Became the Escort Knight That the Princesses Were Obsessed With - Chapter 332



332. Third Escort 4

Irina’s placement evaluation day was drawing near.

With today’s results, my own placement could be decided very soon.

If my memory serves, her evaluation venue was probably the Leadership Training Center.

A next-generation young leader who rapidly grew AR Construction.

Plus, with her beautiful looks and sharp eloquence, she was the perfect person for a lecture.

“AR Group Leadership Lecture.”

A woman with pale skin and silver hair ascended the huge stage.

Clad in a taut skirt and blouse.

Perhaps because of her image, she was wearing glasses today.

But, I know.

That her eyesight isn’t bad at all.

Those are probably just frames without lenses.

“Nice to meet you all.”

Numerous AR Group employees sat in the seats.

Mostly new recruits and their team leader-level supervisors.

But, if you look closely, there were a few executives dotted around too.

The weight of the lecture was palpable, a formal group setting demanding its due.

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“My name is Irina Andalusia, and I’m here to give today’s lecture.”

But Irina wasn’t one to be intimidated.

Despite her pristine appearance, she possessed a naturally fierce core.

Having earned the recognition of the AR Group’s Chairman all on her own and managing a company, she held her head high and began her lecture.

「――――――」

The speech progressed smoothly, without a hitch.

She spoke in crisp, unwavering English, never once faltering.

The inherent nobility in her British accent even elicited gasps of admiration from some of the new recruits.

“…….”

A staff member standing in the front row of the hall raised their hand.

Pointing to their wristwatch, they made a number three with their fingers.

Three minutes left until the end of the lecture.

Irina nodded in acknowledgement, and continued with her speech.

“Well then, it seems I should start wrapping up. I guess I talked a bit more than I intended?”

“No, not at all!!”

“It was truly informative!!”

Several employees responded enthusiastically, their voices filled with vigor.

In return, Irina offered them a grateful smile.

“The last thing I want to say to all of you isn’t anything grand.”

The young CEO strolled lightly across the lecture hall as she spoke.

Then, her gaze suddenly stopped on a man.

On me, standing on the corner stairs of the stage.

“Wouldn’t you all say that our company is a little more flexible with holidays and leave than others?”

“Yes!!”

The employees placed in the front row.

The executives had deliberately seated the most spirited ones beforehand, so the answers were lightning-fast.

“Our group believes that good ideas don’t only come from behind a desk.”

That’s true.

Actually, countless large corporations were born in garages.

The desolate corner of a desk isn’t always the answer.

“Sometimes, outstanding ideas come from various experiences and enjoyable activities.”

One of the group executives sitting in his seat signaled to the new recruits placed in the front row.

Then, one raised his hand and asked.

“May I ask if you, CEO, have had such an experience?”

Various experiences.

At those words, Irina briefly put her index finger to her lips, lost in thought.

“Hmm—, well.”

The CEO of AR Construction, as if something had come to mind, narrowed her sharp eyes.

Like she had a fun idea.

“I’ve been… dabbling lately. A new experience I never knew before, you know?”

The lecture concluded with a meaningful smile.

Afterwards, Irina headed to the company cafeteria for her next appointment.

Lunch with the employees.

She personally received her food from the cafeteria ladies, projecting a friendly image to the staff.

Though the cafeteria was packed with employees, no one easily sat nearby.

Only a few executives with connections to the chairman.

Heavy hitters like the head of the AR Group’s secretariat and the vice president of AR Korea.

It was like a royal banquet, a scene straight out of a masterpiece painting.

I quietly observed them from the cafeteria entrance.

Then, I stealthily pulled out a pre-prepared tape from my suit pocket.

‘The reason I was able to receive high marks from Irina.’

It was all thanks to an incident that happened here in the cafeteria.

Specifically, this staircase at the entrance.

Ten years ago, while I was waiting here…

Irina, coming out of the cafeteria, slipped and fell on these stairs.

I happened to catch her, and since then, I’ve received higher scores than others in escort evaluations.

But.

That doesn’t mean I was keen on making her experience another accident.

So, I decided to just put a non-slip pad on this problematic staircase.

I’m not planning on being directly under Irina this life around.

Anyway, she’s generous with her scores for most employees, so even showing this much effort should earn me a 7 or higher.

‘Then, my dream assignment to the planning department will finally come true.’

Thinking that, while everyone else was eating, I silently began applying the non-slip pads to the stairs.

Afterward, I waited by the entrance again, as if nothing had happened.

Eventually, as time passed, most of the employees started coming out of the cafeteria.

A few of them noticed the changed state of the stairs and had little conversations.

“Oh my, they put anti-slip pads on the stairs—?”

“I know. It felt a bit unstable sometimes, they took care of it well.”

The employees tapped the stairs, looking pleased, and then exited.

After that, the area in front of the main door became quiet for a moment.

‘She’s coming.’

Finally, the executives who had eaten with her appeared.

They descended first, and when it was the last turn,

A familiar head of silver hair, scattering beautifully, came through the door.

“……”

Irina, as if she hadn’t noticed my presence, went down the stairs naturally.

I didn’t feel particularly tense, just quietly maintained my posture.

After all, the future accident had been prevented in advance.

But.

“Ah…!!”

The moment Irina stepped onto the last stair.

Her body began to stagger.

Just like that day, ten years ago.

“……!!”

I rushed to her side.

Then, as I grabbed her faltering hand.

Irina naturally fell into my arms.

“Ah….”

Just like that day.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes, I think my tension just released after the lecture, I got a little dizzy for a moment….”

Irina murmured dazedly, her cheek resting against my chest.

‘So slipping back then wasn’t because of the stairs.’

Just a misstep from her tension releasing.

I was momentarily speechless, witnessing that very moment unfold exactly as it had in my previous life.

“Thank you, Employee Baeil. You saved me.”

Irina’s delicate arms wrapped around my back.

For longer than I had expected.

She definitely must have been extremely exhausted.

“I won’t forget this ‘grace’.”

Irina closed her eyes tightly, expressing her gratitude.

I, in turn, helped her back to her feet with an “it’s nothing” expression.

“It’s nothing, I just did what I was supposed to do.”

“No need to be modest. You were watching me, that’s why you could react so quickly, right?”

The CEO of AR Construction glanced at the executives around them, asking for confirmation.

The group’s heavy hitters nodded in agreement, offering encouragement.

“That’s right. Hanbaeil employee, was it? Very well done.”

“You must have been fully focused on your work, that’s why it was possible, excellent work.”

Suddenly, I found myself being praised simultaneously by the vice president and the chief of staff.

They patted my shoulder, saying they’d consider a bonus.

Watching the scene from behind, she had a mature smile in her eyes.

Looking at Irina’s innocent smile, I thought:

‘Changing the future really isn’t easy.’

Still, I had left a good impression with the big shots, so I guess it was a good thing.

I felt relieved, thinking that to myself.

But, I didn’t know.

That the shoes she was wearing, which used to be high heels.

Had now changed to flats, which were relatively safe even if she fell.

I wouldn’t learn about this fact until far into the future.

“――――――.”

And just like that, my last on-the-job evaluation was over.

The results were posted that afternoon, bold and clear on the security team hallway.

Everyone flocked to see their scores.

And then, their mouths dropped open at the single name at the very top.

“1st Place. Han Bae-il. 26 points.”

“2nd Place. Richard Stonefield. 22 points.”

Just some student from a university in the capital, no real career to speak of.

And yet, *I* took first place in the corporate employee evaluation.

’26 points…?’

In the past, the highest score Richard ever got was 23.

But this time, he lost a point and *I* got a whopping 26.

“Hey, what the hell did you do? 26 points, that’s the highest score in company history!!”

“Are you some kind of hidden parachute hire or something?”

My colleagues thumped me on the shoulder, security team style congratulations.

“Look at my face. Do I look like any of the executives?”

I joked back at them, pointing to my sharp eyes.

Then, my coworkers all stared at my face, and agreed, ‘Yeah, that’s true.’

“Yeah, if there was an exec who looked exactly like you, they’d have to be a straight up demon.”

“Or a corporate spy, or some kind of treacherous weasel.”

“Something feels…off.”

“What the hell do I look like, for you to say that?”

“You know, like…that really handsome eunuch.”

“Kinda like a gigolo, I guess.”

Anyway, back to my rookie days for the first time in a while, I soaked in the warm encouragement.

Except, Richard still seemed disappointed, staring at the scoreboard alone.

I thought he’d be jealous of me.

Considering my face and his family’s fixation on being the top guard, it made sense.

But,

“Bail, how did you get so high a score from Leah?”

He was a much nobler guard than I’d thought.

More concerned with learning from his shortcomings than being jealous of others.

“I don’t know, I didn’t really do anything special.”

I sheepishly scratched the back of my head at his question.

Then, impressed by his earnestness, I gave him a piece of advice.

“But, one thing’s for sure.”

Not just Richard, but all of my colleagues were listening to the top scorer’s advice.

Especially Gain, the shortest of us.

“Lady Leah is very sensitive to scents.”

“……?”

A single, abstract word left them all with dumbfounded expressions.

Then, they started burying their noses in their suits, sniffing at their own scent.

Richard, who’d been wearing a sturdy look, even timidly sniffed at his collar.

A woman watched the scene of these rookie bodyguards from afar.

A secretary with skin like Irina’s—alabaster white—quietly slipped out of the hallway.

She immediately contacted her superior on her phone.

“So, Dasha. What was the result?”

“As expected, Hanbaeil employee came in first.”

A familiar voice.

It was Irina, who turned haughty only when speaking with other women.

“Yes, of course he would. You told the personnel team too, right?”

“Yes, they all accepted it when we said he was the one who saved Miss Irina when she collapsed.”

The CEO of AR Construction sat alone in her office, blinds drawn.

Her eyes no longer held that pure look they once had.

Rather, they were more mature, imbued with a feminine quality.

Yet, it wasn’t the aura of a naive girl.

Instead, it was like a queen, awakened to love and desire.

Just like her other sisters.

“Good, then he’ll be assigned as my direct report this afternoon for tomorrow. Good work.”

“Yes, I’ll return soon.”

Sasha was about to hang up the phone.

But, the moment she was about to close the flip.

“Han Bae-il, could we see you for a moment?”

The AR Construction CEO’s direct secretary’s eyes flashed, noticing the people approaching the employee she had been watching.

The people who approached him were…

“What’s the matter?”

“There’s a minor issue that came up in the placement process.”

It was the group’s audit team.

“Um, Director Irina…? It seems there’s been a slight problem.”

And, that audit team was very close with Leah.