Trigger Warning: Abuse

On the way back, Charlotte, sitting across from Ethelbert, was visibly exhausted. She struggled to keep her eyes open.

It was only natural. Ever since arriving at the earldom, she barely had any rest. She had to greet people, oversee questioning, deal with the aftermath, and conduct an investigation. As if that weren’t enough, she also had to fulfill her daily duties as the crown princess. Her fatigue must had reached its limit.

“Why don’t you rest?” Ethelbert called out to her.

Charlotte looked up.

Even though she was exhausted, she didn’t let it show on her face. From the outside, she seemed to be experiencing a wave of drowsiness. Regardless, it was obvious it was due to fatigue.

“No, I need to compile the report to some extent before we arrive.”

Charlotte had several papers written with the investigation information in her hands. She was reading them and jotting down any missing details. She seemed to be sorting the information in her head, as she needed to format it later.

Despite her inherently busy environment, she seemed to have become accustomed to giving more than she could.

“I told you to take better care of yourself.”

“…”

“And you agreed.”

Ethelbert spoke quietly, narrowing his eyes.

Charlotte blinked and laughed beautifully.

“Certainly. I’ll take a brief rest, then.”

As Charlotte put down her pen and paper, Ethelbert smiled in satisfaction.

“That’s a wise decision.” He praised her.

***

When the carriage arrived at the royal capital, Ethelbert and Brandon didn’t part ways near the guest house. Instead, the two accompanied the others to the royal castle. They were there to give Frederick a magician’s overview of the situation.

The carriage passed through the castle gates and came to a stop in front of the royal castle. Ethelbert alighted first. He held out his hand to Charlotte who naturally took it. Then, she slowly placed her feet on the ground.

She didn’t seem to have slept well during the carriage ride. Due to insufficient rest, she was visibly weary. Still, her fatigue must’ve been eased somewhat.

Frederick, Prime Minister Curtis, and the knights came to greet them.

Surprisingly, Juliet wasn’t there. Perhaps they hadn’t given her the exact date and time of Charlotte’s return so that she could keep her peace of mind. After all, the people of this kingdom were overprotective of Juliet.

“I’m so glad to see you’ve returned safely.” Curtis bowed his head.

Letting go of Ethelbert’s hand, Charlotte replied, “Yes.”

Meanwhile, Frederick stepped toward Charlotte.

When Ethelbert saw the look of utter indignation on Frederick’s face, he grew doubtful.

—Crack!

Before Ethelbert could stand before of the girl, Frederick’s hand flew. There was a dull sound, and for a moment, time seemed to had stopped.

It took a while to understand what had happened. Most of the people there probably felt the same.

The moment Ethelbert fully grasped the unbelievable information he’d just perceived, he instinctively called out her name.

“Charlotte!”

“Your Highness!”

Almost at the same time as Ethelbert, Curtis also cried and ran over to them. Brandon stood behind him with a look of concern. Perhaps, the sight was so shocking that Quentin and the knights just stood there, speechless.

Charlotte was holding her left cheek. She hung her head, her hair obstructing her face.

“Shame on you. You allowed your sister to fall into danger despite being beside her.”

“…My apologies.”

Frederick rebuked coldly, yet Charlotte responded calmly, as if nothing were unusual had happened.

She was the only one who wasn’t shocked. She didn’t even scream. She must’ve expected that to happen. Rather than sensing any imminent danger, she had anticipated Frederick’s action beforehand.

To make such a prediction, she must’ve experienced it many times before.

Frederick had mercilessly slapped Charlotte across her face, and even scolded her.

Witnessing the entire scene unfold made Ethelbert see red. His blood was boiling.

“Your Majesty, this is—”

“King Frederick.”

Cutting off Curtis’ words, Ethelbert stood between Frederick and Charlotte. His position as the Imperial Brother and his healthy, well-endowed body were useful in hiding Charlotte behind his back.

Ethelbert continued, glowering at the so-called Hero of this kingdom.

“The Crown Princess was also in danger. Shouldn’t you be concerned over her safety? Instead, you resorted to violence. Are you truly her father?”

“Violence? This is nothing more than a punishment, one that she so deserved. She may be a victim of this situation, but she’s also Juliet’s older sister, and she failed to protect her. She’s reaping the consequences for her carelessness. Compared to the fear that Juliet must’ve felt, this is nothing!”

Frederick spoke seriously. His expression and tone made it apparent that he sincerely thought that. He wasn’t yelling, but he was quite angry.

The second princess remained unscathed throughout the whole incident. Charlotte chose the quickest method to save her, and put herself in danger.

How could she be treated like this?

“Do you think you could’ve prevented it?”

Once again, Ethelbert was being painfully reminded of how foolish that man was.

Ethelbert wanted to inflict the pain Frederick had caused Charlotte back on him tenfold. Somehow, he managed to suppress the urge to sock the king’s face.

“Humans are imperfect. We aren’t omnipotent—no one is. The Royal Guard should be responsible for protecting the Second Princess at all times. I heard you handpicked those knights, yet they didn’t even stand a chance against the magical weapons—”

“—Your Highness Ethelbert.”

Charlotte gently grabbed Ethelbert’s arm as if to calm him down. Then, she came out from behind him and stood beside him.

“It’s alright.”

“But…”

“Thank you for your concern.”

Charlotte smiled reassuringly, her cheek red. Her bright skin had swollen. It must’ve hurt.

However, Charlotte didn’t let it show and just stared emotionlessly at Frederick.

“I’m tired. I’ll be returning to my room.”

“We aren’t done here.”

“Your Majesty.”

Charlotte had a piercing, almost gruesome atmosphere about her.

“I was in a situation where I was less likely to come out with just a minor wound. Despite that, I pushed on with the investigation and have since returned to the castle. I’m tired. I’ll submit my report by the end of the day, so if you want to lecture me, please do so another day.”

“…”

Her expression was more expressive that it had been in the past. Her negative feelings toward the other party were more concentrated.

It wasn’t often that Charlotte displayed such feelings directly. Frederick looked a little taken aback and confused. He didn’t say a word—no, he probably couldn’t, which basically prove it.

Charlotte took a few steps away from Ethelbert and bowed gracefully.

“I apologize for the unsightly scene. I’ll take my leave.”

“…Okay. Get some rest. Make sure you apply some medicine to your cheek.”

“Yes, thank you.”

Charlotte bowed, maintaining a flat expression as she passed Frederick and entered the castle. Curtis glanced at Frederick before following Charlotte.

“—Brandon, let’s go.”

“Understood.”

When Ethelbert called his attendant, Quentin stopped him.

“Your Highness. I’ll report back later. Is that acceptable?”

“…Yes.”

After asking Frederick for permission, Ethelbert took the reins of Brandon’s beloved horse.

“I don’t want to ride with you. Just walk back.”

“…Okay. I don’t want you to vent your frustrations on me, anyway. It’s not that far, so I might as well.”

Brandon smiled and replied calmly. In spite of that, it was obvious that he was also angry at Frederick.

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