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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 90 - As If I Was Mad Enough
"I have a mission for you to undertake alone."
"Yes, please give me your orders, Count."
"You need to go see the Lady while we eat."
"..."
At Aslan's calm order, Yuri's face instantly looked like she had bitten into something bitter.
So while he enjoyed the banquet with Charlotte and Julia, I had to go off and run errands?
She didn't like the idea of leaving Charlotte and Julia alone with Aslan.
"...Why is that?"
"There's no one else who can persuade the Lady but you."
"Wouldn't it be better if you tried to convince her, Count...?"
"I'm a lost cause. To the Lady, I’m just like the Northern Grand Duke. Once she’s got that impression, it doesn’t matter what I say—it won’t get through."
That... actually made sense.
The Lady seemed to have a rebellious streak, that much was clear at a glance.
It would probably be easier for someone her age to break through her emotional walls than an adult.
That was about the only advantage Yuri could see.
"Understood. Should I convince her to attend the banquet?"
"Yes. But you aren’t very good with words, so if you just try to persuade her directly, you'll fail for sure."
"..."
Yuri closed her mouth.
"You aren’t good with words"—it was something she had heard countless times from those around her.
To put it nicely, he was direct and to the point; to put it bluntly, he cut out all the meaning.
There was even a time on the academy rooftop when a student was sitting dangerously near the edge. Yuri wanted to say, "You might fall and die if you stay there, so why not sit somewhere safer?" but instead just said, "You’ll die." The student had been so terrified that they stayed at home for a week afterward.
"That's true..."
"Which is why you should use your weapon."
"My weapon? The training sword I brought from the training ground...?”
"No, not that one. I mean your annoyingly handsome face."
"...?"
Huh?
For a moment, Yuri froze, not understanding.
My... handsome what?
"Wouldn’t it be fine if you lifted the mask briefly? Pretend it was a mistake, or say you were wiping off sweat and take the mask off for a moment in front of the Lady. Then your words will carry immense weight with her."
"..."
In other words, he wanted her to use her looks to seduce her.
That if she showed her face for a second, the Lady would fall for her?
Ha! How ridiculous!
Did this man think I was some kind of heartthrob?
Sure, she'd heard people say she looked rather pretty for a guy, especially from those who hadn't realized she was in disguise.
But this was the first time anyone had said she was handsome.
Overwhelmed by a surge of hatred, pushing the needle past its maximum and soaring endlessly skyward, Yuri clenched her fists.
If not for the mask, she might have already been fired.
"Yes... I will try..."
Annoying as it was, orders were orders.
It was obvious it wouldn’t work, but... what was the harm in trying?
Leaving the noisy, flashy banquet hall behind, Yuri walked alone toward the darkening garden.
.
.
.
“Adults are all idiots...”
Plop.
Sitting down on the carefully laid-out mat, Merilda spoke in an annoyed tone.
The sun had already set, and the garden had grown dark, so the flowers were no longer visible.
Still, Merilda stayed in the garden under the pretense of flower-viewing.
She didn’t want to go to the banquet.
She didn't want to go to a place full of adults.
All they wanted was to send her to the capital, fussing over her like fools.
“No one cares about my opinion...”
Ester wasn’t dangerous in the slightest.
She couldn't understand why everyone kept trying to send her away.
It was a complete waste of money and resources.
Spending lavishly on pointless things—that disqualified one from being a ruler.
She didn’t want to be coddled; she wanted to walk the path of a ruler, following in her father's footsteps.
But it seemed like none of the adults were willing to give Merilda that chance.
So, this was her way of protesting.
Until her opinion was heard, she wouldn't eat or show her face.
She didn’t care if it was rude to the Count of Vermont.
Anyway, that guy gave her an uneasy feeling.
She didn’t want to be near him.
“...Who’s there?”
Rustle.
At the sound of rustling bushes, Merilda turned her head sharply.
There stood a masked guard.
Ugh. It was the one who had come with Aslan Vermont.
“What do you want?”
“I heard you were alone, so I came to see if I could keep you company.”
“I don’t need that. Surely you don’t think that my asking for an escort my age meant I wanted a companion, right? I meant that I didn’t need an escort at all, and I didn’t expect there to be young guards like you in Vermont.”
“That’s not what I meant. When I first saw you, I thought you were someone who had a lot of depth. I felt now would be a good opportunity to speak with you alone.”
“Hmm...”
He came because he was interested in me?
Hmph. So, he thinks I’m pretty, does he?
But honestly...
I’m not interested in kids like you.
‘All men are simple.’
Merilda, having grown up dealing with her father and brothers, had no fantasies about men.
She thought they were foolish, simple creatures.
This guard was probably no different from other men.
Just as Merilda snorted to herself—
“Hoo. Wearing this mask for too long makes me sweat.”
“...!”
Click.
The guard slowly took off his mask.
At the same time, the clouds covering the sky shifted.
Swoosh.
The dark clouds parted, and the bright moonlight streamed down through the garden's glass ceiling.
The moonlight shone on the guard's unmasked face.
Merilda found herself staring at his face, unable to look away.
"Wh-What’s your name...?"
Maybe not all men were the same after all...
She had thought all men were like her father and brothers—rough and burly with beards.
But standing before this face, one that looked almost like a girl's, Merilda couldn’t help but feel captivated.
***
“See? I told you it’d work.”
“...”
Yuri crossed his arms, saying nothing as he turned his head away.
This brat. So rude.
He was clearly sulking, upset with me.
If he had a problem, he should say it outright.
Sulking openly like this—he really was just a little girl.
Seriously, just get over it already, kid...
I was starting to genuinely worry.
He enjoyed cross-dressing so much that now even his mind was turning feminine?
‘Maybe I should suggest a bath together sometime.’
With the protagonist acting like this, it wasn’t very reassuring to leave Charlotte and Julia in his care.
Maybe one day I should arrange a men's gathering and give a long lecture on masculinity.
It was a moment of serious contemplation.
“Merilda! Now that you’re here, formally introduce yourself! This is Count Vermont!”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Merilda Friedrich. But don’t get the wrong idea. Just because I’m here doesn’t mean I’m agreeing to take an escort and evacuate to the capital. I just... got a little hungry...”
Glance.
After giving me a half-hearted greeting, Merilda immediately shifted her gaze toward Yuri.
The once cold, indifferent eyes she had turned towards me were now dripping with sweetness.
"I’m going to get some food. Y-Yuria, you haven’t eaten yet, right? Shall we go together?”
“Merildaaa...!”
Twisting her roll-bun hair shyly with her fingers, Merilda leaned close to Yuria.
As the two of them left together, the Northern Grand Duke let out a desperate wail.
He gritted his teeth at Yuri and then forced himself to calm down, swallowing his tears.
“So, this was your strategy, Count. It’s impressive that you managed to bring my daughter to the negotiating table with that pretty boy. But how do you plan to convince her? Merilda has a strong will. You might sway her temporarily, but I doubt you can break her resolve...!”
The Northern Grand Duke spoke with a stern expression, boasting confidently.
Was Merilda really so strong-willed...?
She didn’t seem that way, seeing how she was clinging to Yuri, smiling happily.
Realizing the contradiction in his own words, a cold sweat trickled down the Northern Grand Duke's forehead.
‘If I keep pushing with this charm tactic, I might be able to get her to evacuate to the capital.’
Continuing to use Yuri seemed like a viable strategy.
If Yuri put his mind to it, Merilda would probably fall for him easily.
But that was a rather deceitful approach, and Yuri clearly wasn't comfortable with it, so it was out of the question.
“It’s fine. I have my own way.”
But now that Merilda had come to the negotiation table of her own accord—
Persuading her would be a piece of cake.
After all, I had experience dealing with stubborn children.
You could say I’d mastered understanding children's psychology.
“Mister, mister.”
“...?”
Tug tug.
Suddenly, I felt Charlotte quietly pulling on my sleeve.
She had been eating well—what could it be?
I bent down, bringing my ear close to her, and she whispered to me.
“Jullia seems really, really anxious, so I thought I should tell you...”
“Hey! We agreed to keep that a secret...!”
“You can’t go after the Lady just because she’s cute too!”
“...Rest assured, that won’t happen.”
What did these kids take me for?
Did they think I was mad enough to desire the Northern Grand Duke's only daughter?
Above all else, seeing her perfect manners and straightforward personality had completely killed any interest.
A wife, after all, should have the charm of being taught and molded by myself…
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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