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I found myself in a dream today… Or maybe it started yesterday.

“Master.”

Could my entire life be just a dream? The life I thought I was living—was it actually just a giant illusion?

Perhaps a crazed god was stimulating my brain with mana. Damn you, Enen. You twisted jerk.

“M-Master?”

Ah.

The trembling voice of the 4th Manager snapped me back from the long mental journey I was about to embark on. How must she feel if I already felt like I was going crazy? She might just run away if I didn’t respond.

…Even with the leash on.

Damn it.

I couldn’t help but imagine the 4th Manager running out of the office with a leash around her neck, her face flushed red with embarrassment.

That would be the end of me. Not just my career as a civil servant, but my entire social life. I couldn’t let that happen.

So, I grabbed the handle that the 4th Manager offered me with trembling hands. I wasn’t entirely sure if this was the right thing to do even as I grabbed it, but I grabbed it nonetheless.

“Thank you, Master.”

At that, the anxious expression on the 4th Manager’s face quickly brightened. Now that I think about it, she started calling me ‘Master’ instead of ‘Executive Manager’ at some point.

It was dizzying. What on earth had happened these past few days?

“…You’re trusting me with everything?”

“Yes, Master.”

She nodded firmly and sincerely when I asked. Unlike last time when she drew a line and avoided me, she now seemed resolute in following my lead.

Well, alright then. It was a good decision. Finally, she was facing the situation head-on instead of running away—how could that not be a good thing?

But still, was the whole leash scene really necessary? Words would’ve been enough.

“That’s quite a bold commitment.”

I asked carefully, wanting to know what drove her to do this. If anyone had seen this, my social life would have been over.

“E-Elizabeth said that if I did this, Master would take care of the rest.”

The 4th Manager replied, looking embarrassed.

I felt a deep sense of despair. I never imagined there’d be a spy among us. If she was going to give advice, then why not give normal advice? Why this?

Was this some twisted form of friendship where they couldn’t bear to hold onto embarrassing memories alone? Since the 4th Manager cried her eyes out in the middle of the street, she must have thought that it was only fair that her friend wore a leash.

The 1st Manager… What a terrifying person.

“And what do you want me to do?”

I couldn’t resist teasing the 4th Manager a bit for blindly following that strange advice.

I felt a little bad for doing this to someone who had the courage to come to me with a leash, but she should also consider how I felt for having to witness it.

“U- um, well…”

The 4th Manager was visibly flustered by my question. She was probably confused because, contrary to the 1st Manager’s advice, I was asking her what she wanted.

I wanted to tease her more, but I held back. I’d be the one who would be suffering if I pushed too hard and she ran away. Sure, the handle was in my hand so she wouldn’t get far, but controlling someone with a leash didn’t sit right with me.

“I’m just kidding. I already know everything.”

“T-Thank you…”

The 4th Manager muttered in a small voice when I patted her head.

I should look on the bright side. Even though the 4th Manager put on a rather unusual performance, she did erase the line she had drawn between us and took a step closer. She did add the bit about leaving everything to me, but that was just typical of her.

This felt like a pretty intense confession. It was almost like those ‘I’ll give you half, so give me your half’ kind of declarations you’d hear about.

“First, let’s take that off. I’m afraid someone might see.”

I reached for the 4th Manager’s neck to find the end of the leash. The confession was memorable enough, so it was time to get rid of that unsightly thing—

“Ugh—!”

“Oh.”

It was my first time handling a leash, and I accidentally tightened it instead. Not that people were usually accustomed to handling leashes, but…

“M-Master, if that’s what you’re into—“

The 4th Manager continued to speak even as her face turned red from the sudden pressure, stumbling over her words.

But what she managed to say through the pain was too awful. I wasn’t that kind of person. Please don’t suddenly turn me into some sadistic boss.

Damn it.

“…I don’t have that kind of taste, so don’t get the wrong idea.”

I quickly unfastened the leash and threw it far away. Good riddance. Let’s never see that again.

“There’s something much better than that.”

Then, I pulled out the 6th ring from my pocket.

If she wanted to show proof of her commitment to leaving everything to me, then she should do it with a ring. Wearing said proof on her neck would make her look like a crazy pervert, but it was just a sign of a normal relationship if she wore it on her finger.

I was definitely not some kind of deviant who preferred the former.

“Think of this as my other half. I’ll consider it as half of Penelia, too.”

“H-Half…”

I spoke as I slid the ring onto the 4th Manager’s finger and also put a matching ring on my own.

Fortunately, the idea of being ‘half’ of something seemed to resonate deeply with the 4th Manager, who nodded repeatedly. I honestly didn’t want to rush this moment, but seeing the leash had thrown me off balance.

Still, did the process really matter when it resulted in her being happy? I decided it was best to think of it that way.

***I summoned the 1st Manager as soon as the 4th Manager left.

She entered cautiously, probably because she knew she was in trouble. Seeing that only made me more annoyed. If she knew it would be a problem, then why did she still give such advice to the 4th Manager?

“Did everything go well?”

The 1st Manager smiled awkwardly as soon as she entered the office and spotted the leash thrown in the corner.

“It went well.”

I answered, showing her the rings now adorning both of my hands. Now, I had three on each hand—a total of six rings.

I felt a little self-conscious every time I looked at them, but I consoled myself by thinking of the Gold Duke’s 12 rings. At least mine were something ten fingers could cover…

“See? I gave some reeeally good advice! If I hadn’t, Penelia would still be hesitating.”

She instantly switched to a smug expression the moment she saw the rings, which was incredibly annoying.

Good advice, my foot. Couldn’t she have given something more normal?

“Yeah. You did well, so come and sit here.”

I held back my anger and patted my lap. It wasn’t time for punishment yet, so rushing things wouldn’t be wise.

The 1st Manager’s eyes went wide before she hurried over when I told her to sit on my lap. She looked like prey lured by bait, or was that just my imagination?

“Hehe, I wasn’t expecting a reward~”

I hugged her tightly once she was on my lap. Not enough to hurt, but enough to make sure she couldn’t escape.

“It’s not a reward.”

“Huh?”

She tilted her head in confusion, her ears reddening.

Unfortunately, it really wasn’t a reward. After all, wasn’t the road to hell paved with good intentions?

“I’m sorry for being so cheeky, for not listening to you, for always doing weird things…”

I whispered softly into the 1st Manager’s ear, and her body froze.

Of course she did. The words I whispered were ones she’d never forget for the rest of her life.

“I-I’m sorry… I’ll listen to you from now on. I won’t be cheeky or overstep…”

I deliberately slurred my words, and the 1st Manager who had been stiff as a board started to tremble with desperation. This was certainly effective. There was nothing better than a good, embarrassing memory to keep someone in line.

The 1st Manager had no hope of escape despite her wild struggling. Honestly, I could handle ten of them at once, so capturing a single, unsuspecting Manager was easy.

“So please, just one chance…”

“Aaaah! S-Stop it! Please!”

“Just give me one chance…”

“I’m sorry! I’m really sorry!”

I decided to let her go after two more minutes of teasing. Any more and she might’ve actually started crying.

It worked like a charm.

***Dress? Check.

Accessories? All set.

Cake? Definitely.

Good.

I double-checked everything at the door just in case. It’d be a disaster if I forgot the gift after going through all this trouble.

Especially the cake. That was the most important part. I made sure to prepare one since it was Sarah’s birthday around this time, and a birthday party without a cake would just be incomplete.

Plus, I made the cake myself since I was a member of the pastry club. I’d be heartbroken if I’d left it behind after putting in so much time making it.

“Sarah will love it. Thank you so much, Young Master.”

Even Nanny had tears in her eyes when she heard I’d made it myself. If I’d forgotten it, even she’d be disappointed.

I carefully knocked on the door Once everything was ready. I did it gently to not startle Sarah—she easily got frightened by loud noises.

“Yes, come in.”

At the sound of her soft voice, I opened the door and stepped inside.

She was sitting there on the bed, smiling warmly. She had long, golden hair just like Nanny’s, and her sapphire-like eyes blinked up at me.

Thankfully, she looked well and didn’t seem to be overexerting herself. They said she’d been getting better, and it was really showing. Compared to before, it seemed she had improved a lot.

“Hello, Sarah. How have you been?”

“Good. And you, Mr. Knight?”

I couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly at Sarah’s playful words. It was a bit embarrassing that she still remembered something that was from eight years ago.

“I’m no knight. I’m still just a student with a long way to go.”

“Really? That’s strange. That’s not what Mother said.”

Her words made me smile awkwardly again. It seemed that Nanny had been telling Sarah some exaggerated stories.

I’ve had a few sparring sessions with the family’s knights since returning to our territory. I won those matches, but the knights weren’t exactly going all out against their young master. It was more of a practice session for me than a real fight.

But Nanny must have taken it seriously and showered me with praise, making me feel embarrassed every time she did.

…And it looked like she’d been telling Sarah about it, too.

“Nanny just sees me in a good light. She probably exaggerated it a bit.”

“If you say so, then I’ll believe you.”

“Please do.”

“Hehe, alright.”

I returned Sarah’s laugh with a smile of my own.

It was a little embarrassing, but it was all good if Sarah felt happy. She’d been stuck in the mansion the whole time, mostly just in her room. She must’ve felt lonely. If this made her smile, then so be it.

“So, what’s with all the stuff? You didn’t have to bring anything.”

Sarah’s eyes fell on the boxes in my hands, and she tilted her head curiously.

As if she didn’t mean it. She would’ve sulked if I had come empty-handed.

“Your birthday’s coming up, so I prepared a few things.”

Sarah’s eyes sparkled as I started opening the boxes one by one. She may not be able to go outside, but she found joy in collecting clothes and jewelry.

She chuckled again when I finally revealed the cake.

“You know, I’m not really a fan of sweets.”

“I know. That’s why I made it as lightly sweet as possible.”

At that, Sarah’s fingers, which had been tapping the box, paused.

“You made it?”

“Yeah. Being in the pastry club has really improved my skills.”

After a moment of silence, Sarah poked at the cream on top of the cake with her finger.

“…Yeah, it’s good. It tastes nice.”

Sarah smiled brightly after tasting the cream.

What a relief. It looked like it suited her taste.