In the original game Kane had played, such a plot definitely did not exist.
In fact, such a location did not even exist.
However, it was more accurate to say that no events had taken place there in the original story; the game had never explicitly stated that such a place did not exist. Therefore, its presence now was not necessarily a contradiction.
Still, having a stranger he had just met invite him to do that kind of work made Kane feel a bit annoyed.
It wasn’t that he found the job itself humiliating—if the pay was high enough, Kane wasn’t above doing it. The reason for his irritation was that the man simply did not know the rules. Who invites someone to that kind of job when there is a lady present?
Now, it was impossible to even ask for more details.
Kane felt a certain level of dissatisfaction.
On the other hand, after her initial shock, an image immediately flashed through Vita’s mind: Kane dressed in a butler’s uniform, kissing the back of her hand.
To have a male version of the Queen bowing and scraping before her, serving her tea and water… the mere thought made Vita nearly lose control of her facial expressions. She almost let out a twisted, ecstatic smile of pure pleasure.
“I’m serious! Our shop is completely legal and compliant. We only provide conversation and drink services. There is absolutely none of that other stuff.”
“If possible, I hope this gentleman could come in for a part-time shift. As for this elegant-looking lady, I was hoping you could work as a part-time bartender.”
Fearful of being misunderstood, the man continued to explain.
Setting aside whether his words were true, judging by his attitude, he wasn’t joking. He truly intended to recruit the two of them.
To be honest, Vita was actually a little tempted.
Allowing herself to be dressed in revealing clothing to serve men was absolutely out of the question, but if she could wear men’s clothing—becoming a handsome cross-dressing bartender—it wasn’t entirely unacceptable. If Kane was willing, she would be quite happy to work alongside him.
“Thank you for the invitation, but we have no such intentions. Could you please find someone else?”
“Ah, is it really a no? You look like you’re quite short on cash. Why not reconsider?”
“…I see. It seems your hearing is a bit poor. Would you like me to treat it for you? Don’t worry, I’m very accurate.”
“Uh, sorry for the trouble!”
However, she also knew it was impossible. Asking Kane to serve women drinks was no different from asking Queen Corelia to wear a bunny girl outfit to please men.
Though the man acting as a scout wanted to persist a bit longer, Kane’s reaction stopped him.
While wearing a pure, artificial social smile, Kane manifested a ball of lightning in his hand, letting out an unsettling *crackle*.
Realizing that staying any longer would only lead to suffering, the man immediately took off, disappearing into the crowd.
Watching the figure run off, the ominous ball of lightning in Kane’s hand gradually dissipated into the air, though the most incredibly fake smile remained on his face.
The reason it looked so fake was that Kane intended it to be so. It was the kind of smile meant to let the other person know exactly how impatient he was.
Yet, this display only left Vita more confused.
She had assumed that Kane would completely tear off his mask after being insulted. She expected him to radiate a bone-chilling coldness, just like Corelia, and harshly drive the man away.
She hadn’t expected that even though Kane was so ‘angry,’ he still gave the man a modicum of face.
‘Could it be that this man really is different from that woman?’
The doubt Vita had harbored previously resurfaced in her mind. Her expression became weighted with confusion and solemnity.
“Whew… how troublesome. I suppose there are people like that in every world. Don’t take it to heart, Vita.”
Seeing the pathetic figure completely vanish, Kane dropped his fake smile and replaced it with a genuine one. He turned back to look at the royal sister behind him, comforting her like an older brother.
“Huh? Are you… worried about me?”
Startled by Kane’s words, Vita blinked her blank red eyes. Her expression could not hide her shock. She reflexively took half a step back, the toe of her right boot tapping the ground as she instinctively placed a hand over her mouth to hide her parted lips.
“…I’m sorry.”
When she heard Kane lower his head and apologize, the tiny glimmer of hope deep within Vita’s eyes vanished once more, leaving them dull.
‘Ah, I knew it. In the end, this man is just like that woman. He doesn’t care about anyone but himself. People like them really are the most loath—’
“…I’m truly sorry. I think I ended up treating you like a younger sister, Vita. Even though you’re probably more familiar with this kind of situation than I am. You shouldn’t need me to worry about you.”
‘—some… Huh?’
Because she heard such an unbelievable statement, the hatred deep within Vita’s eyes turned back into blank bewilderment.
What did she just hear?
This man was worrying about her because he saw her as a sister?
Even though he was the same existence as that woman, he was actually worried about her?
At this moment, Vita’s face was a mask of astonishment. Seeing her like this, Kane gave a bitter, self-reflecting laugh.
A tall, mature beauty like Vita didn’t have a ‘little sister’ vibe at all. Moreover, as a cheerful and flippant character, she must have seen scenes like this many times before. For him to act the part of a protective brother was truly uncalled for.
During their earlier conversation, their distance had closed, and Kane had forgotten to reset the boundaries. To treat an independent woman like an adolescent girl in need of protection was indeed his mistake.
“Heh… hehehe… Why are you apologizing? You’re making such a big deal out of nothing. I’m actually quite happy that you’re worried about me, you know? After all, before this, I only had an older sister, not a brother. I see, so this is what it feels like to be overprotected. Ah, could it be that you feel the same way toward the male version of me in your world?”
After her shock passed, the royal sister laughed as cheerfully as usual. She even teased Kane with a playful gaze, appearing as if nothing were wrong.
“That’s impossible. A sister and a brother are different. Besides, if that guy William encountered this, he wouldn’t even be angry. He’d probably be rushing that man to lead the way so he could go spend his money.”
As Kane imagined the second prince from the original game in this situation, a helpless expression crossed his face. A gender flip didn’t mean they were the same in every way; their reactions to things like this would definitely be different.
“That’s true. The male version of me sounds like quite a handful.”
The restored, cheerful Vita laughed happily, joining Kane in poking fun at the original second prince.
While the gloom and resentment deep in her eyes hadn’t completely vanished, they had certainly lessened. A single instance of concern wasn’t enough to make her view Kane and Corelia as entirely separate entities.
…But she had to admit, it would have been nice if her world had been given a Kane from the very beginning instead of a Corelia.
***
Though it’s over one hour late, this counts as a double update. I’ll keep working hard for double updates tomorrow.