Civil Servant in Romance Fantasy - Chapter 253

By the time I came back for work, the once-bustling office had emptied out, leaving just me and the 2nd Manager.

Everyone had their own tasks, and the Managers needed to compile reports with the end of the year approaching, so it was no surprise the place was deserted. It was strange for anyone to hang around the Executive Manager's office instead of their own anyway.

"Why are you still here?"

That was when it hit me—there was something off about the 2nd Manager.

"Well, you know I prefer to finish my work and then relax."

"No. I mean, why are you relaxing here?"

He must think that this place was a lounge.

However, my grumbling didn’t bother him. He just chuckled and took a sip from his canteen. The faint smell of alcohol suggested there was something stronger than water in there.

Fine, drink yourself into a stupor. It’d be better than being a nuisance while sober.

"Did you make the 1st Manager cry again?"

Unfortunately, he was already annoying me before I could finish that thought. So, I silently raised my left hand. Besides, actions spoke louder than words.

“Wow.”

His eyes widened at the sight of my hand.

I understood. Five rings, one on each finger of my left hand—it wasn’t something you saw every day.

“It looks cool, huh?”

“Cool, sure, but I wouldn’t want to copy it.”

“You bastard.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. I didn’t do this because I liked it, so I couldn’t care less if others were put off by it.

If the rings were an even number, then I could have split them between both hands. But I ended up with this mess since there were only five of them. Having an odd number of rings just made it hard to decide which hand would wear more.

"But you’re quicker than I expected. I thought you'd drag this into next year."

He muttered in disbelief, and I just shook my head. This guy had heard me joke about getting married all at once and buying the rings in bulk. Naturally, he also knew exactly who had proposed to me.

However, he probably didn’t expect me to respond to all of them before the year was out.

“When have our predictions ever been right?”

"Fair point."

Honestly, I didn’t know, either. Life never went as planned.

"Anyway, congratulations. You being happy is all that matters."

He took another swig from his canteen and smiled a far warmer smile than before.

"It might seem sudden, but it must mean something if you made up your mind. You can build on the feelings even if they aren’t all there yet, right?"

His warm words of congratulations and advice made me smile back.

“Got a date set?”

“...Yeah.”

I gave him a mocking grin as he suddenly looked down.

Those last words were definitely calculated. Now that his own wedding was fast approaching, he was probably hoping to call a truce—an unspoken plea to not hit each other’s weak spots and to let things go quietly.

It was obvious. This guy never said anything warm without a reason. I knew better than to be fooled after dealing with him for two years.

“Alright, congrats.”

Even though I saw through him, I accepted his words. There was no point in dragging this out when I had five weddings to get through. It was better to end it here.

After that, a strange silence settled over the office.

Marriage is the grave of life.

One person was about to enter the grave, and the other was about to do it five times.

No wonder it was so quiet.

***Today’s commute home was a bit longer than usual. Thanks to the persistent 1st Manager begging me to walk home together, I ended up escorting her all the way to the Massello family’s mansion.

At least it was on my way. Who knows how long it would’ve taken if the mansion had been in the opposite direction? The capital was too big to just stroll around on foot.

"Are we commuting together tomorrow, too?"

"No."

"Aww..."

I gave a firm response to the 1st Manager's whiny question, but she didn’t seem too disappointed and let it slide.

Leaving work together was one thing, but commuting together in the morning was a different story. It was easier to sync up our schedules in the evening, but morning routines were too unpredictable.

"But, Executive Manager, can’t you spread those rings out? It looks a bit... odd."

My mind went blank from the surprise, but I quickly snapped back to reality.

“Hey! Why are you only answering now?!”

At least she answered before the year was up.

Penelia frowned slightly at my outburst.

— I already got chewed out by Yuris. You don’t need to start, too.

I didn’t know who this Yuris was, but it seemed like I wasn’t the only one who’d been tearing my hair out over this.

***Something unexpected caught my eye as I got closer to the mansion.

Who is that?

A little girl with brown hair was chatting with the guards. Hmm. The stern and serious guards only acted that way around two people. Then again, there were only two girls with brown hair at my mansion anyway.

“Ah, Master!”

As I slowly walked closer, the girl noticed me and bowed. From the sound of her voice, it must be Yuris.

I nodded at the guards who greeted me along with Yuris, then patted the head of the little girl who had been wandering outside alone.

“You finished your work before coming out, right?”

“Hehe, of course!”

“But it’s cold, so go play inside.”

I gently turned Yuris toward the mansion and gave her a light push.

I couldn’t help but worry when such a little kid was outside on a cold day. After all, even a simple fall could result in a more serious injury compared to other seasons.

“You should come inside too, Master.”

“Yeah, I will.”

I walked alongside Yuris toward the mansion since that was what I was about to do anyway.

As we walked, I gave her head another pat and spoke up.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

I felt her head twitch slightly at that. She might be a smart and well-behaved kid, but her reactions were a bit too obvious since she was still young.

It’s clear she was waiting for me.

Yuris hated the cold, so she wouldn’t just come outside to play. If she really wanted to play, then Sofia would have been with her.

That only meant that she was waiting for me even though she didn’t know when I’d arrive. She must’ve had something important to say.

“Um... Master...”

“Yes. Go ahead, speak freely.”

What could a young girl like her want to say to her master? Based on past experience, Yuris wasn’t the type to ask for anything big.

At most, she might want some delicious dessert, or maybe a bonus to fatten her wallet. Or perhaps she’d like a party to celebrate the end of the year and welcome the new one.

“What do you think of Penelia unnie?”

Her unexpected question made me tilt my head in surprise. Why was she bringing up the 4th Manager all of a sudden?

“She’s a great person. She’s good at her job, and she’s a good person overall. You don’t come across people like her easily.”

Of course, my answer came quickly. She’d been like a ray of light for someone like me, who’d been harassed by the trio of hopeless managers. I managed to survive thanks to her and the support of the Senior Manager and 5th Manager.

She had also led our shared base, the 4th Division, brilliantly. She was polite and always showed excellent results.

I honestly couldn’t think of any flaws.

“What about as a woman?”

My hand, which had been patting Yuris’s head, froze.

No way. It couldn’t be what I was thinking, right?

“Penelia unnie is an amazing woman too, isn’t she?”

But Yuris’s next words confirmed my suspicions.

This question, at this moment... There was no way I wouldn’t recognize it after my string of miraculous confessions.

...A sixth one?

I was left speechless. I thought it was already over, but there was still more?

“What if you end up with another ring?”

I remembered what the 1st Manager had said.

Was that a prophecy...?