57 Charlotte: Chapter 6, Episode 10
Charlotte woke up inside of a unified, yet gorgeous and elegant room that was completely different from her cell.
“This is…”
“This is your room in the imperial palace.”
She raised her head at the voice. Ethelbert, who was holding her in his arms.
They’d teleported from that cell to the imperial castle of the neighboring Ferelden Empire’s imperial capital. She’d heard that long-distance teleportation required various conditions and a considerable amount of magic, but Ethelbert seemed unfazed.
Ethelbert brought Charlotte to the sofa. After setting her down, he sat next to her, took her delicate hand, and kissed the back of it.
“Now you’re free, Charlotte.”
“Indeed.”
She had prepared fake blood and a fake body. Of course, the truth would never be revealed in the Kingdom of Lymore.
Charlotte the Rebel had committed suicide in prison. Frederick and the others would never get a chance to apologize to Charlotte, and would have to live with their unforgivable sins for all eternity.
How hilarious!
As Charlotte smiled in satisfaction, Ethelbert stroked her hair. He grimaced at her blonde hair, now cropped to her collarbone.
“Did you really need to cut it so short?”
“Didn’t Lord Ethelbert need a part of me to create the fake body?”
“I only need some biological information to make it look like you.”
It was impossible to create a living being with magic, but a fake body was a different matter. That elaborate corpse utilized the remains of a cat he had found in an alley in the royal capital. Charlotte’s hair was used as material to replicate her appearance through magic. Without a body, they’d assume Charlotte had escaped from prison, and she’d be pursued.
“But the more information there is, the more precise the result will be, and the longer the effect will last, right? In that case, the more the better.”
In fact, if Ethelbert hadn’t stopped her, it’d have been much shorter. Charlotte didn’t have much objection to cutting her damaged hair. She was just relieved she didn’t have to draw blood as an information medium.
“The corpse will be buried within a few days, anyway. Like I said, even a small amount wouldn’t cause any problems.”
“Still, I thought it’d be good to cut it short, since I’m about to start a new life…”
After a short pause, Charlotte tilted her head, asking, “Does it suit me?”
It was a cunning and deliberate gesture, yet it touched Ethelbert’s heart all the more.
“It suits you well,” Ethelbert honestly stated.
Charlotte also smiled with delight.
“So, what do you want in return? With the information I have, it’d be easy to turn Lymore into a vassal state of the empire. Wouldn’t it be better to present it to His Majesty as a gift?”
Not only would it make a better impression, it’d also show that Charlotte was useful despite not being a magician.
“Our country has no intention of expanding its territory, so it depends on how Lymore responds. Now that I have you, I don’t expect anything from that kingdom.”
As if Ethelbert would be concerned about the kingdom that caused Charlotte so much pain. He believed leaving everything as it was would be just fine.
He wasn’t particularly worried about the relationships he had established with the residents of the royal capital either. They would manage on their own, anyway.
Despite being a terrible ruler, Frederick still had the qualities and sense of responsibility to be a king. Would he continue to sit on the throne, surrender to someone else, or seek a new path for the kingdom? It was unclear which path he’d choose, but he’d surely fulfill his responsibilities. The chaos in that kingdom should calm down soon.
The royal family’s prestige would probably never recover, though.
“—Unless you want to destroy it.”
“No, it’s no longer necessary. It’d just be a waste of time.”
“I see.”
Charlotte’s revenge had been fulfilled. If she didn’t want anything more, it didn’t matter to Ethelbert.
The Kingdom of Lymore must’ve been nervous at the idea of their state secrets being leaked to the Empire. However, the Empire would only use that information to move discussions in their favor during a negotiation. At this point, they had no intention of actively taking control of the Kingdom of Lymore.
“More importantly, what are you going to do next? You’ll accept my proposal, right?”
“Yes, Lord Ethelbert.”
Charlotte nodded, smiling joyfully. Ethelbert also smiled in satisfaction.
In the first place, this situation had arisen because Frederick rejected the marriage proposal between the two of them.
As she explained to Quentin, Charlotte had originally intended to kill herself in front of Juliet. She changed her plans not because she didn’t want to spend her last moments dedicated to Juliet, but because of Ethelbert.
She longed for a future with him, so she chose to live.
“The arrangements for your adoption have already been finalized.”
“Well, that’s very thorough.”
“They’re my cousins, and they’re a loving family.”
“They also don’t have any children. So, is this the duke’s house that Lord Ethelbert will inherit someday?”
“Yes, I can guarantee that it’s a comfortable place to live. They can be a bit nagging, though.”
It seemed that Ethelbert had been visiting them since he was a child. The duke and the duchess seemed to love Ethelbert as if he were their own son, and his complaint about them being “nagging” sounded to be laced with affection.
Apparently, the duke and duchess would welcome her with open arms. Charlotte, who didn’t know much about normal families, was actually nervous about the encounter.
“Let’s start anew. I want to change my name, too.”
“Is that okay?”
“I don’t mind.”
Her mother had named both her and Juliet. Juliet was very happy because it was a gift from her late mother, but to Charlotte, it was more like a curse.
Frankly, because of Frederick and Juliet, her love for her mother had long since vanished.
“I like being called by Lord Ethelbert, but it’s a name I don’t have any particular attachment to. I’d like to change my name, cut off all ties with that kingdom, and live as a new person—with you.”
She wanted to live a new life, not as Charlotte of the Kingdom of Lymore, but a different person.
“Lord Ethelbert, please bestow me a new name.”
“Well, what would be good…?”
As he gazed upon her with loving eyes, she smiled happily, thinking about their future.
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