Since Shen Qi had already guessed his true identity, 384 had decided, after considering it over the past few days, that there was no need to keep hiding it.
"Miss Akiho... is too attached to me."
"Isn't that perfectly normal?"
Akiho had once been the daughter of a wealthy family, spoiled and headstrong.
Later, her family fell on hard times. Her parents worked themselves to exhaustion paying off their debts and passed away. Sebastian never abandoned Akiho, helping her keep the family's last remaining resort business afloat. Through that struggle, Akiho gradually shed her faults and became a boss capable of standing on her own.
With a butler like that by her side, it would have been strange if she hadn't depended on him.
Especially when Team Rocket attacked, and Sebastian risked his life to draw the enemy away, leaving Akiho a chance to survive.
"I don't mean dependence," 384 explained. "I mean attachment. I mean... romantic feelings."
"Hm?"
384 could feel Akiho's most sincere affection, the feelings of someone who had fallen completely in love.
Shen Qi hadn't expected the story to take this turn, but after giving it some thought, he found it made perfect sense.
A steadfastly loyal man had stayed by Akiho's side without abandoning her, accompanying her from childhood to maturity, from an ignorant girl to someone who could stand on her own.
Where would she find another partner like that?
"Isn't that a good thing? Why did you go and disappear?"
"I... I don't think I'm worthy of Miss Akiho."
Akiho, twenty-two;
Sebastian, thirty-three.
One was a wealthy young lady, while the other was merely a servant.
That was why 384 felt he wasn't worthy of Akiho, whether in age or status.
An eleven-year age gap was practically a generation apart, but it wasn't