The Unintended Invitation

I’m nervous.

Hesperon swallowed hard and pointlessly shuffled through documents he had already finished reviewing. No matter that Ensi was his sole employer, he usually wasn’t this tense.

However, hadn’t he heard that his employer met the Count of Alemir last night—a man the Young Master didn’t just dislike, but loathed? Knowing full well that the Young Master’s mood turned foul whenever he encountered the Count, Hesperon’s heart hammered in his chest.

Should I have avoided scheduling an appointment today? Part of him wanted to. If only there weren’t so many matters where time was of the essence, he would have done exactly that.

Though he was quite soft-hearted on the inside, Hesperon never let it show on the surface. While groaning internally about how heavy the atmosphere might be, he maintained an indifferent face and followed Noah with heavy steps.

“You don’t need to worry.”

“Pardon?”

“The Young Master is in a good mood today.”

Of course, no matter how much Hesperon tried to hide it, Noah—who had spent a considerable amount of time with him due to their shared center of gravity, the Young Master—could roughly guess his psychological state.

Thus, Noah offered a brief comment. While Hesperon felt relieved by the affirmation of the man most sensitive to Ensi’s mood, he also became puzzled. How could he be in a good mood after seeing the Count yesterday?

“Still, it would be best to keep your report as short as possible.”

“Tsk, the volume is not something that can be shortened that easily……”

“Even so, I recommend finishing before the afternoon……”

“Before the afternoon— well, I’ll see what I can do.”

If Noah advised it twice, it meant it was a suggestion that shouldn’t be ignored. It was likely related to why the employer’s mood was so good.

Hesperon categorized his tasks by importance in his head. Meanwhile, they arrived in front of Ensi’s room, and Noah knocked on the door with a steady rhythm.

“Come in.”

“Master Hesperon, please go inside.”

At the response that came as if it were expected, Noah opened the door and stepped aside for Hesperon to enter.

Even though he heard Ensi was in a good mood, the timing was still poor, so Hesperon swallowed dryly before stepping into the room.

“……Young Master?”

When he lifted his bowed head, what greeted him was not a massive curtain dividing the room, but the face of the fully grown Ensi. Hesperon unintentionally dazed out.

“Hello. So, the documents?”

Ensi paid no mind to Hesperon’s reaction and flicked his fingers as if telling him to hand over the materials quickly. Following Ensi’s intent, a servant approached, and Hesperon handed over the papers he had been holding onto dearly, even while acting a bit stunned.

“……This design is the best. Let’s produce the watches with this one. Seems like the silk issue was resolved without a hitch— and the mine safety inspection ended well, too?”

“Yes, yes. Especially regarding the mine, we plan to increase the extraction volume again.”

“Keep tight security for the time being. You did the cross-verification, right?”

“Of course. We commissioned different Magic Towers and confirmed it a total of three times.”

He’s checking exceptionally fast today. Every time Hesperon blinked, the pile of documents dropping to the floor grew.

Ensi was acting as if he were being chased by someone, yet he asked about important issues with precise pronunciation. Hesperon felt swept away, pouring out his words in a rush.

If he hadn’t mastered the content for the report and prepared answers for expected questions in advance, it was a processing speed he never could have followed.

“Then normalize the mine again. Oh, and the mana stone I requested last time?”

“A good item happened to appear at the Delphin Auction House, so I secured it. It’s currently being refined to fit the handle.”

“Tell them to work carefully so there’s no loss of mana.”

“Yes.”

Securing the mana stone was faster than expected. At the thought that he could give the gift soon, a smile naturally formed on Ensi’s lips.

“And Young Master, Katia and Ketron have returned from the trade expedition.”

“Really?”

“Yes. So, why not leave the mansion’s security to the children for a while?”

“What about the next expedition?”

“There are no planned expeditions until after the appointment ceremony. There are small-scale ones left, but those can be easily handled.”

To be precise, there was one planned expedition left, but Hesperon had intentionally scrapped it. They could easily afford the resulting loss. To them, the most important thing was not profit, but Ensi’s safety.

Ensi, tapping the armrest with his index finger as he pondered, eventually nodded. There was no harm in being cautious.

“My friends are making something quite interesting. Since the prototype is supposedly ready for testing today, let the kids just assist with that.”

“Yes. I will personally oversee the mansion’s security.”

He must doubt the performance. Ensi, easily guessing Hesperon’s intent, let out a low laugh. Then, resting his chin on his hand, Ensi tilted his head.

“Weren’t you already overseeing it? You came here together.”

“That is true, but I didn’t know you were installing artifacts. Would it be alright if I met your friends and spoke with them directly?”

“Sure. It’s a prototype, so we have to be careful.”

As Ensi waved his hand to tell him to do as he pleased, Hesperon bowed his head. Since permission was granted, it seemed he could go meet them proudly.

He had fulfilled the purpose of meeting his employer today, but small tasks remained. Just as Hesperon was about to continue his report, a servant approached Ensi’s side and whispered some news in his ear.

It must have been quite important, as Ensi raised his hand slightly toward Hesperon to indicate he would hear the rest later. Consequently, Hesperon kept his mouth shut and closely observed Ensi’s expression as he listened to the servant’s message.

“……Already?”

“Yes.”

Surprise, bewilderment, and within that, clear anticipation and joy. Hesperon, having skillfully read a few of the many passing emotions, sighed inwardly.

It seemed it was time to be kicked out. Even though it was far from afternoon. Seeing Ensi say ‘already,’ it appeared this wasn’t the originally scheduled time.

However, looking at Ensi’s atmosphere, he didn’t seem like he would treat the visitor poorly just because it wasn’t the appointed hour.

“Hesperon, I’m sorry, but—”

“Yes, I’ve already prepared to leave. I will send word and visit again later.”

“……That was fast.”

Ensi muttered with a sour expression, watching Hesperon quickly pack only the essentials and prepare to depart. However, he didn’t stop him. Ensi waved his hand loosely in a farewell.

“I will see you next time.”

“Yeah. See you then.”

Before leaving the room, Hesperon caught a glimpse of Ensi, whose face was somewhat flushed as he gave instructions to a servant.

He had felt it since the moment he faced him, but for some reason, today’s employer seemed exceptionally full of vitality—overflowing with it, even.

Though he was dying to know the exact reason, Hesperon swallowed his curiosity as usual and quietly closed the door. Now was the time to seek out the Young Master’s friends.

Ensi placed the back of his hand on his cheek and quietly gauged the temperature. His fingertips were still ice-cold, but strangely, his cheek felt lukewarm.

“Has the weather warmed up a lot?”

“It’s still a long way from midsummer, but it has become warmer compared to a week ago.”

“I see.”

It must just be the weather. It was probably because he had burned the same amount of Sun Herb as before, not realizing the weather had softened. Ensi glanced at the censer containing the Sun Herb and dismissed the heat he felt on his cheek as trivial.

“The guest?”

“I’m told they are coming up. Would you like the censer removed?”

“Yes. Since the day has grown warm.”

No matter how much a mana user one might be, staying in a hot place continuously was difficult. The servants moved quickly to remove the censer and opened all the windows at once to let out the heat.

The servants, moving in perfect unison, quickly created an environment Ensi would be satisfied with. At the significantly lower perceived temperature, Ensi draped the cloak that had been resting on the backrest over his shoulders.

“That’s enough. You all may withdraw now.”

“Yes.”

He clasped his cold hands together, intending to preserve even a little warmth. This meant he would have to spend tonight in the greenhouse, but that was fine. That was his daily routine anyway.

Sinking into the plush sofa, Ensi closed his eyes. Instead of dulling his other senses, he focused on his hearing.

Recalling Noah’s speed, they should be close by now. They might be climbing the final stairs, or perhaps crossing the hallway. Whatever it was, at that distance, he could easily hear them.

As expected, sounds from outside caught his ear. Noah’s familiar footsteps and a set of footsteps that landed more heavily than Noah’s.

Soon, a brief murmur of voices was heard, followed by the sensation of Noah withdrawing first from near the room.

As if waiting for the other to move away, the person standing quietly in front of the door knocked only after a moment had passed.

“Yes.”

Ensi, having no more reason to focus on his hearing, leisurely opened his eyes. Standing up along with the sound of the door opening, Ensi confirmed the face of the one he had been waiting for and his eyes crinkled into a smile.

“You’ve come early tod……? Agniele?”

Ensi, who was about to move toward Agniele, paused and tilted his head as he saw the other man standing by the doorway, stiff as a board.

“—Wait, you! It would be best not to come closer right now.”

Since Agniele wasn’t one to act without meaning, Ensi tried to move closer to see what the problem was, but Agniele hurriedly stopped him.

“Pardon? What do you mean all of a sudden?”

Though it had only been a day, the smile that had naturally appeared at the thought of meeting him again faded. The moment Agniele made eye contact with Ensius, he reflexively covered his mouth and breathed thinly. It was the minimum measure to avoid being seduced by the overflowing scent of plum blossoms.

Was it because he had caught the scent of an Omega’s pheromones that were not just thick, but ripe? His head was spinning. In Agniele’s dilated pupils, the image of a bewildered Ensius—who didn’t know why he was suddenly being rejected—was reflected.

Bewilderment? No, it looked more like sorrow—.

Seeing Ensi biting his lip firmly, Agniele’s heart sank heavily. It was like looking at a plum blossom bowing its head, unable to withstand the weight of a sudden snowfall brought by a lingering chill.

Agniele instinctively realized that Ensi knew nothing about his current state. That the room was filled with pheromones despite the windows being open, and that an enchanting pheromone was leaking from the nape of his neck.

So, whatever he was thinking, it was right to clarify the misunderstanding and calmly explain the situation. He knew this in his head, but……

As if possessed by the pheromones that were tenaciously grasping his ankles, Agniele lowered the hand that had been covering his mouth.

Just a few more steps. If he could reduce the distance by just that much, he could reach Ensius.