On the other side of town, unaware of the commotion that had just taken place at the video store, Jiang Ge returned to his bookstore.
He was carrying a small box of freshly bought strawberry daifuku, a little treat he'd intended as a gift for Corin. Spotting the bookstore from afar, he quickened his pace, excitement bubbling within him. The moment he reached the door, he pushed it open and called out cheerfully:
"Corin, I'm back—! Huh? What's going on here?"
Inside, there were more faces than expected. Besides Corin, three others were present.
Well—Ellen didn't really count. She was slouched against the wall, half-asleep, not even looking his way. Which meant there were only two pairs of eyes actually focused on him.
Those two belonged to the remaining members of Victoria Housekeeping: Von Lycaon and Alexandrina Sebastiane.
"Mr. Jiang Ge, it's been quite some time," Rina greeted politely, giving a graceful bow.
"Please forgive us for entering without your permission," added Lycaon, bowing like a perfect gentleman.
Jiang Ge blinked, expression deadpan.
"Then you can go outside, knock properly, and come back in. You know—just for formality's sake."
The two exchanged bewildered glances.
"This…?"
"You heard me," Jiang Ge said, waving them toward the door.
Resigned, Lycaon and Rina stepped out, closing the door behind them. Straightening his collar, Lycaon gave a polite knock.
"Mr. Jiang Ge, is this acceptable now?"
No answer.
Puzzled, he knocked again.
And again.
"Mr. Jiang Ge? Excuse me, can you hear me?"
Still nothing. Just as they prepared to try once more, the door creaked open slightly. Through the narrow gap, Jiang Ge's eyes appeared.
"Not seeing anyone."
Then the door shut again.
Lycaon and Rina stood frozen on the doorstep, utterly at a loss.
From inside came a flustered voice—Corin's, trembling with panic.
"M-Mr. Jiang Ge, please don't treat Mr. Lycaon and Ms. Rina like this! They came to see me!"
"Then even more reason not to let them in," came his muffled reply.
"Wuwu… please open the door…"
With a long sigh, Jiang Ge relented and opened the door.
"Fine, fine. Come in."
Lycaon and Rina stepped inside once more. Corin was clutching the daifuku he'd brought earlier, clearly flustered. Lycaon took note of it but said nothing, instead joining Rina before Jiang Ge, who had now settled onto the sofa, sitting rather casually and lazily picking at his ear.
"So," he said, eyeing them, "what brings you two here?"
"Huh? Mr. Jiang Ge, we agreed to come this afternoon to apologize," Lycaon reminded him.
"Did we?" Jiang Ge asked, scratching his head. "And what exactly are you apologizing for?"
"For the incident where Corin accidentally injured you during the massage… you were hospitalized, remember?"
"Was I?"
"...Sir, you're asking me that?"
Lycaon's expression twisted with confusion. Had Jiang Ge really forgotten, or was he playing dumb? Either way, this conversation was going nowhere. He turned to Corin for clarification.
"Corin, could you please explain?"
Startled, Corin lowered her head.
"I-I'm sorry… it really was my fault Mr. Jiang Ge was hurt…"
Before she could finish, Jiang Ge interrupted, waving his hand.
"No need for that. I was the one who told her to do it."
"Huh?" Corin's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Mr. Jiang Ge?" Lycaon echoed, just as confused.
"You mean," Lycaon said slowly, "you instructed Miss Corin to injure you and send you to the hospital… intentionally?"
"Exactly," Jiang Ge replied with a straight face.
"That… doesn't sound quite right," Lycaon said weakly, clearly losing grip on the situation.
Beside him, Rina quietly chuckled. She patted Lycaon's arm and whispered,
"Allow me, Mr. Lycaon. I'll handle this."
"Please do," he sighed, stepping back.
Rina approached with a soft smile.
"Mr. Jiang Ge, why don't we have some tea first? Little Corin, would you help me?"
"O-okay!"
From beneath her seemingly endless skirt, Rina produced a porcelain teacup—Lycaon didn't even question it anymore—and with Corin's help, they soon prepared a steaming cup of tea for Jiang Ge.
Rina set it before him with a courteous nod.
"Please, have a taste."
Jiang Ge didn't reach for it right away. He stared at the cup… then at Rina's skirt… then back at the cup again, his expression complicated. Finally, he took a sip.
"Well?" Rina asked sweetly.
"Not bad," he admitted.
"I'm glad it meets your satisfaction."
Seeing he'd relaxed a little, Rina smoothly shifted the conversation.
"As for the earlier incident—though Corin has already explained it in her report—since you insist it never happened, we'll treat it as a misunderstanding."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Therefore, rest assured—Corin won't be punished."
At that, Jiang Ge finally straightened his posture, no longer lounging carelessly.
He gave Rina a faint, knowing smile.
That confirmed it. Rina's hunch was right—he was covering for Corin. He'd rather act eccentric and deny everything than let her feel guilty.
He must care for her deeply, Rina thought.
Still, an apology had to be made, formally or not.
"Little Corin," Rina said gently, "why don't you bring out those desserts we prepared? Mr. Lycaon will handle the rest."
"Yes, Ms. Rina."
Corin hurried off and returned with a tray of biscuits and small cakes.
Jiang Ge wasted no time reaching for them, popping a few into his mouth without hesitation.
Lycaon's brows furrowed the moment he saw the desserts. Something about them seemed… familiar. But before he could speak, Rina's bright voice rang out:
"My, Mr. Jiang Ge, I didn't expect you'd enjoy the snacks I made so much."
"Huh?" Jiang Ge blinked, mid-chew.
Then his body slumped forward, collapsing right onto the tray of sweets.
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A/n: While I am a new translator, I have a Patreon! While it may be a bit empty right now both this and the other book on my page has advanced chapters posted on patreon. Set up for my web novel will be 2 chapters for every book a day and if you go to my patreon you'll see the set up there.
patreon.com/deadlygoober