“The report from the spirits that were sent with the skeleton grandpas has come in! It seems they twisted the necks of all the intact animal corpses because they were bothering them? …What?”
Early in the morning on the day of the event.
Julia, still looking sleepy, rubbed her eyes and spoke.
She said it as if it were nothing, but in reality, it was an enormous crisis.
‘Reinhardt’s adjutant was a sorcerer. The underground palace was almost filled with monsters.’
At this time, the existence of sorcerers would still be quite unfamiliar in the empire.
However, anyone who has read the description of the sorcerer class in the original work would know that they can transform intact animal corpses into monsters.
By coincidence, Reinhardt’s adjutant, Sephiroth, was a sorcerer from the Elf Kingdom.
Just the fact that he had thrown animal corpses into the underground palace that could be transformed into monsters at any moment was already tantamount to confirmation.
‘At least today won’t flow smoothly.’
The Empress Sister said that if nothing happened, she could just enjoy the event and forget about the secret escort, but somehow that ‘nothing’ seemed like it was going to explode today.
I absolutely must not let my guard down.
I need to stay alert even before arriving at the palace since I don’t know what might happen…
“I’m all dressed, Aslan. But it’s not as uncomfortable as I thought. …Right?”
“…!”
Suddenly, the door opened, and Julia appeared, lifting her long skirt that was long enough to cover her shoes.
She had gathered her hair back and secured it with a bright floral ornament.
And to top it all off, she wore thin gloves that were slightly transparent.
Her hand movements looked awkward, as if the gloves were uncomfortable.
I felt as if I had been struck in the chest with a shock.
“Is this your first time being fully dressed up?”
“Uh-huh. Yes. The maids were all over me for dressing and tying my hair and putting on the hair ornaments, and they really worked hard for a long time. I felt a little sorry. …You know.”
“You look great. Each piece was pretty on its own, but together they harmonize beautifully and accentuate your beauty.”
“Hehehe. Are you saying such sweet things so I’ll feel good? …Right?”
Julia turned her head to hide her rising smile, laughing without realizing it.
What I found pretty wasn’t just her elaborately decorated appearance.
Putting on such an exquisite outfit requires a lot of effort and time, all of which comes from the labor of the hired help.
Noblewomen who have naturally lived their lives commanding others since they were young may not realize this at all, but Julia’s delicate heart, which feels guilt for unintentionally making the hired help suffer, is what makes her the most beautiful.
Even though she lives a noble lifestyle and enjoys a status that is virtually the same as that of the nobility, Julia’s inner self remains unchanged from when she was a commoner.
Her heart had not changed even a little.
Watching her like that made me feel so happy that I found it hard to suppress my smile.
“Stop giggling. It feels weird. I think both you and Charlotte just feel good, but others might misunderstand. …You know.”
“I know. So I plan to restrain my laughter outside.”
“Don’t do that. Can’t you smile less suspiciously? …You know?”
“Like this?”
“Ugh! That makes it feel weirder!”
“….”
The moment I tried to give the gentlest smile possible, the active skill ‘Evil Smile’ activated, and Julia jumped back in shock.
It’s absurd.
Active skill?
Why does it activate automatically just by smiling?
“…It doesn’t work well according to my will.”
“That’s strange. Sometimes, very, very rarely, Aslan smiles without it feeling weird.”
“When was that?”
“I don’t know. I can’t remember exactly when, but I definitely recall a time when you smiled without it feeling weird, and I felt weird. …You know.”
“….”
To think that I made a smile without it feeling weird and yet it felt weird.
You really have a talent for saying hurtful things without a care.
By the way, the fact that Julia says that means there must have been at least one time when I smiled and the ‘Evil Laugh’ skill didn’t activate.
I can’t figure out when that was or under what conditions I could smile without triggering the skill.
Looking at how infrequently it happens, it seems like the conditions for success are practically impossible in daily life.
If Julia also can’t remember, it’s likely to be quite difficult to figure out that condition.
Perhaps someday there will be another chance where the conditions are met again.
Since my head hurts enough from researching black magic, I decided not to go out of my way to find a way to avoid smiling evilly.
It’s enough for just Charlotte and Julia to know that I have no other intentions behind my smile.
I’m not particularly concerned about other people misunderstanding anymore.
“Stop right there, Charlotte! You have to finish getting dressed!!!”
“Ugh! No! I don’t want to! Is it reasonable to have to wear clothes for 30 minutes?!”
At that moment, there was a loud crashing sound.
With a loud noise throughout the mansion, heavy footsteps echoed.
As if she expected it, Julia sighed silently.
The pounding sounds grew louder, and soon the door burst open roughly, with a distressed Charlotte running toward me.
I felt as if I had been hit by a truck in the abdomen.
“Ugh!?
“Mister, help me! The maid sisters are bothering me!!!”
“Bothering? What are you talking about? Come here! I haven’t put your tights on yet!”
“…”
Charlotte clung to me and showed no signs of letting go.
And the maids who had arrived, panting heavily, each held a pair of tights in their hands.
The maids wore solemn expressions as if they were warriors about to engage in a battle with a formidable enemy.
It was obvious what had happened.
They must have woken up before dawn as the sun was just about to rise, hurriedly washed themselves, and
had to sit still for almost an hour getting ready, which must have been unbearable for Charlotte, who wanted to run around right away.
Seeing the snack bags held by the maids, it looked like they had tried everything to keep Charlotte from escaping.
But it seemed that they had reached a breaking point, and Charlotte had managed to bolt out.
“Mister! Please help me! I really hate tights, and the maids keep trying to make me wear them!”
“…”
“Mister?”
“…”
Charlotte was asking for help with a brave voice.
But after a while of not responding,
when I saw the maids letting their guard down as if relieved, Charlotte must have sensed something odd, and she slowly lifted her head.
“Uh, Mister? This isn’t right, is it?”
“Of course, you need to finish getting dressed.”
“Waaah! Mister, you traitor!”
“Hah. My Lord, I’ll leave it to you.”
Kwak.
Holding onto Charlotte’s arms and legs tightly, I accepted the tights the maids handed over.
Charlotte tried to squirm free, climbing up on me or bouncing around, but I had no intention of letting her go.
Of course, with Charlotte’s strength, breaking free from my grip would be easy, but she seemed hesitant, perhaps worried she might hurt me if she tried.
Seeing her almost in tears yet not wanting to hurt me in her attempt to escape was incredibly endearing.
“Nooo! I hate tights! I hate the feeling of my legs being completely covered! And it bunches and creases when I run!”
“Won’t your bare legs feel cold?”
“It’s summer! How can it be cold…?”
“Accept it already. You know by now that neither the maids nor I, nor anyone else, will give up until you wear them.”
“…”
Reluctantly, as if resigned to her fate, Charlotte stopped resisting and lay flat, arms and legs spread out in defeat.
It was a wise choice.
As Julia passed by, giggling, Charlotte immediately scowled in annoyance.
“Actually, Aslan chose that outfit so it would be comfortable for you. If you hate tights that much, want to switch with mine?”
“I do! I want to wear a dress! Even if it looks uncomfortable because it’s so long, I think I could manage if I held it up to run!”
“Really? Even like this?”
“…!?”
Swish.
Julia lifted her skirt slightly, revealing her legs.
From her shoes up to her smooth legs covered in white knee-high socks.
Shock and disbelief flashed across Charlotte’s face.
“That’s worse than tights… those are knee socks!”
“So, are you really going to switch?”
“I-I’ll go with the tights….”
Finally, Charlotte’s complaints vanished, and she became compliant.
Thanks to Julia’s support, I was able to get her dressed more easily.
As Julia had said, Charlotte’s outfit had been chosen with care.
If Charlotte had worn a voluminous dress like Julia’s, she would’ve been uncomfortable, likely grabbing at the skirt and running around, creating embarrassing situations.
And besides, it didn’t suit her style at all.
So, we chose a ballet-style dress for Charlotte.
With a short skirt, it would be easier to move around in, and the fitted leotard complemented her slim figure.
However, without tights, her bare legs would be completely exposed with the short skirt.
That would ruin the uniform look of the outfit, making it appear sloppy.
It’s a combination that’s only complete with the tights.
“Alright, lift your leg a bit.”
“Ughhh. I really hate this….”
I held up Charlotte’s calf, bending it upward to a nearly horizontal position with her torso.
Even so, she didn’t seem to feel any discomfort or pain.
All that daily exercise must have made her quite flexible.
I wondered if Sylvia was just as flexible.
“You’ll get used to tights quickly.”
“Really…?”
“Of course.”
Gently, I clasped her wiggling toes with my hand and slipped them into the open end of the tights.
Carefully aligning it, I pulled the tights smoothly up her leg, enjoying the satisfying swish as they fit snugly against her skin.
I made sure it didn’t bunch up or twist anywhere, then did the same for the other leg.
“I think I understand why Julia hated wearing knee socks for the first time….”
Wiping away a small tear that had gathered in the corner of Charlotte’s eye, her elaborate outfit was finally complete.
“Phew. Are we finally done? Now we just have to wait for Sylvia to arrive.”
“Knight Sylvia hasn’t arrived yet, right? …You know?”
“Sylvia? Well, she’ll come as she usually does…”
I was about to brush it off casually, but then I remembered.
I assumed Sylvia would show up in her usual uniform, but I had forgotten that today she was supposed to attend as my companion.
I recalled approving her request for new attire but hadn’t actually checked what she’d chosen.
Could it be something outrageous? I felt a twinge of anxiety as my gaze darted nervously.
“Apologies for being late. It took longer to get dressed than expected…”
“Wow! Is that really the Knight Sister?”
“Whoaa…”
“…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is utterly astonished.]
The door burst open with a confident stride, and the maids lined up in the hallway were left speechless, mouths agape.
Accompanied by the clicking of heels, a stunning figure walked in.
I was at a loss for words.
“…Who are you?”
“Please, don’t joke, my Lord.”
Is this really Sylvia?
