"Oh my. It looks like Yuria came again today."

"It seems like she's been here a lot lately. Is she here to meet Charlotte and Yulia?"

"But Yulia and Charlotte are both out today. It was the same last time she came, remember? Still don’t get it? Yuria only shows up when the kids aren’t around, to meet the master alone!"

"Ugh..."

The maids whispered, unable to hide their excitement.

Once again, Yuria had visited the mansion. At first, she had worn a mask, acting all stiff and silent. But these days, she came more often, dressed casually as though she were visiting for fun.

There was no special reason for her visits either. Sometimes it was just a simple report that could be done in writing or some trivial matter, like a mission plan presentation—things that could have been handled by any other staff member.

"So what’s the excuse this time? Did you hear anything?"

"Didn’t see it? This time, she just happened to bump into the mansion while walking by."

"...?"

The maid, initially perplexed by this response, slowly started to form a smile, her face lighting up with intrigue.

"She just happened to walk by? And she just happened to show up at this exact time when Charlotte and Yulia are both out?"

"How predictable. She must have wanted to see the master’s face, but couldn’t just say it outright!"

"No, maybe, maybe she really wasn’t coming to see the master?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Maybe she was just walking without any real reason, but her feet led her straight to the mansion. Unconsciously, she figured out that Charlotte and Yulia wouldn’t be around and ended up right here, in front of the mansion, at that exact moment!"

"Are you a genius!?"

Ah! Of course!

The maids clapped their hands in excitement, marveling at this brilliant theory. They didn’t care about the truth. What mattered was that this hypothesis was far more fun to believe. Whether it was true or not didn’t matter to them at all.

"But isn’t Yulia supposed to be coming back soon?"

"Oh, right...!"

Around this time, Yulia would be finishing up establishing the discipline for her undead army and would be heading back to the mansion, surrounded by skeleton soldiers who were guarding her.

What would happen if Yulia and Yuria ran into each other?

"Will they fight? They probably will, right?"

"Yulia will definitely be mad at the master, that’s for sure."

"She won’t really be mad, she’ll probably just sulk."

"No, no, when Yulia’s mad, she gets really mad."

Yulia probably thought that the master had been secretly meeting with Yuria, didn’t she?

It almost seemed like that was what was happening.

While the maids eagerly discussed how Yulia would react, another voice interrupted.

"Looks like the master and Yuria are going out."

"Oh no! They’re leaving the mansion!"

The maids’ gossiping quickly turned into a pointless fantasy.

Well, if they were having a secret meeting, they would definitely do it outside...

The maids, a little disappointed, watched Aslan and Yuri leave the mansion, their backs disappearing.

Why on earth did Yuri cry, and why did she come to find me after crying...?

Thud, thud.

Walking along the well-kept forest path, Aslan glanced down at the companion walking beside him.

In Chapter 1 of the original story, Yuri had endured harsh torture without shedding a single tear. He couldn’t even imagine what would make her cry.

At first, he had brought her inside the mansion, had her wash her face, and then, still looking downcast, decided to take her on a walk. But she remained quiet, avoiding eye contact.

"Hey, by the way..."

Her first words finally came out. Aslan, curious, listened intently.

"May I ask what the point of this walk is?"

"...What?"

"You didn’t explain why we’re walking here, and you just suddenly told me to come along. Is there something special about this place?"

"..."

Yuri tilted her head, asking the question as though she genuinely didn’t understand.

Aslan let out a wry laugh, thinking to himself, Kid, your face looks so miserable I just figured you needed some fresh air, maybe to breathe in the forest smell.

"It’s not anything special. Just an ordinary forest. Charlotte and Silvia usually come here every morning to run. I just felt like walking here today."

"I see..."

Though Yuri didn’t fully understand, she nodded slowly as if she was convinced.

Aslan didn’t mention that he had brought her here to help her feel better after she cried. If he said that, the conversation would definitely turn to why she cried, and that would lead to unwanted questions. He figured he would eventually hear the reason through the letter she sent to the dark man, so there was no need to ask about it now.

She’s not asking about why she cried...

Yuri felt slightly relieved. She had assumed that once she met Aslan’s gaze, she would have to explain why she cried. Her head hurt as she tried to recall the reason...

In the end, she couldn’t remember.

Well, even I don’t know why I cried. It just... happened.

I haven’t cried since I came to the orphanage, so why now...?

Something’s calming down...

Now that there was no need to explain herself, Yuri felt a weight lift from her chest. The sounds of birds and the rustling of leaves in the wind began to fill her ears.

Her vision, which had been clouded with distress, slowly cleared.

She felt her emotions settle, and when she glanced up, she saw Aslan walking beside her, hands casually behind his back.

Could it be that he brought me here for my sake?

No. It’s just a coincidence...

Yuri tried to convince herself, though she wasn’t sure.

"Oh... I’ve just realized why I’m here. You promised, didn’t you? You said you’d tell me about your patron... I mean, about my sponsor."

With a sudden spark of realization, Yuri looked up at Aslan, her earlier gloom replaced with an eager gleam in her eyes.

It seemed that her mood had lifted.

Aslan chuckled softly and spoke.

"Yes. What do you want to know? I can’t tell you everything, especially anything that could reveal their identity."

"Yeah. I understand. I’d love to meet them as soon as possible, but it’s a promise, so I’ll have to wait."

"..."

For a moment, Aslan froze, his expression stiffening. He had thought about revealing the truth immediately, but then decided to keep it secret forever.

"By the way... does your patron have other people they support?"

"As far as I know, no. They’ve never supported anyone else, and they don’t right now. The future... I’m not sure."

"I see..."

So, I’m the only one receiving support from my sponsor.

It wasn’t just some random opportunity. He had been chosen, and my sponsor must see me as someone special, just as I see them as special.

A smile spread across Yuri’s face as she thought this.

"I’d also like to know... about your patron’s general preferences. Their personality? Their values? I want to know why they chose me as their beneficiary!"

Yuri fumbled for words as she asked, trying to mask her real question. She couldn’t just outright ask what kind of women her patron liked.

So she danced around the subject, though it might have been a little too obvious.

Could it be that Aslan has figured out that I like my sponsor?

If he knows that, he might act out of spite...

She felt anxious, unsure if she had been caught.

"About preferences... well, from what I know, my patron likes people with strong independence."

"Independence..."

"They like people who can do things on their own, but it’s not about being highly capable. It’s about having the will to stand on your own and not rely on others, even if they lack the skills."

"Ah... I see..."

Yuri nodded slowly, now understanding.

So, my sponsor saw me struggling to survive after my orphanage was destroyed, and my effort to join the Imperial Academy, and decided to sponsor me because of that?

It seemed like that was the key to the mystery.

"They also like people who are like blank slates, able to be molded into any color."

"What does that mean?"

"It means they prefer someone who isn’t already perfect, but someone who can be shaped, someone with potential. They like to awaken and develop people with talent but lacking the necessary skills and help them find their own way."

"Ah, yes..."

Aslan continued talking, giving more specific details about his patron. It sounded oddly specific and detailed.

Yuri tilted her head, still focused, but something about it seemed strange.

Liar. If you know this much about their preferences, you must be really close friends.

Yuri took out her notebook from her bag and began writing down every word Aslan said.

Since this was coming from Aslan, who was close to her sponsor, it was probably the most accurate information. She didn’t want to miss a single detail about her sponsor’s likes and dislikes.