Chapter 53
“Am I going to be kicked out when Lord Claude arrives? You have to cover for me, okay?”
“Oh, don’t worry. Sit down. What would you like?”
“Just anything… Whoa, what’s all this?”
A large fridge, filled with an assortment of snacks, seemed out of place in the sparse room.
While I had grown accustomed to this sight, it was natural for Azir to be shocked.
“These are snacks allocated to Lord Claude, but he never eats them. He told me to have them all.”
“What a waste of budget.”
“He doesn’t eat them though?”
“Can I have some? Let’s see what we’ve got. Wow, these must be expensive…”
As had been the case since I was temporarily assigned to the Esper Division, my work desk had once again become a snack table.
Since the fridge was replenished daily, I generously offered Azir a share of the snacks.
This was a bribe. I wanted him to listen to my story earnestly and give some wise senior advice.
“Man, I thought you’d be suffering under that madman…”
“…”
“Mi, mind keeping the ‘madman’ part a secret?”
Typical. He’s a coward and a commoner at heart, just like me…
Azir was indeed the right person to consult.
“Anyway, you seem to be doing much better than I expected. Your face is all glowy… Must have eaten and slept well…”
“Um, senior, I have a concern…”
“Yeah, go ahead. What is it?”
“You’ve realized my identity already, haven’t you…”
Azir’s incessant forking stopped abruptly.
My heart pounded. Though I thought he had figured it out… it’s still the first time I’m admitting it in this world.
“Yeah, well… that’s true.”
“It’s because of that… I’ve been worried lately…”
I fidgeted with my fingers, my body and voice shrinking with nervousness.
Azir forced a nonchalant demeanor and resumed eating.
“…Is it because of Lord Claude?”
“Yes…”
“Why? You think he totally noticed your true identity? Keeps bothering and pressuring you?”
“It’s not that…”
If he had continued to bother and pressure me as before, I wouldn’t have needed to worry. I could have simply dodged the situation and enjoyed the schadenfreude.
But the opposite was the problem.
“My dream is to be cherished and loved by a man, to have a sweet, lifelong love… you know, the cheesy stuff… ‘I love you so much,’ ‘No, I love you more’ kind of thing…”
“…”
“But Lord Claude is…”
“Definitely not the type for that…”
“Right…”
“Ugh! I got goosebumps. Want to see?”
Azir showed his goosebumped arm, shivering.
Even a third party could see it was an impossible match…
Feeling down, Azir quickly covered up his arm.
“So, what’s the problem? You’ve kept it hidden so far. You just have to keep it hidden, right?”
“It’s just… I used to think he was really scary, but recently, as we’ve spent more time together… he’s not as scary as I thought…”
“Not as terrifying?”
“Yes…”
I had thought he was like a mola mola, snapping necks with a mere touch.
Though he had threatened to crack my skull, he never hurt me, even when we kissed.
Especially at the festival, he came to rescue me from being trampled in the crowd.
And though he doesn’t enjoy eating much himself, he always buys me delicious things, saying that it’s his way of saying sorry.
“He seems unexpectedly kind…”
“Cough…”
“…? Did you choke?”
“No, no. This is too sweet. I can’t have it…”
Azir pushed the fruit juice away, muttering to himself.
“Anyway, he seems nicer than I thought.”
“So, you want to go all lovey-dovey with Claude, with the ‘I love you more’ and all?”
Azir asked with a sour expression.
I thought about it and then shook my head.
“Not to that extent. I don’t think he’s the type for that.”
“So?”
“I guess I’ve just grown fond of him. I used to not care when he was troubled, but now I feel sorry for him…”
“…”
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Aelthia