Chapter 34
The Ultra-Elite Man’s Dilemma
Since my survival depended on it, I had been volunteering for overtime lately—but that was finally over.
For a while, I’d only been taking reservations at the Resignation Relief Room, but thanks to the rabbit client’s enthusiastic word of mouth, business was booming. Watching my steadily growing account balance filled me with pride.
Tonight’s client was someone wearing the head of an adorable baby lamb.
“Thank you for waiting. What brings you to the Resignation Relief Room today?”
“I heard this place is quite popular among government officials.”
He handed me a business card printed for publicity. Despite the cute mask, his voice was a deep, low baritone. His shoulders were broad, his build powerful—clearly not an average man. I’d been fooled by that overly cute lamb disguise.
That’s a mask I designed for female clients… well, everyone has their preferences.
The man in the lamb head sat calmly, with an air of leisure. I slipped into my well-practiced professional tone.
“As you can see, the setup ensures complete anonymity. Nothing that happens here ever leaves this room, so there’s no need to worry.”
“I see.”
Something about his build and voice tugged at my memory.
Is he one of the Marquis’s men?
Maybe a knight? I decided not to rush him and waited for him to speak first.
After a moment of thought, he began.
“My problem is with incompetence. No matter what task I assign, no one can get it right. I thought palace officials would at least have basic competence, but they’re all below expectations. They don’t understand how important their work is, or what pride they should take as nobles. They stay late, yet can’t even finish what they’re given. And that’s not all. And then…”
At that instant, a flash went off in my mind. The lamb and that bull-headed man overlapped perfectly.
You’ve got to be kidding me. Why is Duke Vespera Ariadne here?!
Completely unaware of my internal panic, the man kept talking, his tone dry and sharp.
“I saw your subtitle said ‘Resignation Counseling Center.’ If I don’t fire these people soon, I might be the one resigning. I don’t expect much, but I was curious what you’d think—whether you’re a genuine counselor or just a con artist luring naïve subordinates to steal their money.”
The lamb’s glassy eyes gleamed ominously.
In other words, if I didn’t meet his expectations, he’d have me shut down.
While the empire’s ultra-elite, super-spec man vented through a cute lamb mask, I was busy devising a survival plan.
If I recognized him by his voice, he could recognize me too.
Wait—time to become someone else entirely.
If I couldn’t be imagined as the Marquis’s polite secretary, even for a second, I’d survive.
By the time I finished planning, his rant had ended. I composed myself and said calmly,
“To ensure a more open consultation, I’ll be speaking informally from this point onward. Please understand.”
“Go ahead.”
The Duke—who couldn’t possibly imagine I knew who he was—nodded.
I took a deep breath and raised my voice a few notches, adopting my alter ego’s bright, brash tone.
“All right then! Let’s take a look at which bastard is giving you grief, shall we?”
The little lamb flinched.
“So, you’re saying your subordinates or bosses aren’t competent enough, and that’s why you want to quit, right?”
“…Correct.”
He nodded arrogantly.
“Well, part of that’s your problem, too.”
“…What?”
His relaxed posture snapped upright, startled by my unexpected answer.
“If you’ve got subordinates, that makes you a manager, right? Being a manager isn’t just about being good at your own job. Managing people is part of your job too. Getting your team to perform up to your standards? That’s also your work.”
“My… work?”
He repeated it like it was unthinkable.
“One or two might fall short of your expectations, sure—but everyone? All your subordinates and superiors are incompetent? That’s basically saying you’re incompetent. Maybe, from their perspective, you’re the difficult one to work with.”
“Hah!”
The lamb shook his head furiously.
“That’s ridiculous.”
“I don’t know how brilliant you are—”
Oh, but I do. The empire’s top-tier, ultra-elite, genius noble.
“—but work isn’t something you can do alone. Raising others to your level is part of the job. Ignoring them or just getting angry only leads to a vicious cycle for everyone—subordinates, superiors, and you. Waiting for a perfectly competent subordinate to drop from the sky? That’s like waiting for a miracle.”
And yes, I also know you’re the infamous workaholic boss from the Imperial Palace.
“……”
The adorable lamb went silent for a long time.
“…That’s a new perspective, Master Quokka.”
Wait—did he just compliment me?
With elegant composure, he rose from his seat and placed a handful of gold coins—worth several times the consultation fee—on the table.
“…At least you’re not a con artist.”
Then he turned and briskly walked out of the shop.
“Bye then~!”
I exhaled shakily the moment the door shut.
Please never come back!
Thankfully, Duke Ariadne never returned.
Still, I decided to make some preparations, just in case. With the bonus I earned from exposing that snitch and launching Black Diamond’s new product, I was considering reinvesting in the business.
I don’t have to worry about Rio’s medicine costs for now… but why isn’t he getting better?
I’d expected a few months of consistent treatment to show results, but his condition kept fluctuating. I suspected the doctor might be prolonging treatment for profit, so I tried switching clinics. Yet the prescriptions were nearly identical—same herbs, same dosage.
One doctor said it was because the initial symptoms had been neglected too long. Thinking of Rio, who couldn’t even run around outside freely anymore, made my chest ache.
He doesn’t even look like my little brother anymore…
“Hey, it’s the pretty aide!”
I was so deep in thought that I didn’t notice someone approaching until he spoke.
It was none other than Aidan, the young master of the Marquis’s family—radiant as ever.
“Good afternoon, Young Master Aidan.”
“You can just call me Aidan.”
“I’m afraid Young Master Aidan is as casual as I can go.”
“Hah, you’re as stubborn as I am.”
Ever since our first meeting in the library, he’d been relentless about dropping formalities, but I’d finally broken his persistence.
“I thought you went back to the Magic Tower.”
“I was going to, but things are more fun here.”
Fun? Between the snitch incident, the party, and the spy drama—what part of that was fun? I held my tongue as he smiled cheerfully.
“I heard the new product’s selling like crazy. Chiara’s thrilled.”
With everything that happened, I hadn’t even had time to celebrate properly—but the Black Diamond launch was a massive success.
The glitter cases and parts we’d made with artisan Bandai sold out instantly, and demand was so overwhelming that we had to switch to preorders. Even Lady Seref and her followers were rumored to be secretly buying them.
“Lady Chiara put in so much work. I’m happy it went well.”
“She hasn’t stopped praising you. She was practically spitting when she bragged about how you caught that nasty spy from that annoying noblewoman.”
“I just got lucky.”
“I should’ve taught that bastard a lesson when I saw him.”
He must be referring to when we argued in front of the Marquis’s estate about the Melony case.
“You couldn’t act against the Marquis’s aide without evidence.”
Aidan shrugged, clearly unbothered.
“Well, since my family owes you a favor, I guess I should repay it. Here.”
He handed me a brooch adorned with a small crystal bead.
“I’ve already received quite a bonus—”
“It’s enchanted.”
“…Thank you.”
No need to refuse twice. He chuckled at my quick acceptance.
“If the wearer’s in danger, the color changes.”
“That’s possible with magic? How does it work—”
“Even if I explained it, you wouldn’t understand. You really want to know?”
“…No, thank you.”
The gleam in his eyes said, I’ll explain if you insist—but are you sure you’re ready for that? I quickly declined.
“The detection’s not perfect, but better than nothing.”
“Wouldn’t it be safer if you made me something more reliable?”
“Got something in mind?”
If I could ask the future head of the Magic Tower for a favor…
“Oh! A voice-changing artifact! Something that lets me speak in any voice I want.”
He tilted his head.
“A voice changer, huh? There’s nothing like that on the market… but I could make one. Sure!”
“Really?”
“It’s not hard. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”
“Thank you, Young Master Aidan!”
Yes! That’s one expense saved!
My mood shot up as I realized how lucky I was. That’s when Fenel appeared.
“Lady Cornelia, the Marquis requests your presence.”
“Yes, I’ll be there right away.”
I turned to leave, smiling at Aidan.
“Huh?”
He suddenly pointed at my hand.
Following his gaze, I froze.
The brooch he’d just given me—clear and white moments ago—was now glowing red, like a blooming rose.
