"Two letters from the dark old man...?"

Hearing Aslan’s words,
Yuria couldn’t help but feel strangely restless.

It had been two days since she declared that she wouldn’t respond to the dark old man’s letters.
Just before leaving the mansion, she had firmly decided to stick to that declaration.
But now, hearing that two letters from him had arrived, she felt her resolve waver.

Two letters in just two days meant he must have sent them one after another.
Did he get worried because I was upset?

What could the letters possibly say?
Would he mock her, saying he was watching her weak rebellion and wondering how long it would last?
Or would he try to comfort her?

She was curious.
She was dying to know!
She wanted to check them right away!
But she knew that as soon as she opened those letters, the urge to write back would surge uncontrollably.
The only thing she could do was suppress that desire.

"I don’t want to look like an easy woman..."

She didn’t want to show that she could change her mind as easily as flipping her palm.
She didn’t want the dark old man to think she was a frivolous woman.
With that thought, Yuria sighed quietly in frustration.

"I’m still not completely over it..."

Even so, she had no intention of talking to the dark old man for now.
She still hadn’t heard an apology for being forced into the Vermont mansion.
Although, she was beginning to understand why he had sent her here.

Since the dark old man was a friend of Aslan Vermont, he probably knew about Charlotte and Yulia.
He must have heard Yulia’s name from them and figured out that it was her.

But maybe he had been frustrated with her constantly hiding her identity behind a mask.
After staying in the mansion for two months, it was only natural that she would make a mistake at some point.
Perhaps the dark old man had even hoped that she would inadvertently reveal herself to Charlotte and Yulia and encourage a reunion.
...Although, he probably didn’t expect that to happen on the second day rather than two months later.

Still, he had sent her here for her sake...
But wouldn’t it have been nice if he had at least given her a little hint?
He could have explained it beforehand.
She didn’t like how he had cut out all the details and just issued an order.
That anger still hadn’t been resolved.

If the dark old man would explain everything to her and soothe her later, she’d be willing to let it go...
But for now, she wanted to get through the two months and send him a reply.

"Ah, I don’t want this sweet time to pass so quickly..."

But when she thought about it again,
she realized that once she left the mansion, it might be hard to be this close to Charlotte and Yulia again.
She wished she could spend more time with them, but also hoped the break would end quickly...
Yuria felt torn, unsure which way her heart was leaning.

"Do you have any other plans after the academy?"
"Oh, no. I don’t..."

At that moment, Aslan suddenly drew closer.
Yuria instinctively shrank back, feeling a little uncomfortable, and answered quietly.

"I’ll leave the carriage here. When you return, take it back."
"..."

Yuria felt like she was choking.
He wanted her to take the carriage back?
And he was keeping it waiting?
This was basically an unspoken command to return straight to the mansion after her business was done.

Of course.
Aslan Vermont couldn’t trust her, so it was natural for him to keep her under control.
Just as Yuria was about to give up...

"Don’t misunderstand. Since I’ve taken you in as a guest, if something were to happen to you, it would be troublesome for me, so this is for your safety."
"..."

Did he read my mind...?
Yuria bit her lip, trying to hide her frown.
Was this really for her safety, or was it just an excuse to control her?

"I actually have plans after work. I might be late. Would that be okay?"
"Of course. The coachman's job is mostly to wait."
"Hmm... I’ll be leaving late, though. I’ll be leaving after the coachman’s shift."
"What’s taking you so long?"
"..."

Yuria turned her gaze away, lips pressed tightly together.
Did she really have to report all of this?
There was no curfew or requirement to report her whereabouts when she first entered the mansion.
So doesn’t that mean she has the freedom to keep some things secret?

"He’s probably going to get mad..."

Since things weren’t going his way, Aslan Vermont was probably furious.
She had been waiting for him to shout "Do it your way!"
But then she heard a small chuckle from beside her.

"Why do you think you’re walking around the streets so late at night...? Can I guess?"
"...?"
"Today’s Friday. It’s the most active day in the theater district. Many theaters have late-night performances. Are you planning to go to theaters and watch performances all night after your work?"
"...!?"

Yuria shivered at the eerie deduction.
How did he know?
Only the dark old man knew she had an interest in plays...

With just that little bit of a clue, he had figured it out.
It was just lucky, really.
Trying not to show her shock, Yuria turned her head, but her gaze naturally drifted to the two tickets Aslan pulled out from his coat.

"Ah, that’s not it. I’m not interested in plays..."
"Too bad. I was going to give you tickets to tonight’s performance by the National Traveling Troupe starting at 10 p.m. But since you’re not interested, I guess I’ll have to throw them away..."
"Wait, hold on!"
"..."

Just before Aslan ripped up the tickets, Yuria hurriedly grabbed them.
In that moment, Aslan gave a sly smile.
Yuria quickly closed her eyes, realizing that by acting like this, she had just confirmed Aslan’s guess was right...

She had fallen into the trap!

"But I really do want to see the National Traveling Troupe’s performance..."

It was a trap she had no choice but to fall into.
It made sense, though—this was the troupe’s last tour before disbanding, and it would never return again.
She had tried to get tickets but gave up because the competition was too fierce.
She never imagined Aslan Vermont would have VIP tickets.

Focused on the tickets, Yuria swallowed hard.

"Well, I’ve suddenly developed an interest... I just decided to go watch the plays tonight. Will you join me for the performance?"
"..."

This was probably what Aslan wanted all along.
He had prepared two tickets because he wanted to watch the play with her.
Yuria was still not happy about being with him, but for a once-in-a-lifetime performance, she could bear it.

"Sorry, but I’m busy. I can’t join you."
"Yes... what!?"
"Instead, take Charlotte and Yulia with you."
"...!?"

With a "click," the tickets multiplied into three.
Ah!? They were stacked to look like two!
The overwhelming embarrassment rushed over her, and Yuria’s face instantly turned bright red.

"Now it looks like I’m trying to seduce Aslan into watching the play alone with me!!!"

She’d been played!
She never wanted to watch the play alone with Aslan Vermont!
But she had been deceived by his cunning hands!

Fuming, Yuria clenched her fists, trembling with anger,
while Aslan, watching her, just smiled.

"Go back and ask Charlotte and Yulia if they’re okay with it. If they are, I’ll send you to the theater on time. For now, you’re responsible for getting the kids safely there. I trust you."
"Well, um..."
"Now we’ve arrived. Do you have anything else to say?"
"..."

With a creak, the carriage came to a stop.
Yuria’s words were stuck in her throat.

After a moment, Yuria struggled to speak.

"T-Thank you... That’s really the performance I wanted to see..."
"Enjoy the show."
"Yes..."

Aslan handed her the tickets with a smooth gesture.
Unable to resist her embarrassment, Yuria snatched the tickets and jumped out of the carriage.
Running toward the research building, she felt like she could scream.

"Aaaa! The National Traveling Troupe tickets are in my hands!"

And she would get to enjoy the precious time with Charlotte and Yulia!
It felt like a dream.
Overwhelmed with joy, Yuria made a small snort, but then quickly calmed herself down.

"This is surprising. I thought he’d make some harsh condition to give them to me..."

She never imagined he would just give them to her.
She had thought Aslan Vermont must have some ulterior motive.
But maybe he wasn’t as scheming as she had thought...

Yuria shook off those thoughts and, for some reason, felt her heart racing with excitement.