“Not even a single reply, but so many letters…”
Returning to her room alone, Yuri opened the envelope and gasped.
Inside were stacks of letters crammed together.
It had only been two months, yet there were easily over 20 of them.
Since she’d decided not to send replies in the first place, she had left them with Aslan Vermont, worried that reading them might weaken her resolve.
But she never expected 20 letters to pile up like this.
With trembling hands, Yuri began to open the letters one by one, reading them in order of arrival.
– It’s me, Yuria. By now, you must be staying at the Vermont estate.
– I’m sorry for sending you there against your will. But I have no intention of rescinding my order, so endure it just for the break.
– Count Vermont and the children under his care are all good people. Try not to distance yourself and instead live harmoniously with them.
If she had read this on her first day at the estate, she would have brushed it off without a thought and sulked in anger.
But now, she felt she understood every word.
Mr. Black truly only did things for her benefit…
– It’s awkward not receiving a reply. Today, I unconsciously checked the mailbox again, only to find it empty, which caught me off guard.
– Now I understand why you always complained that I rarely talked about myself.
– Trying to write letters without a response from you has made me realize I lack content.
– I’ve only been reacting to your stories all this time, with little about myself. I see that now.
– From now on, I’ll include more about myself in these letters.
“Mr. Black…”
Reading the letter, Yuri couldn’t help but burst into tears.
Even without her replies, he had steadily written to her.
Realizing this, she felt deeply guilty, as though she had committed a terrible wrong. Yuri writhed with pangs of conscience.
– I heard Count Vermont has been holding onto your allowance during the break and will return it afterward.
– This measure was taken to prevent conflicts due to economic disparities among the children under his care.
– Don’t be too upset. I also heard he invested the money, planning to return it with profits.
“Huh!?”
He invested my allowance?
He didn’t just store it safely?
It’s great if it made profits, but what if it didn’t?
Panicking, Yuri flipped the envelope upside down, shaking it vigorously.
A bundle of banknotes tumbled out, accompanied by a note:
– Here’s your withheld allowance, returned with interest.
Upon counting it, she found it to be 50% more than her two months’ allowance.
What in the world offers a 50% return in just two months?
Sniffling, Yuri couldn’t hold back her tears as they streamed down her face.
Why were Mr. Black and Aslan Vermont both so kind?
At first, it had seemed implausible that the two were close friends, but now, she understood why.
Birds of a feather truly flock together.
“I can’t just sit around crying…”
Drying her tears, Yuri opened a drawer to find paper and a pen.
With the break over, it was time to write back to Mr. Black.
As she prepared to start writing, her hand froze at the greeting.
“There’s just too much I want to say…”
It wasn’t something she could fit on a single sheet.
So what if it took two or three pages?
Still sniffling, Yuri began drafting a letter to the Mr. Black, her first in two months.
.
.
.
The carriage arrived, and the coachman approached, ready to take her bags.
Standing before it, Yuri turned sharply to face the other direction.
“I’m deeply grateful, Count. Thanks to you, I had a comfortable stay.”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ wipes away a tear of regret.]
Yuri clasped her hands together and bowed respectfully.
Until now, whenever she bowed her head to him, she would secretly clench her jaw in prideful defiance.
But this time, her demeanor was entirely polite, devoid of any such defiance.
This alone confirmed that the past two months of grounding at the estate had been the right decision.
If she followed only Mr. Black while regarding Aslan Vermont as an irredeemable enemy, revealing the truth later would have been much harder.
Bridging that gap was already a significant achievement.
“Take care. Send my regards to your sponsor.”
“Yes, I will… Ah! Again! You’re trying to pat my head again! I’m not like Charlotte or Julia, who’ve been tamed by you, Count!”
“Ta-tamed? When did I ever…?”
“Tamed? What does that mean?”
“It’s… nothing, Charlotte…”
Blushing, Yuri stepped back as Aslan’s large hand approached.
Chuckling, he plucked a leaf off Yuri’s hair.
Seeing the leaf, her face flushed even more.
“I wasn’t planning to pat you… Were you hoping I would?”
“N-no way! Forget it! I’m leaving now!”
“Yuri! Take care! Come play with us again!”
“Next time, we’ll visit the Magic Academy to see you!”
Yuri, unable to contain her embarrassment, hurriedly climbed into the carriage.
Charlotte and Julia waved goodbye enthusiastically as the carriage rolled away.
It was a moment of bittersweet regret.
I felt a little guilty for being too busy to spend much time with Charlotte and Julia.
Thanks to Yuri, however, both of them seemed to have spent their time without a single moment of boredom.
Starting today, the estate would likely feel quieter.
The moment the carriage departed, I already missed Yuri.
‘Well, I suppose I can simply read the letter Yuri left behind.’
After all, I had a letter from Yuri.
Technically, it was meant for Mr. Black, but she had entrusted me to deliver it.
There was no rule saying I couldn’t read it first.
Back in my study, I opened the envelope, and a strong scent of ink greeted me.
It was the ink used in the pen I had gifted to Yuri.
With a satisfied smile, I tipped the envelope to find not one, but four pages of letter paper spilling out.
– To the Mr. Black
– I’m so sorry. I was stubborn and refused to write back, ignoring your letters for two months. I promise I’ll never do it again. You see, the truth is… I was afraid I’d grow weak and write back if I read your letters. So I didn’t read any of them until now, but when I finally did…
Oh my.
The letter was so densely written, with barely any space left blank, that my eyes stung, forcing me to look away for a moment.
What on earth was this?
If I judged it by this letter alone, I might’ve thought Yuri was an overly intense person.
It seemed she felt a deep sense of guilt toward Mr. Black.
If that were the case, it was a relief.
I’d been worried she might still hold a grudge against being sent to the Vermont estate against her will.
But as it turned out, her time reconnecting with the children at the estate had completely dispelled her resentment.
‘Though isn’t she feeling too guilty about it?’
It seemed like an overcorrection, but that could be soothed with a reply reassuring her that she needn’t feel so bad.
Knowing how resilient Yuri was, I wasn’t too worried about her.
– And, Mister! I’ve awakened a new ability! It’s a healing ability, though I haven’t revealed it to anyone outside the Vermont Security staff. You’re the only one who knows, so keep it a secret!
Yuri’s ability was classified and not to be disclosed to outsiders under contract.
Still, it seemed she couldn’t resist sharing such happy news with the benefactor she owed so much to.
The rest of Yuri’s letter was endless.
She wrote about discovering that Charlotte and Julia had known each other from the orphanage and secretly rekindled their friendship behind Aslan’s back.
She recounted their trip to the theater to watch a play.
She even described Sylvia awakening her aura and becoming a Sword Master.
Although I already knew and experienced all of these events, hearing them through Yuri’s words made them feel fresh, not boring at all.
There was something about Yuri’s letters—they had a knack for uplifting one’s spirits.
I’d noticed this even back when I mistook Yuri for a boy. It wasn’t just bias; it was an objective truth.
“Looks like I’m nearing the end… Hmm?”
– Mr Black. I understand if you don’t want to share much with the child you sponsor, but could you answer just one thing? Maybe two…
– Are you married, Mister?
– And if not, what do you think about younger women? Specifically, someone much younger who might have to wait a few years…
“Ugh.”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ is lost in happiness!]
Yuri is in love with Mr. Black…?
Could this be real?
How could she develop feelings for someone she’s never met, exchanging only letters?
What if he turned out to be a potbellied, bald middle-aged man?
A mix of delight and worry surged in me, leaving my thoughts in a whirlwind.