“So… I’m currently engaged to Mr. Black, right…?”
Inside the rattling carriage, Yuri felt dazed.
I publicly proposed to Mr. Black during my coming-of-age ceremony.
And in response, I received a letter from him, accepting my proposal.
So… does that mean the engagement is officially established?
Just like that? That easily?
Is that really all there is to an engagement?
The more I thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.
I wasn’t expecting anything grand, but…
Still, isn’t it a bit too much to have an engagement settled with just a single exchange of letters?
Am I the one who’s been overly romanticizing the idea of an engagement?
Feeling strangely unsettled, Yuri puffed out her cheeks in frustration.
‘After all that effort, after pestering me relentlessly… Now that he’s caught the fish, is he planning to neglect it?’
Could that really be it?
Did Aslan Vermont spend an entire year putting on a bone-chilling act, only to reveal his true colors the moment I proposed?
Did I just bite the bait of Mr. Black, only to be doomed to a miserable married life from now on…?
Just as anxiety crept up on her, the carriage came to a halt.
Before she knew it, they had arrived in front of the Vermont estate.
With a gloomy feeling, Yuri dragged her heavy steps into the mansion.
“Welcome, Yuri. It’s been a while.”
“A-Ah, yes…”
The first to greet her upon arrival was Aslan Vermont, sporting a sly smirk that she couldn’t quite trust.
So this man… is my fiancé?
A wave of existential regret crashed over Yuri, as if she had just made the biggest mistake of her life.
“Aren’t you supposed to hand it over to me here?”
“Hand over what?”
“The engagement ring that Mr. Black entrusted to you…”
“Oh, that? Hmm… I seem to have forgotten where I put it.”
“…Huh?”
“Until I remember, why don’t you come in and have some tea?”
“I only came to pick up the ring today.”
“I also have strawberry shortcake.”
“Th-Then… I suppose I could wait for a little while…”
How does he know that I like strawberry shortcake…?
Ah. I practically confessed all my food preferences in that letter…
Even now, it was hard to believe that Aslan Vermont and Mr. Black were the same person.
No, because really…
This frivolous, sneaky, childish, and underhanded Count had nothing in common with the dignified, graceful, and considerate Mr. Black.
Honestly, sometimes I still wondered if the whole thing was just my delusion or a dream.
“You like Darjeeling tea, don’t you?”
“Yes…”
“But I recall you used to complain that tea was bitter and disliked it. Quite the improvement, I’d say.”
“Well, that’s because Mr. Black got me into the habit of drinking tea…”
Aslan poured the well-steeped tea into a cup, while Yuri took her seat with a sigh.
Come to think of it, she used to hate even the thought of drinking tea.
But thanks to Mr. Black’s persuasion, pairing it with sweet desserts had gradually made her develop a taste for it.
The tea and cake before her were all things she liked.
To be precise, they were all things she had come to like because of Mr. Black’s influence.
“So, have you remembered where the engagement ring is?”
“Hmm… Not yet. I don’t see any sign of that memory surfacing.”
“Can you try to remember? I only came to collect the ring Mr. Black entrusted to you. Not to see you, Count.”
Yuri deliberately sharpened her tone as she sipped her tea.
Meanwhile, Aslan merely twitched his lips, clearly amused by the situation.
I’m engaged to Mr. Black, not Aslan Vermont.
So from now on, I won’t even spare Aslan Vermont a second of my attention.
Unless he personally admits that he is Mr. Black, I won’t acknowledge him.
That was the message she was sending loud and clear.
“Sounds like you have absolutely no interest in me.”
“Of course not. Until now, I only entertained you out of courtesy because you were Mr. Black’s friend. After today, I see no reason to visit this estate again. If I need to see my friends, I’ll meet them at the Academy.”
“…Are you saying that for real?”
“Yes, Count.”
“…That’s a little disappointing. I thought we’d built quite a bit of a bond by now. Couldn’t you at least spend a bit more time with me?”
“Th-That… would be difficult.”
Aslan scooted his chair closer to hers.
Yuri let out a snort, turned her head away, and refused to make eye contact.
‘Persistent, aren’t you? Won’t even look me in the eye.’
She was definitely set on being cold to him today.
Realizing he had no choice, Aslan raised both hands in surrender.
Then, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.
“Oh, I just remembered. I had put the ring case in my inner pocket and completely forgot about it.”
“…Huh. And somehow, you forgot something that big was in your pocket?”
“It’s not impossible. Your benefactor carefully selected this engagement ring for you. It’s quite an extravagant piece. While I won’t insist that you wear it every single day, I do hope you’ll cherish it.”
“…You meant to say, he hopes you’ll cherish it, didn’t you?”
“Ahem. Yes. A slip of the tongue.”
Click.
The box opened, revealing a stunning ring with a radiant gemstone.
Yuri’s previously stern expression softened instantly.
She hadn’t expected much—how pretty could a ring possibly be?
But when she thought about how Mr. Black had chosen this ring for her, to commemorate their engagement, and how it was one of only two in the entire world…
Her heart swelled with emotion.
“Wow…”
Murmuring to herself, Yuri found that, before she even realized it, she had picked up the ring and was marveling at it.
Aslan, watching with a pleased smile, suddenly snatched the ring away.
By the time Yuri looked up at him in confusion, Aslan had already pushed his chair back and was kneeling on one knee before her.
“C-Count…?”
“I had a hard time selecting the right size since your fingers are so slender. But fingers can grow as you mature, so if it ever stops fitting, let me know. The ring was designed to be adjustable, so I can have it resized anytime.”
“Hmmm. Mr. Black must have chosen it, yet you seem to know quite a lot about it.”
“I helped pick it out.”
“Aha. So that’s the story you’re going with…”
Smoothly, Aslan took hold of Yuri’s delicate hand with one of his own.
Then, with his other hand, he slowly slid the ring onto her ring finger.
It fit perfectly.
Well, of course it did.
It wasn’t like he had only held Yuri’s hand once or twice before.
With a sense of familiarity, crafting a ring to the exact fit was nothing difficult.
“How does it feel?”
“H-Hmm. Well… It’s pretty. I honestly wasn’t expecting much…”
“Then, go ahead and put the ring on my finger, too.”
“W-Wha—?! Why should I put a ring on you? This is Mr. Black’s ring! He’s the one who should wear it, not you!”
Yuri instantly recoiled, raising her voice in protest.
Seeing this, Aslan sighed internally. ‘Ah, this isn’t going to work.’
“Well, in any case, I’m not putting it on you! You can do it yourself!”
“I refuse. If you won’t put it on me, then I just won’t wear it at all.”
“…!”
“Aslan Vermont is truly that repulsive to you, isn’t he?”
“Of course. I may be grateful for many things, but that doesn’t mean I can’t despise you as a person.”
“Really? Wasn’t it after you realized that Mr. Black was me that you made up your mind to propose? Are you sure, when you figured out I was him, you didn’t feel even a little happy?”
“…!”
Yuri’s face burned bright red, as if he had struck her right in her weak spot.
She hadn’t even been aware of it herself.
But looking back… Aslan was right.
Until then, she had admired Mr. Black, even revered him.
Yet, she never dared to confess, never even considered proposing.
It was only after realizing his true identity that she had made up her mind.
The moment she connected the dots—that Mr. Black was actually Aslan Vermont—she had instantly thought: ‘I can entrust half my life to this man.’
“I was truly happy when you proposed, Yuri.”
“I know you don’t make decisions like this lightly. I’ve listened to your worries, your hesitations. I know this wasn’t some impulsive whim.”
“As an adult, wouldn’t it be shameful if I didn’t give you a sincere answer?”
“…”
“I love you, too.”
“I want us to be bound together—not just by this engagement, but by something even stronger.”
“Will you allow that?”
“Ugh…”
The moment their eyes met, Aslan’s unwavering gaze pierced through her, and Yuri’s face grew even redder.
Her hand moved on its own, hesitantly lifting toward Aslan’s ring finger—
And slowly, she slipped the ring onto it.
Click.
It fit without a single gap.
Now, a matching pair of rings rested snugly on both their fingers.
As Yuri looked at them, a mischievous grin spread across her lips.
“Aha! Got you!”
“You fell for it so easily the moment I set the mood, Count! You’re way too naive!”
“…?”
Jumping to her feet, Yuri pulled out a device hidden beneath her clothes.
The moment Aslan saw it, his eyes narrowed slightly in recognition.
A recording device.
A magical artifact designed to capture and store surrounding sounds.
“I recorded everything just now!”
“All of Count Vermont’s shameless confessions—his own voice admitting that he’s actually Mr. Black!”
“This means the act is over! No more pretending!”
“Haa… Smart idea, but your execution was sloppy.”
“Huh?”
“If you had finished recording, you should have hidden it properly until you left the mansion.”
“But your competitiveness got the better of you, and you just had to gloat, didn’t you?”
“…Ah. Ah—?! No way—!”
At that moment, Aslan raised his right hand with a barely concealed smile.
Dark smoke billowed out from his palm, curling toward the recording device.
A crackling noise erupted from the artifact.
Chzzzt.
Magical recording devices operated on mana.
And under the influence of powerful Black Magic, their internal structure could be completely scrambled—destroying any stored audio.
“And now, the evidence is gone without a trace.”
“Ugh! Are you kidding me?!”
Aslan lowered his hand with a satisfied smirk.
Meanwhile, Yuri, staring at the now-useless device in her grip, looked utterly devastated.
Just how much more childish could this man get?!
