Crack. Crack.

After receiving the great spirit’s welcome, Vanessa, the Emperor, felt her teeth grinding painfully as she walked into the mansion. The expressions of her attendants turned pale.

'What are we going to do about this chilling atmosphere?'

Those crazy Vermonters! She had known their family was never in their right mind, but she hadn’t expected it to this extent. This was not just irritating the Emperor’s mood; it was outright provoking her!

Vermont would soon be torn apart.

As everyone sensed the impending disaster with shock, only Aslan appeared calm.

"So what was that monster just now?"

"Oh. You mean Dirt?"

"Dirt...?"

"That’s the name of the earth spirit you just saw. It was a great spirit that lived in the mountains where the road was constructed, but our spirit mage has temporarily isolated it with a spell."

"Ha. What a shabby naming sense."

Did she laugh? Was that a hollow laugh? Did it mean she wanted to kill him? The attendants stirred behind them.

'Oh my. I was careless. I almost burst out laughing.'

Barely swallowing her laughter, Vanessa returned her expression to a neutral state.

To think that shabby thing was a great spirit. And it was a mascot! She wanted to engage in a deeper conversation with that great spirit, but the longer she stared, the more she felt she might reveal her true feelings, so she had to give up and turn away.

In any case, she endured. Although Vermont’s peculiar tastes were unexpected, she overcame the crisis, and now the remaining schedule should proceed smoothly.

…Or so she believed.

"I will now guide you to the mansion. Would you like some tea in a cool place?"

"Sure, bring chamomile tea."

"Yes. The children will be serving tea today."

"Oh, hello!"

"…!"

Yulia and Charlotte peeked out timidly from around the corner. The Emperor's eyes widened.

Damn! How cute!

For a moment, a rush of emotions threatened to cause her to nosebleed, and Vanessa quickly pinched her nose.

'That damned Vermont. Are you trying to shake me like this?'

With a crushing grip, Vanessa pinched her thigh and forcefully suppressed her rising smile.

The children emerged wearing perfectly fitted maid outfits, awkwardly trying to brew tea!

Was Vermont a pedophile? Is that it? There’s no way he would employ maids of such a young age otherwise!

But they were so cute! Both of them were so adorable she wanted to bite them to death!

"How does it taste?"

"Ugh."

"Your Majesty?"

"Forget it. It’s just that my recent migraines have been severe."

"They say peppermint tea is good for headaches! I learned it from the head maid! Would you like a cup of peppermint tea, Your Majesty?"

"Hey, Charlotte. You should call her Your Majesty. That’s rude..."

"Your Majesty sister!"

"Not 'Your Majesty sister'…"

"Ugh. Just stop. Let’s drink the tea."

Damn it, damn it.

One was the innocent type, and the other was the smart one!

To think she was managing such cute kids. Vermont truly was the lair of a wicked black magician.

As Vanessa's gaze turned increasingly dark toward Aslan...

"Your Majesty. I have something urgent to discuss."

"Speak."

"I’ve heard there are ongoing projects to provide national treasury support to orphanages or nurseries."

"It’s being conducted through the church. What of it?"

"It seems that many corrupt individuals are involved among those operators. Just looking at the orphanage where these children were, the operators pocketed the support funds, abused the children, and closed the orphanage under the pretext of financial difficulties, sending the children off to slave traders. It’s presumed that such a shameless and heinous person could operate the orphanage for such a long time due to the inadequate supervision system. I dare to speculate that such individuals are widespread across the country."

"…Is that true? If it’s a lie, you will not escape the harshest punishment."

"I swear there is no falsehood in my words."

Growl.

Even under Vanessa's warning, Aslan did not back down and bowed his head in response.

At this, Vanessa swallowed her anger inwardly and showed her neutral expression again.

To think such corruption was happening in orphanages.

She had never imagined it.

Did they know? As she glanced back with a questioning look, the faces of her attendants had turned pale.

"I understand your concerns. I will personally inspect the operators and take action."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

So he wasn’t a pedophile, but merely someone who loved children? Was it just a pure affection without any sinister intentions?

If that was the case, he passed. The troublesome fellow.

You’re in the same league as me.

Vanessa smiled inwardly, satisfied.

"I feel like I can communicate well with you. Let’s send away the noisy spectators and make arrangements for a more earnest conversation."

"Y-Yes?"

"I was indirectly telling you all to get lost because you’re all a nuisance. Isn’t that how one circumlocutes?"

"I-I will clear the space immediately, Your Majesty...!"

As Irene and the attendants hurriedly left the room, Aslan’s eyes turned dead as he was left alone with the Emperor.

How did it end up like this?

"Ah, the tea smells really nice. I’m not well-versed in tea ceremonies, so I don’t know how to express it, but it’s truly a delightful taste."

"I’m so glad it suits your taste, Your Majesty..."

In the narrow audience room left for just the two of them, I froze as I sat before the Emperor, who was leisurely sipping her tea.

It felt like sitting on a chair reminiscent of childhood.

What did I do wrong? was all I could repeat in my mind.

"Aslan Vermont."

"Yes."

"I did a little investigation on you. It seems you showed talent for magic in your youth, but after your father’s execution, you lost all your abilities. You became a waste for ten years, delving into black magic... no, sorcery. You showed no will to continue the family business until two months ago when you suddenly started acting."

"…"

It felt as if she knew me better than I did.

"I won’t ask what caused your change of heart. I’m not curious about the reasons. What I want to know is what kind of person you are. In my assessment, you seem to be a seemingly sinister yet rather naive young man."

"…Is it alright to ask why you think so?"

"I can tell by looking into your eyes. There are no bad people who love children. Likewise, by looking into the eyes of the children who just served me tea, I can get a rough idea of what kind of life they’re living here."

Her tone was filled with conviction.

Eyes? Can emotions be glimpsed through the eyes?

While it was nice to have won the Emperor's favor, making eye contact with her was a million times more daunting.

"Look into my eyes, Aslan Vermont."

"Y-Yes..."

"You are a person who hides many things. I won’t pry into the details. We are both busy, so let’s hurry to what needs to be done. The road you built has created the shortest link between the border and the capital, which holds great significance. Considering its immeasurable value for commerce, I will grant a tax exemption on the road for the next hundred years."

"I am deeply grateful, Your Majesty."

It was an extraordinary reward. Typically, when constructing national infrastructure, the royal family would provide compensation amounting to about half of the construction costs. Receiving tax exemption for a hundred years was equivalent to receiving compensation in the hundreds of billions, if not more.

"Also, your current status as a young lord is quite bothersome. With that, I cannot assign you any tasks."

"N-No. I will inherit the title of count after an internal meeting soon."

"Seeing your sister’s eyes, I reckon that process would take over ten years. Just inherit it now."

"W-What?"

"I, Vanessa Friedrich, hereby proclaim that you have inherited all the rights and responsibilities of the Count governing Vermont from now on. Accordingly, I order Vermont to transition from a count deputy system to a normal system. Do you have any objections?"

"N-No! None!"

"…Stand up. Damn it. Never do that bowing thing in front of me again."

My body automatically prostrated itself.

To suddenly receive the title of count?

It was an inheritance that ignored all procedures, but there was no issue with its validity.

Because the Emperor herself had granted the inheritance.

In effect, I was exempt from road taxes for life.

And I had become a count and the head of the family.

It was clearly a string of good things, yet for some reason, I felt an ominous chill that wouldn’t dissipate.

"I repeat, you have inherited not only the powers but also the responsibilities of the Count of Vermont. As the Emperor’s vassal, you cannot offer any excuses to refuse my summons."

"…I fully understand."

"Then don’t think of disappearing suddenly, and wait quietly. There will come a day when I will call for you."

"…"

Creepy.

With a chilling smile, the Emperor stood up.

Even though such a beautiful woman was smiling brightly, for the first time, I felt fear rather than admiration.

I remained frozen in place for a long time, unable to stand up after the Emperor left the room.

'Ah.'

I'm screwed.

I was too reckless in winning the Emperor’s favor.

I should have kept it moderate.

If I was going to use someone, it should have been just Dirt, not Charlotte and Yulia.

A sudden wave of regret washed over me.