‘Even if it looks a little disgraceful… I’ve managed to protect both my pride and my engagement with this.’
After finishing the letter, I placed it inside an envelope, melted the seal, and pressed it down with a satisfied smile.
The person Yuri had proposed to wasn’t Count Vermont, but rather the yet-to-be-revealed Mr. Black.
That meant I didn’t have to respond as Count Vermont—I could simply accept the proposal as Mr. Black.
Would this count as an online romance… or rather, a pen pal romance?
Of course, we meet almost every day and see each other face-to-face.
But that’s strictly as Count Vermont.
So, this was a perfect plan that allowed me to maintain my dignity, authority, and reputation.
‘If Yuri doesn’t like it, she can just expose my identity herself.’
How long do I plan on continuing this farce?
Until Yuri gets so frustrated that she finally reveals my identity.
Or, if it comes to it, I’ll just wait until she graduates and reveal it myself.
In the end, Yuri knows my identity but pretends not to.
And I, knowing that she knows, pretend I don’t.
If someone were to say I was being ridiculously childish by playing this kind of power struggle with a girl… I wouldn’t have much of a rebuttal.
But since this was a fight I was guaranteed to win, I saw no reason to back down.
‘Wait. She’s not even a child anymore. She’s had her coming-of-age ceremony—she’s a grown adult now.’
Technically speaking, I wasn’t dealing with a child.
So, I didn’t need to feel guilty about competing with her.
I resolved to see this through to the end.
“…?”
Just then, creak.
The office door slowly opened.
When I lifted my head to check, Julia was standing at the entrance, looking slightly sullen.
“Don’t just stand there—come in.”
“Mm…”
“So, what brings you here?”
“…”
When I gestured for her to come closer, she carefully closed the door and sat down in the chair in front of my desk.
Normally, she’d run right up and plop herself onto my lap.
But today, she seemed to be holding a grievance.
Though she hadn’t said anything, I already had a pretty good idea of what it was.
“Um… This isn’t really my business, but… I got curious, so I wanted to ask…”
“Go ahead, ask whatever you want.”
“Are you… really going to get engaged to Yuri?”
“…”
Julia fidgeted awkwardly, avoiding my gaze, her voice so small it was almost inaudible.
As expected.
Just as I thought.
“Hmm. Well, I did receive a proposal, but I’m still thinking about it. What do you think I should do?”
“…!”
Curious about her reaction, I decided to probe a little.
Technically, I hadn’t sent the letter accepting the proposal yet, so saying I was still considering it wasn’t entirely a lie.
Watching Julia freeze up in panic, I rested my chin on my hand.
“W-Why ask me!? It’s not like you’d actually do what I say…”
“Your opinion might influence my decision. But if you don’t have any strong feelings about it, that’s fine. I’ll just—”
“W-Wait! I’m still thinking, so… don’t rush me!”
She shifted uncomfortably, mumbling in a small voice.
It was rare for Julia to openly display her displeasure like this.
Her frustration must be quite serious.
“Y-You must be happy. You’ve always liked Yuri a lot. You’ve even been supporting her for a long time…”
“I do like her. Just as I cherish Charlotte and you.”
“Then… doesn’t that mean you want to marry her?”
“I wouldn’t be opposed to it. But since you seem unhappy about this engagement, I think I should reconsider.”
“N-No, it’s not like I completely disapprove…”
Julia frantically waved her hands, trying to deny it.
Really, she was just as easy to read as ever.
Of course, from Julia’s perspective, it was only natural that she wouldn’t be thrilled about Yuri’s proposal.
After all, Julia had written a contract promising to marry me first, essentially staking her claim.
But now, Yuri—who had recently come of age—was the one who actually proposed first.
‘In this world, engagements seem to carry a very different weight before and after the coming-of-age ceremony…’
To me, the difference was just a single year.
But in this world, a marriage promise made before coming of age was seen as mere child’s play, while an engagement made afterward was considered an official, widely accepted commitment.
So, Julia wouldn’t want to be overtaken by Yuri.
But at the same time, she wouldn’t want to stand in the way of her closest friend’s happiness.
No matter which way things went, she’d have reasons to be dissatisfied.
Knowing that only made me want to tease her even more.
“Yuri really, really likes Mr. Black.”
“Is that so?”
“Mm-hmm. She talks about him every chance she gets, practically worshiping him.”
That was news to me.
I struggled to keep the corners of my lips from twitching.
“So, I do want to support her, but… I also wanted to be the first one to get engaged.
I don’t like that Yuri keeps stealing all of your ‘firsts’…”
Avoiding my gaze, Julia’s face slowly turned red.
After hesitating for a long time, it seemed that Julia had finally decided to be honest.
“So… I want you to wait just one year… Get engaged to me first, and then you can get engaged to Yuri afterward…”
“That’s not really necessary.”
“W-What…?”
“Yuri’s proposal wasn’t to me—it was to Mr. Black.”
“But you are Mr. Black…”
“Not until I reveal it myself. So even if I do get engaged to Yuri, as long as it’s as Mr. Black, Count Aslan Vermont remains officially unengaged.”
“Huh? Wait, what? Huh?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ praises your genius!]
As I presented my flawless, airtight logic, Julia tilted her head in confusion, looking somewhat bewildered.
To elaborate, albeit in a rather shameless manner:
Aslan Vermont and Mr. Black are technically considered separate individuals since their connection hasn’t been exposed.
So, if Mr. Black gets engaged to Yuri, she becomes his first fiancée.
Meanwhile, if Julia gets engaged to Aslan Vermont, she becomes his first fiancée.
And if, someday, it’s revealed that Aslan Vermont and Mr. Black are the same person?
It still wouldn’t change the fact that each of them had their “first engagement” separately.
If this logic sounds absurd to you, that’s completely normal.
Because no one in the world truly understands the principles of quantum engagement theory.
“Then… I guess it might be fine… if you get engaged to Yuri…”
“So that’s your opinion? Understood. I’ll take it into consideration.”
“B-But it has to be as Mr. Black!”
“Of course.”
In the end, I successfully got the answer I wanted.
Judging by Julia’s much more relaxed expression, she was satisfied as well.
As she let out a long sigh of relief, I suddenly felt like teasing her again.
“Then it’s a reservation! You’re reserved to get engaged to me first!”
“A reservation, huh…? That’s fine. But it seems I haven’t heard something I should have.”
“Huh? What do you mean…?”
“When Yuri proposed to Mr. Black, she told him she loved him.
If you want your reservation confirmed, shouldn’t I be hearing those same words from you?”
“W-What!?”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ fervently agrees with your reasoning!]
Julia’s face turned beet red in an instant.
She was so flustered that her mouth hung open, her lips trembling slightly, but no sound came out.
“S-Saying we’ll get married is practically the same thing!”
“Not quite. Strategic marriages without love happen all the time.
If you don’t say it, I’ll have to assume this is nothing more than a political engagement.”
“How does that even make sense!?
This kind of thing is something people just understand without saying!”
“Not me. If it’s not said outright, I won’t know.”
“Ughhh…!”
Of course, I already knew how much Julia liked me.
But pretending otherwise and watching her flustered reaction was absolutely priceless.
“Isn’t just saying ‘I like you’ enough?”
“You know as well as I do that there’s a distinct difference between liking and loving.”
“Ugh! Fine! I get it! Just close your eyes! And lean your head this way!”
She suddenly shot up from her chair, seemingly having gathered all the courage she had left, her eyes glistening with determination.
Even if she was willing to say it, it seemed she was still too embarrassed to do it while looking me in the eye.
Obliging her request, I closed my eyes and tilted my head slightly forward—
Only to feel Julia’s hands grabbing my cheeks, pulling me even lower.
What is she planning?
And then—
“Mmph!?”
“…!?”
Chuu.
A soft sensation brushed against my lips, accompanied by the sound of a quick peck.
Startled, I opened my eyes just in time to see Julia bolting for the door.
In the blink of an eye, she had already flung it open.
“I… I love you…”
“…”
[The Evil God ‘Kali’ nearly faints in euphoria!]
With a single, fleeting glance at me, Julia quickly muttered those words.
Creak—Slam!
And with that, the door shut behind her.
