“Ughhh!”
“Don’t touch Charlotte! She will bite!”
My head hurts.
I only intended to invest in potential future protagonist’s companions at the lowest point.
But now it feels like I’ve acquired a daughter or two despite being unmarried.
One flinches and bursts into tears as soon as I touch her. The other growls and causes a scene.
Why do I, who has never even tried marriage, have to endure such trials…
“Stop crying. It’s ugly.”
“Uwaaaah!”
“…”
Usually that would make it stop.
Is it really this face?
Is that it?
Now I’m starting to get tired and irritated myself.
“Sylvia.”
“Yes, young master.”
“Wait, what was her name again?”
“It’s Julia.”
“Right. Julia, keep an eye on her. We’ll have a private conversation.”
Emerging silently from behind the bookshelf, Sylvia stares at me with a sullen expression.
What’s she up to? Hopefully nothing weird.
Ignoring Sylvia’s suspicious glance that seems to say she won’t be worried, I sighed lightly.
“Yes. Please don’t worry, and go.”
Even saying that, she never stops glaring at me with a warning gaze.
Has she always been this cautious?
Tsk, and with a click of my tongue, I pick up Charlotte from behind and lift her up.
Her light weight allows me to effortlessly lift her with these skinny arms.
Looks like she needs to gain some weight.
“Don’t try anything with Charlotte! I won’t leave you alone!”
“…”
Julia struggles while being held by Sylvia.
Come to think of it, what relationship do they have?
Just orphanage siblings?
It doesn’t seem like that’s all.
‘Have I not been too interested in it?’
I thought I didn’t need to know more details.
But for the sake of improving our relationship in the future, maybe a bit of investigation into the past is necessary.
As an aside, should I hire an information agent to observe what the protagonist is doing now?
No.
There’s no need to go as far as hiring an information agent.
I’ve come up with a more effective way to control the protagonist, but I’ll save that for later…
“Ughhh…”
“When do you plan to stop?”
Even after leaving the library and being alone, Charlotte shows no sign of stopping crying.
I kneel down, sigh deeply, and match my eye level with hers.
Even though I’m giving her signals that I’m waiting, Charlotte doesn’t budge.
Why is she acting like this?
Understanding children’s minds is naturally difficult, but isn’t she about 13, practically an adult?
It’s not time for a mature psychological state yet.
“Uhm.”
“She got caught! Run!”
“…”
I sensed something was up.
When I sneakily turned my head, the footsteps of maids wearing heels faded away at the end of the corridor.
And then, as soon as I turned my head again.
“Sob.”
“…”
“Ughhh…”
“Hey, it just stopped.”
This kid…
Was she pretending to cry?
She looks so innocent, but is she the mischievous type?
Now that I know, she seems to show quite a bit of acting, but I couldn’t have imagined before.
“Why are you crying? Am I that scary?”
“…”
She shook her head sideways.
Yeah. We are playing 20 questions.
My blood pressure shot up, but I held it in.
At least Charlotte, unlike Julia, doesn’t openly show disdain and resentment towards me.
“So what then? You don’t like the clothes?”
Shake.
“Now I get it. Sylvia is scary. She’s quite fierce.”
Shake.
“Do you hate studying?”
Nodding… almost! Oops! Frantically shake.
I might really go crazy.
With a deep sigh to calm myself, Charlotte flinched and shrank.
“Did you startle because I touched your wrist without permission?”
“No! No…”
She finally opened her mouth.
A sensation like ten years of pent-up frustration being released.
Finally, it seems she’s willing to speak.
“Sorry if I wasn’t of any help.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mister… Young master… um?”
“Call me whatever makes you comfortable.”
“You probably want Julia. A splendid person who can earn a lot of money. So probably not me…”
“Why do you think that?”
“I can’t even finish reading a book in one sitting… I learn slowly… I forget easily… I’m clueless… stupid… and more…”
“Stop. I don’t want to hear this.”
“Uh…”
She ate and slept peacefully, so I thought she was a calm type.
Was I really thinking such thoughts in my mind?
While some suffer in frail bodies, burdened by countless worries, here I am contemplating such trivialities.
It annoys me.
“You’re still quite young, what nonsense you speak of unfortunate things like this. You’ve just wasted my time for no reason. You were just whining alone over something trivial. Never again utter words in front of me that imply uselessness. However you manage it, I’ll ensure you live leisurely. That’s my concern; you being coddled is not something to worry about. Understand?”
Yes…”
“Let’s go. And wait. Wipe those tears. It’s as if I made you cry.”
“Ughhh…”
“No! Why this time?”
“I don’t know…! Huh…”
I tried to wipe her eyes with my sleeve, but she burst into tears again.
This time it was for real, not acting.
I might just go crazy.
I thought she was insensitive, but she’s actually quite the crybaby.
.
.
.
“Wow. Wow. The feared Young Master is struggling.”
“Shh. Keep it down. Maybe he could hear you?”
“Hehehe. But what can I do? I’m so excited.”
Through cracks in doors, around corners, beyond windows, and more, maids stationed in various places kept their mouths shut outwardly but internally cheered.
Is that really the same Aslan Vermont, infamous for being cruel, eccentric, and uncouth?
Has he truly become the same person as the waste of human material from a few days ago?
Without the context before and after, anyone who saw it wouldn’t recognize the person as the same human. What could be the reason for this?
It was obvious.
Charlotte and Julia.
Since those two children came to the mansion, Aslan has changed drastically.
“They say people change when they fall in love.”
“Did that saying apply to the young master too?”
If it were the usual, he would have treated the kids like objects, experimenting on them like tools.
But to nurture them with such sincerity surely means he likes them, right?
He meticulously instructed them in their studies, didn’t forget about their diet and exercise.
It was clearly his intention to raise them as suitable young ladies.
Why?
Because he had to make them suitable women for his position as a count!
“Oh. What do you think? The dreary mansion finally has an elegant atmosphere.”
“What do you think? Until the Young Master gets married, we must treat the Misses well.”
“Which of the Misses do you think the Young Master prefers?”
“Both… perhaps?”
“Maybe he’s waiting for both to grow up and become more refined young ladies before choosing one!”
“Such grand intentions!”
Whisper whisper.
The maids whispered in the quiet corridor into Aslan’s ears.
Sometime I should tighten discipline.
Thinking so, Aslan grabbed Charlotte’s petite hand and returned to the study.
***
“You! You made Charlotte cry again!?”
“Sob.”
“What on earth did you do this time!?”
“Focus on your studies. Sylvia. You switch with me.”
“Didn’t catch that?”
A growling dog ready to pounce at any moment.
Silvia tilted her head while holding Julia’s back.
You’re really going to let this go? Can the young master handle this? She seemed to ask with her eyes.
When I nodded silently, Sylvia let go of her hand, and Julia groaned and collapsed in front of her.
“Charlotte can’t even finish reading a book sitting down, let alone slow learning and poor memory. She’s clueless and dumb.”
“How could you say such harsh words to Charlotte!?”
“It’s what she said.”
“Still, that’s too much…”
“So, Charlotte should be assigned to other subjects. Sylvia, can you teach her?”
“Don’t tell me you want me to teach her how to deal with men? This brat…”
“No, teach her swordsmanship. Swordsmanship.”
Am I finally going insane?
What kind of nonsense is this?
With a mocking smile, Sylvia looked away.
This woman treats people like human garbage and shows no remorse.
“I have no interest in teaching. Unless they’re talented, they can’t follow my teachings.”
“Stop complaining and just do it, you’re lazy.”
“There are things that are bothersome.”
“Teach her anyway. You never know what talents might be hidden.”
“Well, certainly… Generally, children who can’t concentrate on their studies and are distracted tend to show talent in martial arts. Yes, I will check once. Come. Come. First, we need to find a wooden sword.”
“Where is a wooden sword?”
“I don’t know either.”
“…?”
Charlotte and Sylvia walked away side by side.
The study, now empty except for the silence that filled it in a blink of an eye.
The snarling dog that was there a moment ago is nowhere to be seen.
Julia, now back in her seat, focuses on the floor with her face reddened in concentration.
Just as I quietly returned to my seat holding the book that I had put down earlier.
“I need the appendix for this book…”
“…”
This one has a knack for talking behind my back.
Without turning her head, she murmurs, with her head bowed deeply.
It’s unlikely that this blunt-nosed thing will be fixed in a short time.
With a sigh, I pointed to the bookshelf.
“It’ll be somewhere in there. Find it yourself.”
“…”
Thump-thump.
Still with her head bowed, she walks past me.
As she was going straight to the bookshelf, she hesitated in front of me.
Does she have something to say?
Glancing down at the book, I could see Julia, who was trembling, clutching the hem of her skirt.
“What’s going on?”
“Uh, um…”
“…?”
“I, I’m sorry… It’s a misunderstanding…”
And then she quickly disappeared.
Without even waiting for my response, Julia disappeared through the gaps in the bookshelf.
Anyway, she’s got some nerve.
[Julia’s affection increased by 2.]
