Quietly Hiding that I am a Man chapter 69- Fake Appearance

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The glass garden of the Duke of Efilia’s estate was as large as an elementary school playground.

It had been created by the late duchess of Efilia, Marie’s mother, while she was still alive.

The garden was filled with a variety of flowers, rivaling those found in any botanical garden.

Visitors to the estate often marveled at how it was more beautiful than the royal gardens.

Last night, I, along with Twitty—who bawled and threw a fit, saying he didn’t want to be an accomplice—discovered a gold mine.

Yes, the gift Luke gave Layla during the Blessing Ceremony was none other than tulips.

Carlisle, who had never seen his younger sister smile at any other gift, was once again impressed by Luke’s taste when she beamed at the tulips.

Winning the princess’s heart at this moment later saved Luke when forces that hated minority races tried to frame him—Layla personally took care of those enemies.

Anyway, after that, tulips became a huge trend in the empire, with a single tulip fetching the price of a house, and even tulip bulbs being traded at exorbitant prices.

Now, with about a month until the Blessing Ceremony, what should Jeanne prepare?

“What do I need to do? Obviously, I need to prepare my ammunition.”

“Who are you talking to?”

Ber looked at me like I was crazy when I mumbled while planting tulip bulbs.

Normally, tulips are planted in autumn and harvested in spring, but it’s not entirely impossible to make them bloom earlier.

It seemed my frantic preparation to avoid losing the guild’s house worked, as the rabbit brothers managed to bring two upperclassmen seniors as I requested.

One was a student majoring in botany, and the other was a design student.

“I really want to see them bloom. Coincidentally, I discovered a new blooming formula this time. Although tulips are notoriously difficult to grow, with this excellent soil, it might just work.”

“Oh, designing something just for Lady Layla? I definitely want to try that. Trust me.”

One of them was excited about the rare crop, while the other got worked up over the idea of designing for the empire’s socialite.

I was relieved that their interests aligned.

Now that the skilled labor and business venue were set, all that was left was to plant the tulip bulbs in the field.

I watched with a heavy heart as the rabbit brothers, who were supposed to work, ran around the field instead.

In the end, I was left to plant all the bulbs myself.

As I stretched my sore back, Ber asked,

“By the way, is it really okay to just take these? You’ll be in big trouble if Duke Carlotte finds out.”

“Oh, that.”

I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand and sat down on the dirt.

Unfortunately, since Jeanne didn’t know any magic, he had to do all the labor himself.

After yelling at the rabbit brothers, who were rolling in the dirt, to be careful, I continued.

“When I explained I was planning a new business venture, they told me to take as much as I wanted. Oh, and I heard the development of the artificial mana stones is almost finished. It’s not on the market yet, though.”

“Wow, you’re totally trusted by the duke. He gave you tulip bulbs for free?”

“For free? Hardly. The moment I make a profit, I have to give him 5%.”

“As they say, you reap what you sow.”

Clicking his tongue, I gave Ber a firm knock on the head.

As he sobbed dramatically, a shadow fell over us.

The rabbit brothers approached, looking excited.

“Can we plant some too?”

The rabbit brothers, who were usually a bit shy, surprisingly spoke up first.

They usually seemed mature for their age, but covered in dirt, they looked just right for their age now.

I silently nodded and handed them the trowel.

Watching them carefully plant the bulbs, I thought I was glad I had kept the Luna Guild.

These kids would’ve been heartbroken if they saw a barren field with nothing growing.

“Jeanne, when will these flowers bloom?”

“What if they don’t grow?”

The brothers nervously covered the bulbs with soil.

Glancing at them, I answered calmly,

“It’s good soil. They’ll grow before you know it.”

The brothers paused for a moment, then a light flickered in their eyes as they looked at me.

They exchanged a glance before breaking into giggles.

Ber, who had been anxiously watching, suddenly shouted and barged in.

“Ugh, I can’t take this. Move aside, you snacks. I’m the only one who can be Master’s slave!”

“What are you even jealous about?”

Thanks to Ber, who was anxious about me getting new “slaves,” the bulb planting ended earlier than expected.

I fanned my sweat-soaked shirt and planted a sign in the field.

[Only those prepared for legal battles may enter.]

✽ ✽ ✽

Three weeks passed quickly.

Unlike my relaxed self, the two worker bees beside me were incredibly tense.

Today was the day we had scheduled to check the midterm results.

As I, a fresh first-year student, walked through the halls flanked by two senior students, the surroundings buzzed with whispers.

“Look at that! Poor thing. What kind of threat must they be under to be stuck with Jeanne?”

“I heard Jeanne’s holding their family hostage. Apparently, she threatened to devour them all if they don’t obey her!”

“Wait, wasn’t it a dog?”

“What? I heard it was a goldfish!”

Family, dog, and goldfish. It seemed Jeanne’s image within the academy had already been cemented as more of a demon king than a noble lady.

I yawned lazily and took the midterm project proposals handed to me by the seniors.

“Jeanne, what do you think of this design? Wouldn’t it go well with Lady Layla?”

“It’s too flashy. And this color doesn’t match Lady Layla’s… um… aura. Do it over.”

With a grunt of frustration, the designer worker bee ran off in a hurry.

That made it the 1,245th revision.

I slowly turned my gaze to the farmer worker bee, who was trembling, clearly sensing their turn was next.

“By the way, the deadline is approaching fast. Why haven’t the tulips bloomed yet? What did I tell you? What’s the basic rule of business?”

“Meet… meet deadlines.”

“If you know that so well, why is there still no result? Ah, I see. You haven’t tried using people as fertilizer yet, have you? How about we grind up a senior for fertilizer?”

“Please, anything but that! I’ll check the formula again! Just give me a little more time!”

Sensing my threatening mood, the farming worker bee turned pale and bolted.

Watching this unfold, Ber muttered with an exasperated expression.

“Just my opinion, but Master, you have quite a talent for exploiting labor.”

“They’re doing it because they want to.”

“You reap all the benefits, pushing people around without lifting a finger… Even Mephisto would be impressed. And stop smiling like that—it’s not a compliment.”

I halted mid-smile, suddenly unsure. It wasn’t a compliment? Ber let out a deep sigh.

“Even if you solve the debt somehow, Luna Guild didn’t even meet the minimum member requirement. For someone as clever as you, I don’t understand why you chose the worst guild.”

Ber’s skeptical look followed me as I bit into a bright, juicy apple I bought earlier at the market and chewed slowly.

“Slave, that’s why you keep losing your bets. You’re too timid.”

On the day of the grand Blessing Festival, the two worker bees hugged each other and wept, having barely finished the samples on time.

The prototypes turned out much better than expected—perhaps because we had worked them so hard. I felt quite satisfied.

I granted both of them permission to sleep for over five hours, which they accepted with grateful nods. After packing the samples into a gift box, I spoke.

“I’m off now, Ber. Keep a close eye on the rabbit brothers. Derek might bring his friends again.”

“Heh heh, leave it to me! But Master, are you sure you’ll be okay going alone without any guards?”

“The Blessing Festival is held within the academy, so it’ll be fine.”

The festival took place in the “Square of Wisdom,” located within the Etrance Academy’s grounds.

The square was used to host esteemed guests who supported the academy or for official events.

After a short carriage ride, we stopped in front of a grand white mansion.

“My Lady, we’ve arrived.”

As I stepped out of the carriage, I took in the sight of the nobles dressed in formal attire.

Though academy uniforms were the norm, given the nature of the event, it seemed wearing formal clothes was acceptable.

The festival felt more like an American high school prom than a traditional blessing ceremony.

“Look over there—it’s Lady Jeanne.”

“You’re kidding. She came here without a partner?”

“If I had her hair color, I’d lock myself in my room out of embarrassment.”

Everyone, regardless of gender, seemed to take delight in gossiping about me like a vending machine that never stopped spitting out stories.

Reminding myself of the old saying, “The dogs bark, but the caravan moves on,” I kept walking.

As I moved through the crowd, I could feel disapproving stares from all directions.

Layla’s maid, waiting in the hall, made eye contact with me and gestured for me to follow her.

At today’s Blessing Festival, Princess Layla was scheduled to recite the prayer of Maya herself.

It was an old tradition for a member of the royal family to lead this part of the ceremony.

After Layla finished reading the prayer, the attendees would release lanterns into the Emelrn River behind the mansion.

While I was still contemplating what wish I might make, the maid knocked on the reception room door.

Soon after, a familiar voice came from inside.

“Come in.”

The maid opened the door, and there was Layla, sitting on the floor, draped in a white veil.

The unexpected sight made me momentarily freeze.

Her shoes were scattered haphazardly, and shattered picture frames lay on the ground.

She turned her head and lifted the veil as she gazed at me, her expression hardening.

“Yes, Jeanne.”

“…”

“You, of all people, must make me feel better today.”

I rushed to her side to check on her condition.

Her makeup was streaked with tears, and red marks were visible on her neck.

It was clear someone had strangled her.

As I breathed heavily, my anger slowly rising, Layla spoke in a subdued voice.

“I’m in a very bad mood right now.”

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