“Charlotte. Are you in a lot of pain?”

Yulia, who had been slowly picking at her food, looked up. It had been a long time since she had seen Charlotte like this, feverish and sick.

When was the last time Charlotte was sick? Was it the winter of the year before last? There had been a hole in the window, and the cold wind had blown in. Because Charlotte had given her blanket to her, Yulia had caught a bad cold.

But this time, it was the middle of summer. Was it just bad luck? Yulia thought to brush it off, but suddenly, she recalled Charlotte's gaze when Aslan had picked her up, and she stiffened.

“...Could it be?”

Could it be that it was all an act? No. The fact that she had a fever couldn't be faked, so it had to be real. But could a mere low-grade fever make her so sick that she couldn’t think straight?

Was Charlotte... faking her illness? Why? For what reason? To get Aslan’s attention?

Yulia’s teeth clenched. Without Aslan’s hand to hold, she had spent the night clinging to her shark plushie. No way. That couldn’t be it.

“Why can't she sleep alone?”

Surely she had learned to control the whispers of the spirits. She could keep them from coming within a certain radius. She had even gained enough power to use a strong command that was effective against the once-great spirit, Heuk-Heuk.

So why? Why did she still have sleepless nights every time the sun went down? Why did she need that man's hand to fall asleep? It was utterly incomprehensible.

“Something is definitely fishy...!”

If it were just for a day or two, it wouldn’t be strange, but continuing like this was odd. Could it be that Aslan had used some kind of trick? Had he cast a curse that made her suffer from insomnia without his hand?

“Shameless...!”

So, he was trying to increase her dependency like that! She had caught him! If this wasn’t a curse, then it meant that she was an unstable child who felt extreme anxiety without Aslan’s hand. That couldn’t be true. No. Absolutely not.

Yulia quickly reached a clear conclusion.

“Do you really think this will make me like you?”

It was truly absurd and childish reasoning. It seemed he expected that, since she couldn’t live without Aslan, she would eventually come to like him. She wouldn’t fall for that easily. Did he think she would just become a countess without a second thought?

“Charlotte is taking her time.”

Even though she was eating slowly, the bowl was almost empty. Yulia glanced around the empty, spacious dining room and stood up suddenly.

“Is she really in a lot of pain?”

It might not be faking. It could be a serious illness accompanied by a low fever. Yulia felt her worries swell up suddenly as she headed toward the isolated room where Charlotte was.

“Voices?”

Charlotte’s cheerful voice could be heard echoing down the hallway. As Yulia approached, she saw the maids squatting in front of the door, blushing as they stood up.

“Um, um. Did you enjoy your meal?”
“Yes... But is Charlotte okay?”
“Would you like to check for yourself? Hehe.”

The maids giggled among themselves as they left. Why did they always look so happy? It seemed they only ever talked about her and Charlotte...

Yulia tilted her head slightly.

Then she quietly knelt down in front of the slightly ajar door. Almost as if entranced, she peered inside.

“...Ah.”

And then, something inside Yulia snapped.

How long had it been since she was locked away in the room? Yulia was still clutching her shark plushie tightly, struggling in agony.

What was this feeling? Why was her chest so tight and tingly? She didn’t know. Not knowing made her frustration boil over.

“Heuk-Heuk.”
[What is it?]
“What is Charlotte thinking?”
[...I can’t even guess what you’re trying to ask.]
“You’re close to Charlotte, so you should know. How she’s changed recently.”
[... .]

Close? With her? The once-great spirit’s brow furrowed. It was merely a one-sided game where she was treated like a toy. The spirit turned away with a nonchalant attitude but, upon seeing Yulia’s complicated expression, adopted a more serious demeanor.

[I don’t know about her changes. We haven’t known each other for that long, have we?]
“Even in that short time, you should be able to tell. The Charlotte I met when we first met and the recent Charlotte. You didn’t notice the changes?”
[I don’t know. As far as I can tell, Charlotte seems the same.]
“Then that’s fine.”

Ugh. This was no help at all. Yulia buried her face in the shark plushie and kicked her legs around.

Charlotte hadn’t changed? That couldn’t be right.

If Charlotte hadn’t changed, then what did that mean about her? Was it that she had changed instead? That didn’t make sense.

Yulia shook her head vigorously and immediately erased the spirit’s opinion from her mind.

“...She’s here.”

At that moment, the sound of chattering voices and footsteps could be heard from outside. Now that she thought about it, it had been quiet in the mansion for a long time. Had Charlotte gone somewhere?

Yulia got up from the bed and, right after, the door swung open with a bang. Light poured into the dark room, and Charlotte’s imposing shadow was cast.

“I’m back!”
“Uh, Charlotte. Are you feeling better?”
“I’m totally fine! Healthy! It’s all thanks to the uncle who took care of me all night!”
“...”

All night?

Crack.

Yulia’s teeth clenched.

“What are you hiding behind your back?”
“Oh, this. Ta-da! It’s the doll that uncle bought for me! It’s a bear! Isn’t it cute?”
“...”

A bear doll. It was the doll she had wanted at first. Yulia squeezed her shark plushie so tightly it felt like it might get crushed and ground her teeth again.

Was she really rubbing it in? Was that what was happening?

It was the first time she felt heated after seeing Charlotte's bright smile.

“What are you trying to do?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve never really liked dolls.”
“Yeah. I wasn’t interested, but since uncle said he’d buy me one, I picked one out. I think I’ll start to like them now.”
“...Of all things, a bear doll?”
“Of all things, a bear doll.”

Charlotte smiled brightly, squinting her eyes. So she was definitely rubbing it in.

Yulia sighed and jumped down from the bed. Meanwhile, the once-great spirit was left dumbfounded in place, unable to make a sound.

“What are you trying to do? Why are you getting on my nerves like this?”

Sharp.

Yulia glared, her eyes bloodshot.

“Getting on your nerves? Me?”
“Yeah. You are. It was you who left the door open when that man was massaging me, right? It wasn’t a mistake; it was on purpose. Since you’re always so careless, this must be convenient for you in situations like this.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“And why did you pretend you didn’t see me earlier?”
“Um, I didn’t want to interrupt my time with uncle?”
“...”

Ha! So she was finally showing her true colors.

“You see? Since Aslan is mine, you’re telling me to get lost.”
“What? That’s true, but why would that get on your nerves? You hate uncle, don’t you?”
“What...?”
“You say uncle is gloomy and you dislike him. That’s why I’m saying I’ll become a countess. One of us has to marry him. You really hate that, don’t you?”
“I just... I just want to sleep...”
“That alone shouldn’t make you feel this way.”

“...”

With a pout, Yulia’s mouth shut. Charlotte was right. She hated the idea of becoming a countess.

So why did it irritate her so much every time Charlotte flirted with Aslan?

“If you keep this up, it’ll be too late, Yulia. You’ll regret it later.”
“...Regret what?”
“Ugh. Are you pretending not to know, or haven’t you realized yet...?”

Charlotte shook her head and sighed. Yulia tilted her head in confusion. Too late? Regret? What had she not realized?

“The uncle’s side is now free! I’m satisfied now, so I’ll leave it to you.”
“...?”
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Which side are you on? Are you reluctantly becoming a countess, or do you really...?”

Does she really like Aslan? Yulia swallowed hard, unable to finish her question.

Charlotte was different on the outside and the inside. More accurately, she could present herself differently from what she truly felt.

Even when dealing with someone she disliked, she could keep a bright smile.

Yulia couldn’t manage to hide her feelings.

Charlotte could act like the sweet girl everyone loved.

But what about when dealing with Aslan? Was it just an act?

Which was the real her? Huh? Yulia was dying to know.

“Hmm...”

Charlotte looked at Yulia intently for a long time without answering. Then, with a grin, Charlotte narrowed her eyes and gave her a meaningful smile.

‘The intent behind the question is so obvious.’

It felt as if it was written all over Yulia’s face. ‘Please tell me it’s just an act.’

Huh. How cute. Charlotte beamed with a bashful smile.

“Well, what do you think?”
“Charlotte...!”
“Hehe. I might have gone a bit too far with the joke. I didn’t expect such a strong reaction. Sorry.”

Charlotte dashed over and hugged Yulia. Despite the embrace, Yulia couldn’t hide her bright blush on her face.

“Yulia, what about you? Is your only reason to want to monopolize uncle just because you want to sleep peacefully?”
“Of course...”
“Yulia, they say a woman who’s not honest is unpopular. You should listen to your heart more.”
“...”

So, what does that mean? I don’t understand at all...

Yulia bit her lip.

For some reason, Charlotte, who seemed to overflow with confidence, irritated her.

[Ah. I want to go home.]

And in this tense atmosphere, Yulia could feel the great spirit of the earth suddenly hit with exhaustion.