‘Y-You... Why the hell have you been living a life of getting hit with cupcakes?’

His usual image and the standing figure before us did not quite match. The Commander Jin who used to bicker with Benigoa while desperately trying to fend off cupcakes was clearly different from the Commander Jin standing here before me.

I could say with confidence that even Benigoa herself would hesitate to casually pull out a cupcake at the sight of him.

Even the retainers standing behind him didn’t look like people hired with money alone. They looked ready to throw away their lives for Commander Jin without a second thought. I knew he had this strange charisma that drew people in, but seeing this new side of him in an environment like this...

‘I-I just seriously can’t get used to it.'’

It felt like I had no choice other than to awkwardly return the greeting. The guests who came with us looked just as flustered as we were. They weren’t just shocked by the smell of wealth surrounding him. It looked more like they were overwhelmed by the feeling that he belonged to an entirely different world.

‘I-I can’t get... used to this...’

“...”

“...”

He was wrapped in an untouchable noble aura. Unless someone was born to rule others from the very beginning, there was no way they could naturally give off such an aura. Even the way he directed the retainers with a simple gesture looked completely natural, as though everything prepared for him simply belonged there by default.

I never thought I’d feel this way while looking at him, but...

‘I-I kinda want to become pathetic right now. I wanna drop to my knees and cling to his leg.’

The DNA of a scheming retainer engraved deep inside me felt like it was screaming at me to lower myself before Commander Jin right in this instant. Whether he understood my feelings or not, I wasn't sure, but he calmly said, “Then, I’ll guide you to the detached residence where you’ll be staying during your visit.

"It’s a bit far, but I would personally recommend enjoying the scenery as you walk. Of course, if you prefer a carriage, I can have one prepared separately...”

“Ah, it’s okay. There’s really no need for that... M-More importantly, Commander Jin, your house is way bigger than I expected,” I commented.

“Is it?” Commander Jin asked.

“Yes, it’s huge. When I first saw it from far away, I honestly thought it was some kind of national park. What kind of house has a lake in it? And why is the landscaping so insane? Is this some kind of imperial palace or what?” I asked.

“You’re saying pointless things again,” he said. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

“No, I’m being serious. There are ornamental golden fish swimming around in the lake, and that tree over there... Isn’t that a tree that only grows in the Forest of Elves? How are you even growing that here?

"I don’t know how many times I have to say this, but seriously, there’s a whole ecosystem being maintained here. Why are there so many ridiculously expensive animals? Even the rocks don’t look ordinary,” I added.

“Saint of Sacrifice and Revival, we shall escort—”

‘Tsk. How dare you butt in while I’m talking with Commander Jin?’

It seemed one particularly loyal retainer disliked how familiar I was acting toward Commander Jin. Well, rather than disliking it, it looked more like they were worried that their employer could end up in an uncomfortable situation, but the moment I stepped closer to Commander Jin and glared at them, I saw them backing away immediately. Right on cue, Commander Jin also gestured as though to say that it was fine, leaving the retainer looking awkward.

‘We’re really close, damn it. You thought your master was awkward with other people? The hell, I’ve been in closed rooms with Commander Jin before. Have you even tried Commander Jin's mapo tofu? How dare you approach me with that kind of attitude? Tsk!’

“Haa... geez...” I muttered.

"???"

“Commander,” I said.

“?”

“Your retainers are getting a little too bold, aren’t they?” I questioned.

I felt slightly uncomfortable at the idea of barging into Commander Jin’s palace out of nowhere and immediately acting like the lady of the house, but considering that we had no idea how long we’d be staying here, it was better to establish discipline early.

The moment I quietly whispered that to him, his face stiffened.

“...”

“...”

“Try to understand them. It has been a very long time since I’ve had guests, and they’re people who normally act as my hands and feet. It seems they made the mistake of assuming that I dislike associating with others,” he explained.

“Is that so?” I questioned.

“I should give them a warning. Yongwol?” he called out.

“Yes, sir.”

“Do you understand what you did wrong?” he asked.

Naturally, I slid a little closer beside Commander Jin and tilted my head up slightly.

‘This is the difference between you and me. Know your place, damn it.’

“I-I’ll be more careful,” Yongwol said.

“Good. From now on, think three times before acting,” Commander Jin warned.

“Yes, sir.”

“This was a special situation. Don’t step forward carelessly again,” he said.

The retainer named Yongwol lowered her head slightly, her face twisting just a little. It was probably humiliating for her.

Being reprimanded by Commander Jin in front of everyone had to have dealt a lot of damage to her. Just because she was an employee didn’t mean she had no pride, and even if he was her employer, publicly scolding her like this wasn’t something the usual Commander Jin would do.

‘So you're different from usual because we’re close, is that it?’

This had to be all because of me. By publicly punishing her, even if only lightly, he was basically announcing to everyone here that I was an extremely important guest. The short Yongwol even had tears welling up in her eyes. It seemed she had feelings for Commander Jin or something along those lines.

Of course, there was a high chance that I was just imagining things, but one thing was certain. Their relationship definitely didn’t feel like a normal employer-employee dynamic.

Surprisingly enough, Commander Jin was even looking at her with trust in his eyes, and he was the type to never trust others so easily.

She had climbed a little higher in his eyes, but she was still nowhere near my level. According to Ji-Hye noona, I was at least considered human in Commander Jin's eyes, so naturally, this was my overwhelming victory.

After taking another step closer to him, I spoke loud enough for everyone to hear, “Want to play chess tonight?”

“Confident?” Commander Jin asked.

“Of course. I won the last game, remember?” I answered.

“If I recall correctly, I’m still ahead overall,” he said.

“Games played when you’re tired don’t count,” I said.

“What an absurd way of keeping score,” he commented.

We exchanged pointless small talk, and these were the kind of conversations that would normally never entertain Commander Jin. Naturally, I could see several of the retainers looking visibly shaken. Of course, they were trying their best not to show it in front of guests, but there was only so much people could hide.

Why did this make me feel so smug? It wasn’t even something I’d planned. I had just followed the flow of the moment, and before I knew it, my usual habits slipped out.

“What’s with those golden carp over there? I’ve seriously never seen anything like them before,” I said, pointing out some fish.

“They were probably brought over from a dungeon in the Republic,” Commander Jin answered.

“Ah, really? How many detached buildings are here?” I asked.

“I believe there are six. The one prepared for you is the largest of them,” he answered.

“I don’t really want to stay in a detached building, though,” I told him.

“...”

“...”

“Then I’ll prepare a room for you in the main house,” he said.

Once again, I caught the retainers visibly reacting.

“Everything else is nice, but I don’t really like that huge tree over there. Not for any special reason, it just kind of throws the whole view off. It stands out too much on its own,” I commented.

“...”

“...”

“Haa...” Commander Jin sighed.

“What?”

“No... it’s nothing,” he replied.

“...”

“...”

I could see him staring silently at the tree.

‘Of course it bothers him.’

There was no way it wouldn’t. Every time he looked at it, he would probably be reminded of what I had said before, and honestly, I wasn’t even wrong. It wasn’t like I’d studied landscaping or anything, but that one tree really did ruin the harmony of the otherwise perfect scenery by standing out so much.

“Actually...” he said, trailing off.

“Hm?”

“I was already planning on getting rid of it. Just as you said, it never quite satisfied me. It’s a little embarrassing to admit this as the owner of the estate, but I’ve been slowly renovating the place piece by piece.

"I finally realized that the timing of this invitation was less than ideal, so allow me to apologize in advance. If anything catches your eye, I ask that you overlook it.” He requested.

“Ah... so that’s what it was,” I said.

“Yes.”

“That makes sense. The overall atmosphere is incredible, but there were a few details here and there that felt slightly out of place. Hearing you’re in the middle of renovations explains everything.

"I mean, projects like this can’t exactly be finished all at once. It’s not like you can relocate the entire estate while the landscaping is still being worked on. That sounds rough,” I said.

“Well, it's not an inconvenient place to live in,” he said.

“True. Landscaping isn’t everything anyway. Unless someone’s actively trying to pick out flaws, the place is honestly beautiful overall. Feels like the kind of place that could calm a complicated mind. Especially the lake. It’s gorgeous. Honestly, it’s almost as beautiful as Mirror Lake in the Democratic Country,” I complimented.

“It’s one of the areas I paid special attention to, so I suppose it’s only natural that you’d feel that way,” he revealed.

‘Gotta stroke his ego a little, too.’

I would bet my life there were never any renovations happening in the first place. Sure, to outsiders it probably sounded believable enough, but the retainers who spent years managing every little detail of this estate definitely knew that Commander Jin had just lied through his teeth.

Earlier, they were already shocked, but now, I could practically feel them panic.

After all, we were talking about Commander Jin here. He was the man who treated any opinions he disliked as if they were garbage and tossed them aside without any hesitation, yet the same Commander Jin was apparently willing to redo the entire landscaping of his estate after just one comment from me.

‘Of course, he wants to look good in front of me.’

He had even said that he would prepare a room for me in the main house instead of one of the detached residences. I could guarantee that nobody had ever been given a room inside Commander Jin’s main house.

Sure, I liked things clean myself, but that obsessive neat freak letting someone into his personal territory was basically unimaginable. A workplace or meeting space would be one thing, but this mansion, especially the main house, was basically his sanctuary.

The retainers all looked like they were witnessing something that absolutely wasn't supposed to ever happen. Right on cue...

“It’s a little warm, or maybe the sunlight’s a bit...”

The second I muttered that, one of the retainers instantly rushed over and opened a parasol above me.

At last, they finally seemed to understand the true second-in-command of this estate—no, scratch that. They finally realized who held the real power here.

‘Yeah, they're goddamn right.’

It was better late than never.

“Ah, thank you,” I said.

“I merely did what was expected of me,” the retainer said.

“What’s your name?” I asked.

“You may call me Wanggang.”

“Ah, Wanggang. I’ll remember that,” I said.

“At your service.”

‘What the hell was that supposed to mean?’

“You have really wonderful retainers,” I complimented.

“...”

“...”

Commander Jin looked vaguely uncomfortable, like he had no idea how to respond. He just kept walking, looking like he wanted to get us out of the garden area as quickly as possible. He was probably worried that I'd start nitpicking things again, but from here on out, what came out of my mouth was basically nonstop praise.

Hence, all that remained was for his confidence to recover.

The real problem was somewhere else entirely. I hadn’t noticed it until now, but when I glanced behind me, I caught sight of Kim Hyun-Sung looking genuinely shaken. Naturally, I realized that I probably went a bit too overboard.

‘Ah... damn it... did I act too close to him?’

His face practically screamed that he had never imagined, even in his wildest dreams, that Commander Jin and I were this close. He looked like someone who had just realized that their best friend had another best friend in addition to them.