Celebrity Lady

Chapter 131

Chapter 131The translation up to the final chapter (Chapter 158) has been completed; you can purchase them to read in advance. Pledging via Ko-fi for a cheaper bundle is still available. If you're unsure what it is about, please visit our Ko-fi page for details or reach out to us via Discord. The translation's quality improves over time, even I've got to admit it was kinda shite in the beginning...

The next day.

I headed to the second-floor restaurant to start my day with a refreshing morning coffee.

Victor was there.

“Pfft!”

He suddenly noticed me as he was having breakfast and, as if startled, thumped his chest.

“What’s going on? Have you seen a ghost or something?” I filled his glass and handed it to him, and Victor gulped it down. “Why are you looking at me like that? You paid the rent yesterday, so just relax.”

“...I wasn’t giving you any weird looks.”

“Going out again?” I asked as I sat before him, fully prepared to go out early.

“I have to work.”

“Again? Are you going to the Mercenary Guild for work again?”

“Then where else should I work? I’ve only learned to put in effort.”

“You paid the rent. You haven’t fully recovered yet, so lie low for a while.”

“Hey, a man has his pride! I brought you out with all that big talk, and now you want me just to laze around?” Victor enthusiastically tore into the sausage skewered on his fork and added, “Listen here. I’m gonna get a job at a prestigious guild today. I’ll cover the living expenses, and I’ll even hire a hundred more servants!”

“Sigh.”

That stubbornness, seriously. I said with clenched teeth, “Do you know how much of a nuisance you’ll be to those people at the guild if you try to get a job there?”

“What? Why a nuisance?”

“Of course, it’s a nuisance. Think about it. With those dazzling golden eyes of yours, anyone would think, ‘Oh, it’s Sir Diollus from the noble Diollus family.'” I pointed to Victor’s eyes and added, “Do you think they can comfortably assign tasks to you, the noble young master, at the guild?”

“Why couldn’t they? I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I? Just yesterday—”

“Yeah, yesterday, too. You took a three-hour escort mission while going on your leisurely hunting trip and returned with three million marks, didn’t you?” I let out a sigh. “Which guild in the world pays that kind of compensation for such a job? Three million for a single task is like a life’s worth of money attached. But dare I say, what if they give a tough task to a noble young master and something goes wrong?”

“...”

“They can’t bring themselves to assign him difficult tasks, but they can’t just send him away either. But since he keeps complaining about needing money, why don’t they just hand over a paltry sum?” Victor’s expression became blank as I counted on my fingers while speaking. “It’s obvious without even looking. The guild leader must have reluctantly accepted the business, fearing your disapproval.”

“...Really?”

“Sigh. Even though you’ve been working only in the imperial palace since you were young, how can you be so clueless about how the world works?” Watching Victor in shock and contemplation, I spoke firmly, “As soon as you recover, let’s go back home. The Order can’t remain vacant for too long.”

“Thanks for letting me know. I should tell the guild not to be afraid of me and put me to good use.”

“Ugh.”

Such stubbornness!

In truth, aside from guild matters, I was more concerned about Victor’s physical condition. Especially now, without his familiar spirit...

“Do you have to be so stubborn all the time?”

“Isn’t it time for independence? I can learn about that ‘worldly matters’ you mentioned this time, right? Don’t worry. I’ll make sure to take care of you.”

“Who’s going to take care of whom...”

Victor emptied his breakfast plate resolutely and got up.

‘Sigh, I admit, he has a stubborn streak.’

I guess there won’t be any starving wife and children in the future, thankfully. Seeing him argue about making money and taking responsibility even after returning to life in just three days...

“Brother, wait a moment.” Realizing I couldn’t immediately stop Victor’s stubbornness, I sighed and held him back. “Permanent standby duty as a bodyguard. The starting salary is 84 million marks per year. Meals are separate, and it’s a 9 to 6 job.”

How could I just let this faint glimmer of reason slip away?

“You’ll be dealing with nobles. Just stay on standby, and you physically intervene if there’s an unexpected disturbance. If any work requires strength, you can help with that, too.”

“Huh?”

Victor’s eyes lit up.

“They have such a place in the capital?”

“Yeah, it’s a place I know well. Not bad, right? Should I write a recommendation for you?”

“Not bad at all! Isn’t this like getting a free ride? Where is it?”

Seeing Victor’s eyes sparkle with excitement, I gave him a bright smile.

***

With neatly combed red hair, sharp shoulders, and a tall stature that perfectly complemented his imposing black suit, I carefully pinned a name tag onto the man’s chest.

[Victor Diollus]

Clap, clap, clap.

“It’s perfect. Doesn’t he look quite dashing, like someone’s well-bred son?”

“That’s right.”

As I marvelled, Madame Izolda, who had been working as the manager of the main branch since last month, smiled approvingly.

“Wh-What is this...?” Victor, still seemingly unable to grasp the situation, muttered in confusion.

“Well, it’s Madame Ruby’s generous heart employing a poor runaway youth.”

I finished straightening his attire and tapped his shoulder lightly, exclaiming, “Anyway, let’s talk later, Victor. Good job.”

“Yes~ Ma’am~!”

***

Victor Diollus’ first day at work.

The manager, Madame Izolda, was so pleased with the new employee that she was on the verge of tears.

‘Such a remarkable talent...!’

Since he came from a distinguished noble family, he seemed prepared to hold his head high in front of customers and fellow employees alike. He had served in the highly disciplined imperial army, and perhaps that was why.

Not only did he work without causing any discomfort to his colleagues, he displayed impeccable manners, and he completed tasks diligently without the use of military jargon.

‘He’s strong, too!’

When the female employees watched him swiftly move and rearrange mannequins while changing the store’s window display after lunch, they couldn’t contain their excitement. They had struggled with this task in the past.

And that wasn’t all.

‘A handsome man from the unmistakable Diollus family genes!’

The noble young ladies who visited the store today were all captivated by Victor. He simply stood on one side of the store with an indifferent expression, carrying packages, yet somehow, he managed to take on the role of a charming shopkeeper, captivating the customers without even realizing it!

“My older brother has a strong personality, so he might not always listen. He might have a tough time, so please take care of him.”

Madame Izolda couldn’t understand why Madam President had such concerns. Where else could they find such a perfect employee?

And Victor Diollus, their star employee, was no exception.

He maintained a consistently impassive expression but was extremely satisfied internally.

‘A sweet job...’

Was there another workplace in the world as sweet as this?

Sure, he had to stand around doing nothing for a while, but compared to the days when he was constantly in the training grounds with the other men, tossing sand around every day, this was paradise!

‘Is there any other job that pays 7 million marks a month for doing practically nothing? The employee benefits are amazing, seriously!’

Victor’s initial concerns about working while addressing his younger sister as “Madam President” had long since vanished.

‘Madame Ruby! Madam President! Loyalty, loyalty!’

This job was incomparable to his previous one, where he was paid less and worked much harder.

Ding-dong.

At that moment, just before closing time, the final waiting customers entered the store.

“Welcome to !” Victor greeted them warmly.

“I’m not supposed to be here...”

“Why not, my lady? It’s too cold to wait outside. Come in quickly.”

“Yes, come in. It’s the day when the new catalogue is released. Let’s take a look together.”

The last customers were three young noble ladies, lavishly dressed like Rubette’s peers.

“...”

As the three young ladies entered the store, Victor was taken aback.

“B-Brother?”

It was Lillia.

She was someone Victor had never seen during the chaos of the past few days. No, he had intentionally avoided seeing her face even once.

But here Lillia was.

At that moment, Victor’s mind went blank. Simultaneously, the words from Rubette’s diary that he had deliberately tried to erase from his memory resurfaced vividly in his mind.

[Lillia told me Victor said she was as pretty as a little lark and I was as fat as a bear.

It’s not a lie, but he’s so mean. There were times when he said I was cute enough without losing weight. Brother is a liar.]

What angered him the most was...

[My brothers seem to like a cute younger sibling. Lillia said even Victor said the same thing; that he can’t imagine my acting cutesy with my chubby and ugly self...

Yesterday, Victor came home after a long time, but I felt uncomfortable seeing pretty Lillia holding hands with him, so I just went to my room and slept.]

In reality, Victor had never said or done any of those things, but Rubette’s false accusations had pierced his heart like a dagger.

“Brother...”

Before he knew it, a face with an innocent expression had come right up to him, looking up at him with those angelic eyes.

Yes, it was because of this lying angelic face.

“Sigh.”

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Victor grabbed his racing heart as if it could burst at any moment.