After Mareena had left, Lewis, now alone, sighed.

“…Haa— I’ve accepted a ridiculous request.”

Many women have either urged or asked Lewis to marry them. There were also times when they resorted to dangerous methods such as relying on medicine.

That request was out of the ordinary. In fact, he shouldn’t have received it as the client would be disadvantaged if he did poorly. Under normal circumstances, he would’ve done so.

“Then, why…?”

That woman was dangerous.

Of course, guild members had a duty of confidentiality. As such, if he were to keep her identity a secret, he might be able to find someone else to take his place. He was sure that upon deciding to visit a place like the guild, she was prepared for such a possibility.

“What the hell am I doing?”

He couldn’t believe his own judgment. Or perhaps, was it his emotion? He couldn’t figure it out.

It was just—…

…The moment he saw her anxious and forlorn expression, he couldn’t help but offer himself. He just couldn’t leave it to someone else.

“What am I thinking?”

It was work. Yes, it was part of the job. But why was he upset?

Don’t do anything extra, just fulfil the request.

He kept reminding himself—that it was just a request.

He was born as the third son of a baron, but he wasn’t particularly close with his older brothers. The reason was because Lewis, who had the same silver hair as his father, and looked as beautiful as his mother, was objectively the ‘better’ son.

His mother, who entered the baron’s family as a second wife, was young and beautiful. His two older brothers, the children of his previous wife, were also very fond of Lewis’ mother. They were delighted when Lewis was born.

But as Lewis grew, the two began to avoid him.

At first, they smiled as they watched their little brother studying and honing his swordsmanship. After all, he was merely imitating the two. However, they soon realized that he could study at a much faster pace than they could. If Lewis were to be given an instructor, he’d be able to master anything after only a few classes.

Lewis might eventually outdo them. When they thought about it, they began to harbor resentment towards their cute little brother.

Gradually, the relationship between the three siblings tensed. During his childhood, Lewis began to think his presence wasn’t needed in the house. At the same time, as he was fond of his brothers, the tense relationship was painful.

When he became a student, he decided to go somewhere faraway where his brothers wouldn’t be able to see him. Becoming a knight or a civil officer was no good. After thinking about it, he decided to work in a guild.

Among the students, he managed to join the largest guild in the city. People worked in guilds for many reasons. Thus, no one asked Lewis anything. He dyed his hair black and wore glasses to hide his true identity.

As a result of his work, he often left the dormitory to go visit numerous places. There was a limit to what a student with little free time could do. When long vacations arrived, he didn’t return to his parents’ house and instead worked alongside the other guild members.

The guild master was fond of Lewis. As a guild member, Lewis would take on whatever he was asked to do—whether it was a simple task or a difficult task. Sometimes, he helped organize paperwork and even calculated the others’ salaries. Gradually, Lewis grew interested in managing a guild.

As soon as he graduated from school, he left home and went to the distant Westmont territory to establish a guild. His father, aware of Lewis’ feelings, told his brothers that Lewis had left home to do whatever he liked.

Lewis felt sorry for his pathetic self who couldn’t directly say goodbye to his brothers.

Upon learning he was leaving, what kind of expressions did his siblings make? Would they feel lonely? Or would they be happy?

He regretted having left his home to escape.

His father helped him set up the guild, which should had been a good thing. As such, he thanked his father. He didn’t want to be a hinderance, but reality wasn’t so sweet. For a while, there were no requests. Still, if he were to remain in the same place for many years, he could familiarize himself with the people. It was only after a few years that he managed to hire employees.

“Let’s get back to work.”

For the time being, he would prepare the requested items.

An aphrodisiac… why did she make such a request?

It wasn’t like she told him she’d use it on him. As such, he mustn’t think of anything unnecessary.

Lewis exhaled once again, then went to visit a certain familiar man.

---

***T/N: OoooooOoo, can’t help but offer himself, he said…

Please also consider donating to my ko-fi! It’ll greatly support me in action, no matter the amount!
https://ko-fi.com/antoinettevanessa

<Previous chapter

Next chapter>