NOVPUB"I didn’t even send a reply, and yet you sent me all these letters..."
Returning to her room and opening the envelope, Yuria let out a deep sigh. Inside, there were many letters packed tightly together. It had only been two months, but there must have been at least twenty of them.
Since she had no intention of replying, Yuria had left them with Aslan Vermond, worried that she might weaken and be tempted to write back. But she never imagined that there would be so many letters waiting for her.
With trembling hands, she began to tear open the letters one by one, starting from the earliest ones, carefully reading through them.
If she had seen this on the first day she arrived at the estate, she probably wouldn’t have listened, and would have been upset. But now, she understood exactly what he meant.
The gruff man was always doing things for her, after all...
"That gruff man...!"
Yuria's eyes welled up as she read.
Even though she hadn’t written back, the gruff man had continued writing to her...
As she read through the letters, guilt began to gnaw at her. The pain of knowing how inconsiderate she had been made her feel physically uncomfortable.
"Wait, what!?"
He used my allowance for investments!?
Wasn’t he just supposed to keep it safe?
What if it doesn’t make any profit?
Yuria jolted, turning the envelope upside down and shaking it, and a bundle of bills fell out. On the sticky note attached to the bills, it read:
When Yuria counted it, the amount was more than her two months' worth of allowance. It was a 50% increase...
What kind of interest rate gives 50% in just two months...?
Yuria’s nose started to run as she wiped away uncontrollable tears. Why were both the gruff man and Aslan Vermond so kind?
At first, she couldn’t understand how the two could be close friends, but now she was beginning to understand why.
Like attracts like; it was no wonder they got along.
"Sniffle... This isn’t the time for this."
Wiping away her tears, Yuria quickly opened her drawer to find some paper and a pen.
Since the break was over, it was time to write to the gruff man.
She picked up the pen, but stopped as soon as she began writing the greeting.
"There’s so much I want to say..."
There was no way to fit it all into one letter. If that’s the case, she thought, she might as well write two or three pages.
Yuria continued to sniffle as she began writing her letter to the gruff man after two months of silence.
The carriage driver arrived, and Yuria, carrying her suitcase, turned sharply and looked back at the estate.
"I... I really owe a lot to you, Count. Thanks to you, I’ve stayed comfortably."
[The evil god, 'Kali,' wipes away tears in sadness.]
Yuria bowed politely, her hands clasped in front of her. Every time she bowed her head like this, she secretly felt a pang of hurt pride, but this time, there was no hint of that. She was genuinely respectful.
With just that, she could confidently say that the two months spent at the estate had been the right choice.
If she had only followed the gruff man and believed that Aslan Vermond was the enemy who had kidnapped her friends, it would have been hard to come out with the truth later.
The fact that the gap between the two of them had shrunk so much was a great achievement.
"Alright. Take care. Be sure to send my regards to your sponsor."
"Yes. I will... ah! No! Don’t! Don’t pat my head again! I won’t be trained by you like Charlotte or Yuria!"
"T-Train you? When?"
"Train? What does that mean?"
"That’s a thing, Charlotte..."
Aslan’s large hand reached out, and Yuria quickly stepped back, face turning red, panicked.
Realizing what was happening, Yuria almost let out a laugh at the absurdity of it.
"Well, I didn’t mean to pat your head... did you expect it?"
"Ah, no! It’s fine! I’m leaving now!"
"Yuria! Take care! Let’s hang out again next time!"
"Next time, we’ll visit the Magic Academy!"
Yuria hurriedly climbed into the carriage, unable to control her embarrassment, as Charlotte and Yuria waved her off.
It was a slightly, no—very bittersweet moment.
She felt a little sorry for not spending more time with Charlotte and Yuria during the break. But thanks to Yuria, they didn’t have a chance to get bored, and she could tell that they’d had a good time.
From today, the estate would probably be quieter.
As the carriage started moving, Yuria already found herself missing them.
‘Hehe. Well, I’ll just read the letter Yuria left for me.’
But I had a letter from Yuria.
To be more precise, it was a letter she had left with Aslan Vermond for me.
I couldn’t think of any reason why I shouldn’t open it right away.
When I returned to my office and tore open the envelope, the strong scent of ink hit me.
It was the ink I had given Yuria to use in the pen I gifted her.
I smiled warmly as I pulled out the letters, four pages in total.
Oh my.
The letter was so tightly packed, there were barely any spaces between words. I turned away, eyes stinging, unable to look at it anymore.
What is this?
If you only looked at this letter, you might think I’m some mentally disturbed child.
But... maybe this was just how much Yuria truly felt sorry.
If that was the case, then I was glad.
I had been worried she might still be upset about being forced to come to Vermont Estate.
But thanks to reuniting with the children and spending good time together, it seemed that all her complaints had been completely resolved.
‘But... maybe she’s feeling a little too sorry.’
Even if she had gotten over it, it seemed like it was a little too much.
Still, if I told her not to worry and sent a reply to calm her down, I’m sure it would settle quickly.
Yuria was strong, so I wasn’t too worried.
Yuria’s ability was classified, and revealing it was against the rules, but it seemed like she couldn’t resist sharing the good news with her benefactor.
There were so many more details in her letter—how Charlotte and Yuria were actually acquainted from the orphanage and had secretly met up; the three of them going to the theater to watch a play; how Sylvia awakened her aura and became a swordmaster...
I already knew all of this, but reading Yuria’s letter felt new, fresh, and never boring.
Yuria’s letter had a way of making people feel good...
This was something I had felt back when I mistook Yuria for a man, so it wasn’t just a passing feeling—it was an objective truth.
"Is it almost the end...?"
"Hooohhh."
[The evil god, 'Kali,' is lost in a feeling of joy!]
Yuria... had feelings for the gruff man?
Is this really happening?
Could it be possible to fall for someone you've never met, someone you’ve only exchanged letters with?
What if the person is a middle-aged man with a pot-belly and balding?
A rush of happiness flooded me, but at the same time, concern for Yuria overwhelmed me, and my mind became tangled.
