‘When Yuri came to the mansion last time, she even got to use the bathtub…’
Swish, swish.
Charlotte kept fidgeting with Aslan’s pant leg, taking a deep breath.
The scene she had witnessed that day was still vivid in her mind.
At the time, she thought Aslan and Yuri had just become close friends.
But as time passed and she reflected on it, a heaviness filled her heart.
She felt angry as well.
‘I haven’t even tried on Mister’s clothes yet…’
The shock of peeking around the corner to see Yuri wearing Mister’s oversized clothes…
She could never forget it.
It hadn’t been long since Mister had met Yuri, yet here he was, bringing her to the mansion, giving her a bath, and letting her wear his clothes. Just how much did he like Yuri…!?
“By the way, Mister, you know Yuri… um, Yuria, right?”
“What about her?”
“Is Yuria someone you care about specially? It seems like you meet them more often than other members of Vermont Security.”
“…”
It was pointless to hold back!
Charlotte immediately turned to face Aslan and asked directly.
What did he think of Yuri?
Was he treating her well with the intention of proposing to her later like with Julia?
Or was he just fond of her as a little girl?
She wanted to know Mister’s true feelings.
“Not really. It’s just that Yuria is exceptionally capable, so they often get called to different places.”
“I see… Mister, you don’t have any special feelings for that person, right?”
“Well, I do have an interest. Yuria is a valuable asset to the company.”
Mister was terrible at lying or deflecting!
So his nonchalant answer just now couldn’t have been a lie.
It meant Mister still viewed Yuri as an ordinary but excellent employee.
Well, that was a relief!
Charlotte let out a sigh of relief in her mind.
Phew. I was really worried that Julia’s position as the Countess would be in jeopardy…
‘This is all for Julia…’
Clench.
Tightening her grip on Aslan’s pant leg, Charlotte repeatedly chanted to herself.
Initially, her reason was that to secure the Countess position would give her access to a lot of information, allowing her to attempt an escape from this place.
But now, it was a much simpler reason.
She just wanted Julia’s love to come true.
Because Julia liked Mister first.
So… it couldn’t be helped.
Mister might be taken by Yuri, so she just wanted to subtly interfere.
“Hmm. Can I have a private talk with her? I have something I want to discuss.”
She would subtly let Yuri know.
It seemed Mister had his eyes on Yuri, so she wanted him to keep his distance for a while.
Yuri, being serious and overly concerned, would likely become wary of Mister upon hearing this.
That would be sufficient.
At least until Julia got engaged.
Just until then, she needed to keep Yuri at bay.
Afterward, they could all clear up any misunderstandings.
… Or so she thought.
“If you want to know what I think about him… I’d say he’s quite adorable.”
“C-Cute!?”
“Pretty, and feminine.”
“P-Pretty!? Feminine!?”
“Don’t tell anyone I said this, but he looks great in women’s clothing.”
“Gah…!”
At Aslan’s utterly calm reply, Charlotte’s eyes widened.
She almost gasped in disbelief.
Cute. Pretty. Feminine.
These were all words she had never heard come from Aslan’s mouth.
He hardly ever said such things to Julia or her!
Yet, if he was praising Yuri this much, then what on earth…?
‘This is a big deal! Mister doesn’t just think of Yuri as an excellent employee!!!’
It was an emergency! Emergency!
Mister clearly liked Yuri more than she had imagined!
Charlotte trembled with the sudden sense of crisis.
‘By the way, it seems Mister likes girls like Yuri…’
Though usually stoic, he was cute when he smiled.
He exuded charisma at work, but when dressed up on holidays, he looked amazing.
Indeed, he had a completely different style compared to her and Julia.
But Mister, isn’t this a bit too much?
Just recently, he had dragged Julia into a dark, confined laboratory.
She had thought he was working hard to create a foundation for the engagement, but was his number one in his heart someone else?
Ugh. This might be a little disappointing…
Wasn’t he the kind of person who would take his time preparing to welcome his first choice as his wife?
At this rate, he was no different from a womanizer…!
Charlotte couldn’t hide her displeasure and puffed up her cheeks.
“Ah, so you think of Yuria that way… That’s a bit shocking…”
“I guess your desire to meet in private has completely vanished?”
“No, not at all. I want to meet even more now. It seems like the meeting might take a while…!”
Modify the plan!
Seeing how much Mister liked Yuri, she knew Yuri would definitely keep trying to distance herself, so she would have to chase after her continuously!
So it might actually be better to make her actively reject him!
This was something she absolutely had to do to eliminate Julia’s competitor!
Even if it meant deceiving Yuri, she had no choice!
Charlotte clenched her fists, resolving herself.
“Well… I’ll try to set something up sometime…”
“Oh, really!? Yes! Thank you, Mister!”
“By the way, that kid will wear a mask when you meet alone. He’s quite shy for a boy…”
“Huh? A boy? What do you mean?”
“What do you mean, what do I mean?”
“But Yuria is a girl, Mister.”
“…?”
At such an absurd statement, Charlotte instinctively interrupted Mister.
A boy? Huh?
It took Charlotte some time to fully understand Aslan’s words due to how absurd it all was.
No way…
Could it be that Mister thought Yuri was a boy all this time?
After saying with his own mouth that she was cute, pretty, and that women’s clothing suited her well?
‘Ahhhh! No wonder!!!’
No wonder Mister had been so generous with his compliments!
The usually stingy Mister wouldn’t have praised her like that otherwise!
He must have been joking because he thought she was a boy!
With that, the mystery unraveled, and Charlotte felt a wave of clarity wash over her.
Maybe I’m a bit smart!
“Sylvia. Vermont Security must collect personal information, including the gender of the employees, when they join, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then what is Yuria’s gender?”
“She is female.”
“What!? Why didn’t you say so sooner?”
“You didn’t ask.”
Avoiding Aslan’s sharp glare, Sylvia answered calmly.
Well… Of course!
There’s someone who becomes a bit obsessed if it’s a pure, innocent child…
Of course, that aside, the thrill of hiding it might have played a part too.
‘Yuri is a girl…?’
After confirming the truth.
Aslan was still in shock for a while, reflecting on past memories.
Yuri naturally wearing women’s underwear.
Yuri, somewhat shy, visiting the mansion in women’s casual wear.
Yuri, who recoiled in disgust and disliked the idea of going for a bath together.
Everything pointed to the fact that Yuri was a girl.
Unless one had gone completely politically correct, everyone would think the same.
It was a conclusion that didn’t even require a shift in perspective; it was obvious.
But why…
Why had I firmly believed Yuri was a boy?
As Aslan pondered for a moment.
‘Ah. This game company’s previous works all had male protagonists…’
Only then did he discover the root of his prejudice.
The game company that made the original had three previous works.
All three had the cliché plot where a male protagonist destined to be a hero gathers female companions to save the world.
To make matters worse, this new installment’s introduction was nearly identical to the previous ones.
At some point, he must have unconsciously believed that the protagonist, Yuri, was a boy without a doubt.
Yet, questions still remained.
After three consecutive games with male protagonists, what whim caused the company to suddenly create a female protagonist this time?
As Aslan retraced the distant memories from before his reincarnation, he easily found the answer.
‘Ah. I always commented on why this company’s games feature indecisive and frustrating male leads…’
So that was it.
These game company protagonists, boasting about their heroic destinies and whatnot, ended up becoming frustrating characters who couldn’t keep up with their female companions in the latter part of the games.
He had pointed this out in all three games, and it seemed they finally decided to take action.
They simply made the protagonist female, filling the entire hero party with women.
It was a ridiculously simple decision.
And the result was exactly the situation he was in now.
In this world, Yuri had been a girl from birth.
Yet here he was, being the only one to misunderstand and believe she was a boy—such a comical situation.
‘Wait a minute. If Yuri is a girl…’
Aslan rubbed his chin, pondering for a moment.
He realized he had been going in circles for too long.
If Yuri is a girl, then there’s no need to overthink it.
Instead of getting Yuri’s approval for his engagement with Charlotte and Julia, he could simply get engaged to Yuri instead!
Just as Aslan was coming up with this brilliant idea.
‘I said it for no reason!!!’
Reading Aslan’s expression, Charlotte fell into a pit of despair, silently screaming.
Things had been going well!
If she hadn’t said anything, Yuri would have already escaped Mister’s grasp!
But because she mentioned that Yuri was a girl…!
