"Yuria's here!"
"Be careful. From now on, we should call her Yuria."
"Oh, right! Yuria's here!"

Thud.
Looking out the window, Charlotte and Yulia felt their hearts racing.
When they first heard that Yuria would be staying at the mansion, they had thought it was a joke, unsure whether it was true or not. But now, it was happening for real!

"She packed her bag too, so it doesn't look like she's staying for just a little while. It seems like she plans to stay here for the whole vacation?"
"That seems about right, yeah..."

Finally, they would get to spend time with Yuria!
How long had it been since they parted ways with her?
After that, Yuria enrolled in the Imperial Magic Academy, and through connections made there, she joined Vermont Security, eventually ending up staying at the mansion. It had been about four months.

Just as excitement and joy bubbled up, Charlotte and Yulia quickly realized that this reunion was not going to be the ideal reunion they had imagined, and their shoulders drooped.

"Yuria... She'll probably put on the mask again, right?"
"Yeah, I think so. But why does she hide her identity from us?"
"Rather than hiding it from us, it feels like she's hiding it from Aslan. I think she doesn't want Aslan to find out that we know her."
"Why...?!"

They had reunited, but Yuria didn't acknowledge them at all.
She wore the mask that had already been exposed, and even used a fake name...
There must be a good reason for Yuria acting like this.

As Charlotte and Yulia wracked their brains to figure out the reason, they soon threw their hands up in frustration.

"Ugh! I don't get it!"
"Me neither..."

They had to admit defeat after not coming up with any plausible reason.
Could it be that she was hiding the fact that they knew each other from Aslan because he might try to separate them? No, Yuria might be stubborn, but she wasn't that naive.

Though they both wished they could show that they knew the secret behind the mask,
they had to be careful, knowing that any slip-up could push Yuria away again.

"I guess we have no choice. We'll have to figure it out ourselves!"
"Didn't they say the vacation is two months long? We have plenty of time, so we can slowly figure it out. If we work together, we'll definitely get to the bottom of it!"
"Work together... What? I don't really get it, but it'll work out somehow, right...?"

Charlotte and Yulia nodded at each other.
There had to be a reason Yuria was in a difficult situation, or maybe she was completely misunderstanding something. Either way, they could handle it now.

Unless, of course, some internal conflict came up...

"Did you hear the rumor that Count Vermont is raising you to be his wife one day... Is that true?"
"Heh, heh... Is that... true?"
"It is!"
"No, it's not..."

Silence.
Charlotte and Yulia exchanged confused looks.
They tilted their heads in unison, both equally puzzled by the other’s reaction.

"Eh? Anyone can see that he's raising you to be his bride, right?"
"Charlotte, have you been caught up in those silly rumors from the maids? Aslan is not that kind of person. You should know better than anyone, having been closest to him!"
"Am I caught up in rumors!? There's no way! It's obvious that he likes you so much!"
"Like... in that sense? No, that's not it. Aslan is actually kind, despite how he looks. How have you been seeing Aslan? Honestly, I'm frustrated."
"Huh!? Ugh... I'm the one who's frustrated! You're just a typical tsundere who's oblivious to everything!"
"A tsundere? What’s that...!"

Before long, Yulia's face turned bright red,
and Charlotte's voice began to rise in volume.

"How could you not notice it when Aslan is so obvious about it? He always tries to create situations to be alone with you, and he makes time for you, but you don't get it? He’s relentless, absolutely relentless. That's what happens with oblivious types..."
"Ahhh..."

Charlotte shook her head and sighed,
while Yulia let out a shocked gasp.

Yulia, who normally appeared so cold and sharp, was completely oblivious when it came to human relationships.
But never in a million years would anyone expect her to not notice, especially when Aslan himself was being so obvious and even the maids had openly said so!
Maybe, just maybe, she thought she was too smart for such things and couldn't believe the maids' words. Or perhaps, she had already noticed but was too scared to accept Aslan’s feelings because she feared it might ruin their current relationship.

Either way, it was incredibly frustrating!
Yulia had always been unaware of people’s emotions, but this time, it was beyond what she could handle.

"Hah! No way! I’m not that oblivious!"
"Yes, you are."
"No, I’m not! If I'm oblivious, then you must be extra oblivious!"
"Why are you suddenly bringing me into this?"
"Because everything you just said applies to you too! Aslan always makes situations to be alone with you, and he makes time for you, that’s the same for you too!"
"What!? How...?!"

"You didn't notice either? Aslan hates going outside because his skin is sensitive, but when you're in the garden, he goes out and talks to you. He always spends his massage coupons and even buys you expensive clothes, even though you always say you don’t like it. Can't you see it? He's preparing you to be the future Countess!"
"Ughhh..."

Yulia couldn't hold it in any longer and shouted,
while Yuria sighed again.

Charlotte, who seemed sharp at times, became oblivious whenever she was personally involved.
It was always like that back in the orphanage too.
She could read the atmosphere between other people, but when it came to her own situation, she was utterly clueless.
Yulia had never expected Charlotte to be one of those types...

"I admit I’m not the best at being straightforward, and I can be a little clueless sometimes, but at least I can be objective about things."

"If Aslan treats me differently, he must do the same with you, Charlotte! But why am I the only one being treated like his future wife, and you’re not? It doesn’t make sense!"

Yulia's airtight logic left Charlotte speechless.

"That's not it! Obviously, Aslan must like the cuter and prettier Yulia more!"
"Charlotte, you’re pretty and cute too! You have an audacity that I don’t have!"
"Ughhh..."

Thud!
Charlotte and Yulia both met each other head-on, their foreheads colliding.
Neither of them would back down, glaring fiercely at each other.
Yuria, nearly gasping for air, could only sigh again.

Outwardly, it seemed like they were arguing, raising their voices with sharp words.
But listening to what they were saying, it wasn’t really an argument at all.
It was the scene of two adorable girls fighting over who was cuter and prettier, so cute that it made Yuria want to eat popcorn.

'As expected, the Charlotte-Yulia combo is the best...'

At first glance, they seemed like opposites,
but it was precisely because of that, when they were put together, they created a perfect synergy.
When they clashed because of their differing personalities, it was the best opportunity to watch them squabble in the sweetest way.

Ahh, how sweet.
This is so sweet, it's almost sickening.

Just as Yuria was lost in her own blissful thoughts,
Charlotte suddenly shouted,
"I... I don't think Aslan likes me that much! He probably just thinks I’m cute, he doesn't really see me as his bride!"
"Aslan actually sees you as his bride because of that! Aslan doesn’t care about a grown-up, mature kid. He enjoys watching a kid grow up under his protection!"
"Ah, I can't believe he’s that kind of pervert... but... yeah, maybe..."
"So if he were to choose, it would definitely be Charlotte. Unlike someone like me, Charlotte is energetic, cute, and more childlike."
"Why is it that the assumption is that Aslan would 'choose' me in the first place? You have things I don't, Yulia!"
"If Aslan chooses me, he wouldn’t just choose me, he’d probably choose you too as his bride!"
"What!? Even Aslan wouldn’t go that far... well... maybe he could..."

Yulia, stunned into silence, turned her gaze away.
It was hard to bear imagining Aslan choosing both of them as his brides. The thought alone made her heart ache.