“Oh my. That girl, Yuria, has come again today.”
“It seems like I see her quite often these days. Did she come to meet Charlotte and Julia?”
“But both Julia and Charlotte are out today. The last time she came was when both of them were away from the mansion too. Do you still not get it? Yuria only comes when the kids aren’t around, so she can meet the lord alone!”
“Whoa…!”
The maids were whispering, unable to hide their excitement.
Again. Yuria visited the mansion today.
At first, she wore a mask and acted stiffly without saying a word.
But these days, she often came dressed in much more casual clothes, like she was visiting for fun.
There was no special reason for her visits.
Just simple reports that could be done in writing.
She would visit for trivial matters, like presenting mission plans that any employee could handle.
“What excuse does she have this time? Did she hear something?”
“Oh, you didn’t see? This time she said she just happened to pass by and ran into the mansion!”
“…?”
The unexpected answer painted a look of confusion on the maid’s face.
Moments later, as the maid understood, an excited smile spread across her face.
“By chance? You mean by chance? At this timing when both Charlotte and Julia are out?”
“How predictable. She probably can’t honestly say she came just to see the lord!”
“No way. Maybe she really didn’t come just to see the lord.”
“What do you mean?”
“She might have been walking without a thought and her body just instinctively led her to the mansion! Unconsciously figuring out when Charlotte and Julia wouldn’t be around and arriving right at that time!”
“You, are you a genius!?”
Ah! This is it!
With that brilliant hypothesis, all the maids clapped their hands and gasped in admiration.
They didn’t care about the truth.
They simply thought believing this hypothesis was the most entertaining.
Whether it was true or not didn’t matter to the maids at all.
“By the way, isn’t it time for Julia to come back soon?”
“Oh, right…!”
Around this time, Julia finishes establishing the undead army’s military might and returns to the mansion.
On her way back, she is escorted by skeleton soldiers.
What would happen if Yuri and Julia crossed paths?
“Will they end up fighting? They probably will, right?”
“For sure, Julia will definitely get angry at the lord.”
“Wouldn’t she just sulk without getting angry?”
“No, Julia gets genuinely angry when she’s mad.”
Wouldn’t Julia think the lord was secretly having a rendezvous?
It seems like it wouldn’t be much different from a secret meeting…
At that moment, as the maids were heatedly discussing how Julia would react to such a situation…
“It looks like the lord and Miss Yuria are going out.”
“Oh no! They might be leaving the mansion!”
The maids’ discussion fell into meaningless delusion in an instant.
Well, if they were having a secret meeting, it would make sense to do it outside…
The maids, suppressing their disappointment, watched Aslan and Yuri’s backs as they left the mansion.
.
.
.
‘Why was Yuri crying, and why did she come looking for me after crying…?’
Step, Step.
Walking along the neatly organized forest path.
Aslan looked down at the companion walking beside him.
Throughout Chapter 1 of the original work, she had undergone severe torture yet never shed a single tear.
Even if pricked with a needle, it seemed like tears wouldn’t come out.
There was nothing that came to mind that would make her cry.
First, he brought her to the mansion to wash her face.
Even after that, she still looked gloomy, so he took her out for a walk.
Yuri merely averted her gaze and walked silently.
“Well, by the way…”
That was her first spoken word.
Aslan listened with anticipation.
“May I ask what the meaning of this walk is?”
“…What?”
“You suddenly told me to come without explaining the reason, so I did come… but is there something special about this place?”
“…”
Yuri tilted her head, asking sincerely as if she truly wanted to know.
Aslan couldn’t help but chuckle at her absurdity.
Hey, I brought you out just to let you get some fresh air and enjoy the smell of the trees since your face looked so lifeless.
“Not really. Just an ordinary forest. Charlotte and Sylvia come here to run every morning. I just suddenly felt like strolling here.”
“Ah…”
Though she didn’t understand, she nodded slowly as if she was convinced.
He couldn’t bring himself to say he brought her here for a change of mood because it looked like she had cried a lot.
Saying that would inevitably lead the conversation to the reason she cried.
In any case, he figured he could hear that reason later through a letter sent to Mr. Black, so he decided it was unnecessary to pry.
‘She’s not asking about the reason she cried.’
With that, Yuri felt slightly relieved.
She thought it was natural to explain why she cried the moment she made eye contact with the Count.
Her head was pounding trying to recall the reason…
In the end, she couldn’t remember it.
Well, she didn’t even know why she cried.
Suddenly, tears just poured out.
She hadn’t cried since she entered the orphanage, so why…
‘It feels like something is calming down…’
The thought that I no longer needed to come up with excuses made my heart feel lighter.
The sounds of birds chirping and the rustling of leaves in the strong wind, which she hadn’t heard until now, started to reach Yuri’s ears.
Her narrowed field of vision opened up again.
Yuri felt her agitation settle and her heart calm down.
Then, she glanced up.
Aslan, seemingly indifferent, was walking with his hands behind his back.
Could it be that he came here considering me?
No way. That can’t be it. It must be a coincidence…
Yuri tried hard to convince herself of this.
“Ah… I just realized the reason for my visit to the mansion. You promised me before, didn’t you? About the dark… Oh, no. You said you would tell me about my patron…”
At that moment, it seemed something clicked in Yuri’s mind as she looked up at Aslan, her eyes shining with anticipation.
The sorrowful expression was nowhere to be found, replaced by sparkling eyes filled with excitement.
Had her gloomy feelings improved?
Aslan chuckled and spoke up.
“Yeah. What do you want to hear? I can’t say anything in detail, especially anything that might hint at his identity.”
“Yes, I understand. I have a strong desire to meet that person sooner, but since it’s a promise, I’ll have to hold back.”
“…”
Aslan’s expression stiffened for a moment, realizing he had considered just revealing the identity right away.
But he decided to bury that fact as a secret forever.
“By the way… Does my patron support any other children besides me?”
“As far as I know, no. Not now, not in the past. I can’t say about the future.”
“Aha…”
So I’m the only one receiving support from the dark uncle.
It’s not an opportunity given to anyone; he specifically chose me.
Just as Mr. Black is special to me, I am also a special person to him…
Yuri’s lips involuntarily curled into a smile.
“What I want to know next… is about my patron’s general tastes, shall we say? Their tendencies? Values? I want to know that. It’s not for any other reason! I want to know why he chose me!”
Yuri shouted, stumbling over her words as if making an excuse.
She couldn’t ask what kind of woman the dark uncle liked.
So, in an indirect way, she ended up saying it like this, but even so, it sounded rather explicit.
Could it be that Aslan Vermont found out I like Mr. Black?
If he knew I liked him, he might act out of spite…
Anxiety gnawed at her, making her restless.
“As for general preferences… As far as I know, he likes people who are self-reliant.”
“Self-reliant…”
“He doesn’t mean he likes capable people who can do anything on their own. He appreciates those who, even if they lack ability, have the will. He feels fulfilled helping those who are reluctant to rely on others and strive to stand on their own.”
Ah, so that’s it.
When the orphanage was destroyed and I was almost captured and sold to a slave trader, I fled.
Did he decide to support me after seeing that I was determined to live on my own by taking the Imperial Magic Academy entrance exam?
Only then did the mystery seem to unravel.
“I also know he likes people who are as pure as a blank sheet of paper.”
“What does that mean?”
“Not people who are complete, but those who can change and be colored in any way. He wants to awaken and develop those who have talent but lack ability, and color them in his own way.”
“Ah, ah. I see…”
Aslan was spilling out details about the patron endlessly.
Why is it so oddly specific and detailed?
Yuri tilted her head, but she still managed to maintain her focus.
“As for appearances, he prefers adornments that aren’t too excessive and bring out one’s natural color. The frilly dress you wore the other time would probably be something he dislikes. He didn’t particularly like short hair before, but recently he seems to think that it’s not bad. …That’s what I’ve heard. But a bob cut is a no-go. That’s something he’ll never come to like, even if the sky were to fall. And also…”
“…?”
For some reason, the conversation was getting longer.
Yuri sensed something was off.
He said he only occasionally discussed business with Mr. Black, but this seemed much closer than that…
‘You liar. If you know his preferences in such detail, you’re practically best friends.’
Yuri took out a notebook from her bag.
She began to jot down every single word Aslan spoke.
Since these words came from Mr. Black’s friend, they must be the most accurate.
She didn’t want to miss a single detail about what the Mr. Black liked or disliked.
