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Chapter 43 - Hosting the Empress (1)

Thud, thud.

As they walked towards the mansion after the greeting from the Great Earth Spirit, Empress Vanessa\'s teeth were grinding relentlessly, and the faces of her entourage turned pale.

\'What are we going to do about this tense atmosphere?\'

The Vermont family is insane!

Everyone knew they were an eccentric family, but this was beyond expectation.

This wasn\'t just irritating the Empress; it was outright provoking her.

Vermont was surely going to be dismantled.

Everyone felt that and was horrified, except for Aslan, who remained unbothered.

"So, what was that monster just now?"

"Oh, you mean Earthy."

"Earthy...?"

"That\'s the name of the Great Earth Spirit you saw. It originally lived in the mountain where the road was built, but our Spirit Mage temporarily isolated it with a spell."

"Hah. What a crude naming sense."

She laughed! Was it a mocking laugh?

Did it mean she was going to kill him?

The entourage murmured nervously behind her.

\'Good heavens. I almost laughed out loud.\'

Swallowing her barely contained laughter, Vanessa\'s expression returned to its usual sternness.

That insignificant-looking thing is a Great Spirit.

And it\'s a mascot!

She wanted to talk more with the so-called Great Spirit, but felt she might reveal too much if she lingered longer, so she turned away.

Anyway, she endured it.

The unique taste of the Vermonts was unexpected, but she had overcome the crisis and could now manage the remaining events smoothly.

...Or so she believed.

"Let\'s head to the mansion. How about a cool drink of tea?"

"Very well. Serve me chamomile tea."

"Yes, as you wish. The children will be preparing the tea today."

"Ah, hello!"

"...!"

Julia and Charlotte timidly stepped out from behind a corner, and Vanessa\'s eyes widened.

Goodness! They\'re adorable!

She quickly pinched her nose, feeling a sudden rush as if she might get a nosebleed.

\'Damn you, Vermont. Are you trying to shake me up like this?\'

Vanessa secretly pinched her thigh hard to suppress the rising corners of her mouth.

The sight of the children, clumsily preparing tea in perfectly fitting maid outfits!

Could it be that Vermont likes children? Is that it?

Otherwise, why would he employ such young maids?

But they\'re cute!

They\'re so cute she could just bite them to death!

"How does it taste?"

"Ughh."

"Your Majesty?"

"Forget it. It\'s just a headache acting up."

"Peppermint tea is good for headaches! Our head maid taught me! Would you like a cup of peppermint tea, big sis?"

"Hey, Charlotte. You should address her as \'Your Majesty.\' It\'s disrespectful otherwise..."

"Your Majesty big sis!"

"It\'s not \'Your Majesty big sis\'..."

"Enough. Just make the tea."

Damn it, damn it.

One is the innocent type and the other is the smart type!

To employ such cute children!

Vermont really is a den of evil dark magicians.

Vanessa\'s view of Aslan began to darken with suspicion.

"Your Majesty, there\'s something important I need to discuss."

"Speak."

"I\'ve heard you\'re funding orphanages and daycare centers from the national treasury."

"Yes, through the church. What of it?"

"It seems many of these operators are corrupt. The orphanage where these children were was one such place. The funds were pocketed, the children were abused, and the orphanage was eventually closed under the pretense of financial difficulties. The children were then sold to slavers. I suspect many such operators are scattered across the country due to a lack of proper oversight."

"...Is that true? If you\'re lying, you won\'t escape severe punishment."

"I swear there\'s no falsehood in my words."

Growl.

Despite Vanessa\'s warning, Aslan bowed his head in response.

Vanessa swallowed her anger and returned to her neutral expression.

That such corruption was happening in orphanages...

She had no idea.

As she glanced back at her entourage with questioning eyes, their faces turned ashen.

"I understand your concerns. I will personally review and address this issue."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

So, this guy just loves children?

He doesn\'t have any ulterior motives and simply cares for them?

Then he passes, you rascal.

You\'re somewhat like me.

Vanessa secretly smiled in satisfaction.

"It seems I can have a good conversation with you. Let\'s dismiss these noisy spectators and have a proper talk. Can you arrange that?"

"Yes, yes?"

"I was politely telling you all to leave. That\'s how you should take it."

"We\'ll leave immediately, Your Majesty..."

Irene and the entourage hurriedly left the room.

Aslan\'s eyes looked dead now, being alone with the Empress.

How did it come to this?

***

"The aroma of the tea is wonderful. I don\'t have much knowledge about tea ceremonies, but this is quite to my liking."

"I\'m glad it pleases you, Your Majesty..."

In the narrow reception room alone with the Empress, I sat frozen before her as she leisurely sipped her tea.

It felt like sitting in a thinking chair from childhood.

My mind kept repeating, \'What did I do wrong?\'

"Aslan Vermont."

"Yes."

"I\'ve done a little background check on you. You showed talent in magic as a child but lost all abilities after your father\'s execution. You\'ve been a recluse for ten years, engrossed in dark magic—no, witchcraft. You showed no intention of inheriting the family business until you suddenly became active two months ago."

"..."

She knows more about me than I do.

"I\'m not interested in what caused your change of heart. I\'m curious about what kind of person you are. From what I see, despite your shady appearance, you seem like a rather simple young man."

"...May I ask why you think so?"

"I can tell by looking at your eyes. Anyone who loves children can\'t be bad. Similarly, looking at the eyes of the children who served me tea, I can tell what kind of life they lead here."

She spoke with conviction.

Eyes? Can you really gauge emotions through someone\'s eyes?

While it was good to gain her favor, it made meeting her gaze 500 times more nerve-wracking.

"Look into my eyes, Aslan Vermont."

"Yes..."

"You have many secrets. I won\'t pry. Since we are both busy, let\'s get to the point. The road you built holds great significance, creating the shortest route between the border and the capital. Considering its immense value for commerce, I will exempt the road tax for the next 100 years as a reward."

"Thank you for your immense grace, Your Majesty."

It was a generous reward.

Normally, when national infrastructure is built, the royal family rewards with half the construction cost.

A century of tax exemption was akin to receiving not just hundreds of billions, but hundreds of trillions.

"Also, it bothers me that you\'re still just a Young Lord. I can\'t entrust important matters to someone in such a position."

"Oh, no. I will take steps to inherit the title through an internal council meeting soon."

"Judging by your sister\'s eyes, that process would take over ten years. Just inherit it now."

"Pardon?"

"I, Vanessa Friedrich, hereby declare that you shall inherit all rights and responsibilities of the Count of Vermont. Henceforth, Vermont will transition from a count regency to a proper countship. Any objections?"

"No, none at all!"

"Stand up. For heaven\'s sake, don\'t ever think about doing that kowtow again in my presence."

My body instinctively bowed low.

An unexpected succession of the count title?

Skipping all formalities?

There was no issue with the legitimacy because the Empress herself bestowed it.

I received a lifetime exemption from road taxes.

And became a count and head of the family.

While these were all good things, I couldn\'t shake a lingering sense of unease.

"Remember, you have inherited not only the rights but also all responsibilities of the Count of Vermont. As the Empress\'s vassal, you must respond to my summons without any excuse."

"...I fully understand."

"So don\'t suddenly disappear. Stay and wait. I will call for you someday."

"..."

With a chilling smile, the Empress stood up.

It was the first time a beautiful woman smiling broadly made me feel fear rather than admiration.

Even after the Empress left the room, I remained frozen in place for a long time.

\'Oh.\'

I\'m screwed.

Winning the Empress\'s favor was too much.

I should have been more moderate.

I should have only used Earthy and left out Charlotte and Julia.

Regret hit me like a tidal wave.