‘Two letters from Mr. Black…?’
After hearing Aslan’s story, Yuri suddenly felt uneasy and restless.
It had been two days since she declared that she wouldn’t respond to the letters from Mr. Black.
She had even reaffirmed her decision just before leaving the mansion.
But now, hearing that two letters had arrived from him, she found herself wavering.
Two letters in just two days?
Did he send them in succession?
Did my sulking surprise him?
What could the letters say?
Would he laugh at my weak resistance, saying he would watch how long it lasts?
Or would he try to comfort me?
She was curious.
She was dying to know! She wanted to check them immediately!
But she knew that once she read the letters, the desire to write a reply would surge up inside her.
She had no choice but to hold herself back, forcing herself to resist.
‘I don’t want to be seen as a frivolous woman…’
She didn’t want to show that she could change her mind so easily, like flipping her palm.
She didn’t want Mr. Black to think of her as a frivolous woman.
Yuri thought to herself, groaning in agony without a word.
‘I’m still not fully calm.’
Even without that, she wasn’t ready to talk to Mr. Black yet.
She hadn’t received an apology for forcibly sending her to the Vermont mansion.
Of course, she thought she was starting to understand why he sent her here.
Mr. Black, Aslan Vermont’s acquaintance, must have known about Charlotte and Julia as well.
He likely heard their names and deduced that Yuri was the same person.
But she had kept her identity hidden, so he must have felt frustrated.
Staying in the mansion for two months, she was bound to slip up eventually.
Maybe she inadvertently revealed her identity to Charlotte and Julia, and he had tried to set up a reunion.
…Though, he probably didn’t expect that to happen in just two days.
So, he had definitely sent her here for her sake.
Still, it wouldn’t have hurt for him to give her a hint, right?
He could have told her the reason in advance.
She didn’t like how he had given orders without any explanation.
That anger still hadn’t dissipated.
She might be willing to forgive him later if he explained everything and comforted her…
She wanted the two months to pass quickly so she could send a reply to Mr. Black.
‘Oh. I don’t want this sweet time to end…’
But then, when she thought about it again, she wondered: when would she have the chance to be so close to Charlotte and Julia again, after leaving the mansion?
She wanted to stay with them, but she also wanted the vacation to end…
Yuri was torn, unsure which way her heart was leaning.
“Do you have plans after the academy activities are finished?”
“No, not really…”
At that moment, Aslan approached silently.
Yuri flinched slightly, feeling a bit pressured, and answered quietly.
“I’ll leave the carriage behind. When I return, I’ll use this one.”
“…”
Yuri felt her breath catch in her throat. He was asking her to take this same carriage on the way back?
He even had it waiting the whole time?
It was as if he was silently pressuring her not to stray from the path and go straight back to the mansion after finishing her business.
Well, it made sense. Aslan Vermont probably didn’t trust her, so it was only natural that he would control her movements like this.
Yuri was about to give up when Aslan spoke again.
“Don’t misunderstand. Now that I’ve welcomed you as a guest, if any threat comes to you, it will be awkward for me, so I’m doing this for your safety.”
“…”
He read her mind…?
Yuri bit her lips, which had been pouting.
She wanted to find out whether he was really doing this for her safety, or if he was just making an excuse to control her.
“Actually, I do have plans after the work ends. I’ll be a little late, but is that okay?”
“Of course. Most of what a coachman does is wait anyway.”
“Hmm… I’ll be leaving quite late. After the coachman’s shift ends.”
“What are you going to do that makes you leave so late?”
“…”
Yuri avoided his gaze and tightly pressed her lips together.
Did she really have to report every little thing?
There were no rules about curfews or reporting her every move when she first entered the mansion.
So, didn’t she have the right to keep some things private?
‘He’s probably going to get mad again.’
Aslan Vermont must be furious because things weren’t going as he wanted.
Yuri half-expected him to yell, “Do whatever you want!”
But instead, she heard a small, teasing chuckle from beside her.
“Why are you roaming the streets so late? Mind if I take a guess?”
“…”
“Today is Friday. The busiest day for theaters. Many theaters even have performances running late into the night. Are you planning to spend the entire evening watching plays at various theaters after your work?”
“…!?”
Yuri’s body shuddered at the chilling deduction.
How did he know?
Only Mr. Black knew how much she liked theater… no one else knew.
For him to guess with just such a small clue, it was just luck.
Yuri turned her head quickly, pretending not to be flustered, but her eyes were automatically drawn to the two tickets Aslan had pulled from his pocket.
“Oh, no. I’m not really interested in theater…”
“That’s a shame. If you enjoyed theater, I was planning to give you two tickets for tonight’s performance by the National Traveling Troupe starting at 10 p.m., but if you’re not interested, I guess I’ll have to dispose of these tickets…”
“Wait, just a moment!”
“…”
Thump.
Just as Aslan was about to tear the tickets, Yuri hurriedly grabbed them.
At that moment, Aslan flashed a sly smile.
Yuri quickly closed her eyes, realizing that in doing so, she had essentially confirmed that his guess was correct.
She had fallen right into his trap!
‘But I really want to see the National Traveling Troupe’s performance…’
It was a trap she couldn’t avoid, even knowing it.
The troupe would never return once they left, as they were planning to disband after their current tour.
This was her last chance to see them.
She had given up trying to get tickets before because the competition was too fierce.
Who would have thought that Aslan Vermont would have two VIP tickets?
Yuri focused on the tickets, swallowing her saliva.
“Actually, I just developed an interest… I just made plans to go watch several plays tonight. Would you like to join me for this performance?”
“…”
It seemed like this was exactly what Aslan Vermont wanted.
He had prepared two tickets because he wanted to watch the play with her.
Though she was unhappy to be with him, she could endure it for a once-in-a-lifetime performance.
“Sorry, but I’m busy. I can’t join you.”
“Eh, what!? ”
“Instead, take Charlotte and Julia with you.”
“…!?”
The tickets now became three.
Ah!?
He had been overlapping the two tickets to make them look like one…
A wave of embarrassment hit her, and Yuri’s face turned bright red in an instant.
‘This makes it look like I was trying to seduce Aslan into watching the play alone with me!!!’
She had fallen for it!
She never wanted to watch the play alone with Aslan Vermont! She had been deceived by his clever hands…
Yuri, unable to contain her frustration, clenched her fists, trembling.
Aslan simply watched her, smirking.
“Go back and ask Charlotte and Julia. If they agree, send them to the theater at the performance time. You are responsible for their safety as a bodyguard. I trust you.”
“Well, that…”
“You’ve arrived now. Is there something else you wanted to say?”
“…”
Screech.
The carriage came to a halt. Yuri also found herself unable to speak.
After a moment, she finally forced the words out.
“Th-thank you… this is really the performance I wanted to see…”
“Enjoy it.”
“Yes…”
With a swift motion, Aslan handed her the tickets.
Yuri, unable to bear the embarrassment anymore, snatched them and jumped out of the carriage.
She ran quickly toward the research building, feeling as though she might scream.
‘Aaaah! The National Traveling Troupe’s tickets are in my hands…!’
And she could share this precious time with Charlotte and Julia!
It felt like a dream.
Overcome with joy, Yuri let out a small snort, trying to calm herself down.
‘That was unexpected. I thought he’d make me do something terrible in exchange for the tickets…’
She never imagined he’d just give them to her.
She had expected Aslan Vermont to have some ulterior motive.
Maybe he wasn’t as devious as she thought…
Yuri settled her thoughts, but for some reason, she could feel her heart beating fast.