Both Vendia and Shasha, who had been quietly soaking up the sun together, widened their eyes.
“M-My name is Chris. I’m here for the caretaker interview we scheduled for today. I-I don’t have any experience, but I can work hard at anything you ask me to do…”
The man introduced himself as Chris.
Whether he was shy or simply awkward around people, his face turned red as he stammered through his introduction before lowering his head.
“The mad dog?”
Vendia muttered under her breath.
Chris resembled the mysterious man she had been searching for at the market.
His appearance suggested someone who had struggled through years of hardship. His clothes were worn, his hair unkempt, and his long bangs completely covered his eyes.
On top of that, he possessed black hair and black eyes so deep they seemed capable of swallowing someone whole.
Even with his eyes hidden, his face was anything but ordinary. The brief glimpses she caught between those long bangs were enough to make heavenly music seem to ring in her ears.
With a face like that, he’s male-lead material.
No creator would put that much effort into designing someone who wasn’t important.
Black hair.
Black eyes.
The classic appearance of a romance novel’s male lead. Even the perfect material for a Northern Duke.
Well... except for the way he spoke and behaved.
A male lead applying to be a mansion caretaker in a rural territory...
Vendia’s sharp blue eyes swept over Chris from head to toe.
Could it be one of those stories?
The kind where the male lead is actually a prince from a fallen kingdom or a noble hiding his identity, living as a commoner while plotting revenge.
Then he meets the heroine.
The heroine takes care of him warmly.
Later, he becomes emperor or restores his family’s status and grows obsessively attached to her.
And whenever the word obsession appears, certain other keywords usually follow:
Imprisonment.
Angst.
Psychological torment.
“Wait... this isn’t an all-ages story, is it?”
Of course, she didn’t like those kinds of stories.
Really.
Absolutely.
“Miss Dia, why do you keep smiling?”
“Ahem!”
Anyway.
According to the knowledge she possessed, no kingdom neighboring the Empire had fallen in recent decades.
Still, she could say with certainty that Chris gave off the unmistakable aura of someone who had once belonged to a prestigious family.
But something felt suspicious.
The timing was simply too perfect.
He had practically delivered himself to her doorstep.
“D-Does that mean I won’t be accepted?”
At that moment, Chris lifted his head.
Vendia sucked in a sharp breath.
His eyes were red-rimmed.
His shoulders drooped like those of a puppy caught in the rain.
Looking as though he might burst into tears at any second, Chris opened his trembling lips.
“I-I suppose someone like me doesn’t fit a luxurious mansion like this. T-The only thing I’m good at is physical labor…”
“Shasha. What are you doing? Hurry and prepare a room for our new caretaker.”
Who cared about timing?
Their little black kitten wanted the job.
It was midday.
The sun blazed overhead.
Yet there was something shining even brighter.
“Chris, do you know that you’re handsome?”
“W-What? T-That’s ridiculous!”
Chris’s face turned as red as a roasted sweet potato.
“It’s true.”
“M-Master, you shouldn’t say things like that. S-Someone ugly like me... if people heard that, they’d throw stones at me.”
Unable to endure Vendia’s compliments and constant attention, Chris pressed his long bangs down with one hand to hide his face.
His neck and ears, now exposed, were even redder than his cheeks.
“Well, well…”
A male lead with low self-esteem?
Even better.
“M-Master is the truly beautiful one…”
“Chris, don’t push yourself too hard. You’ll hurt yourself.”
“Ah, y-yes!”
His words had been barely more than a mumble, but she had heard every syllable.
Pretending not to notice, she smoothly changed the subject.
Flustered, Chris grabbed his hammer and hurried back to work.
“Miss Dia.”
“What?”
Vendia, who had been grinning ear to ear, instantly became serious at Shasha’s voice.
“Can’t you do something about that expression?”
“What’s wrong with my expression?”
“Should I bring you a mirror?”
“...No.”
She rubbed her aching cheeks.
She already knew.
Watching Chris was more entertaining than any comedy.
Just looking at him made her smile.
And for some reason, he possessed a strange charm that made her want to tease him until he cried.
Chris had been hired immediately the day before.
She gave him one of the spare rooms on the first floor of the mansion.
Naturally, they signed a proper employment contract.
His duties included maintenance and security.
If he helped with the mansion repairs, he would receive additional pay.
Chris insisted he didn’t need money.
Being fed and given a place to sleep was enough, he claimed.
But Vendia refused.
Chris.
A man with only a first name.
No surname.
Twenty-two years old.
He claimed to come from Venerochi in the southeastern region, not far from Rims Territory.
Of course, she didn’t believe him.
There was definitely a hidden story there.
The reason Chris called her Master was simple.
She had told him to use her name, but he stubbornly insisted that since she was both his employer and his landlord, Master felt more appropriate.
The author clearly knows exactly what they’re doing.
Whether it was an act or not, what would happen if Chris eventually revealed his true self?
What if he completely transformed and showed his dark side?
Wouldn’t he become obsessively attached, acting like a completely different person?
It would be a feast for drama lovers.
Bang!
A cheerful sound echoed through the yard.
Chris was a short distance away, sleeves rolled up as he swung a hammer.
The muscles of his forearms stood out sharply beneath his skin.
Bang!
Another old section of fence collapsed.
Brushing his sweat-soaked bangs aside with one arm, he continued working.
His face practically glowed.
Not just his face, either.
His sharp jawline.
His broad shoulders.
His height, easily over 180 centimeters.
His lean, muscular body.
He looked exactly like a romance novel protagonist.
There was just one flaw.
“Ah—!”
Chris dropped the hammer.
Again.
This was already the fifth time.
“Isn’t he terrible at his job? You hired him based entirely on his face.”
Shasha grumbled as she watched him repeat the same mistake.
“Ahem. Everything has a deeper meaning.”
Vendia scolded Shasha for failing to see the bigger picture and relaxed further into her rocking chair.
For now, all she had to do was take good care of Chris.
More than a month after being transported into this world, she finally felt she had figured out what genre she was living in.
In the process, she had completely forgotten about her ex-husband.
“What about that tree? Are you leaving it there?”
“The tree? What about it?”
Following Shasha’s gaze, Vendia looked toward the lone tree standing proudly in the middle of the yard.
According to the broker, it was an ancient pagoda tree that had stood there longer than anyone could remember.
“Doesn’t it feel out of place? It doesn’t really match a luxury mansion.”
“Hm. I suppose not.”
“Why not cut it down? A fountain would look amazing there.”
Shasha stared at her with sparkling eyes, clearly proud of the suggestion.
“A fountain would fit better, but no. We’re not cutting it down.”
“Why?”
“Because old trees like that aren’t meant to be cut down. Something bad could happen.”
She had felt it from the first moment she saw it.
The tree had a mysterious, sacred aura.
Touching something like that felt dangerous.
Ancient trees were practically guardian spirits.
You simply didn’t mess with them.
Maybe it was superstition.
But there was no harm in being cautious.
“Hmmm. Is that so?”
Shasha wore an odd expression—not quite disappointed, not quite convinced.
Then she announced she was going inside to make dessert and disappeared into the mansion.
Vendia remained outside, watching Chris work.
“I wonder when he’ll finally show his claws.”
One day, the secrets he was hiding would come to light.
The only question was when.
“Ah! S-Sorry!”
Chris launched the hammer out of his hand for the sixth time.
Vendia slowly shook her head.
“Not anytime soon.