'So, I'm engaged to the dark old man now...?'
Inside the rattling carriage, Yuri felt bewildered.
I proposed to the dark old man publicly during my coming-of-age ceremony.
He replied that he accepted my proposal.
So, is this how we're engaged?
Is it really that simple?
Was engagement always this vain?
The more I thought about it, the more ridiculous it became.
I didn't really want anything grand.
No matter what, isn't it a bit strange to be engaged with just one letter exchanged?
Am I fantasizing too much about engagement?
For some reason, Yuri's cheeks puffed out as she felt uncomfortable.
'You've been annoying me so much... Now that I've caught all the fish, I'm going to treat you roughly, right?'
Could that be it? Aslan Vermont, who has been acting creepy all year, is going to reveal his true colors as soon as I propose?
Am I going to have an unhappy marriage from now on, having taken the bait of the dark old man?
Just as I was starting to worry,
The carriage had already arrived in front of the Vermont mansion.
Yuri entered the mansion with heavy feet, feeling gloomy.
"Welcome, Yuri. It's been a while."
"Ah, yes..."
As soon as he arrived, Aslan Vermont greeted Yuri with a sinister smile.
So that person is my fiancé...?
A sense of crisis suddenly came over Yuri, as if he had made a major mistake in his life.
"Aren't you going to give it to me here?"
"Give it to me. What?"
"It's the engagement ring that the dark old man left for me..." "I can't remember where I put that. How about coming in and having a cup of tea until I remember?"
"I just came to get that today..."
"There's also strawberry shortcake."
"Well, I'll just wait a moment..."
How did you know I like strawberry shortcake...
Ah. I just blurted out all my food preferences in a letter.
It seemed like he still hadn't gotten used to the fact that Aslan Vermont was a dark old man.
Well, that would be the case...
That frivolous, gloomy, childish, and deadly count and that dignified, elegant, and considerate dark old man just didn't match...
In fact, I still often wondered if the two of them were the same person, if it wasn't just my delusion and dream.
"Did Yuri like Dazzling?"
"Yes..." "I'm sure you hated tea before. You've come a long way."
"That's because the dark old man made me drink tea..."
Slurp.
Yuri sat down in her seat, glaring at Aslan, who was pouring out the well-brewed tea.
Come to think of it, in the past, not only did she not like tea, she even hated putting it in her mouth.
At the dark old man's suggestion, she started to make a habit of drinking it with sweet desserts, and before she knew it, her aversion to tea had disappeared.
A teacup and a piece of cake were placed in front of Yuri.
They were all things Yuri liked.
Strictly speaking, they were all things she had come to like under the influence of the dark old man.
"So, have you remembered where the engagement ring is?"
"Well. I don't see any sign of it yet." “Can you think of something quickly? I came to get the ring that the dark old man left for me, not to meet the Count.”
Yuri deliberately raised her voice and drank her tea cautiously.
Aslan simply twitched the corners of her lips as if she was enjoying this situation.
I’m engaged to the dark old man, not Aslan Vermont.
So from now on, I won’t even pay attention to the individual called Aslan Vermont.
I’ll only deal with you if you reveal to me that you’re the dark old man.
··· It implied that.
“It seems like you’re not interested in me at all.”
“Of course. Up until now, the Count has been polite to me because you said you were the dark old man’s friend. I don’t think he’ll visit the mansion again after today. As for my friends, we can just meet at the academy.”
“Are you serious about that?” "Yes, Count."
"I'm a little disappointed. I thought I had built a bond with you, Yuri. Couldn't you hang out with me a little more?"
"W-It seems like it's too much."
Aslan pulled the chair closer to Yuri and sat down.
Yuri snorted and turned his head to respond.
'You damned rascal. You won't even make eye contact.'
It seemed like he had a bad temper today.
Aslan felt that he had no choice but to raise both hands and feet.
He searched through his pockets and took out a small box.
"I just remembered. I forgot about the ring case in my inside pocket."
"Hmm... Was it possible to forget about something that big in my inside pocket?" "It's not impossible. This is an engagement ring that your sponsor chose after much thought. It's a pretty fancy ring, so I won't ask you to wear it every day, but I'd still ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) like you to cherish it."
"···You said you'd like it, didn't you say it wrong?"
"Ahem. That's right. I made a slip of the tongue."
Click.
The box opened, revealing a ring with a jewel that gave off a dazzling light.
Yuri's sullen expression softened as she confirmed this.
I wondered how pretty the ring could be.
Thinking that this was the only ring in the world that the dark old man had chosen for me, to commemorate our engagement, my heart sank.
Although it's fancy, unlike the rings that nobles give as decoration or extravagance, the size of the jewel isn't so big that it's cumbersome.
If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.
The jewel is big enough that it won't interfere with your mobility even if you wear it, and the thickness of the ring is also thin, so it's quite light.
This is something you can wear every day.
It's not like I want to brag about my engagement to a dark old man, it's just that I just happened to have a fashion item that I can wear.
Yeah···. That's all···.
"Wow···."
Yuri, who was thinking that to herself, picked up the ring without realizing it and kept exclaiming in admiration.
Aslan watched with a pleased smile, and then suddenly snatched the ring from Yuri.
By the time Yuri looked at Aslan with a puzzled expression.
Aslan had already pushed the chair back and was kneeling in front of Yuri.
"Your belly, Count···?"
"Your fingers are so thin that it was hard to choose. However, your fingers can grow bigger as you grow, so if the ring doesn't fit, just tell me. Since the ring is made to be resized, I can adjust it for you at any time." "Hmm. The dark old man must have chosen it, but he knows it quite well."
"I helped him choose it too."
"Aha. That's the setting···."
Slurp.
Holding Yuri's slender hand with one hand.
With the other hand, Aslan slowly slides the ring onto Yuri's ring finger.
As expected, it fits perfectly.
It's not like I've held Yuri's hand once or twice.
If I use the familiar feeling in my hand, it's not hard to make the size just right.
"What do you think?"
"Hmm, hmm. What is it? It's pretty···. Honestly, I didn't expect much···."
"Then, will you put a ring on me too?"
"Huh, huh!? Why is the Count wearing a ring? This should be worn by the dark old man···!"
Yuri immediately raised his voice in protest.
At this, Aslan had no choice but to swallow the bitter aftertaste, thinking, 'Oh, it doesn't work.'
"Anyway, I won't put you in! Put you in yourself or figure it out yourself!"
"That can't be. If Yuri won't put you in, I'd rather not put you in."
"···."
"Yuri. Do you really only like the dark old man and hate Aslan Vermont?"
"Of course, that's obvious. Of course, I owe you a lot of favors···. But apart from that, I can't help but despise you as a human being."
"Really? Wasn't it after you realized that the dark old man was me that you decided to propose? Didn't you feel happy when you realized that the dark old man was me?"
"···!"
Yuri's face turned red as if he had been hit hard on the spot.
I hadn't even realized it myself.
Thinking back carefully, it was just as Aslan Vermont had said.
Up until now, I had only vaguely respected the dark old man and admired him. I couldn't even think of confessing or proposing rashly.
The moment I realized his identity, the moment I truly decided to propose was the moment I realized that the dark-skinned man was Aslan Vermont. The moment I realized that, I immediately thought that I could entrust half of my life to this person.
"I was so happy to receive the proposal, Yuri. I've been listening to your worries and advice, so I know that this proposal wasn't sudden or capricious. If I didn't answer sincerely, I would be embarrassed as an adult."
"···."
"I love you too. Won't you let us tie each other with the bond of engagement?"
"Ugh···."
The moment he met Aslan's straight gaze, Yuri's face turned even more red.
Yuri's hand moved slowly without his knowledge, and he was pushing a ring onto Aslan's ring finger.
Right.
A pair of rings, each on Aslan's and Yuri's ring fingers, fit perfectly.
Yuri smiled as he looked at them.
"Okay! Okay! You're caught! You caught me right after I set the mood! The Count is really naive···!"
"···?"
He stood up abruptly and took out the magic tool hidden under his clothes.
Aslan's eyes widened as he realized the identity of the magic tool as soon as he saw it.
A recording device.
It was a medium that detected and stored surrounding sounds.
"I just recorded the entire voice of the Count admitting that he was a dark old man! Now that shameless acting is over!" "Ha. You used your head well, but the ending is sloppy."
"Huh?"
"If you finished recording safely, you should have hidden it well until you left the mansion. I messed up the work because I was too competitive."
"Ah? Aah!?"
At that moment, Aslan held back his laughter and raised his right hand.
Black smoke poured out from his right hand and enveloped the magic tool, and an ominous crackling sound leaked out from the magic tool.
The recording device was also a magic tool based on mana.
If powerful black magic was applied, the mana arrangement would be completely disrupted, and the stored voice would inevitably be damaged.
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"Now all the evidence has disappeared without a trace."
"Oh, really! Are you going to do this!?"
Aslan put his right hand away with a satisfied smile.
Yuri held the magic tool that had been completely broken and became useless, and ended up crying.
This human, just how childish is he trying to become!?