"Look! Charlotte and Yulia’s story is in the newspaper!" "Oh my. Let me see. The illustration turned out really cute...!"

Around the time the morning newspaper was delivered, the maids gathered together, chattering excitedly as they looked through the paper.

Before peeking inside, I felt a slight worry. A necromancer and a dark knight. Doesn’t it sound ominous just by hearing their names? I was concerned about what if the article turned out poorly.

"Ugh! I can’t look! You guys check first!" "Huh? It’s all good news, though! Our Yulia is known for her timid and kind nature, and Charlotte is portrayed as pure and innocent! They’re being celebrated as heroes!" "Really!?"

Fortunately, that wasn’t the case. People recognized that Yulia and Charlotte were cute! After all, it’s fundamentally impossible to misunderstand such kind-hearted children as minions of an evil deity. The maids nodded their heads with satisfied expressions.

To think that Charlotte and Yulia had become this famous. It filled me with pride, as if my own children had achieved great success.

"What are you all looking at so intently?" "My lord...!?"

At that moment, a quiet voice came from behind, and the maids felt their feathers ruffle. It was the lord. They had been caught idling around instead of working...!

Even though the lord had become much more easygoing lately, he seemed even stricter about work than before. He had become more stringent regarding diligence for himself and others. The maids braced themselves for a scolding as they stood in a line, feeling anxious.

"I-I’m sorry!" "I’ll return to work right away, my lord!" "It’s midday, take it easy while working. If you work too long in the blazing sun, you might collapse." "Y-Yes...?"

With the world’s most gentle face, Aslan tossed out kind words before leaving. The maids tilted their heads in confusion. Has the lord gone mad?

Suddenly. The maids stealthily followed Aslan, and they were shocked.

"Why does he keep smiling like that?" "Did something good happen to him?"

Aslan, who usually wore a fierce expression, was grinning wherever he went. Once, the youngest had boldly asked the lord why he looked so angry. At that time, Aslan’s reply had been, "This is my neutral face."

Aslan, whose neutral face was fearsome enough to intimidate. To see him smiling so much was an incredibly rare sight—just how happy was he?

The maids began to whisper excitedly.

"It must be that something happened with Charlotte or Yulia!" "Yeah. There’s no other explanation. There must be a reason for the lord to be so cheerful..." "Did he get confessed to?" "If it’s a confession, it would be Charlotte, right? Yulia seems too shy to do that yet!" "There’s a saying that the quiet cat gets on the stove first. Yulia might have a surprisingly bold side...!"

Who could have made him smile so widely? I’m curious! If possible, I want to drop everything and follow the lord around, observing!

'To do that, I’d need to become a secretary, wouldn’t I?'

That thought crossed my mind for a moment.

'Ah. But Sylvia is practically serving as the secretary...'

I quickly gave up. After watching Sylvia juggle being a secretary, a bodyguard, an accountant, and the CEO of Vermont Security, I couldn’t even say I wanted to be the lord's secretary in jest.

Okay. Let’s be content with this life.

"But, the lord’s expression is a bit...?" "Hmm...?"

The maids’ eyes met as they continuously watched Aslan. It seemed they all had the same thought. It was certainly a good thing that the lord was smiling more. But perhaps because it was the first time seeing such a face, it felt...

"It feels off. Please stop smiling like that." "Are you immediately bad-mouthing your superior after returning? What do you think you’re doing?" "I’m sure everyone else feels the same way. I’m speaking on behalf of all the employees who had to hold back their thoughts. I’m not trying to slander; it genuinely feels off. Please restrain yourself." "…."

Oh! We were about to say that but swallowed the words! At Sylvia's bombshell remark, Aslan's eyes twitched. Only then did his grin fade back to its usual stoic and even fierce expression.

Ah, this is it. The maids felt a sense of relief, their chests easing. After all, the lord is at his best with that fierce expression. When he smiles like that, it makes me feel queasy and nauseous; it feels off.

"Do you want to be penalized?" "If you think that way, I’ll gladly accept it. Even if I’m penalized, I must say what needs to be said, right?" "You show not a hint of remorse." "It’s only natural since I spoke the truth." "…."

With a defiant gaze, Sylvia stood her ground. In response, Aslan felt a surge of anger as if he wanted to truly cut her down. But he decided to hold back with a forgiving heart.

"Fine. I hope you continue to be as obstinate as you are. At least it’s fortunate you’re not a flatterer who says things you don’t mean." "I’m in a position to watch over you. Given that my life is in your hands, I have nothing to fear." "Ah." "…?"

Thud. Aslan paused, as if remembering something. Sylvia tilted her head in confusion.

'Come to think of it, the brand is still there.'

I had forgotten. That Sylvia still bore the brand from Vermont. Grabbing his throbbing head, Aslan glanced at the direction the maids were hiding, then whispered quietly, only for Sylvia to hear.

"I’ll remove that brand." "…Yes?"

Swoosh. As Aslan deftly undid a button, Sylvia’s collar fell away, revealing the brand etched into her nape. Startled, Sylvia instinctively stepped back. Then she quickly adjusted her collar, buttoning it up again.

"I may not be the contracting party that engraved the brand, but I inherited my father’s blood, so it should be possible for me to remove it. Come to my bedroom tonight, quietly." "…."

Sylvia froze in a daze. Aslan left her standing there and turned away. The maids watching the two began to whisper again.

"Did you hear what the lord said just now?" "I didn’t catch the beginning, but I definitely heard the last part." "What did he say!?" "He said, ‘Come to my bedroom tonight, quietly’...!" "…!? "

No way, really!? The maids were momentarily speechless from shock. For some reason, they felt a desire to watch while eating popcorn.

"Dirt Dirt hasn’t come back..."

As the sun began to set in the evening, Charlotte sat on the grass, waiting for Dirt Dirt absentmindedly. Dirt Dirt hadn’t shown his face since he left last night.

"Well, now that he’s no longer affected by my spell... It seems he’s grown stronger." "Even so, leaving without a word? He could have at least said goodbye."

"…."

Looking at the dejected Charlotte, Yulia felt slightly uncomfortable. Isn’t it only natural to want to stay away from a place where you’ve been tormented? During the time spent here, she had harassed him so much...

"I treated him really well! I played with him so he wouldn’t get bored. Ugh. I miss him already..." "Well, he will show his face again sometime, won’t he?" "It would be nice if he came back now. I’m starting to feel sleepy. If he comes while I’m asleep and leaves because I’m not around...!"

Charlotte sniffled. Yulia looked at her with a bit of sympathy. In truth, while she was annoying, Dirt Dirt seemed to enjoy being dragged around by Charlotte despite always saying he disliked it. Maybe it was the feeling of being begrudgingly fond of him.

As Charlotte had said, it would have been nice if he at least said goodbye. But she hadn’t expected him to leave without a word.

Would he really never come back...?

When the darkening sky began to show a faint twinkle of stars, Charlotte stood up, dusting off her bottom.

"I should go to bed now. That way, I can wake up early tomorrow and wait for Dirt Dirt!" "So that’s the reason you want to wake up early...?" "You sleep well too! If I rub my cheeks on the palm of the uncle you like while sleeping, I’m sure I’ll sleep well. Hehe." "Hey!!!"

Avoiding the furious Yulia, Charlotte hurriedly ran away. Why was she angry for just stating the fact? By now, Yulia’s cheeks had turned bright red.

"Hah, really. It’s just so ridiculous. Do I really fall asleep next to that guy because I like him? It’s just become a habit...?"

Thud. With a pout, Yulia trudged toward Aslan’s office. Saying I like Aslan. That can’t be true...

"Huh?"

When she arrived at the office, it was completely empty. Yulia glanced once at the sofa, then under the desk, confirming that Aslan really wasn’t there. What could be happening? The workaholic Aslan, who seemed addicted to work... Had he decided to take a proper rest today?

If that’s the case, could he have gone to sleep early? Yulia suddenly recalled the moment when Aslan had been unconscious—no, when he had been lying with his eyes closed. She hadn’t been able to see it clearly because of Charlotte. She wanted to see it again...

Unknowingly, Yulia was heading toward Aslan’s bedroom.

"Ah." "…Shh."

There was a visitor. Yulia slightly opened the door to Aslan’s bedroom and saw Charlotte crouched by the door. Charlotte’s expression was one of shock, as if she had seen something surprising. As Yulia tilted her head in confusion, Charlotte gestured for her to come over quietly.

"…!"

Peeking through the door, Yulia’s vision fell upon two people. Sylvia and Aslan. And Sylvia was...

"Take it off." "…!? "

At Aslan's command, she was pulling off her top.