The Possessor Mistook the Genre for 20 Years

21 – Regarding the Case of the Secretary Being a Stalker.

When Franz was dispatched.

Arian had a conversation with the clerk, Elin.

The conversation started with a small question from Elin.

Elin handed over the processed documents to Arian and said,

“Do you perhaps dislike the Master of the Magic Tower, Arian…?”

“What? Why do you think that?”

Arian was just bewildered.

Even if Elin suddenly brought up the topic, there was no reason to ask such a question.

If it was a question of whether she liked him, it would be one thing, but asking if she disliked him was out of the question.

Of course, if she had asked if Arian liked him, she would have prepared a resignation letter, thinking this fox had finally revealed her true nature.

“Arian, you are kind to us, aren’t you? But you always seem to be angry with the Master of the Magic Tower, so I asked.”

By “us,” she must have meant the clerks hired this time.

Indeed, Arian was kind to the clerks.

As the daughter of a duke, she had the mindset of a noble to take care of those below her, and she respected their passion to work hard.

In contrast, she was always angry with the Master of the Magic Tower…

‘It’s embarrassing…’

That was the only reason.

Even when she gave a simple greeting for his hard work, she was anxious that her feelings might be discovered.

So, to hide it, she would get angry instead.

In the end, Elin was right.

To others, Arian’s actions seemed like she disliked Franz.

And if things continued like this, Arian’s love would surely end in failure.

‘No.’

It was a love that had continued since they first entered the Magic Tower as peers.

Even when he left as a wizard of the hero’s party, not a single day passed without thinking of him.

Arian’s lips quivered, then slowly parted.

“Elyn, actually, I have feelings for the Tower Master. But, out of embarrassment, I end up getting angry. If it’s alright, could you help me…?”

It was the first time Arian had ever had such a conversation.

Noble ladies always gathered and laughed, boasting about whose family was better, engaging in power struggles.

Despite the enormous status difference between a commoner and a duke’s daughter, it didn’t matter if it meant winning Franz’s heart.

“Of course! I’ll help you as much as I can!”

Elyn’s eyes sparkled.

Women, especially when it came to matters of love, couldn’t resist getting involved.

From then on, Arian and Elyn conversed whenever they had time.

In the process, Arian experienced a severe culture shock.

‘How bold…’

Did commoner women not care about pride?

She couldn’t understand how they could reveal their innermost feelings to men so openly.

But as she listened, she found that it surprisingly made sense.

Arian’s old-fashioned thoughts gradually became more open.

“You don’t have to express your feelings directly. Just make him curious about you.”

“How, exactly?”

“Just spend time together whenever you have the chance… I don’t know how nobles usually spend their time, though.”

“I see.”

In short, the important thing was to spend time together.

Of course, she had to show her feelings little by little during that time.

‘This is hard…’

For Arian, it was like becoming a completely different person.

Naturally, it wouldn’t be easy.

But she had to do it somehow.

To not let her long-held love end as unrequited.

And so, in the present.

Arian spoke to Franz.

“Tower Master, it seems… we’re out of tea leaves. Could you…?”

“Oh, really? Go buy some.”

Arian faced a towering wall from the very beginning.

Harsh words almost slipped out of her mouth.

But she held back.

It was indeed an incredible improvement.

Franz, however, was unaware of Arian’s efforts.

Franz looked at Arian’s stiffening face and thought,

‘Does she not want to go out?’

In a way, buying tea leaves was also a kind of errand.

And errands were something Franz had thought should be eradicated since his days at the Magic Tower.

So it was a contradiction.

He had ended up making his secretary do what he had vowed to eradicate.

“Arian, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“In that case…”

Arian’s heart swelled with anticipation.

She had dressed differently than usual and had chosen her words carefully today.

So, if he were a person, he should have noticed the meaning.

But Arian’s anticipation was shattered by Franz’s next words,

“Alright, you stay inside and work. I’ll go and buy them.”

“…What?”

Arian doubted her ears.

No, in a way, this was normal.

Considering her actions towards Franz so far, she was nothing more than a rude secretary, never to be seen as a woman.

In the end, it was her own doing.

So if she wanted something to change, she had to act, not expect.

“Master of the Magic Tower, th-th-that…”

But trying to change suddenly was not easy.

She thought of it, but it got stuck in her throat and wouldn’t come out.

“Why? Do you have something to say?”

“…Please help me choose the tea leaves.”

“Ah, so that’s what it was? I was wondering. When shall we go?”

Success.

It was a success.

In the end, being honest as Elin suggested was the right answer.

Although Franz’s head was filled with nothing but magic, and he went through several trials and errors, he finally succeeded, so it was a victory for this side.

“In a little while, the nearby shop will open, so I think that would be a good time.”

“Alright, then I’ll get ready in advance.”

Franz said so and went into his room.

Left alone in the tower master’s room, Arian carefully sat on the sofa.

It was the sofa where Franz had lain down to sleep yesterday.

His scent, embedded in the sofa, wafted up slowly.

Arian’s legs moved restlessly.

* * * * *

Franz, who had entered his room, changed into suitable outing clothes.

As the tower master and the lord of the territory, he couldn’t help but be conscious of others’ gazes.

‘Is it alright?’

He was worried about Arian.

By the standards of the 21st century, it was as if he had been possessed and changed overnight.

He hoped nothing had happened, and if it had, that it wasn’t anything serious.

But still.

‘Why did she suddenly suggest going out?’

Usually, if he suggested eating out together,

─ Wh-why would I eat out with the tower master?!

…she would very coldly refuse.

But now, Arian was the one suggesting they go out, and he couldn’t understand what had gotten into her.

Finally, having finished his preparations, Franz left the room.

His gaze naturally turned to Arian.

Arian, her face slightly flushed, was sitting on the sofa, arranging her skirt.

Her breathing seemed oddly prolonged.

As if she had a fever.

“Arian, are you feeling unwell?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I’m fine.”

Arian’s eyes were trembling as if an earthquake had struck.

Franz’s suspicion only deepened.

Surely, something must be wrong with Arian, he thought.

“Let’s get going now.”

“Yes, let’s.”

The two of them left the tower together.

Franz found the cool air of the early morning strangely pleasant.

It felt like he was starting the day off right for some reason.

“Arian, you didn’t have breakfast, did you?”

“No, I usually don’t eat much in the morning.”

“Then how about we grab a sandwich since we’re out?”

“If you insist, Master of the Tower….”

In the end, it meant she would eat if he did.

Franz led Arian to a nearby sandwich shop.

It was a place he often visited when he woke up early.

“Oh my, Master of the Tower, it’s been a while since you last came!”

“Yes, I’ve been busy with work.”

“Oh? But today you came with someone?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“The young lady next to you. She always comes right after you leave and buys the same thing.”

Franz’s gaze turned to Arian.

He wondered what on earth was going on.

Arian shook her head vigorously.

She didn’t even care that her hair was getting messy.

“M-Master of the Tower, shall we just buy the sandwiches?!”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

Well, there must be some reason for it.

Franz didn’t want to pry into his assistant’s private life.

Before long, the two sat in a nearby park with sandwiches bought from a store.

Perhaps because it was early morning, there were only a few people in the park.

In the atmosphere that even felt serene, they began a simple breakfast.

There wasn’t much conversation.

They just chewed their sandwiches in silence.

After all, it was rare for the two of them to have a meal together.

So it was only natural that an awkward atmosphere prevailed.

In the end, they finished their meal without exchanging a single word and stood up.

“Shall we go buy some tea leaves now?”

“Y-yes.”

They headed to a tea leaf shop not far from the park.

Franz saw it there.

“…It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

It seemed the saintess had also run out of tea leaves.