"Yuria. I have completed the mission and returned."

"Good. Well done."

Wearing that detestable mask, Yuri stopped sharply in front of me.
But her outfit didn’t seem to be the usual work uniform.
She had said she was returning, but I didn’t understand why she’d bother changing clothes.

She was wearing a comfortable-looking T-shirt and leggings underneath...?
Well, leggings aren't necessarily exclusive to women, unlike skirts.
It looks like this one is getting closer and closer to perfecting her cross-dressing.

"What about Emmercia?"
"I left just a warning as instructed. I told her that if she ever does anything that could harm the head of the family or testifies against them, I’ll come back for her..."

"Do you think the warning worked?"
"Yes. When I broke through the glass to enter, she nodded vigorously and agreed, so I think it made an impact..."

Yuri, seemingly a bit disheartened, lowered her head and answered.
She wasn’t quite used to threatening people yet, it seemed.
That's fine. It’s important to keep at it steadily.
It may not suit her nature, but with dedication, I believe Yuri will get better at it in no time.

"Then why didn’t you take any further action, only leaving a warning?"
"What? Did you think I’d use this as an excuse to demand tribute from the Tales family?"
"Well... honestly..."
"..."

"Ah, no! I mean, the Baron of Tales committed a serious crime, didn’t he? He faked his death to deceive investors. I thought it was only natural that he should face appropriate punishment for that, but... it’s surprising that you didn’t press the issue..."

Damn. The speech is dragging on.
Why doesn’t she just say she thinks I’m the devil, honestly?
Yuri couldn’t even look me in the eye and kept her head lowered.

"Even though you say deception, no one really lost anything, did they? The Tales family, which seemed like it was about to fall apart, was acquired by Irene, and through her brilliant management, it was eventually resurrected, so the investors didn’t lose their money. Isn't that right?"
"Ah... You’re right."
"And how did the Baron look to you?"
"He seemed quite healthy, but his face looked bad—he looked very depressed. His mental state seems very poor."
"After living as a recluse for the last few years, not fulfilling his duties as a head of the family or as a father, his mind could hardly be in good shape. The Baron is already paying for his sins. And he will continue to do so for the rest of his life. Do you think there’s any further action I should take?"
"Ah..."

Only then did Yuri seem to realize something, letting out a small gasp.
The Baron now had two choices left.
One was to continue living as a dead man, never showing himself to the world.
The other was to confess and reveal the fraud he committed.

If he chooses the latter, the court would surely punish him.
If he chooses the former, he would be punishing himself for the rest of his life.
It wouldn’t matter whether I reported him or not—either way, it would amount to the same result.

‘Irene always does this, huh?’

She makes sure no one is hurt,
But the ones who need to pay for their crimes end up suffering a punishment of self-inflicted pain for the rest of their lives.
There were countless easier and simpler paths,
But by choosing this tough, painful path, Irene’s true nature behind her harsh words seems to be revealed.

No wonder Emmercia follows her so faithfully.
After nearly being sold into slavery because of her father’s incompetence, Irene desperately saved her.
She had no choice but to be loyal.

"I see. So, the Count was also letting Irene go without any demands out of respect for her?"
"What? Let Irene go? Am I crazy?"
"...Huh?"
"Of course, she has to pay for her misdeeds."
"Ah."

Irene’s inherently good nature is one thing,
But that doesn’t mean she can just misunderstand me as the villain and beat me up without consequence.
That’s not going to happen.

Not pressing charges only meant I wouldn’t escalate the matter and send it to court.
But for the damage we took in this matter, I fully intended to receive compensation.

"The skeleton soldiers were injured badly, and the orthopedists had to work hard to treat them. The cost of the magical tools was quite high. Charlotte and Yulia stayed up late, disrupting their growth. And, more than anything, I was injured badly from climbing up and down those steep mountains."

"It wasn’t that steep. It was a hill, not even close to a mountain."
"Shut up, Sylvia."
"..."

Anyway, there’s a lot to collect.
I wonder if Irene was crying earlier when she came back from the restaurant, because when I handed her the bill, her face went from disbelief to clear annoyance.

Did she really think I would just let it slide?
I’m no fool like Irene.
They say the Tales family has been doing well since it revived, so I figured I might as well treat this as getting pocket money from my wealthy sister.

"Of course. I was wondering when the head of the family would wrap it up nicely after sniffing out the money."
"What are you talking about? I’m just receiving what’s owed to me."
"Yes, yes. I’m sure that’s what it is. I was just speaking on behalf of Yuria’s true feelings."
"Ah, no! I didn’t think anything like that... Probably not..."
"..."

At first, she responded strongly, but then her voice shrank to a near whisper.
They really do work well together.
No wonder they were so close in the original story.
Even though fate may have changed, some things seem to stay the same.

"Ah! Yuria... You’re here! Are you here to visit?"
"Or to bathe? Aslan often says you should come here to bathe. Ugh, disgusting..."
"Ah, no. I just came by briefly to report. I’m leaving now..."

As Charlotte and Yulia opened the window and showed themselves, Yuri panicked and took a step back.
She’s always running away whenever she sees Charlotte and Yulia.
What if they misunderstand and think Yuria hates them?
I always feel it, but today, especially, I just want to rip that mask off.

"Get lost. I don’t even want to look at you. You’re always sneaking around and making things awkward when you could just get along with people your own age."
"It’s not like that..."
"I was joking. I don’t know what the situation is, but make up your mind before you regret it. If you keep this up, those two might actually start hating you. I’m sure that’s not what you want."
"...I’ll keep that in mind."

Yuri responded in a voice full of uncertainty and turned to leave.
It wasn’t Yuria she was talking to, but Yuri herself.
I understand why she’s hesitant to reveal her identity, but if this farce keeps going on, one day, she might not be able to restore her relationship with Charlotte and Yulia.

‘Oh? Wouldn’t that be beneficial?’

Now that I think about it, if Charlotte and Yulia end up hating Yuri, wouldn’t that work in my favor?
I wouldn’t have to get her engagement approval anymore.
Suddenly, I started regretting the advice I gave her earlier.

"Um, by the way, head of the family..."
"Stop stammering and just say it."
"Are you close with the person who introduced me to Vermont Security?"
"Are you talking about your sponsor? I meet with them occasionally to discuss business. Why do you ask?"
"Well, I want to know more about them... Ah, but now isn’t the right time. I’ll ask you later when I get a chance!"

"..."

She blushed and spoke shyly, then hurriedly turned to leave.
I was left speechless.

"Ah! Yuria’s gone..."
"Should I go after her? Yuria... Well, I always lose to her in foot races, but I’ve been training hard, so I think I can catch up!"
"Don’t bother chasing after her..."

The kids who had come down to the first floor let out a sigh of disappointment.
Meanwhile, I felt a whirlwind of confusion, and my pupils were trembling uncontrollably.

The reaction Yuri just showed.
Her face turning red all the way to her neck, the shy, nasal voice.
Though her expression was hidden behind the mask, everything else was exactly like Princess Merilda’s reaction the first time she saw Yuri and fell in love.

‘She wants to know more about me?’

Could it be that Yuri mistook the old man for a woman?
No, that’s impossible.
Yuri saw my figure in a suit from behind.
She must have thought I was a middle-aged man, so why is she suddenly interested in me?

Suddenly, a wave of fear surged, and I started to feel chills.

That brat couldn’t possibly... be into cross-dressing as a hobby...?

"Sir, your face is really pale."
"Aslan’s face is always pale."
"But today, it’s even paler."
"Ah, really. Are you sick?"
"No, I’m fine."

No way.
It’s not possible.
The attention Yuri’s giving the "old man" must just be pure respect.
I told myself that, trying to calm my dizzying thoughts.