“Wow, look at this! The story about Charlotte and Julia made it to the newspaper!”
“Oh my. Let me see. The illustration came out really cute…!”
Around the time the morning newspaper was delivered, the maids gathered together, chatting animatedly while looking at the newspaper.
Before they looked, there was a bit of worry.
A necromancer and a dark knight.
Doesn’t it sound ominous just hearing their names?
They wondered what if the article wasn’t favorable.
“Ugh! I can’t look at it! You all check it out first!”
“Huh? It’s all positive news? They even noted that Julia is timid and kind-hearted, and Charlotte is pure and innocent? They’re being celebrated as heroes!”
“Really!?”
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
People recognized that Julia and Charlotte were cute!
Indeed, it’s impossible to mistake such kind-hearted and good-natured children as minions of an evil god. The maids nodded in satisfaction.
Charlotte and Julia have become so famous.
They felt proud as if their own children had become successful.
“What are you all looking at so intently?”
“Master…!?”
At that moment, the maids felt their hair stand on end at the low voice coming from behind.
It was the master.
They had been caught slacking off and not working…!
Even though the master’s personality had become much more easygoing recently, he seemed to have become even stricter about work and diligence than before.
The maids braced themselves for a scolding, standing in a straight line.
“I-I’m sorry!”
“I’ll return to my duties right away, Master!”
“Take it easy during the day. You might collapse from working in the blazing sun for too long.”
“Yes, yes…”
With the most gentle expression, Aslan casually spoke and walked away.
The maids tilted their heads in confusion.
Had the master lost his mind?
Rumble.
The maids secretly followed Aslan and were astonished.
“He keeps smiling so much?”
“Did something pleasant happen?”
Aslan, who always had a fierce expression as if he was angry,
Aslan, who always had a fierce and angry expression, was smiling broadly wherever he went. Once, the youngest had asked the master why he always looked so frightening.
The response had been, “This is my neutral expression.”
Given how scary Aslan’s neutral face was, if he was visibly grinning, how good must his mood be?
The rare occurrence had the maids gossiping excitedly.
“Something must have happened with Charlotte or Julia!”
“Yeah. There’s no other reason. The master wouldn’t smile so much otherwise…”
“Did he receive a confession?”
“If it’s a confession… it would be Charlotte, right? Julia is too shy and would find it difficult for now!”
“There’s a saying that a quiet cat gets on the stove first. Julia might have an unexpectedly bold side…!”
Who could be making him grin so widely?
It’s so curious!
If possible, they wanted to abandon all their work and follow the master to observe!
‘Then I should probably become a secretary, right?’
That thought suddenly crossed their minds.
‘Ah, but Lady Sylvia is practically the secretary already…’
They quickly abandoned the idea.
They had seen Sylvia, who was also the bodyguard, manager, and CEO of Vermont Security, juggling everything. They couldn’t even jokingly say they wanted to be the master’s secretary.
Yes.
They decided to be content with their current situation.
“But, the master’s expression is something…”
“Mm…”
The eyes of the maids, who had been watching Aslan closely, met.
It seemed they were all thinking the same thing.
It was good that the master was smiling more.
But perhaps because it was the first time seeing such an expression, it felt…
“The expression is unsettling. Please stop grinning so much.”
“Is that what you’re saying right after returning to your duties? Complaining about your superior?”
“I’m sure everyone else thinks the same. I’m speaking on behalf of all employees who had to endure this without voicing their complaints. It’s not meant to criticize you, but it really is unsettling. Please refrain from it.”
“…”
Ah! That’s what they were about to say but kept inside!
Sylvia’s sudden bombshell statement made Aslan’s eyes twitch.
The grinning corners of his mouth returned to their usual position.
Aslan’s face reverted to its usual stern and grim expression.
Ah, this is it.
The maids felt relieved and sighed. It seemed the master was best with his usual harsh expression.
The constant grinning had made them feel uneasy, nauseated, and it was just strange.
“Are you itching to get a pay cut or something?”
“If that’s what you think, I will gladly accept it. Even if I face a pay cut, I must speak my mind, don’t I?”
“Not even a hint of remorse.”
“Since I said something obvious, it’s only natural.”
“…”
With a brazen and defiant look, Sylvia stood firm.
Aslan felt a surge of anger and an impulse to literally tear her apart, but he decided to endure with a generous heart.
“Well. It’s a relief that you’re not the type to flatter insincerely. If nothing else, I’m glad for that.”
“I’m in the position of monitoring the master. Since my life is already in your hands, there’s nothing to fear.”
“Ah.”
“…?”
Tap.
Aslan’s steps halted as if he had thought of something.
Sylvia tilted her head.
‘Ah, I’d forgotten about the mark.’
Aslan had completely forgotten about the mark that remained on Sylvia from her time at Vermont.
Grabbing his throbbing head, he glanced at the direction where the maids were hiding and then whispered quietly so only Sylvia could hear.
“I’ll remove that mark.”
“…What?”
Swish.
Aslan unbuttoned one of Sylvia’s buttons, revealing the mark on her nape.
Sylvia, startled, reflexively stepped back. She quickly adjusted her collar and rebuttoned her shirt.
“I’m not the one who made the contract for the mark, but since I’ve inherited my father’s blood, it should be possible for me to remove it. Come to my room tonight, secretly.”
“…”
Sylvia stood frozen with a dazed expression.
Aslan turned and walked away, leaving Sylvia behind.
The maids, who had been eavesdropping, began whispering again.
“Did you hear what the master said earlier?”
“I didn’t catch the beginning, but I definitely heard the last part.”
“What did he say!?”
“He said, ‘Come to my room tonight, secretly…’!”
“…!?”
Is it really true!?
The maids were momentarily speechless from shock.
They felt a sudden urge to grab some popcorn and watch the unfolding drama.
***
“Still no sign of Dirt-Dirt…”
As the sun began to set, Charlotte, lying on the grass waiting endlessly for Dirt-Dirt, finally got up.
Dirt-Dirt hadn’t returned since leaving the night before.
“Well, it seems he’s no longer influenced by my command… Dirt-Dirt must have grown stronger.”
“Still, it’s not right to just leave without saying goodbye. He could at least have said farewell.”
“…”
Julia looked at Charlotte with a slightly annoyed expression.
It’s only natural that he wouldn’t want to come back after being tormented by her all this time.
“I treated him so well! I played with him so he wouldn’t be bored. Sigh. I already miss him…”
“Well, maybe he’ll come around to visit sometime?”
“I wish he would come now. I’m starting to get sleepy. I hope he doesn’t come and go while I’m asleep…”
Charlotte sobbed.
Julia looked at her with a hint of pity.
Despite the trouble Charlotte caused, it seemed that Dirt-Dirt enjoyed being around her despite his complaints. Maybe a kind of grudging affection had formed.
Charlotte had hoped Dirt-Dirt would at least say goodbye, but she hadn’t expected him to leave so abruptly.
Was he never coming back…?
As the sky darkened and stars began to appear, Charlotte dusted herself off and stood up.
“I’d better go to bed. That way, I can wake up early and wait for Dirt-Dirt tomorrow morning!”
“So you’re getting up early just for that…”
“Sleep well too, Julia! If you rub your cheeks against the palm of that Mister you like, you might fall asleep better. Hehe.”
“Hey!!!”
Avoiding Julia’s fiery anger, Charlotte quickly ran away.
She wondered why Julia was angry when she only spoke the truth.
Julia’s cheeks were already flushed red with embarrassment.
“Ugh, seriously. It’s absurd. Why would I fall asleep next to that man because I like him? It’s just a habit…”
Pout.
Julia trudged towards Aslan’s office.
The idea that she liked Aslan…
It was preposterous.
“Eh?”
When she arrived at the office, it was empty.
Julia checked the sofa and under the desk, confirming that Aslan was indeed not there.
What could be the reason?
Aslan, who seemed like a workaholic, had decided to take the day off?
Maybe he had gone to bed early?
Julia suddenly remembered Aslan’s appearance when he had fallen asleep, or rather, when he had fainted.
She hadn’t had a chance to see him clearly because of Charlotte.
She wanted to see him again…
Unbeknownst to him, Julia was heading towards Aslan’s bedroom.
“Ah.”
“…Shh.”
There was a visitor.
Julia slightly pushed open the door going towards Aslan’s bedroom and spotted Charlotte kneeling in front of the door.
Charlotte looked as if she had seen something shocking.
Julia tilted her head in curiosity, and Charlotte silently gestured for her to come closer.
“…!”
Through the gap in the door, Julia saw two people:
Sylvia and Aslan.
And Sylvia was…
“Take it off.”
“…!?”
Following Aslan’s command…
Sylvia was unbottoning her top.
