I couldn’t respond to his words. It was true that I hadn’t intentionally informed Kabir.

Seeing my hesitation, the manager intervened.

“We’ve heard a lot about you, His Excellency Kabir Heyward.”

This redirected Kabir’s attention to the manager.

Kabir slightly tilted his head.

“You recognize me, I see.”

“…I’ve heard stories from the lady, and there are rumors, of course.”

The manager was quick-witted, as always. Since Kabir wasn’t completely out of the social scene, such an excuse would be sufficient.

Kabir silently stared at the manager’s face for a long time. His expression carried complex emotions.

Eventually, he smiled and said,

“Congratulations on your engagement.”

It was a genuine congratulation.

For some reason, his words made me feel overwhelmed.

I felt so sorry towards Kabir. I lowered my head deeply.

“Sorry…”

“For what? Why? It’s supposed to be a happy day.”

“Sorry.”

I just kept repeating my apologies. Kabir was there, consoling me.

* * *

The engagement ceremony was over in a flash. It was so hectic that I couldn’t recall how everything unfolded.

When I came to my senses, the ceremony was over, and we were back at the Erpeso family estate.

“You did well.”

The manager, seeing my exhausted state, spoke to me. He must be tired as well, but his words were sincerely comforting.

“Now we’re really engaged.”

“Indeed.”

The manager seemed unimpressed. After all, he was someone with marriage experience. An engagement ceremony like this must be nothing new to him.

Was I the only one who felt it was special? I looked at the engagement ring on my finger.

This was the second time I wore an engagement ring, but the feeling was different from when I received Kabir’s ring. That time, it felt merely novel, but now it was something different…

“……”

“What are you thinking about?”

Lost in thought, the manager spoke to me. I shook my head.

“Nothing.”

I was surprised by the fleeting emotion that crossed my mind.

One more secret to keep for a lifetime.

* * *

After the engagement ceremony, the manager truly began to be treated like a family member in the Erpeso estate.

We always ate together, and he became closer to the Erpeso family.

Selena was in the same situation. Now that the need to engage with Kabir had vanished, she continued to reside at the Erpeso estate. The Duke of Erpeso seemed to have grown fond of her, unable to send her away.

I managed to broadcast only sporadically and briefly. The viewers expressed their disappointment, but they seemed to understand my situation.

All except for one.

[Ian: Broadcast more often.]

Surprisingly, it was Ian who urged me. He must have felt the absence since he used to join my broadcasts daily.

I felt sorry, but what could I do? My time with the manager had increased considerably.

There was also some good news.

“Promise you won’t tell anyone else. You can’t spread rumors about it!”

Selena hastily called for a tea time. She emphasized several times to keep it a secret.

What could be so urgent? I nodded and quietly looked at Selena.

Taking a deep breath, she finally spoke.

“I… I’ve decided to date Finley.”

Finally, they are dating. It wasn’t a surprise as I had somewhat anticipated it.

“Since when?”

“Not long. About a week…”

Selena said, her cheeks flushed. She was visibly embarrassed.

While I spent time with the manager, much had happened between them as well. There had been signs all along.

“Congratulations.”

I offered my congrats ordinarily, causing Selena to look at me with wide eyes.

“Why that reaction?”

“I… I didn’t expect you to congratulate me so casually.”

Why wouldn’t I congratulate her? But then, I realized why.

Selena was from a fallen noble family, living most of her life like a commoner.

And Finley was the heir to the Erpeso ducal family.

With such a significant difference in status, there would undoubtedly be much talk behind their backs. That’s why she always vehemently denied any romantic involvement when I asked.

“I don’t mind.”

I didn’t know what the Duke of Erpeso would think, but it didn’t bother me. After all, I wasn’t the real Anais.

“I’m engaged now, so it looks like you’re next. Congrats in advance.”

“Hehe, we don’t know how things will turn out yet.”

Selena seemed uncertain if the Duke of Erpeso would approve.

“I hope to have a smooth engagement ceremony like you, Unni.”

At least Selena was hopeful about her engagement to Finley. Finley probably felt the same.

“It didn’t work out with Lord Bates, but I’m happy you found new love.”

They weren’t the same person, after all. I casually brushed it off with a laugh.

Suddenly, Selena tilted her head as if she remembered something.

“But why don’t you share a room? You seem close enough.”

In this world, at least, there was a culture where fiancés shared a room.

Naturally, the manager and I didn’t. We were only pretending to be engaged.

“…It’s just still a bit awkward.”

“Even at the engagement ceremony, you skipped any form of physical affection.”

Indeed, we didn’t partake in the customary kiss that’s typical at engagement ceremonies. We simply skipped it as if it were natural.

“……”

Selena just stared at me silently. She wore a smile, but somehow, it felt chilling.

“Unni.”

Selena called out to me.

“Can’t you be honest with me?”

She seemed to have noticed. That there was no real affection between the manager and me.

It was bound to be obvious to anyone paying a bit of attention. The manager and I were barely more than acquaintances.

In front of others, we might have put on an act, but the awkwardness couldn’t have been entirely concealed.

I cast my gaze downward.

“I’m not quite sure myself.”

That was all I could say at the moment.

“Not sure? Wasn’t it because you really liked Mr. Hans that you proceeded with the engagement so quickly?”

“Right, that’s true but…”

Trying to mix truth and lies left me at a loss for words.

This might only deepen Selena’s suspicions.

If I had to lie, it was better to do it convincingly. I met Selena’s eyes and spoke firmly.

“I really like him.”

“…Yes!”

Selena seemed to take my word for it, at least for the moment, and her smile returned.

“……”

This wasn’t good. Right now, it was just Selena, but if we continued to be close, others might start to have their doubts as well.

I needed a plan.

* * *

“Let’s share a room.”

“…What?”

The manager looked incredulous at my suggestion.

He then asked with concern,

“Are you feeling alright?”

“I’ve always been like this.”

“That’s true.”

The manager seemed to accept it immediately.

I continued, arms crossed.

“People are starting to suspect. Here, it’s too common for fiancés to share a room.”

“Hmm……”

The manager seemed to have been concerned about this aspect too. There were limits to how much we could pretend.

“I don’t mind, but are you okay with it?”

“Is there a problem?”

Sharing a room was merely about sleeping together, so it shouldn’t have been overly uncomfortable.

Yet, the manager asked again.

“Really?”

“Why are you so worried?”

“It’s sharing a bed with a stranger, after all.”

“Oh, you’re so conservative.”

I snorted lightly. With anyone else, it might be a concern, but with the manager, there was no worry.

“If it’s fine with you.”

Surprisingly, the manager agreed quite readily. He seemed indifferent to the idea.

That nonchalance irked me for some reason. I couldn’t understand my own feelings.

Eventually, it was decided that the manager and I would share a room.

Instead of arranging a new room, we decided to stay together in my room.

The manager only brought a pillow with him.

“What are you looking at? Let’s just sleep.”

The manager lay down on the bed nonchalantly.

I, too, in my pajamas, lay down beside him.

The bed was so wide that even lying together, it didn’t feel like we were close. We both lay at the edges of the bed.

“……”

Feeling a sudden urge to rebel, I rolled over once. As a result, the distance between the manager and me narrowed considerably.

“What’s this?”

The manager seemed taken aback. Even though the lights were off and his expression was hard to see, I could tell.

“Tell me something interesting.”

“What are you on about―”

The manager, sounding exasperated, clenched his mouth shut.

Then, looking up at the ceiling, he spoke.

“Because of you, I played hooky for the first time in my life.”

“Oh, weren’t you on leave to come here?”

“I’d already used up all my leave. It was just playing hooky.”

The manager, a stickler for rules, playing hooky? That was quite interesting.

I couldn’t help but tease him.

“So you went to such lengths for me, you must really care about me.”

“More nonsense.”

“In my opinion, you really like me, but why do you keep denying it?”

I kept teasing him. There was nothing more amusing than teasing the manager.

Then, the manager sat up.

Did I upset him too much?

I thought he might return to his room, but instead, he turned and propped himself over me.

“……?”

Suddenly, I found myself trapped between the manager’s arms.

The manager spoke in a low, subdued voice.

“Hey, kid.”

His face was right in front of mine, so close it nearly stopped my breath.

“Can you tone it down?”

I couldn’t say anything in response. The sound of my heart pounding was deafening.