"Under no circumstances will this happen under my command, so don’t even think about it."
"Y-yes..."

Aslan growled, drawing a firm line.
Yuria stood in front of him, and for some reason, her body stiffened.

‘Killing intent…!?’

The people of Vermont exude killing intent when they get angry.
I had experienced Aslan’s killing intent before, so I knew what it felt like.
It wasn’t particularly overwhelming, but for some reason, Yuria seemed more terrified by it than she had ever been by any monster or powerful opponent.

"If you ignore my words and try to test your healing abilities by ripping your own skin, our relationship will be over. I will fire you with your severance pay, and you will never see me again."
"Yes, yes..."

Yuria hastily nodded in agreement.
She must be scared of being kicked out, since that would mean she’d never be able to see Charlotte or Yulia again...
She was following his orders, likely out of fear.

‘Why is he making such a big deal out of this?’

Yuria was still puzzled, unable to understand Aslan’s anger.
She wasn’t planning on injuring him or herself—she was only testing her own powers, after all.
Why was he acting this way?

‘Damn it. How did I save you from that terrible fate?’

Aslan gritted his teeth, trying to calm the heat spreading from his head.

How hard did I try to twist the horrible fate of the original story?
I removed the brutal fate where the protagonist Yuria was tortured mercilessly by Aslan Vermont and repeatedly broken in spirit.
I put in so much effort to make sure she wouldn't go through the painful, blood-soaked experiences of the original.

It always bothered me when I played the original work.
Why should such a young girl, simply because she was the protagonist and the hero, have to endure needless suffering and a pitiful storyline?
Yuria could easily complete her first class advancement and become strong without enduring those trials and tribulations.

As an employer and guardian supporting Yuria, I never wanted to see her recklessly hurting herself while trying her best.
From the start, I had prevented such situations from arising.
I act as a shield until Yuria matures as a proper hero.
That's the role of an adult, and one who might be her future spouse.

"Let’s go. The day’s work is done."
"Hehe..."

Aslan gently pressed Yuria’s head down with his palm before turning away.
This time, his touch felt rough, almost warning her, unlike the casual pat he had given before.

‘His hands... They’re so big...’

But for some reason, Yuria didn’t dislike this touch.
In fact, it felt warmer than when he patted her gently.

‘Am I going crazy!?’

Yuria's cheeks flushed red as she was taken aback by her own thoughts.
Why was she thinking such crazy things!?
She rubbed the top of her head repeatedly, following Aslan in silence.

‘He was right, huh. I’m already free from that terrible fate thanks to someone’s efforts...’

Why did this thought suddenly come to mind?
In the silent carriage,
Yuria glanced up at Aslan before quickly turning her head away.

What if…
What if the one who helped me escape that fate wasn’t just that dark figure?
What if Aslan Vermont, just a little bit, also contributed to changing my fate?

If that's the case, then Aslan Vermont isn’t the villain trying to steal Charlotte and Yulia from me.
Rather, shouldn't he be seen as the one who saved me?

Suddenly, as this thought came to mind, Yuria froze.

"Ughhh!"
"...What’s going on now?"
"Oh, it’s nothing. I just got a little choked up..."

She shook her head quickly, denying it to herself.
No way. That’s not it. It can’t be.
Despite repeatedly saying this, Yuria couldn't stop her suspicions from leaning toward that direction.

Once I have a doubt, it doesn’t disappear easily.
Just as my suspicion that Aslan Vermont might be a villain hasn’t completely faded,
the suspicion that he might be my savior will not easily go away either.

Knowing this full well,
Yuria’s mind only grew more chaotic.

‘I want to see Charlotte and Yulia soon...’

She felt like she just wanted to heal her mind by seeing Charlotte and Yulia.
If she stayed with Aslan Vermont any longer, she felt like she would start developing even more strange thoughts.
Yuria clenched her teeth, waiting for the carriage to arrive at the mansion.

"Yuria..."
"I have a research task that needs urgent attention, so please excuse me!"

Before the carriage even stopped, she jumped out.
In a hurry, she ran toward the mansion, searching for Charlotte and Yulia.

But the mansion was strangely quiet?
Normally, she would have heard sounds like Charlotte swinging a sword or a scream from Hyeokhyeok, but now there was nothing.
If Charlotte were anywhere near here, this silence would be impossible.
There could only be one place where it was this quiet.

Yuria rushed to the study and flung the door open.

"Oh, Yuria’s here."
"Come over here! We need to hear your opinion!"
"...?"

Inside, there was a serious atmosphere.
Charlotte and Yulia were sitting face to face with serious expressions, almost like they were having a debate.

"What’s going on?"
"Charlotte just keeps not believing me!"
"Yulia keeps saying nonsense..."

Both Charlotte and Yulia leaned in toward Yuria, pleading with her as if aggrieved.
Yuria quickly understood the situation.
It was clear that they had been arguing again... What was the issue this time?

Yuria suppressed a laugh at the repetitive nature of their argument.
She sat down between Charlotte and Yulia.

"Tell me slowly."
"Well, yesterday I overheard Aslan talking to himself, you know?"
"Mm-hmm."
"And when I listened carefully, he was secretly shedding tears, as if he was moved by our growth."
"That’s a lie...!"

Aslan Vermont was crying? Because of the children’s growth?
That sounded like...

"This is something a lovesick father would do."
"I thought the same!"
"And do you know what Aslan said next?"
"What did he say?"

Yuria swallowed hard, straining to listen.
What? What did he say?

"He said he was going to marry us off to another noble family..."
"What, what!?"

What...!?
Yuria’s mind froze for a moment.

"Stop lying, Yulia! Tell me exactly what you heard! Aslan didn’t really say that, did he?"
"Well, he sort of said something like... the day of the engagement isn’t too far off..."
"How does that sound like he’s marrying us off to another noble family!? It obviously means he’s marrying us, right!?"
"What? That’s your interpretation, Charlotte!"
"Yulia, you’re the one reading too much into it! You’re scared he’ll reject you, so you’re telling yourself that he sees you as a daughter, not as someone he likes! You’re just a coward afraid of the shock of rejection!"
"What, what!?"

The argument escalated with voices getting louder,
and soon enough, Charlotte and Yulia were almost head-butting each other, growling like they were ready to tear each other apart.
Yuria sighed deeply between them.

Not this again...
How many times a day do these two argue over the same thing?
Once again, they would fight over something that wouldn’t have a conclusion, sulk, cry, and reconcile in the end.
Yuria could already see the end of this heated argument.

But there was one thing Yuria hadn’t expected.

"This is so frustrating!"
"Heh. That’s what I was about to say."
"Should I go and ask him directly?"
"Uh, how...?"
"Just ask Aslan!"
"Uh...?"

Charlotte suddenly stood up, determined.
Yulia froze for a moment in confusion, and Yuria sat still, simply watching Charlotte's retreating figure.

"I... I have to stop her..."

A moment later, Yulia snapped back to reality and jumped to her feet.
Only then did Yuria follow Charlotte.
What was she thinking, asking Aslan directly!?

"Charlotte... No, you can’t. Right? You’re not really going to ask him like that?"
Yuria was covered in cold sweat as she chased after Charlotte.
The moment she caught up to her, she saw Aslan lifting Charlotte and sitting her on his knee.

"Uncle! Uncle!!!"
"What’s going on? Why the rush...?"
"Uncle, are you going to marry us?"
"...!?"

That was much more direct than Yuria had anticipated!
Yuria felt a wave of dizziness sweeping over her, almost on the verge of fainting.
But, at the same time, she couldn’t look away, too curious about the answer.