“Bates.”

“Hello.”

Bates, or rather Hans in the guise of Bates, gave an awkward smile and raised his hand in greeting.

I approached Hans with a light heart.

“What brings you here? It’s been such a long time.”

“I had to adopt this guise since Kabir is around. I can roam freely this way. Did you meet Jamon?”

“Yes.”

There was no reason to hide it, so I responded candidly.

“Did you get any closer?”

“Somewhat? I suppose.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Hans genuinely seemed relieved, his smile evident.

That sight made me ponder.

“Aren’t you worried, Hans?”

Hans looked at me, puzzled by my sudden question.

I continued without concern.

“If I were in Hans’ shoes, I would have been extremely anxious.”

Even with a justified reason, if Hans had to approach a woman intentionally like this, I would have been very anxious.

Hans let out a wry laugh.

“How can I be calm? I’m just enduring it.”

“…….”

So Hans too was not comfortable with the situation. It was understandable.

Hans placed his hand on my head in a comforting gesture.

“Let’s resolve this quickly and end it well. I don’t think of you as a foolish partner.”

“Hans……”

I felt a warm sensation in my heart. Hans truly was a remarkable person, admirably so.

For Hans, and to get back to our life together, I had to resolve the situation with Jamon quickly.

* * *

Since that day, when I visited the garden, Jamon didn’t exhibit extreme aversion anymore.

He would even respond when I initiated a conversation. Though his tone was still grumpy.

While engaging in casual conversation, I casually asked,

“Do you still intend to ascend to the position of Crown Prince?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Before that, have you considered having a talk with His Highness the Crown Prince?”

From what I saw of Irmin, it seemed he was very willing to have a conversation with Jamon.

“There’s no value in talking.”

It seemed like Jamon felt the opposite.

Perhaps my real task was to reconcile these brothers.

‘How do you resolve a sibling rivalry?’

While Finley and I didn’t have a close bond, we weren’t on bad terms. In my past life, I had neither siblings nor family, so this situation was new to me.

“His Highness the Crown Prince seems to care a lot about you.”

At my words, Jamon snorted. He either considered it a lie or, at the very least, found it insignificant.

“Does the Crown Prince know about this place?”

“He probably does.”

“Has he visited?”

“Never.”

It seemed like a gesture of respect for Jamon’s personal space. Ironically, I hadn’t shown the same respect.

During a rather uneventful passage of time, Irmin called for me, perhaps for a mid-check.

“I’ll be going now.”

“Okay.”

Jamon uttered indifferently. Unperturbed by his attitude, I left a parting word, hinting at future encounters.

“See you tomorrow.”

* * *

After my meeting with Jamon ended, I immediately headed to the reception room where Irmin was.

“Hello.”

Irmin greeted me with a radiant smile upon seeing me.

Seeing Irmin right after Jamon gave me a sense of encountering the same person twice.

As I took my seat, Irmin casually inquired about my well-being.

“How’s it going?”

“We seem to have gotten quite close.”

Of course, that might just be my own perception. Nevertheless, that’s how I felt.

“Really? That’s good.”

Irmin seemed genuinely pleased.

“Jamon is quite reserved, so it’s not easy to get close quickly. Take your time with him.”

“I’ll try.”

I wasn’t giving it my all, but I was making an effort. Approaching him slowly, like one would with a feral cat.

“Why don’t you return to the duke’s residence for now? You should check the situation there too.”

“Hmm…”

It had been a while since my last visit. My engagement must have caused quite a stir at the duke’s residence. It was proper to show my face there.

‘But right now…’

Truth be told, I was more curious about something else.

‘Ian is on my mind more.’

I had somewhat reconciled with the other angels. However, the situation with Ian hadn’t improved at all.

After finishing the conversation with Irmin, I returned to my room. As expected, Hans was there.

“Hans.”

At my call, Hans, who was reading a book, looked up.

I spoke nonchalantly.

“I’ll be visiting the Celestial Realm.”

“So confident now, aren’t you?”

“I suppose Ian will cover the Resurrection Ticket points.”

If he had even a shred of conscience left. He should at least do that much.

Hans had an expression of ‘I knew this was coming.’ He was well aware of what was going on between Ian and me.

“This is the last time.”

That phrase, I seemed to have heard it before. Given the circumstances, he seemed inclined to let it slide.

I needed to meet Ian.

* * *

With Hans’s help, I arrived in the Celestial Realm.

Instead of visiting other places, I asked Gabriela to arrange a meeting with Ian immediately.

More precisely, I was guided to Ian’s personal office.

Upon opening the door and entering, the first thing that caught my eye was a massive pile of documents.

‘No wonder he has so many points…’

With this workload, it’s inevitable. For a moment, I felt a twinge of sympathy for Ian.

“You’re here early.”

Then, I heard Ian’s voice from behind.

Startled, I turned around. Ian was there, smiling nonchalantly.

“It seems like it’s been a while since we last met.”

“…….”

I just glared at Ian without saying a word.

In contrast, Ian was all smiles.

“I have something to discuss. Would you come here?”

Ian closed the door and walked past me with firm steps.

He hadn’t even been coming to the broadcasts. It seemed he did have something to say.

‘It won’t be an apology.’

With his audacity, I didn’t expect an apology now.

Once seated, Ian immediately got to the point.

“Are you still thinking about reincarnation?”

“…Pardon?”

Why bring up reincarnation suddenly? Ian’s words brought a wave of unease.

“You know that the angels are shooting you higher point values, right?”

Indeed, it started with 100 points, but now the baseline was ten thousand.

Thanks to that, I had accumulated quite a sum.

Seeing my anxious look, Ian said with a faint smile,

“I have quite a few points saved up.”

“So?”

“Want me to help you reincarnate?”

His words made me laugh in disbelief.

“Are you saying, now that you’ve had your fun, you’ll help me reincarnate?”

“If you interpret it that way, it’s sad. I admit I’ve let you down, so I’m offering compensation.”

It seemed to be Ian’s way of addressing his wrongs. Instead of a simple apology, he was trying to make amends in this manner. It somehow reminded me of Hans.

“Do you even have that many points to begin with?”

“Truth be told, I haven’t collected that much yet.”

Then what was he suggesting? I was just baffled.

At that moment, Ian added,

“If we combine it with the points Hans has, maybe.”

The mention of Hans involuntarily made me flinch.

“Hans hardly ever shoots points. Considering how much better he is at his job than me, he must have accumulated a lot.”

It wasn’t a wrong assumption. Hans, who had easily handed over a hundred thousand points before, must have amassed a considerable sum, especially with his managerial duties.

“Think about it.”

Ian laid his hand on my shoulder.

“If you wish to reincarnate, it might be possible right now.”

“…….”

I was at a loss for words.

* * *

I returned from my conversation with Ian, feeling uneasy. There was nothing more to discuss.

‘Reincarnation.’

I had thought it was a distant concern, but now that it was within reach, it didn’t seem real.

‘Indeed, I hadn’t considered Hans.’

Given the performance-based point system, it was obvious that Hans, being the manager, would have accumulated a substantial amount of points.

Of course, I wanted to reincarnate.

But not yet…

“…….”

There were still too many unresolved matters to simply leave everything behind and reincarnate.

‘I’ll discuss it with Hans when the time comes.’

With that thought, I got up from my seat.

My destination was the Crown Prince’s reception room. At some point, the restrictions on my visits had eased, allowing me to come and go freely.

“Ah, a visit? Welcome.”

As usual, he wasn’t working, just enjoying his tea. Irmin’s whereabouts were predictably the same.

“Your Highness, the Crown Prince.”

“Hmm?”

“There’s no time to waste. Please resolve the issue with your brother quickly.”

“……?”

The prospect of reincarnation made me impatient.

Irmin responded with an awkward smile.

“It doesn’t seem like the right time yet.”

“When exactly will the right time come?”

“That depends on you.”

Nothing was going as I wished.

* * *

Today, as usual, I visited Jamon’s garden.

I sat there, absently shaking a cat toy, lost in thought.

Observing me, Jamon spoke up.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

“…Pardon?”

“It’s quite obvious from your expression.”

“Oh.”

I must have been visibly preoccupied.

I responded with an embarrassed smile.

“No, it’s just that I have other matters to think about.”

“I see.”

“…….”

“…….”

A silence ensued.

“Don’t people usually ask what’s bothering you?”

“Why should I?”

Right, expecting that from him was my mistake.

I chuckled, acknowledging my misplaced expectations.

“I won’t pry into what’s troubling you, but whatever it is…”

Jamon continued, stroking the cat.

“…it will work out. Whatever it is.”

His voice was softer than before. He was clearly feeling shy.

“Your Highness, am I starting to grow on you?”

“That’s a funny joke.”

His response was evasive. It reminded me of Hans pretending to be Bates.