the chat was flowing onto other topics.

[AsparagusCharm: The garden atmosphere is nice.]

[Isaac: It’s an opportunity, seize it.]

[Gold2: A confession in the garden on the night of a ball is classic ㅋㅋ]

Right, I had a grand mission. At this moment, the immediate twelve thousand points were more important than any past memories.

“But it is nice, just the two of us here, isn’t it?”

I gave the most artificial smile I could muster.

I expected Bates to react indifferently or with distaste as usual.

But for some reason, Bates looked displeased.

He seemed about to say something but then closed his mouth tightly.

He seemed to be holding something back.

Finally, Bates muttered something.

“Stop playing around.”

It sounded like it was directed at me, or maybe he was talking to himself.

“……?”

As I was trying to make sense of his words, Bates stepped closer.

He leaned in close, our faces nearly touching. I could feel his breath on my ear.

“How about we turn off the stream first?”

“……?”

I opened my eyes wide in shock and looked at the man.

Did he just say ‘stream’?

I couldn’t have misheard. He distinctly said ‘stream.’

Why would someone here know about streaming? My mind was swirling in confusion.

Meanwhile, the chat was in chaos.

[asdf: What did he say? Can’t hear.]

[PleaseShakeACarrot: Did Jiha get startled?]

[OnlyFinley: What is it, tell meㅠ]

[Isaac: What’s happening?]

“…Guys, I’m going to turn off the stream for a bit and come back later.”

The virtual audience was, predictably, filled with complaints, but there was nothing I could do about it.

I hurriedly turned off the stream.

“Did you turn off the stream?”

Bates asked, and I nodded in response. His tone had changed completely from before.

Immediately, Bates’s expression changed drastically.

“Ah, damn it.”

“……?”

This was unlike anything I’d seen from him before. The usually stoic and principled Bates was cursing.

“These clueless fools…”

“…Sir Bates?”

“……”

Bates looked at me with furrowed brows, then let out a deep sigh.

“It’s not Bates.”

“……?”

If it’s not Bates, then who is it supposed to be?

I looked at Bates, utterly bewildered. Despite everything, he still looked exactly like Bates.

“Don’t you get it yet?”

“…Get what?”

Bates gave a small flick on my forehead and said,

“I’m your manager, you dummy.”

 

Chapter 28

“……?”

Lost for words, I was stunned.

What on earth was he talking about?

Bates’s words were incomprehensible.

Still in a daze, I awkwardly pointed at him.

“Manager?”

“Yes.”

“For real?”

“Yes!” Bates, or rather the person claiming to be my manager, shouted irritably. This was so unlike the Bates I knew.

But, observing him, it was clear. The manner of speaking was too similar to my manager’s.

I stared at the person wearing Bates’s face.

“…Why are you like this?”

“Obviously!”

The manager, seemingly exasperated, started to shout but then lowered his voice and said,

“…Because you’re wandering around, practically inviting death.”

“Out of concern?”

“…….”

The lack of response seemed to confirm it.

“Since when?”

“Since the beginning, of course.”

“You stole Bates’s body? That’s mean! Devil!”

“Quiet! I told you from the start, there was no such person as Bates!”

I remembered him saying the Landon family didn’t exist. But I never imagined it meant this.

The realization that I had been deceived all this time filled me with indignation.

“Why did you lie? You could have just told me from the start!”

“How could I say that? Embarrassing! I only intended to quietly find out why you died, but as you kept getting into deadly situations, my stay just got longer.”

The manager avoided my gaze and mumbled what sounded like excuses.

“I was about to quit soon anyway. The culprit was narrowed down to a noble or a magician, so after a little more investigation…”

“Sorry, but once you’ve made an appearance, you can’t just leave as you please.”

“What?”

He looked at me incredulously.

I raised my index finger and middle finger to show him.

“You’ve got a mission worth twelve thousand points hanging on you right now.”

“Ah, those darn twelve thousand!”

The manager exclaimed as if he was fed up.

“But you bet thirty thousand yourself. One-fourth of that is on you.”

“That was just…”

The manager’s eyes darted around, then he murmured in a defeated tone.

“…I thought it would be fun.”

The manager was, in the end, just like the other viewers. Always chasing after fun.

“I have to succeed in this mission no matter what. So even if you’ve revealed your identity, I’ll act the same.”

“You do remember what the mission is, right?”

“Yes.”

I said confidently.

“It’s to make you fall for me.”

“……”

The manager had an expression of utter disbelief.

“Hey, I’m an angel, you know? Why would I fall for a mere human?”

“Well, you won’t know until you try.”

“Please, cut the nonsense……”

Rubbing his temples as if he had a headache, the manager pressed on.

“Anyway, I’m going to keep watching here until this madness is over. Don’t go spreading rumors to them. It’s embarrassing.”

“Okay.”

I decided to honor that much of his manner. After all, the manager was doing all this because he was worried about me, so I decided not to cross the line too much.

The manager coughed meaninglessly before asking me.

“Why did you look upset?”

“What?”

“That’s why I turned off the broadcast. Even revealing my true identity.”

Upset? I was only puzzled.

Then, I remembered what had happened at the ballroom, which I had been too frazzled to think about.

I had fled from the situation as if running away.

There was a specific reason why I avoided that situation.

“In the past, there was a kid I tormented a lot.”

The memory from the past came flooding back.

“Seeing those young ladies earlier, I saw myself in them.”

“Feeling guilty?”

“…I guess so.”

The manager stared intently at me.

“Can you apologize to that person now?”

“No.”

“Then just let it go.”

His response was unexpected.

“Feeling guilty every time you think about it is punishment enough. Real bad guys don’t even do that.”

I would have felt better if he had scolded me. Instead, his support made me uncomfortable.

I clenched my fists and made an excuse.

“I had to survive back then.”

No one was scolding me, but it felt like I had to.

“I felt like I would really die if I even failed at that company.”

I was so exhausted at the time. Just with life itself. Failing there seemed like it would totally break me, so I used every means necessary.

But that didn’t bring happiness. What came to me was an incredibly heavy burden.

Do I have to defeat others to survive? Since that thought, everything started to feel futile.

The manager just stared at me.

Then, after a while, he spoke.

“I heard how you died and did some digging without Gabi knowing.”

“…What about?”

The manager said indifferently.

“That kid you saved, it was the younger sibling of the person you tormented.”

“……?”

Startled, I looked at the manager wide-eyed.

I didn’t have a chance to look at the child properly when I saved them, so I just thought it was some kid I didn’t know.

“Do you think that kid still hates you to this day? I don’t think so.”

Whether his words were true or not, I couldn’t tell.

But it was a relief.

That my death had some meaning. That at least in this way, I could make amends.

“……”

As I choked up and bowed my head, the manager placed his hand warmly on my head with a smile.

“You’re too kind for your own good.”

His words and the warmth of his hand were so comforting that I felt tears welling up for a moment.

To lighten the mood, I brought up a scene from the original work with a smile.

“It was a pretty good scene in the original, it’s a pity.”

“Which one?”

“When Kabir heroically saved Selena from being bullied.”

“But now, it’s Selena who saved you.”

Right. Contrary to the original, Selena saved me, who was being bullied.

It’s normal for things to go awry in the original story. But still, I wondered if it was okay.

“Shall we go back?”

Just in case, we decided to go back. The manager was as curious about the situation as I was and followed without a word.

We meant to enter the ballroom, but for some reason, Finley and Selena were outside the ballroom.

Specifically, near the back door where no one was. Since I also came out through the back door, I happened to come across this scene.

Without planning it, the manager and I naturally hid behind a large tree. I had a habit of secretly observing due to broadcasting, but I wondered why the manager was so skilled at it.

Selena had Finley’s coat draped over her shoulders. The two were facing each other and laughing.

“Finley, thank you for today.”

It was a soft voice, but I could hear it clearly.

Just by looking, it seemed their relationship had gotten much closer.

‘Poor Kabir, wasting such a good opportunity.’

I couldn’t help but feel sorry for Kabir, who had kicked away the chance to earn Selena’s favor.

Selena continued with a giggle.

“I felt so relieved because you were my partner, Finley.”

“Oh, it’s nothing…”

“Can I ask you to be my partner for future balls?”

Finley’s eyes widened at Selena’s words.

“Until we’re engaged, that is!”

Seeing Finley’s reaction, Selena hurriedly corrected herself and then fidgeted with her hair, looking embarrassed.

Finley burst into laughter.

“Why are you laughing!”

“No reason.”

Finley continued to chuckle.

“You’re just cute.”

Hearing that, Selena’s cheeks turned red.

Sshhh…

“Let’s…”

“Yeah. Let’s give them some privacy…”

We quietly decided to leave.

* * *

Even though it was revealed that Bates was the manager, not much had changed.

I casually went out of the room and stared at the manager standing guard by the door.

“What are you looking at?”

Maybe a lot has changed after all…

Bates was always disrespectful, but after revealing himself as the manager, he didn’t even bother to hide it.

“Shouldn’t you at least pretend to be Bates?”

“We’re alone, and we’re not broadcasting, so why bother acting?”

Well, that’s true.

But it was annoying how much more backtalk there was compared to when he was Bates. Especially since he was always right.

“Do you realize the engagement is approaching?”

“Is it?”

“You really threw the original story out the window, didn’t you?”

I had almost forgotten about it, as things had gotten so tangled up. Even without the original storyline, interesting situations had developed on their own.

“Once the engagement procedures start, be prepared. Whether you’re broadcasting or not, you’ll be busy.”

“Being busy is actually better.”

I welcomed incidents or accidents rather than being bored with nothing to do. The manager looked at me, not understanding why.

I was worried because Finley and Selena were getting too close. But once engaged, I would have the chance to get closer to Kabir, which was a relief.

“And Kabir is looking for you.”

“Really, when?”

“He said to come over when you wake up. To his office.”

“Then I guess I should start broadcasting soon.”

I had to broadcast since Kabir had called for me. The viewers were already getting restless due to the recent frequent breaks in the broadcast. I could only hope something interesting would happen.

At the mention of broadcasting, the manager immediately shut his mouth. He seemed to be trying to act like Bates. He certainly didn’t want to be discovered by the other angels.

I would be embarrassed to be caught pretending to be someone else, especially someone like the manager.

I turned on the broadcast window and hit the start button.

[PleaseShakeACarrot: Hello!]

Immediately, welcoming chats popped up.

[Stress: You started the broadcast early today.]

Lately, I had been starting the broadcast later than usual. There were even days when I didn’t broadcast at all. I wasn’t as obsessed with broadcasting as before.

‘For my mental health, I suppose.’

Initially, I was fixated on broadcasting, but I realized it wasn’t good for my mental health.

Usually, I broadcast in the afternoon, but it was morning, and the viewer count was lower than usual.

I took the silent manager and went to meet Kabir.

The atmosphere in the office was somehow solemn. Kabir usually worked in a quiet atmosphere, so it wasn’t strange, but something was different.

“You’re here.”

Kabir greeted me.

I wondered what he wanted to talk about. For now, I sat opposite him.

“Why did you call me?”

I spoke first to the rude fellow who skipped greetings.

Kabir remained silent.

Fine, if you don’t talk, neither will I. I sipped the tea in front of me.

I stole glances at Kabir. He didn’t look much different than usual, except that he seemed much more serious.

While I was sneakily observing Kabir,

He finally spoke.

“Marry me, Anais.”