'The brand...'

As Sylvia made her way toward Aslan's bedroom, her steps were heavy. She traced her fingers along the nape of her neck, recalling the past.

"Ugh..."

Her lips involuntarily chewed at one another. Her brows furrowed.

Pain and humiliation intertwined in her history. This brand was proof of that history.

Since the moment it was branded onto her, she had wanted to rip it off. However, the instant she did, she would immediately find herself living a life with an expiration date of less than a year.

If ripping it off could lead to the destruction of Vermont within a year, she might have done it. But in her current state, unable to use mana, even waiting for an opportunity seemed impossible.

Thus, she lived weakly. She lacked the courage to die. She swallowed her humiliation and allowed the glories of the past to fade into mere memories.

'It could have been done long ago...'

But then, one day, Aslan suddenly granted her mana. A sudden influx of mana.

It was possible to use a dispel magic spell if she wanted. She could immediately remove this brand.

However, even if she used dispel magic to remove the brand, side effects would follow. While it might not be the death sentence of a year, no one could predict what sort of side effects would occur. Thus, using dispel magic was also dangerous. Making excuse after excuse, Sylvia couldn’t bring herself to remove the brand.

But today. Aslan, as if he had suddenly remembered something trivial, said he would remove the brand for her. Since he was undoing the contract itself, there was no need to worry about side effects. In this case... there was no reason to refuse...?

Thus, she was heading toward Aslan's bedroom. Yet for some reason, Sylvia felt uneasy. Something felt off. An empty feeling.

It was a feeling difficult to describe.

"It’s me, my lord." "Come in."

Knock, knock. After lightly knocking, she opened the door. It had been a long time since she stepped into Aslan’s bedroom. In truth, did this room even get used? It seemed Aslan spent all his time shuttling between his office and the library.

"Why are you still in work clothes? You have a holiday until tomorrow." "Ah. It’s just a habit...”

Sylvia checked her outfit and realized with a start. Even though it was a holiday and late at night, she was still wearing her stiff work uniform.

"You should be wearing something loose and casual like you do on holidays." "Th-that was...!" "Forget it. Just sit down." "..."

It wasn't that she always looked so shabby on holidays; it was just that on that day, she had to use a fork instead of a hairpin because she couldn’t find it. She wanted to explain at length, but Sylvia was denied that opportunity. With a face full of dissatisfaction, she plopped down onto the chair.

At that moment, a hand suddenly reached from behind and unfastened two buttons.

"Hah!?" "Avoid making noise in the middle of the night." "No, it’s not just now. What are you doing recklessly touching a lady's clothing...!" "I don’t handle a lady’s clothes carelessly. It’s because it’s you that I’m doing this." "…."

Aslan smirked as he examined the nape of Sylvia’s neck. Giving in, Sylvia relaxed her shoulders. This man had been doing this for days; she had already given up on expecting to be treated like a lady.

Aslan continued to play with Sylvia's collar for a while. Then he sighed and pulled his hands away.

"Are you wearing underwear?" "Y-Yes!?" "I think I need to examine your back. So, Sylvia. Take it off." "…Are you seriously trying to get me to undress for no reason?" "Do you truly want to be penalized?" "…."

Sylvia's body shrank at Aslan's irritating voice. He wasn’t good at lying. It was surely a serious matter.

Without hesitation, Sylvia stood up and quietly began to remove her top.

Thud, thud, thud. As the buttons popped open one by one, her pale skin began to reveal itself. Through her thin underwear, well-trained back muscles became visible. Aslan gulped involuntarily at the sight.

'Oh. She’s developed quite the latissimus dorsi.'

Considering she was a woman, her muscles were remarkably well-defined. Though she was small in stature, she was far sturdier than Aslan himself. As Aslan admired her, secretly feeling envious, he thought:

'Y-you're not actually salivating, are you?'

Sylvia’s pupils were darting around restlessly. Ah. Should I have figured this out when I told her to come to my bedroom? After all, there’s no way this man would willingly remove my brand!

Was he demanding my body in exchange for removing the brand? Ahhh...! A whirlwind of various imaginings swirled in Sylvia’s mind.

But regardless of what he wanted, Aslan opened a dusty book he had retrieved from the library.

"This book is the grimoire used to leave a brand on your nape. I’ll use it to proceed with the contract termination." "But is it really necessary to touch my back?" "My fingers and palms need to be in full contact with your body. The only place that’s possible is your back." "…."

It could be possible on my thighs, too. But saying that would sound like bragging about having thick thighs, which she disliked. Ultimately, it would have to be her back or belly. The belly is in the front. That’s embarrassing. The back was the better choice.

"I’ll start. The grimoire itself is imbued with magical effects, so even if you can’t handle mana, you just need to recite the incantation properly."

Muttering. As Aslan began to recite the incantation, a strange flicker of mana filled the room. Sylvia felt the brand on her nape start to heat up.

'He’s really going to remove it without asking for anything in return...'

She had misunderstood again. She had jumped to conclusions too quickly.

After all, it had always been this way. Recently, the lord had not acted with any malice. ...Well, maybe one thing had happened? No, two. Three?

In any case, this time, Aslan’s intentions didn’t seem dark at all.

Those who didn’t know Aslan would likely still view him as a cold-hearted man. But in reality, he was surprisingly warm. Even his snowy-white hands felt unexpectedly warm. She could feel that warmth when she had to tightly hug him underground for a long time.

'Ugh...'

At that moment, she recalled Aslan's broad chest. And the sensations of their thighs intertwined and his groin against her thigh came flooding back. Sylvia's cheeks flushed red. Ah. Was that too much to handle...?

"Your heartbeat is quickening. I don’t know what you’re imagining, but whatever it is, keep it in check. If you get flustered, the spell won’t work." "W-What...!?" "Calm down." "If you answer one question, I think I can calm down." "Speak."

Sylvia's lips trembled. After a long moment of hesitation, she finally opened her mouth.

"I’m just curious... Why did you suddenly decide to remove the brand?" "Is it so astonishing that I’m doing you a favor?" "…."

"It must be astonishing. I’ve forgotten that fact."

Aslan chuckled bitterly. He keeps forgetting. That this body had originally been a reckless, unprincipled delinquent.

"As long as this brand remains, I cannot harm you. However, I have a lot of resentment toward Vermont. I’m simply curious what will happen after removing the brand. And there’s still a lot of mana left in my body." "What are you trying to say? What if I decide to backtrack after you’ve dispelled the brand?" "Do you truly think I trust you?" "…Yes?"

Sylvia's eyes widened.

"It’s not that I trust you. I’m doing this to earn your trust. What if, the moment I remove the brand, you suddenly turn against me? That can’t be helped. I’ll take that risk in order to earn your heart. A connection built on trust is far stronger than one bound by contracts and brands, isn’t it?" "…."

To take a risk... Those were words uncharacteristic of Aslan. He always acted composed, as if he had everything figured out. But here he was, risking his life without knowing if he would survive.

It was indeed a rare sight. But this wasn't the first time Aslan had risked his life. In fact, it wasn’t the first time he had risked his life for someone.

'When he came to rescue me. He was definitely trembling then...'

She remembered clearly. Last night, when he had faced death surrounded by monsters. Aslan had walked in calmly to save her.

At that time, he had acted as if it was merely a nuisance to deal with. He had shown no reason to fear, almost as if it were just another annoying task. But Sylvia had seen the trembling of his opposite hand, which he hadn’t been able to hide.

In that moment, she realized. Ah, this person didn’t jump in with certainty. He had thrown himself into a place where death lurked, risking his life for her.

Yet he acted as if it were no big deal.

'Why...'

Suddenly, she became solemn. She always doubted him, always planned to watch him. Sylvia bit her lip in guilt and then sighed deeply.

I still don’t deserve it. I don’t deserve complete freedom...

"Hah..."

"Stay still. This will be over soon... Hey! I told you not to move!"

Sylvia suddenly sprang up, just as Aslan was about to finish the final incantation. What was she doing at that moment? Aslan’s expression crumpled.

"What are you thinking!? You just made the spell ineffective! Now I can no longer proceed with the contract termination through normal means!" "It’s done." "…What?"

Sylvia stood up sharply. She had resolved to block any possible changes in behavior the moment the brand was removed, preventing herself from turning on Aslan.

"You just denied your own freedom. Do you know that?" "I’m not so dumb that I wouldn’t understand that. I’ve decided to forgo my freedom and live my life watching over you. Please respect my decision as an unworthy bodyguard." "…."

With a relieved expression, Sylvia spoke while facing Aslan. As much as you trust me, I must also trust you. If there is something that comes, something must also go.

You risked your life for me. I’ll put my life on the line. The future I feared, of you turning against me, I will stop with my own hands.

This resolution was more or less the meaning of her decision.

"Hah."

As she met Sylvia’s resolute gaze, Aslan chuckled. His gaze, however, soon shifted from Sylvia’s eyes to below. Only then did Sylvia look down and gasp.

"Hah!?" "It’s nice to say something cool, but with that outfit, it’s all just ridiculous." "D-did you see!?" "Let’s pretend I didn’t. Just put some clothes on." "You definitely saw, didn’t you!?" "Just because I saw doesn’t mean it matters. If you have nothing else to show, just hurry up and get dressed. Seriously. This is the first time I’ve seen someone who refuses freedom after it’s given to them. I don't know if you're foolish, dull-witted, or just plain stupid." "Ugh..."

She thought that if she said she wanted to show him, she would probably agree to it. Sylvia was pouting as she dressed herself. "Yulia! If you push like that... Aah!? " "Huh!?" "…." "…."

As the door swung open, Charlotte and Yulia tumbled in together. Aslan’s brow furrowed when his gaze met the children, while Sylvia’s face turned bright red at her state of undress.