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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."

We reached the front gate of the Massello mansion when the 1st Manager brought it up, referring to the five rings on my left hand.

"Should I wear yours on my right hand?"

"You're such a bad guy."

Her pouty reaction made me chuckle, so I explained why I was wearing all the rings on one hand.

"If I spread them out, someone might think I’m playing favorites. I’m already annoyed that I can’t wear them on my ring finger."

At first, I thought I could wear all five rings on my ring finger—after all, they were only half rings—but it turned out to be impossible.

Technically speaking, they’d fit, but then I wouldn’t be able to bend my finger. That’d be pointless, right?

"What if you end up with another ring?"

She said this horrifying thought so casually that I instinctively grabbed her lips to stop it.

But this wasn’t something I did to be mean. It was just a small act of affection, or maybe a gentle way to scold her for saying something like that.

"Don’t say things like that."

I spoke calmly. It’d be a real problem if I had to add another ring. Five rings could be counted on one hand; six rings changed everything—it was a whole different matter.

I vaguely remember someone from the past, maybe the Gold Duke, saying something similar. He said that he was careful about marrying when he had ten fingers to count on, but that he just gave up once he surpassed ten.

Though to be fair, he did stop at twelve.

“Mmm!”

Thankfully, the 1st Manager seemed to understand as she vigorously nodded and patted my hand.

She was mischievous, but she wasn’t dumb. I’ve given her a good talking-to, so I doubt she’ll bring it up again.

"But still, you never know with life…"

Or so I thought. She started talking again the moment I let go of her lips. It was truly sad. Hurting my prospective wife would hurt me too, after all.

I reached out with a sigh, and the 1st Manager quickly shut her mouth.

...Well, I guess it’s a valid concern.

To be honest, her worry wasn’t entirely unfounded. I mean, I already had five rings. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if another one popped up overnight.

"If that happens, then I’ll just have to split them between both hands. What else can I do?"

I patted her head using the hand I had reached out.

But honestly, I don’t think it’d come to that.

The chain of confessions had already run its course; I doubt there’d be anyone left to add to the list.

***The Executive Manager gave my head a few pats before heading back. Did he think I’d like being patted on the head just because I was older?

Of course, I did. I’d enjoy it even if he scratched my chin.

However, now wasn’t the time to be indulging in those little pleasures.

It’ll be a problem if this drags on any longer.

Judging by the Executive Manager’s reaction, it seems that I was indeed the last one to confess. There were four others ahead of me, but no one else behind me.

What was frustrating was that even those four—Lady Marghetta, the Mage Duchess, and the two students at the Academy—met the Executive Manager later than I did but confessed first. But anyways, that wasn’t the real issue.

There’s no sign of Penelia.

This wasn’t good. It’d be a disaster if Penelia wasn’t in the picture. I’m sure she had feelings for the Executive Manager, too.

But who knew how long she’d been stuck in the North? We’ve lost all contact with her. While the rest of us were confessing to the Executive Manager, Penelia didn’t even have a chance to make her move.

And now, it seemed that the Executive Manager was settling on five wives. If the year ends and Penelia still hadn’t confessed...

This can’t happen.

The situation was becoming more and more unfavorable. The burden of going from five to six wives and the pressure of carrying it over to the new year—these were no small matters.

That was why I casually asked the Executive Manager what would happen if he had to add one more ring—

“If that happens, then I’ll just have to split them between both hands. What else can I do?”

...Well, at least he didn’t shut me down with a flat-out ‘That’s never going to happen!’ However, I could still see that indifferent expression on his face.

Seriously. What are you doing?

I couldn’t help but sigh. At this point, I was more frustrated with the Special Service Agency and Enen than with Penellia. Why did they have to send her on a mission at such an important time? Why did such a thing have to happen now?

I quietly took out my communication crystal while feeling utterly defeated. I knew she wouldn’t answer today either, but I had to try once a day. At least then she’d see the list of missed calls and maybe, just maybe, call me back—

— This is the Captain of the Masked Unit speaking.

Huh?

I was fully prepared for another missed call, so I was taken aback when the connection went through. Penelia's face, which I hadn't seen since the Red Wave subjugation, appeared.

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...?