The warm morning sun streamed through the window, soaking into Yulia's skin. As she slowly regained consciousness, she stretched.

“Yawn...! Huh!?”

Startled by the sensation of something in her mouth, Yulia turned to the side. She quickly withdrew her hand, finding Aslan avoiding her gaze. The object in her mouth was none other than Aslan’s finger.

That jerk!

“What are you doing...?!”
“Are you awake? You seem to be in a foul mood this early in the morning.”
“Ugh! You’re treating me like a toy!”

Ignoring Yulia's irritation, Aslan continued to work diligently. Now that she thought about it, hadn’t he been acting like this since last night? Yulia rose from the sofa and made her way around to Aslan's back.

His broad back blocked her view of the desk. After tiptoeing for a while, Yulia finally pressed herself against Aslan’s side, allowing her to peek at the desk.

“What are you doing right now...? ”
“This is the financial statement. It details the taxes and business activities collected by Vermont, so you can understand it’s a comprehensive record of our economic activities. Originally, it was supposed to be done monthly... but it’s piled up for more than ten years, making it hard to figure out how much debt we have and how much we’re owed. I’m currently going through it all and organizing it.”
“Hmmm. So it’s taking so long because you’re doing ten years’ worth all at once. It’s like homework; if you don’t do it regularly, it becomes a hassle later.”
“Exactly.”
“Eek!?”

Suddenly, Aslan grabbed Yulia’s waist and lifted her up, causing her to land right on his knee.

“What are you doing without saying anything...?!”
“Didn’t you want to see what I was doing? I made it easier for you to see.”
“That’s not it! You’re treating me like a kid again!”
“Would you like me to treat you like a lady instead?”
“...!”

I am a lady, you know!

Sitting on Aslan’s knee, unable to move, Yulia puffed out her cheeks, signaling her irritation. Despite her anger, Aslan remained unflinching.

“This might be something you’ll have to do later. Pay attention.”
“Isn’t this something for a secretary to handle...? ”
“Even Sylvia, who is a knight, handles this kind of work.”
“Sylvia? She’s a knight? Not a secretary!? ”

Yulia gasped in surprise. So, she was officially a guard knight. Aslan was just using her without a second thought.

If being a knight was this demanding, then how much work would a secretary have to do? Yeah. There was no way she would become Aslan’s secretary.

Yulia quietly resolved this in her mind.

“I can’t be a secretary. How am I supposed to collect a billion Larks with a meager salary...? ”
“Then what?”
“I’ll become a renowned elemental sorceress. I’ve already become famous in the Arien Territory for dealing with Heuk-Heuk. I’ll become known nationwide and gather tons of work to make a fortune! ...I will!”
“That’s a good mindset.”

[The evil god, ‘Kali,’ smiles with satisfaction.]

Yes. That’s the spirit.

As Yulia declared with her fist clenched, Aslan felt pleased as he caught a whiff of her neck. He could leave the boring secretary job to Sylvia and focus on the more glamorous and profitable work for Charlotte and Yulia.

“Now, can I get down...? Huh?”

Rustle.

Feeling her clothes, Yulia flinched. There was a dizzying sensation that something was missing.

‘Oh! The rosary!’

Finally recalling the item she had borrowed from Sylvia, Yulia hurriedly patted her chest. But it wasn’t there. Nowhere to be found. She was sure she had worn it to bed.

That meant... it had been removed while she was sleeping!?

“You!? Did you take off my clothes while I was sleeping...?!”
“...”

Yulia’s face turned bright red, and she huddled her shoulders. In response, Aslan squeezed his eyes shut, tired of Yulia’s overactive imagination.

‘Is my sister truly a part of the Vermont family?’
‘Why? Does it not seem that way?’
‘Yes. No matter how I look at it, it’s hard to believe we share the same blood.’
‘Then do you think it would be best to eliminate her? Tell me, Aslan, what are your thoughts?’

Flash!

“Ugh...!”

Gasping for breath, Irene fell off her bed. Cold sweat dripped from her body, and her hands and feet trembled. She had just had a terrible nightmare.

“Damn it...”

Pushing her disheveled hair back, Irene cursed. Ever since she had caught a glimpse of Aslan’s bewildered face asking if her sister was truly part of the Vermont family, she had unconsciously started swearing, and now it had become a habit.

Irene splashed her face with cold water, trying to calm her rapid breathing.

It was a memory she could never forget. The day that completely changed Irene’s life. The more she recalled it, the more hatred surged for Count Vermont and Aslan.

Ah. Now Aslan had become Count Vermont.

“Ha. Hahaha...!”

In the end, she couldn’t stop him. She had tried every possible means to prevent Aslan from becoming the head of the family. After all that struggle, he had effortlessly inherited the title of Count.

The outcome had ended in such a hollow way.

Irene had been tense upon hearing that the reckless Aslan had changed, but she thought she still had plenty of time left. At least until the elder council meeting, she believed she could drag things out.

She never expected he would take advantage of the completion ceremony to invite the emperor and draw her attention, thus becoming a count right then and there. This was far beyond Irene’s predictions.

‘My guess was wrong. A new evil god’s emergence? That can’t be...’

At first, she had speculated it was due to a contract with a new evil god. However, gaining the emperor’s favor with the help of an evil god was impossible.

The emperor could see through a person’s inner self. If he had sensed the presence of an evil god, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid his disgust.

So this meant it was all purely Aslan’s own skill.

How could that foolish, gloomy brat Aslan have changed so drastically overnight? The answer that Irene came to was simple.

Aslan had regained the keen intellect he had shown in his childhood. That was the only explanation.

‘Wasn’t he just a foolish idiot, a mere invalid...?’

After Count Vermont’s death, Aslan had shut himself in the library, losing all confidence along with the talent he had shown as a child. All that remained was his eccentric personality, leaving him as an invalid obsessed with the illusion of useless dark magic.

And now, that Aslan had come to his senses. Did that mean he had regained all the talent he had once possessed?

Irene felt a chill run down her spine.

‘We have to stop this. I must stop it at all costs.’

If that demonic talent had resurfaced, it wouldn’t be long before Aslan completed the dark magic, following in his father’s footsteps.

With the original body, not just a manifestation of the evil god, wreaking havoc in this world, and the dead wandering the streets, a future would come where the boundaries between life and death, this world and hell, would become indistinct.

To prevent that future...

“I will drag him down.”

Aslan must be pulled down from his position as Count Vermont. What should be the first step toward that?

Irene felt lost. She could see no path ahead.

Her standing had fallen to almost nothing within the Vermont family. There was hardly anything she could decide.

The elders had all turned their backs on her, celebrating the newly inherited count. It meant she had no one to rely on; she had to do it all by herself.

“Fine. I’ll fight like a coward, dirty and petty.”

Alright. I’ll admit it.

Aslan, you’re still the pathetic little brat who trembles in fear just by looking at my face, but I’ll acknowledge that the power dynamics have shifted.

So brace yourself. From now on, I won’t engage in direct confrontation. I’ll only attack with what you fear the most.

What should I start with? Hmmm... yes. This is it.

With a brilliant plan in mind, a smirk crept onto Irene's lips.

“You’ve been raising those kids like they’re precious gems... Charlotte and Yulia, right? Those adorable little ones...”

Aslan’s two slaves, Charlotte and Yulia. To the casual observer, it seemed Aslan treated them carelessly.

However, anyone with a keen eye could see that he cherished them greatly.

How could I make Aslan despair the most? What could I do to make him fear the most? The answer was simple.

“I’ll spread the rumor that you’re raising those kids to devour them...!”

By spreading baseless gossip, I would drag Aslan’s reputation down to the depths of a bottomless pit.

If the world knew he was raising those young commoner slaves with the intent of taking them as wives later on, Aslan would be so embarrassed he wouldn’t be able to show his face.

The more he struggles to refute it, the worse the situation will become. People get excited not over the truth but for entertainment.

Once I tarnish his reputation, dragging Aslan down will be an easy task.

“Hahahaha...!”

Yes. This is it.

Irene burst into uncontrollable laughter. No matter how she looked at it, it was a perfect plan.