For Sale: Male Lead, Obsession Included - Chapter 105
“Be the face of the tavern? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means exactly what it sounds like. Just carry this wooden sign around during the festival.”
“So why me?”
“’Cause you’re handsome.”
“Ahem. Hmph.”
Does he not realize he’s handsome? Why else would I put him in charge of promotion?
As Feyden cleared his throat, his ears turned red. I hung the wooden sign around his neck. It was a sign for Okhee’s tavern, with a chicken-shaped logo and a simple map drawn on it.
Maybe my compliment worked, because the usually mouthy Feyden obediently wore the sign around his neck. Next was Ariel.
“Um… Estira. Do I really have to do this too…? Isn’t Feyden enough…?”
“Nope. With just Feyden, we’d only attract women. The main customer base for gukbap is men. So we need you too. Ariel, make sure you wear your priest’s robe and give a short blessing prayer to any customer who visits. All right?”
“……”
Ariel wasn’t reluctant about the job, just embarrassed. He didn’t like being the center of attention or something.
‘With a face like that, not wanting attention is like not wanting to live, isn’t it?’
I cheerfully pushed the two hesitant men out the door and waved my hand.
“We owe Mrs. Okhee for our room and board! Handsome Feyden, Handsome Ariel! Off you go!”
“Damn it.”
Feyden left the tavern, his face buried low. Okhee and I gazed fondly at the sturdy backs with their signs hanging from them.
「 Do you think customers will come? 」
Nari, who was washing dishes, asked.
「 They’ll come. As long as people have eyes. Now, let’s get the ingredients ready while we wait! 」
I herded the worried Nari and Okhee into the kitchen, and a large shadow fell behind me.
There was only one person who could approach so silently—Okhee’s son, Jin.
「 Jin? There you are! Where did you go? Feyden’s already out there. 」
Since I’d been staying at Okhee’s and sharing meals together, Jin now felt as familiar as Feyden. Of course, that was probably just my own feeling.
Because Jin still spoke to me in the most formal language and barely talked to me otherwise.
「 Estira-nim, I’ll help. 」
「 Jin, your job is the sign with Feyden… 」
No, that won’t work. Jin’s a local, so he won’t attract as much attention as Feyden or Ariel.
With that in mind, I sat Jin down across from me and the potatoes.
「 Let’s peel these together. 」
「 Yes. 」
Jin skillfully peeled the potatoes with a small knife. It wasn’t the work of a first-timer. Even though he was from a fairly well-off family for a commoner, he didn’t hesitate to help in the kitchen, and that honestly surprised me.
Jin said he was learning his father’s trade as an apothecary. It was what his parents wanted and a perfectly suitable job for making a living in the countryside.
Yet Jin’s hands, used to gathering herbs and preparing medicine, were rough—just like Feyden’s hands, who trained every day.
Maybe sensing my gaze, Jin flinched and his hands trembled.
「 You seem pretty comfortable with a blade. 」
「 …Is that so. 」
Jin glanced at me and went back to peeling potatoes.
Even if it’s what his parents want, someone with such a firm dream will eventually burst forth. In the original story, that happened when he met Rozemian. He just packed a bag and followed her to the capital without a plan, and in the end, he became a renowned knight.
That’s how strong Jin’s dream of wielding a sword was—something no one could break.
If that’s the case, why not help those unbreakable wings take flight as soon as possible?
I tried sounding Jin out, just a little.
「 Don’t you want to properly learn how to use a sword? 」
「 …… 」
His hand, mid-peel, froze.
「 How did you know? 」
When he looked up, his dark green hair—tied with a ribbon—fell over his shoulder. Pine-needle-colored, clear eyes, a high-bridged nose, and beautifully tanned skin—a strikingly handsome young man stared straight at me.
「 Your hands look just like someone who uses a sword. 」
I gently took his hand and opened his fingers one by one.
「 Here, here. The calluses. Feyden’s hands are exactly like this. The position of the calluses is different depending on the grip style, though. 」
「 …You know a lot, Estira-nim. 」
When he tried to go back to peeling potatoes, I hurried to keep the conversation going. Talking privately with Jin was rare, and this was the perfect chance since we’d started talking about swords.
‘If you’re wondering what chance…’
「 How about learning the sword from me? 」
「 …Pardon? 」
A chance for you to become my outstanding escort knight.
Instead of starting as a menial sword polisher in the capital, why not build your foundation here, and get knighted as soon as you reach the Empire?
That way, I’ll have a skilled knight escort on my journey back to the Empire, and Jin won’t have to suffer on the way to knighthood like in the original.
A win-win for both of us, isn’t it?
