“What do you mean by ‘personal safety’?”
“It means that Emilia has been kidnapped, Charlotte!”
“Gasp! Then shouldn’t we hurry to rescue Fiancée sister?”
“She’s not my fiancée.”
A wave of agitation quickly spread through the room.
I was boiling inside, struggling to keep my displeasure from showing on my face.
Charlotte was throwing a fit, saying she wanted to sleep by my side for the first time since she came to my mansion four months ago.
And at this timing, someone had to interrupt?
The manner of the interruption was absurd.
They kidnapped someone whose name I couldn’t even remember, and if they wanted her back, they expected me to come alone?
Sorry, but I couldn’t care less what happened to that woman.
It was just a self-made drama with her as a puppet, after all.
“Is the messenger my sister sent still here and hasn’t left?”
“Yes. Currently, they have been captured and restrained.”
“Then tell her to wait until next week and let them go.”
“…Huh? You’re not leaving right now?”
“Where would I go at this hour? I can’t because I have to put the kids to bed. The biggest asset in this operation is Charlotte, and it would be a disaster if she goes out sleepy.”
“Yes. I somewhat understand that, but… why next week and not tomorrow?”
“There are some overdue tasks. With Jacob transitioning from a general micro-enterprise to a special business, there are tax matters that need to be handled. If we don’t finish it within the deadline, there will be fines, so we need to do it quickly.”
“Oh. That makes sense. It will take a bit of time to wrap that up.”
“It’s not something I should be doing; it’s your responsibility. What are you talking about?”
“…Huh?”
Sylvia’s expression went blank.
Was I really going to dig through all the old receipts in the drawer to handle the tax work?
I meant I would wait until Sylvia finished the work.
But this idiot suddenly said something strange.
“Now that you understand, go start the work.”
“I’m done for the day and it’s time to sleep.”
“If you think you can sleep now and finish the work by next week, then go ahead.”
“I’ll get started on the work right away.”
Sylvia turned with a pained expression, her eyes tightly shut as if she were about to cry.
Now that Sylvia was working through the night, it would probably be done soon.
I couldn’t dawdle at this critical moment when the person I was supposed to marry was kidnapped.
Just wait a little, Emilia.
I’ll be there soon.
Probably in about a week?
“Sylvia. And order a magic tool.”
“Yes? What kind of magic tool?”
“That one…”
Before I set out.
There was a toy I needed to take with me.
***
“No. What? Did I just hear you correctly?”
“Yes…”
“Say that again. What did you say?”
“Um… Count Aslan Vermont said he is very busy and thinks he can come around next week…”
“Very busy? Not even tomorrow, but next week? And he said ‘around’? He’s not even sure? Ha…!”
Irene smacked her forehead in disbelief and let out a hollow laugh.
The messenger stood before her, fidgeting, a look of dread spreading across their face.
They had just relayed what they heard, yet they already felt like a criminal.
“Are you sure you delivered that correctly?”
“I-I delivered it correctly…”
“You’re lying. You left something out, didn’t you? Speak up. Say it!”
“Sister. I think the messenger is right. That Aslan Vermont guy doesn’t particularly like me or care about me. He probably thinks it would be fine to just marry another woman from the Tales family if I die.”
“This is insane…”
Aslan, you b*stard.
I’ve known for a while that you’re not human, but I didn’t expect that you’d be so indifferent to the news of the person you were supposed to marry being kidnapped, especially when just yesterday we were discussing marriage.
I underestimated how much of a piece of trash Aslan was.
I still believed he would have a bit of humanity left!
Irene clenched her fists, trembling at Aslan’s cruel indifference.
“But he can’t just not come. The family elders must be pressuring Aslan right now. If he continues to make no effort to rescue her, the marriage will fall apart, so he has to at least show some sincerity.”
“Phew. Alright. Let’s wait a bit longer.”
Irene brushed her bangs aside, barely controlling her anger.
Although I was a bit surprised by Aslan’s reaction, which was far from what I expected, that was all.
There would be no disruption to the plan.
“Aslan will definitely come alone…”
Could Aslan have any other choice?
No. He can’t stand not coming.
What must Aslan be thinking right now?
For now, since Emilia is with me, it’s clear that the details of the marriage have leaked during the interrogation.
So, he must believe that I also learned about his plan to establish a black magic research facility on a deserted island.
If Aslan doesn’t come alone as I requested and seeks help from the imperial family or other forces?
Then I could just tell the Empress about his black magic research plans.
Aslan would be afraid of that and would ultimately have no choice but to comply with my demands.
Aslan is afraid of that, so in the end, he has no choice but to follow my demands.
“Don’t worry too much, Sister. As long as he comes, it will be our victory.”
“That’s true, but…”
“When Count Vermont arrives, the plan was to disarm both the guards and the count and then let Lady Laura’s clone devour him in one swift motion! A human can’t possibly face an evil god’s clone unarmed, right?”
Next to me, Laura’s clone was grinning and giving a thumbs-up.
Laura’s clone had shrunk to about the size of a teacup sitting next to her.
If Laura’s clone grows huge this time, it will surely dissipate.
But I decided to invest boldly this time.
I had confirmed that even Aslan’s guards, who possess tremendous strength even in their bare bodies, wouldn’t stand a chance against Laura’s clone.
They couldn’t overcome it even when armed, so it goes without saying that they wouldn’t stand a chance when unarmed.
All I need to do is feed Laura.
Then it’s over.
Because she has that inside her.
By the way, I was a bit concerned about the evil god attached to Aslan…
‘Anyway, Kali is a pretty insignificant evil god. I shouldn’t worry too much about it.’
An evil god that couldn’t even create a clone and had never interfered in the mortal realm until now.
She must surely be far inferior to Laura.
Irene concluded this and decided to set aside her concerns about Kali.
Just as Irene let out a deep sigh to calm her excitement,
Emilia, humming a tune while watering a rose planted in a pot, caught her eye.
“But why are you here, Emilia?”
“Pardon?”
“You should be playing the role of the tragic heroine in the basement cage. Why are you outside?”
“Oh, that… Since he’s coming next week anyway, I thought it would be fine to relax.”
“And what if that’s a deception operation? What if Aslan comes in right now and sees this incredibly cozy scene?”
“I don’t think anyone would think it’s cozy…”
“Don’t talk back! Hurry up and get back down to the basement!”
“I’m going! I’m going! Ugh, seriously. You have such a temper.”
“Hey!”
“Oh, did you hear me?”
Quickly.
To avoid getting hit, Emilia hurriedly ran away to the basement.
Irene barely suppressed her anger, biting her teeth.
“Hurry up and come, Aslan. Your sister is waiting.”
I didn’t want to go this far.
At first, I thought I would catch a small grudge and take the title from him.
I was even willing to give Aslan a mediocre piece of farmland in Vermont just so he could make a living.
But Aslan, you keep escalating things.
You fearlessly involve the imperial family, taking the Archduke of the North as your backing.
Not realizing that other forces are terrified, you keep increasing your troops.
And in the end, the act you resort to is serious black magic research.
If only you had just stuck to the “game” of black magic research I initially suggested.
Why are you so obsessed with real black magic?
‘Just like his father…’
Knowing full well how those who cling to black magic ended up.
Not just the people trampled and killed during the oppression.
Many others, caught by the power of black magic, transformed into horrific monsters that were no longer human.
No matter how much Vermont’s basic creed demands to grow strong without hesitation.
At least you should remain human.
Anyway, both the father and the son are the same.
‘I have no ill feelings. You brought it all on yourself.’
This has nothing to do with my childhood.
It’s all Aslan’s fault.
Irene relaxed her clenched fists and exhaled slowly.
Her heart felt a little lighter.
[…!]
“What is it, Lady Laura?”
At that moment, Laura’s clone waved her hands urgently, calling for me.
Lady Laura had never called me so frivolously before.
What could it be?
[…!!!]
“What? The spirits that were resting in the flowers suddenly ran away through the window?”
[…!]
“Oh, they probably just got bored of the flowers. Don’t worry about it.”
[…!!!!!!]
Ignoring Laura’s clone, who was flapping around more and more, I turned away.
I thought something urgent had happened.
I decided to not think much of it.
