A Meaningless Argument
"Is this the first time something like this has ever happened?"
"Yes. I was truly shocked myself…"
Silvia still seemed dazed by it all, repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fist as if testing whether the sensation was real. It wasn't just anyone talking—it was Silvia. That alone made it certain. This was no mistake, no hallucination. It was real.
Silvia's blade had truly cut through the space where Reinhardt's face had been, and the tip of that sword had sliced through the past itself. It was safe to call that the provisional conclusion.
Did the sword itself possess some special power? Or was it an ability belonging to Silvia? There was no way of knowing for now. Judging by the fact that this was the first time it had ever occurred, it clearly wasn't something she could control at will. If she could freely wield that power, she never would have struggled so much back at the Imperial Palace.
"I'll train hard with it! If I can learn to use this power as I please, it should become a tremendous boost to our combat strength!"
"Do that."
Silvia's eyes sparkled as she declared it at the top of her lungs. After stagnating for so long, she had finally discovered a clue to growing stronger—no wonder she was so fired up.
Still… a sword that could cut through the past?
What the hell kind of monster is that Jacob guy, anyway?
The Jjang-sseh-jjang-sseh-geom was one thing, but every blade he poured his heart into seemed to turn out absurdly powerful.
I should tighten security around Jacob and the forge even further.
At this rate, some of the weapons already shipped out might be displaying performances far beyond imagination. The moment even one of those came to light, rumors of Jacob's skill would spread like wildfire. He might well end up enjoying a reputation that surpassed even that of a master craftsman.
I wonder if Yuri is getting along with the kids by now.
By this hour she would have finished unpacking long ago. With me out of the mansion, the only ones left were Charlotte, Yulia, and Yuri. Yuri still wore a mask around me, terrified I might discover her connection to the children. I had deliberately stepped out for a while so she could take the mask off and speak openly with them. If that worked, her wariness toward me would soften that much faster. After all, if her own friends insisted without any ulterior motive that Aslan Belmont was a good person, even Yuri would have no choice but to believe them.
Is it okay to get my hopes up a little…?
I pictured returning to find the three of them laughing together in a warm atmosphere, Yuri's mask already off, and that look of open contempt she always wore around me replaced by something gentler—fondness, even.
Thump-thump.
Expectation swelled inside me until I could feel my heart pounding hard.
The sun soon set and dusk settled in as the carriage rolled into the Belmont estate.
"Where are the children?"
"Ah. They're in the library at the moment, but…"
Something about the maid's flustered report made me head straight for the library. All right—time to see for myself.
I yanked the door open.
"Stop being so stubborn already, Charlotte!"
"I'm not the stubborn one—you are, Yulia! Why won't you just admit it?!"
"…"
clutches her chest in pain and demands to know what on earth is going on!
A scene I never saw coming unfolded before my eyes. Charlotte and Yulia, faces flushed, refusing to give an inch as they raised their voices at each other. This was no play-acting or joke—they were genuinely fighting.
They bickered over little things every day, sure, but the two of them had always been as close as real sisters. So why…?
I stood there completely lost, with no idea what was happening.
"Both of you, quiet. What is all this racket doing in the library?"
"…"
"…"
The moment they sensed my presence they clamped their mouths shut and stopped arguing. The residual heat still hadn't faded, though—both of them kept their shoulders heaving.
Curious how things had gotten this bad, I glanced over at Yuri, only to find…
And what's her problem?
Yuri was staring up at me, fists clenched and trembling. The mask hid her expression, yet somehow I could still feel murderous intent radiating from her eyes.
Charlotte and Yulia were at each other's throats. Yuri seemed to hate me even more than before. Far from turning warm and friendly, the situation had only gotten worse—I felt like I was about to cry.
"Let's just eat first."
"…Okay."
"…Yes."
Before asking any questions I herded the children toward the dining hall. Ninety-nine percent of fights came from stress, and an empty stomach always created or amplified stress. The irritation and anger that flared when you were hungry could vanish into nothing once you had a full belly. If I wanted them to make up, the first priority was to get both of them warm and well-fed.
"…"
"…"
Charlotte and Yulia wouldn't even look at each other, let alone exchange a single word, and the atmosphere stayed ice-cold. At least the situation wasn't so dire that they refused to eat. Both of them fetched their dog bowls and sat down at the table.
The moment they did, Yuri's clenched fists began to shake even harder as she stared straight at me.
Ah. Don't tell me it's because of the dog bowls?
Crap. She must be furious that I made Charlotte and Yulia eat out of dog bowls. Fair enough—I had been completely insensitive there. I immediately owned the mistake, pulled out the spare custom dog bowls I had ordered just in case, and swapped them for the ordinary plate sitting in front of Yuri.
"What the…"
gives a big thumbs-up to your overflowing consideration!
Yuri's fists went slack with a soft thud. I couldn't see her face, so I couldn't be sure, but she was probably so moved that tears were welling up in her eyes. Feeling rather proud of myself, I wiped my nose and returned to my seat.
"So why were the two of you fighting today of all days? It's Yuri's first day at the mansion."
"…"
"…"
By the time we were finishing the main course and dessert was about to arrive, I broke the awkward silence that had settled over the dining hall and gently broached the subject. The children only stole glances at one another and showed no sign of answering.
"I can hardly pretend I don't know about a quarrel that happened under my own roof. If you don't tell me, starting tomorrow neither of you gets any snacks. Understood?"
begs you for mercy, insisting that is far too cruel!
There would be no mercy. The moment I played the joker card of confiscating snacks, Charlotte and Yulia both jumped in alarm and finally opened their mouths. It worked.
"It's just… Yulia keeps saying the most ridiculous things!"
"Haaah?! You're the one who started it, Charlotte! …yo!"
"Both of you, lower your voices. One at a time, nice and clear. Charlotte first."
Their volume was climbing again and the fight threatened to reignite, so I hurriedly quieted them down. This didn't feel like a conflict that had formed overnight. It felt more like some long-standing grudge between them—maybe even from before they came to the mansion—had been festering and growing until it finally exploded today.
"I mean, come on! Yulia just won't admit it! Anyone can see that Yulia is more girlish and prettier and cuter than me! Her personality is a little dishonest and annoying, sure, but other than that she's perfect! And she keeps saying no!"
"See?! You already listed my flaws with your own mouth and then called me perfect! That's a contradiction! Of course Charlotte, who gets lots of sun and moves around all the time, has more healthy charm than I do! Anyone would prefer a bright, cheerful girl like Charlotte over someone dishonest and annoying like me!"
"Ahhh! You're sulking because of what I just said, aren't you?!"
"W-what? No I'm not?"
"You got mad when I called you dishonest and annoying! You repeated it again, so you definitely sulked!"
"Anyway, you're cuter!"
"No I'm nooot…!"
In the blink of an eye the dinner table had turned into a battlefield once more. All I could do was let out a hollow laugh in the face of the vicious argument unfolding before me. I couldn't even bring myself to stop them; I just sat there, mind blank.
So these two… were fighting over who is prettier…?
I had seen people argue about how pretty they themselves were, but this was the first time in my life I had watched two people fight because each insisted the other was prettier and demanded the other admit it. Was the problem that their affection for each other had gone too far? Or that their self-esteem was simply too low…? It was a bizarre conflict whose root cause I couldn't pin down no matter how hard I tried.
"You still won't admit it! You just pointed out my flaws with your own mouth!"
"How is that pointing out flaws? Even the part where you're dishonest and annoying is completely charming! Who in the world would be happy if a tsundere suddenly became honest overnight?!"
"Y-you think even that is charming…? What kind of nonsense…!"
"Then how about we ask Mister? Who's right?"
"Fine! Aslan! Answer us! Obviously Charlotte is cuter than me, right?"
"No way? Yulia is prettier, right?"
"…"
Charlotte and Yulia both turned to stare at me in perfect unison. Suddenly the bomb had been tossed into my lap. Still reeling from the absurdity of it all, I let out another hollow laugh and opened my mouth.
"You adorable little things are having a completely meaningless argument…"
Ah. I had meant to phrase it more carefully, but the filter failed and my true thoughts slipped straight out.
In that instant—
"Exactly! That's what I've been tryi—! Mmph?!"
Yuri shot to her feet as if a great weight had been lifted and shouted at the top of her lungs. Then she seemed to realize what she had done, clapped both hands over her mouth, and sank back down into her seat.
Charlotte's and Yulia's gazes snapped toward Yuri as one.
…Hic.
The only sound that echoed through the quiet dining hall was Yuri's hiccup.