‘Aslan Vermont. The person who has rapidly elevated the Vermont family, which has been on the path of decline since the execution of the Count…’
Merilda maintained a calm expression on the surface as she observed Charlotte and Julia’s reactions.
She had already realized that Aslan Vermont was not the reckless fool the rumors suggested.
However, it seemed these kids deeply respected Aslan, so if she pretended to misunderstand him, they would spill information on their own.
‘He really is a strange person.’
When a family grows this quickly, it usually means there’s some kind of problem internally or externally.
Count Vermont had eliminated internal discord through a major purge and had secured his position externally by establishing ties with the Empress.
It was hard to believe that the reclusive strategist had remained quiet for years.
Although she hadn’t received any specific instructions from her father, he was undoubtedly wary of Count Vermont.
Gathering with the close associates of such a formidable opponent naturally called for information gathering.
Moreover, the other party consisted of children.
They were so naive in diplomatic matters that they wouldn’t suspect she was probing for information.
Now, let’s see if we can unveil the true nature of Aslan Vermont…!
“I heard that Count Vermont has taken in a commoner sl*ve to make her his future wife?”
“That’s…!”
“Um, that’s…”
Charlotte and Julia tried to refute her at the same time, but their words trailed off.
In order to maintain Aslan’s image, they had to say no here.
Since it was perfectly correct without a single mistake, they hesitated.
“That’s actually true…”
“Ch- Charlotte!”
“What can we do if it’s true…? They say lying is bad.”
“Huh? Is it really true?”
Merilda’s eyes widened.
She had expected an enthusiastic defense, but was it actually the truth…?
“Um, actually, I had insomnia… No, I used to have insomnia, so I would sleep next to Aslan, and each time, he would smile with ulterior motives and touch my cheeks…!”
“He has me give him massages almost every day! He loves it when I step on him…!”
“Ah, Aslan really loves my hair! So when I pretend to sleep or act like I’m not paying attention, he secretly touches it!”
“Hmm… He seems to like my hair more. Even if I don’t ask, he often ties it up for me.”
“W-what!? He ties your hair…?”
“Julia gets annoyed every time he touches her hair, so he doesn’t tie it for her. If she were honest, he would.”
“I-I’m not particularly asking for it…!”
Before long, Charlotte and Julia began boasting about their experiences with Aslan.
Julia’s face turned red as she fell for Charlotte’s provocation.
It was true that she hated when Aslan touched her hair.
That man would carelessly mess with it, and afterward, it was always tangled…
Though that clumsy touch annoyed her, she didn’t entirely dislike it.
She just wished he would treat it a bit more delicately…
‘Aha. I get it.’
Watching Charlotte and Julia bicker, Merilda nodded in understanding.
She more or less grasped the situation.
‘It seems Count Vermont has taken in the children with good intentions and is nurturing them carefully. It would be suspicious if he raised them for no reason, so he probably let the rumors circulate on purpose.’
It appeared that Charlotte and Julia were misunderstanding things.
Cheeks? Hair?
That much was easily acceptable. From a third-party perspective, it sounded like he simply adored the kids without any ulterior motives.
Charlotte and Julia evidently held great respect and admiration for Count Vermont.
Hence, they were overinterpreting even the slightest kindness.
Despite their power being much greater than their peers, they were still just kids.
Merilda quietly covered her mouth, stifling a laugh.
And on the other side…
‘”Touching Julia’s cheeks…? Secretly touching her hair…? Tying her hair up…?’
Yuri’s world was crumbling in real-time.
She had anticipated this.
She had expected Aslan Vermont to use every dirty trick in the book to win over Charlotte and Julia. But hearing it directly from them was vastly different from merely imagining it in her head.
The sight of Charlotte and Julia proudly showcasing their relationship with Aslan was more agonizing than Yuri had imagined.
She wanted to close her eyes and cover her ears.
She wanted to wake up from this horrific nightmare.
Behind her mask, Yuri was nearly on the verge of tears.
“Aslan even wants to spend more time with me, to the point where he’s applying for tutoring that he’s not even interested in!”
“That’s probably just because he’s genuinely interested in academics. He just wants to take advantage of your intelligence, Julia!”
“No way!”
“Does he help me put on armor? I wonder if you know.”
“T-That’s a lie!”
Before long, Charlotte and Julia were in full competition, oblivious to their surroundings, while Yuri was gradually approaching a mental breakdown.
Please, just stop. I can’t take it anymore.
She had already discarded the hypothesis that Charlotte and Julia had been brainwashed.
There was no way their lively chatter and laughter could be fabricated.
It was definitely her friends, but that made it even more painful to listen to.
This was all coming from a sane mind, meaning they were truly enchanted by Aslan Vermont.
If it wasn’t brainwashing, what kind of trick had Aslan Vermont used…?
‘Hehe, it’s cute how both of them are desperate to catch the Count’s attention.’
On the other side, Merilda struggled to suppress her laughter.
While she felt a hint of suspicion about liking someone as grim-looking as Aslan Vermont, everyone has their own preferences.
She likes someone with a face like Yuria’s.
Merilda smiled with satisfaction as she moved closer to Yuria.
Now that she knew Aslan Vermont wasn’t as malicious as the rumors suggested, she felt she could safely grow closer to Yuria!
‘Really, Yuria is like a machine.’
Despite Merilda’s enthusiastic attempts to close the distance, Yuria remained completely unmoved.
Puffing up her cheeks at Yuria’s cold response, Merilda felt a surge of determination.
How remarkably composed and serious she was about her duties!
Merilda felt herself falling for her all over again.
However, Yuri was just caught in a panic, teetering on the brink of mental collapse.
She wasn’t in a state to respond to any stimulus.
‘I’ll admit this: Aslan Vermont doesn’t treat Charlotte and Julia like objects, nor is he conducting experiments on them.’
From this brief journey and the conversations with her friends, Yuri realized there was a significant gap between public perception and the reality of Aslan Vermont.
He might not be the bad person she had initially thought.
But one thing was certain.
Aslan Vermont had led Charlotte and Julia down the path of darkness, turning them into a dark knight and a necromancer.
And he intended to accept them as his wives in their corrupted forms…!
That much must be stopped.
It absolutely must be stopped.
But how? No solution came to mind.
If I charged in with force, could I win?
Would Charlotte and Julia comply?
I didn’t know… I couldn’t guarantee anything.
But there was a method. A highly likely method.
‘Aslan Vermont has a penchant for raising pure, untainted commoner children before consuming them…’
She bit her lip.
She never thought he’d come up with a plan like this.
An untainted commoner child.
There was someone here who fit that criterion.
Me.
She, too, could fall within Aslan Vermont’s tastes.
If that’s the case, she could attract his attention and persuade him to let Charlotte and Julia go.
If she became the Countess first and firmly opposed the idea of a polygamous marriage…!
‘But there’s a big problem: Aslan Vermont thinks I’m a man…!’
Yet, Aslan Vermont didn’t see her as a woman.
So, would she need to make him see her as one…?
Wear flowy, feminine skirts and grow her hair out…?
I’m really terrible at that kind of thing—what should I do?
As Yuri was lost in her thoughts…
“Yuria?!”
“Everyone, duck! Someone is approaching the carriage!”
“…!?”
With a strange sense, Yuri’s body instinctively shot up.
Someone was approaching the carriage.
Many someones!
Was it the bandits they encountered when coming to Ester?
“Hahaha! This time we hired a mage to erase our presence! Hand over everything you have!”
“…!”
Looking outside, she saw the carriage was already surrounded.
This was bad.
If the non-combatant Princess was taken hostage, things would get very complicated.
Just as Yuri was about to draw her sword in a hurry…
“Sylvia, draw it.”
“Haah. Do I really have to draw it from your mouth?”
“Where else is it going to come from, Grrgh!”
Swishhhh.
With a swish, Sylvia, with a bashful expression, drew the sword from Aslan’s mouth and took her stance.
Yuri was left dumbfounded.
The bandits also froze in shock at the scene.
