“…Who are you?”
“Please, don’t joke, my Lord.”
Is this really Sylvia?
Is she the same Sylvia I know?
The moment I faced her with a dress so long it almost dragged on the floor, her silhouette clearly revealed, I was left speechless.
“You. Have you lost weight?”
“…You really say the most inappropriate things without a care.”
Wasn’t Sylvia quite chubby?
From the memories of having to hug her while buried in an ant colony, that’s certainly how it felt.
Wearing such revealing clothes, her body line showed no trace of excess weight at all.
Boldly, her back was deeply cut just above her hips.
The fabric covering her chest, flaunting its presence, hung around her neck, obscuring Sylvia’s brand.
And while her well-defined back muscles seemed to be purposely relaxed, the basic form still prominently displayed enough to evoke the admiration of men.
She was so beautiful that I couldn’t even think of mocking her.
It was almost like she was a statue.
The ideal curves that Charlotte and Julia lacked were present in Sylvia.
“But this seems too flashy. Have you perhaps forgotten the nature of the mission?”
“I understand it well and have deliberately chosen this outfit with that in mind. I judged that it was necessary to attract attention.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“For a long time, Vermont has maintained a silent diplomacy, never revealing itself at official events. Given that Vermont is attending this event just because we received an invitation from His Majesty the Emperor, it will still appear quite suspicious. It would be more natural to pretend we are attending to show off a lovely lady.”
“A lovely lady? Are you referring to yourself?”
“That is a clear fact. Right, girls?”
“That’s right! Knight Sister, you look so pretty dressed like this!”
“I was surprised too. You look just like the daughter of a high noble.”
“…”
Gaining even more confidence from Charlotte and Julia’s flattery, Sylvia seemed emboldened.
Her tone was so shameless that it was quite off-putting.
However, there was some merit to what she said.
There must be more than a few who have questioned Aslan Vermont suddenly starting to engage in public activities.
And Reinhardt would undoubtedly be watching me closely.
To dilute any suspicion, every justification is precious.
‘I have no rebuttals.’
It was quite embarrassing to hear her sing her own praises, but I had no way to argue against it.
Today, Sylvia truly exuded a classic beauty.
It was a mystery how, while lacking in all other senses, her fashion sense was so exceptional.
Perhaps it was because she had been dressed too tightly or in modest clothes that didn’t accentuate her figure.
Now, with her body clearly revealed, she appeared to be an entirely different person.
“I don’t think I’ve heard your impression, my Lord. Don’t just brush it off; please share your honest thoughts.”
“…”
With a relaxed smile, Sylvia gazed intently at me.
This girl.
I felt a sudden urge to break that upturned nose of hers.
“Well, it’s obvious you’ll just feign words that you don’t mean and mock me…”
“She’s very beautiful, Sylvia. I usually thought you had quite a bit of weight, but seeing you like this, it’s not so. The appropriate amount of muscles revealed by your bold exposure and the curves that might seem excessive combine to showcase a feminine beauty. Especially your back muscles, which drive one mad every time I see them, make me curious how they would look if you flexed. They say clothes are like wings. That saying truly fits here.”
“Ah? Huh? Hm…?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, no… It’s nothing… Really… Nothing at all…”
I said what she wanted to hear when she asked for my honest impression.
As a result, Sylvia froze in surprise, her face slowly turning red.
Taking a step closer, Sylvia flustered, avoiding my gaze.
Her once confident demeanor had completely vanished.
Only Sylvia, desperately trying to hide her flushed face, remained.
“…!”
“…!!!”
However, there were others who looked more shocked than Sylvia.
The maids peering from the hallway all gasped, their mouths agape in disbelief.
The moment they met my gaze, they quickly ran away, huddling together and whispering among themselves.
…I have a feeling that another strange rumor will spread.
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ warns you of your careless words and actions.]
‘Oh. What about Charlotte and Julia?’
Only after hearing Kali’s warning did I realize my mistake.
I was worried they might feel a bit upset after hearing my praise for Sylvia.
Turning around quickly, I found that Charlotte and Julia didn’t seem particularly disturbed.
What a relief.
If Charlotte and Julia had been disappointed in me.
I might have been heartbroken to the point of death.
“Um, that…my Lord…”
“Speak.”
“My face is burning too much… I’ll go wash my face and reapply my makeup…”
“…”
Sylvia hurriedly slammed the door shut and ran away.
After a moment of silence, Charlotte opened her mouth.
“Mister made the Knight Sister cry!”
“No.”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is restless.]
Oh no…
It seems a strange misunderstanding has arisen.
.
.
.
During the brief lull while waiting for Sylvia, Charlotte and Julia were finally freed after hearing the maids repeatedly plead with them to be careful not to ruin their clothes and hair decorations.
Having escaped quickly to a place where Aslan’s gaze wouldn’t reach them, Charlotte and Julia held an emergency meeting.
“What do we do!? Knight Sister was pretty already, but now that she’s dressed up, she’s become even more beautiful!”
“I can’t believe even Aslan is surprised. It’s the appearance of a formidable opponent…”
They were experiencing a level of crisis they had never encountered before.
Although they had always thought Sylvia was too beautiful to be a bodyguard, facing her properly adorned appearance left them utterly speechless at how beautiful she truly was.
Usually, she wore pants with belts for ease of movement since she needed to carry a sword at her waist.
Now that she no longer needed to wear a sword, it seemed she had chosen a dress that fully accentuated her feminine charms.
If we were so mesmerized, what would Aslan think?
The moment this thought crossed their minds, Charlotte and Julia were sucked into a whirlpool of overwhelming anxiety.
“This is bad! Knight Sister, who always dressed casually and imposed penalties on herself, has started dressing up, and I don’t see any way to win!”
“Oh, no. I don’t think Lady Sylvia intends to seduce Aslan…”
“Don’t escape into fantasy! We need to face this head-on! Julia, you’re in danger of being overshadowed by Knight Sister! In terms of feminine charm, she’ll outshine you for at least the next five years!”
“…!”
Julia, who had been whispering to herself that everything would be okay, started to tremble.
Charlotte was right.
Sylvia was already an adult, having fully blossomed into her feminine allure.
On the other hand, Julia still had a long way to go before she was fully grown.
There was no guarantee that she would surpass Sylvia once she matured.
Could she compete with Sylvia’s busty figure, slender waist, pronounced hips, and the back muscles that Aslan particularly drooled over?
No matter how much she thought about it, the chances of winning seemed very slim!
Faced with the harsh reality, Julia was left stunned in shock.
“I can’t help but… lose…”
“I told you to face reality, not to give up! Please, get a hold of yourself, Julia!”
“Ugh…”
Charlotte shook Julia’s shoulders vigorously, who had completely lost her fighting spirit.
Yet, Julia showed no signs of recovering her energy.
Oh. This is hopeless.
Having encountered such an overwhelming opponent, Julia seemed to have fallen into despair.
It seemed likely that she would remain in this state for a while.
Just as Charlotte was about to give up and release Julia, letting out a deep sigh, she suddenly exclaimed.
“Ah!? Yuri must have arrived!”
“Uh, hmm…?”
“It’s not a ‘hmm’! Let’s go meet her quickly!”
At that moment, Charlotte’s sensitive ears picked up a sound from outside.
She took Julia’s limp hand and started running.
“Ahhh! Unlike you, my dress is way too big, so I can’t run…!”
“Then I’ll carry you!”
“Huh!?”
Flash!
Charlotte scooped up Julia and dashed down the stairs.
Julia, held in Charlotte’s arms, felt a momentary weightlessness as they accelerated downward with incredible speed.
With each half turn down the stairs, Julia’s screams echoed throughout the mansion, making it feel like they were repeatedly experiencing the sensation of falling off a cliff.
After that experience she never wanted to repeat, what awaited Charlotte and Julia outside was:
“Ah.”
“Another competitor…!”
Kneeling on one knee on the dirt floor, Aslan was carefully tying up Yuri’s hair.
Yuri had a strange expression on her face, one that didn’t seem entirely displeased.
