‘Thinking about it, things have already deviated quite a bit from the original plan.’

After getting caught by the children while tying Yuria’s hair carefully, and after thinking it through a little deeper, I realized that things had become quite complicated.

When I had thought Yuria was a man,
It was a simple matter of persuading Yuria to approve of my engagement with Charlotte and Yulia.
Yuria might have thought of me as an enemy, but I believed that, as we slowly progressed our relationship and cleared up misunderstandings, it wouldn’t be impossible to get her approval.

But now that I knew Yuria was a woman,
Seeking approval for the engagement and trying to pursue the engagement with Yuria herself became completely different issues.

‘If Yuria decides to distance herself from me for Charlotte and Yulia’s sake, it would be disastrous.’

Yuria’s feelings toward Charlotte and Yulia were more than just simple friendship.
For Yuria, they were likely family, more precious than anyone else.
If Yuria found out that her friends truly wanted her to marry me, how would she act?

Perhaps, valuing her friends’ happiness over her own,
Yuria might give up on the engagement with me.
Considering Yuria’s selflessness, this was a plausible scenario.

‘That must never happen.’

Yuria should never give up her feelings for the sake of her friends.
If I had only intended to marry one of them, I wouldn’t have raised both Charlotte and Yulia.
I raised both with equal love, and then, knowing that both of them had feelings for me, would I choose just one and cast away the other?
That’s something only a psycho would think of.

‘I am a modern person from a world where monogamy is common, but if both Charlotte and Yulia, as well as Yuria, love me, I can’t help but marry them both.’
I wouldn’t make excuses like that.
Everything stems from my own desires.
I just want to marry Charlotte, Yulia, and Yuria.

Any other reason is just something I added on later.

‘I need to make it clear that I am not someone who can only have one wife.’

The solution was surprisingly simple.
I just needed to actively express that I was open to marrying more than one person.

From now on, I would seize every opportunity to make this known.
I wanted Charlotte, Yulia, and Yuria to realize that none of them needed to give up or step back.
Once I thought of this clear solution, my worries melted away, and I felt much more at ease.

"…Master, your expression looks unpleasant. Are you thinking something gloomy?"

[The Demon God, 'Kali', is shocked and wonders how you knew.]

At that moment, Sylvia poked my arm and asked seriously.
This girl…
I was making a serious and important decision regarding my future Countess, and she calls it a gloomy thought.
I considered giving her a reprimand, but then glanced down at her chest and stopped myself.

"Close up your front. You’re practically showing off your cleavage."

"Well, it’s not completely impossible to fasten it, but… this is the style of the clothing. You didn’t say anything about it earlier, did you?"

"I’ve changed my mind. After thinking it over, it seems inappropriate for such an important event at the palace. Showing too much skin might ruin the decorum."

"If exposure is the issue, how about the completely exposed back? It’s too late to change clothes now."

"…"

Sylvia tilted her head nonchalantly.
At first, I hadn’t thought much of it, but now that I looked again, the dress’s exposure was bothering me.
The lower half was covered by the skirt, but the upper half’s exposure was problematic.
It didn’t sit well with me to have a grown woman showing so much skin in public.
My inner Confucian dragon was squirming.

"Be honest. You don’t want to show my cleavage to other men, right?"

"Who said anything like that? As a representative of the Vermont family, it’s just inappropriate to look disheveled."

"Hmm. In a banquet where self-promotion is the norm, calling this outfit inappropriate sounds like an excuse. Why don’t you just be honest with yourself…"

"Your words aren’t getting through."

"…!?"

Sylvia, growing increasingly smug, kept talking, so I grabbed the front of her dress and forcefully closed it.
Sylvia froze in shock, her mouth agape, speechless, as I adjusted her dress.
Her face turned red as she remained silent, clearly embarrassed.

"We’ve arrived. Get off."

"Ah… yes…"

The carriage stopped, and I reached out my hand.
She had thrown a tantrum earlier, asking for noble treatment,
But now she was so embarrassed she looked ready to faint.
What a ridiculous mess.

As Sylvia awkwardly reached out to take my hand,
Charlotte, rushing ahead of me, grabbed my hand and jumped out of the carriage with a swift motion.

Following Charlotte, Yulia grabbed my hand and jumped out of the carriage too.
Turning back, I saw Yulia smiling as though she had just fulfilled a lifelong wish.
It seemed she had been desperate to get out of the carriage with my hand in hers.

After Sylvia finally cooled her face, she gently took my hand
And slowly stepped out of the carriage.

"Treatment as a lady… it was?"

"Yes. I don’t want rumors about Count Vermont associating with a woman who looks low-class."

"I understand. But if you had just ordered me, I would have fastened it without any complaints…"

I offered my arm to the still-grumbling Sylvia.
She wrapped her arm around mine like a snake, holding onto me.
The soft sensation of her body pressing against my arm was a little uncomfortable, but I decided to tolerate it.

It was perfect now.
Once we entered the palace like this, I would appear to other nobles as a debauched count bragging about his newly acquired beautiful lady.

It wasn’t the wisest appearance for a trusted confidant of the Emperor, but it was perfect for lowering the enemy’s guard.

"From now on, report anything suspicious immediately. If reporting is difficult, handle it on your own and report later. I will take full responsibility."

"Yes…!"

Charlotte and Yulia responded confidently and moved ahead.
Yuria, speaking softly, followed behind.

Now, the palace would soon be in chaos.
To survive, everyone would need to act quickly on their own judgments.
I could only hope the children wouldn’t cause too much trouble.

‘Finally, we’ve arrived! The palace!’

In the endless crowd,
Yuria, following closely behind Aslan, swallowed nervously.

Though it wasn’t her first time at the palace,
This was her first time at a banquet with so many nobles walking around.
She overheard talk of various earls and dukes as people greeted each other.

‘That dark-skinned man must be here…!’

If my guess was correct, the dark-skinned man would also be here.
The event even had the infamous Duke of the North attending.
No one higher than the Emperor could attend, so the dark-skinned man wouldn’t miss it.
That meant one of the people meeting Aslan Vermont was certainly the dark-skinned man!

Yuria remained alert,
Focusing all her attention on anyone who might be talking to Aslan.

"Aslan Vermont, Count! It’s been so hard to see you!"

"Count, welcome! The swords produced by your forge…"

"Last time, my daughter was terribly rude to you, Count Vermont! If my second daughter is unsatisfactory, would you meet my youngest daughter?"

The crowd surged forward,
And Yuria’s pupils darted around, losing their focus.

‘Wasn’t Aslan Vermont supposed to be an outcast!? Why are so many people talking to him…!?’

Yuria had thought that the people meeting Aslan Vermont would only be Irene Vermont, the Duke of the North, the Duchess, Count Arient, and the Academy Chancellor.
But by now, about half of the nobles at the banquet had gathered to talk to him.

How could she possibly know who the dark-skinned man was now…!?

‘Ugh… I’m dizzy…’

As Yuria’s mind began to overload from scanning everyone,
The constant chatter and the oppressive atmosphere of the crowd made her feel nauseous.

Just as Yuria was about to stumble,
She unknowingly grabbed the hand that appeared before her.

With the support of that large hand,
Yuria managed to steady herself.

After regaining her senses, Yuria realized who had reached out their hand.
It was Aslan Vermont, still chatting with the nobles, casually extending his hand to her.

‘How did he know I was stumbling…’

Something about it irritated her.
Why was he paying so much attention to her in the middle of all this chaos?
She was supposed to be his bodyguard.

As Yuria raised her chin, pouting,
She looked at Aslan’s back, which seemed oddly familiar.

‘Wait… is this back…’

Yuria froze, looking up at Aslan’s back.
For a brief moment, she thought it looked like the back of the dark-skinned man.

‘Have I gone insane!?

For just a moment, she thought Aslan Vermont’s back looked like the dark-skinned man’s.
Maybe she was feeling dizzy.
Yuria shook her head, trying to clear her mind, but the unsettling feeling wouldn’t leave.