Oswald caught the fainting Charlotte in a hurry and frowned.

“Charlotte, can you hear me?”

“No… I envy myself too much…”

What the hell is she going on about?

The girl in his arms didn’t appear to have a bad complexion.

Rather, her cheeks were an upbeat red color. She looked very healthy.

Well, her fainting shouldn’t be that surprising. Her divine power was sealed.

Any creature born on that world had magical power in its body.

Just like blood, it was necessary for staying alive.

The same went for ‘god’s power.’ The only difference was that people blessed with divine power could provide healing.

Before she was sealed, a massive amount of divine power flowed through Charlotte’s body.

Oswald, whose magical prowess was at the same level as her, sealed it by taking all possible measures.

Charlotte, who faced him at the time of the sealing, was kneeling on the floor of the cathedral. She glared at him as if he was the most abominable creature in the world.

He recalled the flaming hostility within her blue eyes.

Giving her no chance to speak, Oswald shackled her with a restrainting spell in the form of an ebony chain.

There was a decree—

‘—Capture the saint. It’s fine to injure her some, but don’t kill her.’

As soon as she was captured, he was to seal her divine power to put an end to her power abuse.

Oswald could only silently obey the royal decree.

The only time he heard Charlotte’s voice was during that time—

“—Oswald Ralph Langheim!”

She called Oswald’s name.

It was as if she were addressing a creature she was born to hate.

For Oswald, the feeling was mutual.

In the previous battle, none of the seriously wounded soldiers were able to receive any healing because Charlotte sealed the divine power of all the other healers…

As a result, none of healers who served the kingdom could use healing magic.

When the royal family asked for the reason why, she laughed as if it was hilarious, and said;

“—For another woman to think of using healing magic, how cheeky!”

“—I’m the only one who may heal others. I’m the only one you need.”

Despite saying that with a smile, Charlotte never healed anyone on the battlefield.

No one could change Charlotte’s mind—not even the royal family, or the masses of people who bowed for her sacred power.

Towards them, she’d remark: “I don’t want to dirty my dress.”

Far from seeing the faces of the injured, Charlotte didn’t even pray for those who had died the next morning.

All of the people who died at that time were the friends of Oswald.

Nevertheless, the royal family still ordered Oswald to be her husband. The reason was because he was the only one with enough magical power to seal Charlotte. He was the only one who could kill her.

…But.

Oswald remembered what she had previously told him.

“Every time you call me by my name, ‘Charlotte’—it’s as if the realization ‘that’s my name’ deeply permeates me.”

The current Charlotte…—

He sighed deeply.

—has lost all of her memories before the sealing.

He became convinced after judging all her previous actions.

…Probably from when she woke up this morning. The Charlotte within my arms doesn’t remember that she’s the saint, or her past misdeeds…

Hence, she asked for Oswald’s name and even said that she fell for him at the first sight. It wasn’t an act to deceive or mislead him.

Is this an the effect of the seal? But that’s impossible… In theory, it’s hard to think that magical power and memory are linked…

If so, there was only one conclusion.

Did Charlotte herself seal her memories in anticipation of something?

Oswald involuntarily clicked his tongue.

Why don’t you just tell me the truth?

You aren’t responsible for the cruelty of past self… In fact, you must be having a hard time because of that…

Within his embrace, Charlotte was asleep. Her cheeks had cooled. As it was, her sleeping self looked as straightforward as a child.

“Charlotte, what is your goal?”

He stared at her while remembering the previous “Charlotte.”

He found it strange how despite the fact that they were the same person, she looked entirely different.

“…Hmm.”

Oswald stood up while lifting Charlotte. He raised his eyebrows.

Her body was light, therefore it was easy to lift. The hem of her lilac night dress spread like a broken flower.

He just took her to the bed and gently set her down.

Putting her head on a pillow, he draped his overcoat on her. Then, so that she wouldn’t be cold, he properly tucked her up.

“…I’ll accept your invitation and pretend to be deceived.”

He sat on the edge of her bed, put his hand next to Charlotte, and stared down at her face.

“But don’t forget, depending on your next move—”

“Mmn…”

Charlotte began to stir.

Oswald quietly cursed in his mouth, thinking that she might had woken up.

Charlotte had a difficult expression for a while, but then smiled as if relieved.

“Oswald…”

Oswald felt a bit troubled when she drowsily beckoned to him.

Don’t laugh while making such a face.

Instead of replying, he pinched Charlotte’s nose.

“Fugyu…”

After Charlotte had settled down, she murmured in her sleep.

“Oswald, just a little… just a little bit, a bite? So…”

“…What are you dreaming about?”

Of course, he didn’t actually want to know. Oswald quietly left the bedroom.

---

***T/N: Yo she got found out this fast?!

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