As the door opened and the Empress walked out alone, Irene reflexively bowed her head.
“Your Majesty. Did you enjoy your tea time…?”
“Don’t worry too much. Aslan Vermont did not commit as serious an offense as you feared.”
“…!”
Did her worries show on her face?
Irene flinched, surprised.
The Empress’s intense gaze seemed to penetrate her thoughts.
“Not as serious an offense… does that mean he committed some offense?”
“Yes. It was very displeasing, and it has been decided to strip the Countess Vermont of her positions as acting head of the family.”
“…!”
“Instead, it has just been decided that Aslan Vermont will officially succeed to the title of Count, so be informed of that.”
What? She thought something major had happened, but it wasn’t like that?
Is this… a joke? Irene stood there in stunned silence.
The Empress, finding her reaction amusing, chuckled softly as she passed by.
‘This is the first time I’ve seen Her Majesty make a joke…’
Given her usually stern and severe expression, Irene hadn’t realized it was a joke at first.
She had never heard of the Empress enjoying humor.
What on earth happened in there to put the Empress in such a good mood?
It wasn’t just a little improvement.
To instantly elevate Aslan, who had been a young master for ten years, to the rank of Count…?
The Empress was known for her bold personnel decisions, but never for making impulsive ones.
‘I thought it was a grotesque reception, using those vile monsters and kids…’
Why did this work?
Was there something she didn’t know?
Did Aslan foresee this and carry out such an outrageous plan?
“Sister. It went well somehow.”
“Oh, uh…”
Aslan wiped the sweat from his forehead as he exited the audience chamber.
Irene shuddered, a flicker of long-forgotten terror rekindled as their eyes met, causing her to shiver.
Biting her lip, Irene grabbed Aslan’s chin.
“How did you manage to succeed the title of Count so suddenly?”
“I don’t know exactly. It just happened…”
“B*llshit. You approached it strategically from the start. You knew the Empress’s preferences and how to win her favor. You… damn… damn…”
Irene’s voice trembled uncontrollably, unable to finish her sentence.
Is this the Aslan she knew? The foolish, unruly brat with no social skills or intelligence?
‘Is this really the Vermont I know?’
Damn. Childhood nightmares began to creep back in.
Irene’s mind started to go blank.
She quickly turned her head, fearing her eyes would betray her feelings of fear.
“…Congratulations. You finally pushed me aside and became the Count.”
Thump, thump, thump.
Irene deliberately made loud footsteps to mask her whimpering as she walked away.
Watching her retreating figure, Aslan touched his chin and muttered.
“What a grudge…”
***
Empress Vanessa Friedrich formally inspected the state of the territory.
She left with a meaningful statement, expressing her expectations for active exchanges with Vermont in the future.
Despite hurriedly preparing a banquet and a feast. The Empress declined, seemingly having seen all she needed to or simply not enjoying such events.
And that was it.
The Empress’s tumultuous visit to Vermont, which had felt like an eternity, ended just like that.
“Phew.”
I secretly sighed in relief.
Outwardly, I pretended to be calm and composed, but.
I was so tense the whole time facing the Empress, I barely remember what I said.
‘As the Empress said, it’s a position with immense responsibility as well as rights.’
Whether I wanted it or not, I am now in a position to be responsible for the livelihoods and lives of many people.
As a person in such a position, I couldn’t show any sign of unease.
If it was noticed that I was shaken, the entire Vermont territory would be shaken.
‘Anyway, it all worked out well.’
The Empress’s excessive interest in me was unexpected.
Other than that, everything went much better than I anticipated. Especially gaining the title of Count all at once still felt so surreal, I could hardly believe it.
The difference in authority between a young master and a head of the family is like heaven and earth.
Up until now, the Countess had been performing the Count’s duties as an acting head.
But the Countess’s current whereabouts are unknown, making the Count position practically vacant.
Even during Leon’s time, we had trouble because we couldn’t openly fire an embezzler.
But a Count wields absolute power within Vermont territory.
I can appoint or dismiss anyone as needed.
It’s all up to me.
“Bring my carriage. I’m leaving now.”
“The sun has already set, why don’t you stay the night?”
“No. I don’t want to sleep under the same roof as you.”
Crunch.
Gritting her teeth, Irene openly displayed her hostility. I wondered if she might secretly be pleased that I became the Count and was just pretending to be prickly… but.
[Irene Vermont’s affection has dropped by 10.]
Yeah. No.
Absolutely not.
Irene genuinely disliked me, both outwardly and inwardly.
‘Did she want to succeed the title of Count herself?’
If so, I understand.
I understand, but…
Was that really all? Doubt began to creep in.
More than anything, what troubled me was the way Irene flinched and trembled a little while ago.
She’s always been quick to berate me at every opportunity.
But this time, she saw my face, seemed to be frightened, and then abruptly grabbed my chin roughly as if to cover up her mistake in an exaggerated manner.
If I were to sum up all of this?
“Is she on her period?”
“Do you want to die?”
Oh, I meant to say that to myself.
“I saw Irene off. You can relax now.”
“Young master. Your cheek is swollen. Did you fall or something?”
“…Ignore that. And I’m not the young master anymore.”
“Apologies. You’re the head of the family now.”
Sylvia slightly bowed her head in respect.
In the past, she used to follow me with a reluctant expression, barely maintaining the minimum courtesy.
Now, even in her small gestures, you could feel her genuine respect.
“By the way, we need to urgently strengthen the mansion’s defenses. The appearance of the Evil God’s avatar we saw yesterday may have been ridiculous, but the power it contained was no joke.”
“You think Irene will attack again?”
“Yes. She’s the type who used every trick to prevent you from succeeding the title, so she wouldn’t give up easily now. There will definitely be retaliation.”
True. The reason we cooperated this time was because it was a crisis that threatened the family’s survival.
Once the Empress leaves, Irene and I will return to being strangers, no, even more hostile than before.
Isn’t this just a typical sibling rivalry?
“But without a security agency established yet, we have no immediate way to reinforce our guards. Therefore, it seems necessary to enhance my combat abilities. Although the current sword I use is excellent, a swordsman always needs a spare weapon, especially for emergencies. That way, I can protect the mansion and your life…”
“If you want a new sword, just say so without all the extra words.”
“I want a new sword.”
Sylvia said confidently, standing tall.
She wants a new sword?
Isn’t that something she can just buy herself?
Then I remembered she had been on cut pay for so long that it was uncountable.
“What kind of sword do you want? Tell me.”
“I don’t have specific preferences for the appearance. But if possible, I’d like it to be dark-colored. It gives off a strong high-carbon steel vibe. Seems powerful, doesn’t it?”
“…”
I don’t know about that.
“I won’t be too strict about durability. But it should last about ten years, even if the blade needs occasional sharpening. Also, I’d prefer it to be reasonably heavy. Heavier swords allow me to use the weight to swing with less effort. And, well, it’s not a must, but if it could be a holy or demon sword, that would be…”
“Like Charlotte’s Super Super Strong Sword?”
“…”
She nodded shyly, her face turning red like a teenage girl talking about her crush.
This girl. Now she’s even eyeing her student’s sword?
“Mister, mister! Can I take off this frilly dress now? Can I change into comfortable clothes and go train outside?”
“Do as you like. Oh. If you’re going to use the Super Super Strong Sword, make sure to use the training grounds in the Ariente territory.”
“I know! Geez. You don’t have to remind me every time. I won’t forget…!”
Giggle.
Charlotte ran off, happily holding her Super Super Strong Sword.
Sylvia watched her leave, swallowing hard.
…I’d better get Sylvia a new sword soon.
“Oh, right! Mister!”
“Aslan…”
“…?”
I thought Charlotte had just left for the training ground.
When I looked back, she was standing in front of me with Julia.
Julia couldn’t look me in the eye, shuffling her feet.
Charlotte was unusually calm and polite.
What’s with them?
This is their stance when they want something, isn’t it?
“Thank you, Mister!”
“W-We just wanted to thank you… that’s all. …yes.”
“Why all of a sudden?”
“You told Her Majesty about the orphanage director!”
“That person… might open another orphanage elsewhere and do the same horrible things to the children. No. He definitely will. Thank you for stopping that. Th-That’s all! I’m leaving now! …yes!”
[The Evil God, ‘Kali’, smiles happily.]
Charlotte beamed, while Julia blushed and ran away.
Facing their innocent expressions, I was left dumbfounded.
The orphanage director had no connection to these children who had already escaped from there.
Why did they thank me?
Because they were worried other children might suffer.
For the sake of complete strangers whose names and faces they didn’t even know.
‘How incredibly kind are these kids.’
Witnessing their untainted goodwill left me with a bit of self-reproach. And a feeling of satisfaction that would likely keep me in a good mood all day.
