ã€ŠThe antagonist&#x27;s daughterã€‹


 Chapter 1 The nightmares beginning

    chapter 1

    The sound of horse hooves marching gently mixed in the wind. In the middle of a highway surrounded by trees, a lone extravagant carriage accompanied by ten knights traveled to the royal capital of Corteya, one of the four human kingdoms on the continent.

    ¡°Father, how much longer till we arrive?¡±

    The young girl gazed at the scenery outside. She yawned, covering her mouth with the expensive looking fan in her hand, feeling utterly bored out of her mind.

    ¡°Lotte, just be patient a little while longer.¡±

    The man sitting opposite the young girl, Charlotte Ionesse, was her father and also the duke with the highest position within the kingdom of Corteya.

    (Are¡­.? What''s going on? Wasn¡¯t I just sitting in front of my desk a while ago? Where the heck am I!?)

    Kana Katsuki tried to comprehend the situation before her, but was at a complete loss. When she tried to move, she was unable to. When she tried to speak, she was also unable to do so. The strangest- or rather, freakiest thing was that it felt as though her body was suddenly functioned on its own!

    ¡°Hmm~ but honestly father. Riding in a carriage for this long, my entire body aches.¡±

    ¡°Haha, well, if you say so, then should we take a short break?¡±

    ¡°Gladly!¡±

    Duke Adrian ordered for the driver to stop. With the help of the knights, Charlotte walked outside of the carriage and decided to go for a little stroll to relief her aching bum.

    (Again!)

    While Charlotte was happily humming to herself, Kana was starting to lose her mind.

    (Wait, why does this place look familiar¡­..?)

    While Charlotte still kept on humming, Kana ignored that dying donkey¡¯s cry that came out of her mouth and tried to think.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    (Wait a minute¡­am I dreaming right now or is this place actually¡­.)

    She was just about to reach an answer to her own question when all of a sudden she felt all the hair on her body stand up straight.

    (Danger!)

    -swish~!

    A thin silver light flashed behind her and a strand of black hair landed on the ground.

    (That was close! Way too close!)

    Somehow, just for that split second she was able to move her body before the sword could strike her down.

    ¡°Kyaa!!!!¡±

    Charlotte let out a loud scream as she ran away from the knight who was supposed to guard her, but had tried to kill her just then.

    ¡°Tsk.¡± The knight clicked his tongue and tried to capture her before help could arrive. Luckily, they had walked quite a distance from the camp, so it was likely that they might not have even heard her.

    (Run faster you moron!)

    Kana cursed in her mind as she could only helplessly watch while her body ran at the speed of a turtle. Each time she ran, she almost tripped. When there is a small puddle of water, she actually still had the time to run around it. When she stepped on a passing snake, she would scream like a little girl...well, she was still a little girl actually. And when she bumped into a tree branch, she would still scream while trying to get off anything that might have stuck onto her.

    (¡­.How the heck are we not dead yet?)

    If she could move her own body, then it was likely that she would slap her own forehead. Behind her, she could hear the footsteps of someone coming closer and closer.

    (Instead of running in random directions, shouldn¡¯t you have headed towards where everyone else is, you blockhead!?)

    Ah, sadly, no matter how much she screams, no one seemed tohear her.

    ¡°Not so fast.¡±

    ¡°Eeek!¡±

    At some point, the knight had already caught up with her and had his blade pointed at her neck. His face was covered with the helmet, but at that moment, Kana realized that this was the exact scene from the game she was about to play!

    (Are you tell me I die just like that!?)

    If this were a dream. Then she wouldn¡¯t have mind that much. But, something in her guts told her that this was not a dream. If that blade struck her, then she would die for real.

    (Argh! Come on! Move body, move!)

    But still, it was no use. No matter how much she tried to, she had no control.

    (Move damnit!!!!)

    The knight held up his sword, then swung down his blade yet again.

    (Ah¡­.)

    Again, she was able to move for a split second and evaded the swing. But this time, instead of just a hair strand, she had been cut in the shoulder.

    (Luckily it¡¯s not too deep that I could die from it.)

    But Charlotte thought otherwise and began screaming again.

    As for the knight, it seems that he had been thoroughly irritated that he had failed to kill her a second time. Without holding back, he swung his sword at her, each swing aiming to take her life.

    (Hey hey hey! Are you seriously trying to kill me- eh, us!?)

    And the strangest part was, that with each swing, charlotte managed to dodge the attacks yet again, jumping from left to right, infuriating the knight to a whole new level.

    (Looks like I can move if it¡¯s to save my own life¡­.what kind of condition is this!?)

    Other than to not get killed, she was unable to move. Truly, it was a nightmare worse than her grandfather¡¯s spartatraining.

 chapter 2

    chapter 2

    ¡°Kyaaaa!!!¡±

    A loud familiar shriek was carried by the wind as it reached duke Adrian¡¯s ears.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    If he remembered correct, that was the direction that Lotte had gone to. But she was accompanied by one of her guards, so nothing dangerous should have happened, right?

    (Still¡­.something feels off.)

    ¡°Walter, go check up on Lotte.¡±

    Walter, a knight that served as Adrian¡¯s right hand then left after a single nod.

    There were still 8 knights along with the driver, so Walter did not need to worry to leave him behind. Even if something were togone wrong, the duke was more than capable of handling himself as he also served the country as a general in the front lines.

    Back at the camping site, Adrian truly hoped that that daughter of his was just startled by a bug and nothing else.

    What a hopeless daughter, he thought.

    Walter arrived at the place he had last heard the young lady¡¯s scream, but found nothing and no one there. He looked around and found that truly nothing was out of place.

    ¡°Sigh¡± still, since his master had asked him to check up on the young Lady, he had to make sure that she was okay nonetheless. It was at that time that he noticed something amidst the pile of rocks.

    That was charlotte¡¯s hair, there was no doubt about it as apart from the Ionesse household, no one else had hair as black as theirs. And from the looks of it, it didn¡¯t seem as though it had simply fallen, but with the end neatly cut off, it was likely that¡­

    ¡°Oh no!¡±

    The moment he realized something terrible could have happened, he heard yet another scream. Without dawdling around, he sped off to that direction as fast as he could. What he saw made him completely speechless.

    (Damn this guy! How long is he going to keep slashing at me!?)

    In the middle of the forest, charlotte had been dodging each strike as her life depended on it. Movements which the original was incapable of doing, she jumped around, flipped around, twirled around, rolled around; it was as if she was doing acrobatics.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    The knight that was attacking her finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He jumped back to make some distance between them and started chanting a spell.

    (What the heck?)

    It was only then that Walter came out of his daze.

    ¡°[**** *** **** {Flame arrow}]!¡±

    This time it was her turn to be in a daze as she stared in front of her while that huge ball of flame approached her.

    ¡°Tsk¡± by the time he realized, the knight had already finished his incantation. Before that flame could reach Charlotte, Walterquickly got in front of her as he cut down the flame into two and dissipating it.

    ¡°My lady, are you alright?¡±

    Protected by that familiar figure standing in front of her and finally feeling a sense of safety, Charlotte helplessly nodded.

    ¡°That is good to hear. I do apologize for arriving so late. Now then¡­¡± without saying another word, Walter dashed forward with his sword held high.

    -Clang~

    The sound of swords clashing reverberated in the air, itching her ears.

    Although that knight was pretty skilled, against Walter who had far more battle experience, he was no match.

    By the time she could move again, the knight had already been ¡®dealt¡¯ with. Walter sheathed his sword back into its sheath and walked over to Charlotte who was sitting on the ground and held out his hand.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡±

    When she grabbed his hand as he pulled her up, she twitched her brows at the pain in her shoulder.

    By now, the blood had covered the upper part of her white dress.

    ¡°My lady, please don¡¯t move!¡± he finally noticed that she had been wounded. Alarmed, he quickly tried to see the wound, but stopped midway.

    She looked up at that man who always had a composed expression now turn stiff. Then looked at the cut on her shoulder. ¡°Do not worry. It is just a small scratch. We can treat it when we get back.¡±

    ¡°Wait! If you move around like that, the wound might get infected and you could lose even more blood than you already have.¡±

    She thought for a while, then nodded ¡°Alright. Then for now, could you take a look.¡±

    ¡°Um¡­¡± he was still a bit hesitant.

    ¡°Do not worry. It is not like I am naked underneath my clothes.¡± She really felt like rolling her eyes right now.

    (For crying out loud, this is the body of a 9 year old child! Are you a pedo or something!?)

    Since the cut was a little at the back, she turned around and sat down. With no way to refuse, Walter reluctantly knelled down. He tore off a piece of his sleeve and tightly wrapped it around her shoulder.

    Finally, she could take a short breather.

    (Let¡¯s see¡­if I really am where I think I am, how the heck did I end up where I think I am? Well, more importantly, if I really did get stuck here, what now?)

    In that brief life and death situation, it would be idiotic to say that this was a dream. This was a nightmare.

    (Hmm¡­let¡¯s see¡­in the game, this is where Charlotte Ionesse, daughter of the main antagonist¡¯s daughter is supposed to get assassinated, right? who the heck came up with this idea of creating a villain!?)

    After the death of his daughter, Duke Adrian then strays from the right path to the path of vengeance against those who plotted against his daughter. But now that she had miraculously managed to survive, does that mean that she changed the story?

    (No wait. That wasn¡¯t how the story went.)

    Kana tried to remember the details of the game¡¯s contents. Luckily, being a staff had its perks as the game had just been released to the public, but she already read the full story-line of the game that she got from her boss.

    (After Charlotte went for a stroll, the knight guarding her successfully killed her without her even realizing. It was a painless and instant death. On the other side however, Duke Adrian and his trusted knight, Walter, still not aware of her death were in the middle of defending themselves from an ambush of the assassins who had disguised themselves as their guards.

    Because he wasn¡¯t alone, Duke Adrian managed to survive and only found out later that his daughter had been killed. ¡­.hold on, what?)

    ¡°Father¡­.¡±

    ¡°My Lady?¡± charlotte had only spoken in a whisper, so Walter was unable to hear what she had said.

    ¡°We have to get back! Now!¡±

 chapter 3

    chapter 3

    ¡°Walter, we have to hurry back! Now!¡±

    Her face was deadly pale that it worried him, thinking that it might be because she had lost too much blood.

    ¡°Please wait a moment. I am almost done-¡°

    ¡°No, we have to go!¡± without waiting for him to finish his words, Charlotte ran in the direction of the camp as fast as she could. She didn¡¯t even feel the pain in her shoulder anymore, as the only thing on her mind was her father.

    She realized something important. In the original story-line, Charlotte had been killed in the first strike. But now, she had managed to survive. When she screamed, Duke Adrian and the others had heard her thus, sending Walter to check up on her as now.

    But, because of that, Duke Adrian was now alone. That was right. Amongst all the others, everyone else was an assassin in disguise.

    In the original story-line, the one to have discovered this first was Walter. But now with Walter by her side, that means that the chances of the surprise attack having succeeded is high. Also, even if he realized this on time, even if he was a general commander, he was still one man who was currently unarmed. Going against 9, including the driver, how long could he survive on his own!?

    Back at the camping site, Duke Adrian had just sent off Walter and was pacing in circles around the carriage. He didn¡¯t notice the strange expressions on the knights and driver and just kept walking in circles.

    Finally, he could no longer wait. He had wanted to go back inside to grab his sword and go look for the two of them but was suddenly stopped by one of the knight guards.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°What is it?¡± he was a bit impatient at the moment. He frowned at the knight and wanted to shove him aside, but was instead returned with a heavy punch.

    ¡°Ghu!¡± Duke Adrian blocked the attack with his right arm and was sent back a few steps.

    Something wasn¡¯t right.

    One by one, the knights began to surround him in a circle with no way of getting through. He finally realized what was going on.

    ¡°Who sent you?¡±

    Obviously, there was no reply.

    All 9 of them had weapons and they simultaneously charged at him. Duke Adrian quickly chanted a short defensive spell and managed to get away with only a few slashes. He dashed towards the closest enemy and killed him with a single lightning spell.

    Duke Adrian picked up the sword and charged towards the remaining enemies headfirst. But, even with a sword, the odds were still against him.

    When he had killed three of the assassins, the remaining 5 took a different approach. 3 attacked from the front while the remaining two attacked with magic.

    Duke Adrian quickly chanted a defensive spell, but as soon as the two spells collided, the three assassins attacked from behind and his sides. He didn¡¯t have enough time to evade or block.

    ¡°Father!¡±

    A young girl¡¯s voice interrupted their rhythm. From behind her, Walter, seeing the situation, sped next to his master and struck down the assassins. Duke Adrian also did not stand by idly and swung his sword down on the assassin on his right.

    ¡°Is Lotte alright?¡±

    ¡°¡­apologies. She has been injured with a cut in her shoulders, although not life threatening.¡±

    But seeing his daughter¡¯s worried face, he let out a sigh of relief ¡°Let us quickly deal with these two.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    Now, the tables had turned. The remaining two didn¡¯t have enough time to finish their chants, nor were they able to defend or escape from the pair¡¯s attacking speed.

    Just like that, the situation had been dealt with.

    Charlotte ran up to her father, looking worriedly at the wounds on his arm and back.

    It wasn¡¯t until he pointed out that her dress was disheveled that she noticed her chest almost completely exposed.

    ¡°Oh, Walter, I do think it would be best to first look at father¡¯s wounds though.¡±

    ¡°Lotte¡­that isn¡¯t the problem.¡±

    Duke Adrian held his head in his palms, while Walter kept averting his gaze. Charlotte tilted her head as she tidied her dress, asking herself what was wrong with the two.

    ¡°Lotte, how are you feeling? Does it hurt too much?¡±

    ¡°I am fine father. You should be more concerned about yourself.¡±

    ¡°This is just a scratch. ¡­We should hurry to the capital and get our wounds treated.¡±

    Since using the carriage would take a lot longer, they instead used the horses. Charlotte sat in front of Walter, while Duke Adrian went on a separate horse.

    Charlotte looked behind her at the dead bodies lying on the ground and realized something.

    (Ah, I can move again.)

 Chapter 4

    From the hallway, the royal messenger frantically ran into the throne room.

    ¡°Your majesty, the Duke Adrian-¡°

    ¡°I have already received the news.¡± Sitting on the throne, the king, a man who had yet to reach his forties, interrupted the messenger.

    ¡°Fortunately there were no casualties, however, I heard Lady Charlotte and Duke Adrian got injured ¡­How are their conditions?¡±

    With his head lowered, the messenger answered ¡°Currently, they are resting at the prime minister¡¯s estate after receiving treatment.¡±

    ¡°I see. You are dismissed.¡±

    The messenger then quickly left and the king remained alone. Or not.

    ¡°Cedric, immediately sent out our secret agents and investigate this matter.¡± From the shadows behind the throne, a knight came forward and received his orders.

    ¡°Sigh¡­what to do? Now then, I suppose I should pay a visit to my old friend.¡±

    After a two hour ride on horseback, the three safely (?) arrived at the capital. Duke Adrian then received an escort from the gate keepers and went to his old friend, the prime minister, Vander.

    The prime minister was a man in his early forties with a rather round tummy. Unlike his appearance, he was a friendly man and warmly welcomed the guests and even called for a doctor to look at the pair of father and daughter. After having her wound finally treated, she was lent a guest room and fell asleep.

    King August arrived some time later, and the adults went into a different room for their little reunion. But this wasn¡¯t exactly the time for this.

    ¡°Who were they after? What was their goal?¡±

    ¡°I suspect that someone is trying to get rid of the entire Ionesse household. Well, we do have a lot of enemies.¡±

    ¡°Adrian, is that any way to speak? Your daughter almost got killed!¡± the king retorted back. Even the Prime Minister Vander wasn¡¯t in the mood for jokes.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t know that? But, worrying too much about it will get us nowhere.¡±

    King August sighed ¡°I¡¯ve already sent some people to investigate that matter. As for the results, don¡¯t expect too much.¡±

    ¡°I know. They¡¯re quite the scheming bastards after all.¡±

    ==

    ¡°Looks like I can move again. Phew~¡± Charlotte sat up with her back straight. She moved around. This time, she was able to move as SHE pleased and there were no signs of that freaky feeling of moving on her own.

    ¡°But¡­aren¡¯t I technically the one who¡¯s invading here?¡±

    In a sense: yes.

    She closed her eyes slightly and tried to collect her thoughts.

    Up till now, the people she met were al similar from the game. No, they were the same. Then the only conclusion she could come up with was that she one way or another got stuck in this world.

    She tried to see if she could remember what really happened again.

    (Ah, I think I got a phone call from an unknown number. Let¡¯s see~ afterwards~ Oh, yeah¡­)

    She remembered hearing a familiar man¡¯s voice on the other end of the phone and then dashed out the apartment, into the back alley of her apartment and then everything else was just blank and hazy. No matter how much she tried, everything beyond that point was hazy. Several theories crossed her mind on what could have happened. She shuddered.

    (Let¡¯s forget about that.)

    She needed to concentrate on her current situation first.

    In the game, charlotte was just a background character that met her death quite early in the game. Thus, the fact that she was still here was in itself an irregular.

    According to the story, Charlotte was on her way to a marriage interview with the crown prince who was two years older than her. But, on her way, she got assassinated. This led to some serious trouble in the kingdom and an internal war broke out.

    (But if the story changed in the very beginning, what will happen?)

    Will the world itself crumble after changing completely or will it continue according to what happens next?

    (Argh! This is driving me insane! I really am not cut out for this kind of brain work.)

    ¡°Forget it. Whatever the hell happens, will just happen. If this is some freakishly realistic dream, then even better.¡±

    Charlotte checked the cut that had been on her shoulder. It doesn¡¯t hurt when she moves around. Is this thanks to the healing magic?

    ¡°Right¡­since charlotte died at the very beginning, she doesn¡¯t have a role.¡±

    Assuming this really is the world inside or similar to the game, then dangers lurked around every corner, literally. Just like a few hours ago, if she wanted to survive, she needed to prepare herself.

    ¡°Thankfully gramps was such a Sparta teacher that I still remember every detail¡­ugh, I still have those nightmares¡­.¡±

    First things first, she needed to strengthen her body. With such a weak and frail body, it was possible that even a small gust of wind could blow her away.

    ¡°But for the time being¡­.¡±

    Her eyes landed on the black and red fan next to her bed, then to the stack of paper and pen and ink on the small coffee table.

    ¡°If I remember right, there should be a skilled blacksmith in town. Fufufu~ in this world, I doubt the materials don¡¯t exist.¡±

    And so, instead of going to rest, she began to scribble down on a piece of paper until she was satisfied with the results.

 chapter 5

    ¡°My lady, where are you going? If it is dresses, then we can just send a few servants.¡±

    ¡°Walter, for the last time; I just want to go for a little stroll.¡±

    ¡°However-¡°

    ¡°It is not often that I am allowed to come to the capital, and, although the town where we reside is quite large, compared to the capital, it is much richer. Do you not think as such?¡±

    ¡°¡­.As you wish.¡±

    ¡°In the first place, you didn¡¯t have to come with me. I am sure you have far more important duties to carry out than to babysit me.¡±

    ¡°My lady, to use the words ¡®babysit¡¯ is a little¡­¡±

    ¡°Am I wrong then?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    (Wondering why I¡¯m quarreling with Walter? Well¡­.)

    Going back a bit, after Charlotte had finished what she was doing on the paper, she decided to go to town and visit the blacksmith.

    ¡°Father¡­.oh, pardon my rudeness, your majesty.¡±

    When charlotte went to find her father, aside from the prime minister, even the king himself was present.

    ¡°Charlotte, no need for formalities. I heard you had been injured, shouldn¡¯t you be resting?¡±

    ¡°I thank your majesty for your concern. However, it is just a slight cut wound. If you need be worried, father¡¯s injuries are far worse. Also, thanks to prime minister¡¯s kindness of going to the trouble of letting a healer treat us, my wounds are already healed.¡±

    ¡°Haha! I say Adrian, has your daughter always been eloquent?¡±

    ¡°Hmm, I wonder about that too?¡±

    ¡°Father, although it isn¡¯t my place to say, but to not even know your own daughter¡­tis a little shocking, I must say.¡±

    ¡°¡­Lotte, you didn¡¯t injure your head per chance, did you?¡±

    ¡°How rude. Father, are you implying that something is wrong with my head?¡±

    (Guess my way of speaking still hasn¡¯t adjusted yet.)

    ¡°Haha, I was just joking. Right, what is it you needed me for?¡±

    Charlotte glanced at the king. But, in the game, it was known that the king, Duke Adrian and the prime minister were childhood friends. Thus, she didn¡¯t think too much of him being here.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    ¡°Father, since I am feeling much better, I was wondering if I would be allowed to go into town. I heard that they sold my favorite brand here.¡±

    ¡°If its dresses, you can just order the servants. With what happened, you shouldn¡¯t recklessly go out.¡±

    ¡°But father, I also wanted to take a little stroll. I¡¯ve never been to the capital before, so I¡­.¡±

    Charlotte slightly lowered her head. Seeing her like this, Duke Adrian let out a sigh.

    ¡°Alright. But, you have to stay close to Walter. Sorry Walter, could I ask you to look after her?¡±

    ¡°But of course.¡±

    ¡°Really!? Thank you very much!¡±

    And so, they ended up in their current situation.

    (But man, to give a 10yr old girl this much money for one evening¡­I completely underestimated rich people.)

    Charlotte kept the pouch of gold coins close to her as she strolled around town while being guided by Walter.

    As for the dress brand she had mentioned before, naturally, it was just an excuse. Her real objective was the blacksmith shop.

    ¡°A blacksmith, you say? My lady, why would you want to go there?¡±

    ¡°Ah, well, I just thought it would be better to have a sturdier fan as my last one easily snapped in two a moment ago.¡±

    ¡°¡­if you say so.¡±

    (Let¡¯s see, the name of the shop should have been around the corner here and the name was something like [black hammer] (?) [Steel¡¯s shop](?) Ah, there it is.)

    [Ethereal hammer¡¯s shop]

    ¡°Walter, could you please wait outside. I¡¯ll be quick.¡±

    Not even waiting for a reply, charlotte then slipped inside, leaving Walter with a half open mouth alone.

    Hammers, staffs, bows, arrows, swords; you name it. All kinds of weapons were displayed on the walls. Seeing them up close instead of through a monitor, Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but whistle in amazement.

    (Hmn hmn, not bad. Not bad at all. The swords are in perfect balance with the hilt and the edges are also sharp enough to cut even rocks. I¡¯m guessing these are magic stones, right?)

    ¡°Eh, excuse me dear customer. But are you perhaps lost?¡±

    A young girl with animal ears pulled Charlotte out of her daze.

    (That must be Annalisa, although this is in her younger years.)

    ¡°No, I would like to place an order. Would that not be possible?¡±

    Annalisa was taken aback from the reaction Charlotte gave.

    (True, I am currently still only a child...And only a complete block head won¡¯t be able to tell that I¡¯m a noble¡¯s daughter)

    ¡°Ah, I apologize for my earlier behavior. It is just that¡­would it not be best to seek out a more famous and experienced blacksmith? I am still only an amateur.¡±

    Annalisa quickly bowed her head, but Charlotte stopped her.

    ¡°No, they just make decorations that are too flashy. I need something simple and sturdy. Since you said that you were just an amateur, think of this as practice. Of course, I will pay you the necessary amount.¡±

    Charlotte then took out three pieces of paper and placed it at the counter.

    ¡°T-this is¡­?¡±

    ¡°Can you make it?¡±

    ¡°Yes! With such detailed instructions and drawings, this is an excellent piece! And there are actually three different types! If I could-! Ah, I apologize!¡±

    Again, Annalisa started apologizing and bowing.

    (It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t entirely understand since beastkin are being discriminated against in this world, but in Firrietkingdom the king had given them equality. Although some people, especially nobles are still against the idea.)

    ¡°My name is Charlotte Ionesse, daughter of Duke Adrian. In two days I will be heading back to myfief, so I will have to trouble you to deliver them for me¡­no, just sent me a letter and I will have someone sent to deliver them. Here¡¯s the payment in advanced.¡±

    Charlotte didn¡¯t give her the chance to speak or refuse and quickly gave her instructions.

    ¡°If there is a problem, you can find me at the prime minister¡¯s estate in the next two days. Well then, I look forward to your work, Annalisa.¡±

    With that finished, she just needed to wait a few days. Charlotte didn¡¯t say anything further and left out the door.

    ¡°¡­How did she know my name¡­?¡±

 chapter 6

    ¡°Have you finished your business, my lady?¡±

    Charlotte and Walter were back in the main road. She said that she would be going to shop for clothes, but the only thing he saw her do was window shopping and, occasionally she would enter the shop, only to come out with a shocked expression.

    (I really do hope nothing is wrong with her.)

    ¡°Hmn, I suppose. I didn¡¯t find the dress I was looking for after all. Since we still have time, do you have any places you would like to recommend?¡±

    ¡°Me?¡±

    ¡°Yes, you Walter. Who else am I supposed to ask?¡±

    ¡°But I only know of places where commoners often visit.¡±

    ¡°Is there a problem with those places?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­no.¡±

    ¡°Then let us go.¡±

    This time, Walter knew for certain that something wasn¡¯t right. Didn¡¯t she always hate commoners!? Just the mention of them irritated her. Don¡¯t even mention being in their presence!

    (Walter Walter, I really pity you. But, on the other hand, its quite fun to see everyone¡¯s reactions. Fufufu~)

    By the end of the day, Charlotte had enjoyed herself thoroughly. Eating snacks from food stalls, dancing along with the street performers, it was a bizarre sight to see from others perspective.

    ¡°I suppose it¡¯s time to go back. That was truly a lot of fun fufufu~¡±

    ¡°My lady, I am glad you enjoyed yourself, but are you sure you are alright?¡±

    ¡°Geez, you guys sure are worrywarts. I said I was- ¡°Kyaaa!!¡± fine¡­?¡±

    Charlotte followed the direction of the scream. Then, she saw two little girls around the same age as her running away from a group of thugs-looking-guys. One of the girls tripped. The other stopped running and went to help her up, but the men chasing after them had caught up. One of the men then raised a wooden pole and was about to hit them with it.

    ¡°Walter.¡±

    Seeing the frown on her face and that tone, he understood what she wanted him to do with just that.

    -swish~

    Within a blink of an eye, Walter¡¯s tall figure had disappeared from her side and reappeared between the two.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    ¡°What the¡­who the hell are ya!? Do you know who we are!? If you mess with use you will regret this, punk!¡±

    But, compared to soldiers on the battle field, these thugs were nothing and wouldn¡¯t be able to faze him a bit. Walter still tightly gripped the thug at his wrist and slightly pushed him backwards.

    The thug stumbled down and fell on his butt. His face became fuming red as he yelled ¡°What are you three still standing around for, get this son of a ****!¡±

    ¡°Haaa!¡±

    ¡°Araaa!!!¡±

    The three other thugs ran towards Walter with various weapons. But, Walter still stood there calm and composed. He slightly bended his knee, placed one hand on his sheathe and one on his sword¡¯s hilt. As soon as the three were four steps within his radius, Walter took out his sword. With one swing, he had successfully sliced their weapons in two.

    The thugs began to tremble in front of him. Walter pointed his sword against his neck and spoke ¡°My lady, what would you like to do with them?¡±

    From the main road, Charlotte walked over with her arms crossed over her chest as she entered the slightly dark alley. She glanced at the men on the ground, then at the two injured girls. They were actually beastkin.

    ¡°Do what you are supposed to, hand them over to the guards. I have no intentions of intervening too much as a simple guest.¡±

    ¡°As you wish.¡±

    Walter then knocked the four of them unconscious and threw them onto one pile. Afterwards, he set off a flare towards the sky and a pair of knights patrolling the area arrived.

    ¡°What about these two?¡±

    Walter pointed at the two beastkin girl who had cuddled closely together, still weary of their surroundings.

    One had black-grey-ish hair while the other had silver hair. When the two momentarily raised their heads, Charlotte¡¯s eyes opened wide.

    (Hold on, aren¡¯t these two also characters within the game!?)

    Iris; the black-grey-ish haired panther girl. In the game, she had been an assistant at ethereal hammer¡¯s shop. As for Lilly, the silver haired wolf beastkin girl, she was a side character that had helped out in a demon subjugation, but died.

    (That isn¡¯t so good¡­)

    Charlotte slowly walked over to the two and asked in a neutral tone ¡°What are your names?¡±

    The two girls looked up, but it was clear to see that they were frightened by her. Was she going to hit them too? Or was she going to sell them to a slave dealer?

    ¡°W-we don¡¯t have names¡­.¡±

    ¡°Is that so?¡±

    (So the people who adopted them were the ones to give them names huh.)

    ¡°Then I¡¯ll call you Iris and you Lilly. At the moment I didn¡¯t bring any of my servants with me. I guess you two will have to do. Follow me.¡±

    Charlotte turned around. Walter followed closely behind her. The two were a bit hesitant, but what other choice did they have? They didn¡¯t have any money or a house. They were hungry and if someone was willing to give them work, then they couldn¡¯t refuse.

    ¡°But first, we need to get rid of those dirty clothes. I don¡¯t want to bother Mr. Vander by dirtying his house.¡±

    As soon as the two had followed after her, Charlotte spat out those words.

    Naturally it hurt them and all they could do was lower their heads in shame. What happened next was completely out of their expectations.

    Firstly, Charlotte had brought them to a clothing store that wasn¡¯t too expensive like what nobles usually wear (for crying out loud I don¡¯t even know how ¡®I¡¯ could buy those!) but for the two who had only ever worn rags, it was blinding.

    Since the two didn¡¯t choose, charlotte just picked out what she liked. Next, they went to a bathing house. Luckily the owner wasn¡¯t one of the people who held prejudice against beastkin.

    ¡°Hooo~ they have a sauna.¡±

    ¡°Missy, thanks for coming. Here¡¯s a coupon for the next time.¡±

    ¡°Thanks~! I¡¯ll be sure to come again~¡±

    At some point Charlotte began chatting with the old owner and he even gave her a coupon ticket. Such a nice old man~.

    Afterwards, although a little late, she brought them to eat their fill.

    ¡°Well, it¡¯s getting late. Let¡¯s go back.¡±

 Chapter 7 the drama queen inside

    Thankfully the prime minister also wasn¡¯t one of the anti-beastkin members and lent Charlotte one of the servant rooms for them to use. Of course, her actions had yet again made her father worry greatly about her. It was time for a serious father to daughter talk.

    ¡°Father, you called?¡±

    Charlotte just entered the room Adrian was staying in after a servant delivered his short message. She took a seat and sat opposite to him.

    ¡°Well you see, your behavior has been a little strange. Are you sure you are alright?¡±

    ¡°Is it unacceptable?¡±

    ¡°No, to be honest, I heard everything that happened today from Walter and I am glad you seem to have gotten rid of the prejudice you held against both commoners and beastkin-¡°

    ¡°Then there should be no problem, right?¡±

    ¡°Well, even so, to suddenly take two strangers from the streets back home and what more, you said as your maids-¡°

    ¡°I don¡¯t have anyone to play with back home, plus they would die if they were left alone any longer. Just say that we are taking advantage of each other. And if you are worried that they might in some way bring me harm, I am more than capable enough to protect myself against two little girls.¡±

    ¡°¡­Lotte dear, you are a little girl yourself.¡±

    ¡°So it seems, father.¡±

    ¡°Are you absolutely certain you are al-¡°

    ¡°Father, I¡¯m afraid if anyone asks me that question one more time I might really become insane.¡±

    (I think I¡¯m already going insane!)

    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±

    ¡°Was that all you needed, father?¡±

    ¡°Since something unexpected happened, your marriage interview had been interrupted. As such, we will have to stay a little longer. The king and I had already decided that the marriage interview was to continue in about five days.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­.?¡±

    (Oh sh*t. I almost forgot about that! Since I actually died in the original story, the second fianc¨¦ candidate, Marionette Von Lukedium became his fianc¨¦. I completely forgot that about this! What should I do? I already planned to go back to the fief in two days since I wanted to organize everything that happened, but if I were to meet with the crown prince right now and even get engaged to him then it would be worse than when I would have died. The consequences are also troublesome is this also why they say never to mess with the flow, but then again if I did noting then I would have died, wouldn¡¯t ? I also didn¡¯t think that blah blah blah blah blah blah)This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°¡­lo¡­¡±

    ¡°Lotte¡­¡±

    ¡°Charlotte¡±

    ¡°Eh, ah? Yes, father, did you say something?¡±

    As if nothing happened, her dazed expression disappeared and she sweetly smiled.

    ¡°As I was saying, if you do not feel so good, you should return to your room and properly sleep. As for the meeting with the crown prince-¡°

    ¡°You¡¯re right, father! Now that I think about it, I really am not feeling so good.¡± She abruptly stood up and began to dramatically place the back of her palm against her forehead while softly moaning ¡°Father, I¡­I do not feel so good¡­. Ugh¡­¡±

    ¡°Eh..Lotte? Charlotte!?¡±

    -plump

    She fainted. Or at least, she pretended to faint.

    (I¡¯m sorry father of Charlotte, but I have no other choice!)

    Duke Adrian began to panic. Before Charlotte¡¯s body hit the ground, he quickly caught her by the waits and head and lifted her up. He gently placed her on the bed and checked her temperature. His expression wasn¡¯t that good.

    ¡°I¡¯ll be right back Lotte.¡± After saying so, he quickly dashed out the room to look for anyone with medical skills.

    Left alone, still with her eyes closed, Charlotte faintly whispered ¡°¡­oh boy¡­¡±

    Not long after, the entire estate was in jeopardy. Duke Adrian had informed Walter of the situation and told him to stay by Charlotte¡¯s side until he returns while he headed to the castle to get a healer or poison specialists. Anything that could be useful!

    To make the act seem real, Charlotte adjusted her breathing and blood flow as well as blood pressure. Since it would only bring even more trouble if she pretended to be poisoned, the ones to get in trouble could be the servants at the estate, Walter or the two she had picked up. She wasn¡¯t that inconsiderate to her surroundings and just decided to go along with having lost too much blood, her body weakened and the stress of the assault.

    (That sounds realistic enough, right?)

    As such, no matter how much the doctors looked, since it was fake to begin with, they were unable to find any signs of abnormality, much less poison.

    The next day, after having fallen asleep at some point, even though she felt refreshed, Charlotte still had to pretend to be sickly. Her outer complexion wasn¡¯t so good and her face rather pale.

    ¡°How are you feeling Lotte?¡±

    ¡°Father¡­I want¡­¡± she spoke in a tired tone

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°I want to go home¡­¡±

    He didn¡¯t immediately reply and just stared at her with a worried face. His face that was still quite young had a few wrinkles ¡°Alright¡­but, I still have a few things to take care of. Since I don¡¯t know what could happen, I will accompany you back, but I¡¯ll leave afterwards immediately¡­I¡¯m sorry Lotte, but I can¡¯t stay with you.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­.¡±

    (Yes! Score! Although again, I do feel a bit sorry and you¡¯re not such a bad father, I need some time alone right now¡­ thank you!)

    ¡°Alright then, rest a little longer for now.¡± he gently patted her head and kissed her on her forehead before leaving, completely oblivious to the real thoughts going through her mind right now.

    Later that day, Duke Adrian along with Walter and the ¡®sickly¡¯ Charlotte accompanied by the king¡¯s own personal knight squad made a quick trip back to the Ionesse¡¯s fief. Oh, let¡¯s not forget about Iris and Lilly.

 Chapter 8 home sweet home....or so I thought

    It¡¯s been two days since Charlotte returned home. Duke Adrian had already briefed the servants about what happened and to look after her. But, as soon as they had left, charlotte wasted no time and immediately discarded her fa?ade.

    Iris and Lilly were warmly welcomed by the other servants, although a bit worried about their miss¡¯s intentions, but kindly taught them the basics nonetheless.

    (Still, even now I can¡¯t get used to this place. It¡¯s too freaking huge!)

    Even though she wasn¡¯t someone who wasn¡¯t directionally challenged, with a mansion as huge as this one, she had to ask the servants for direction several times, in her own home!

    (I think I¡¯ll need a whole week until I memorize the entire building¡¯s structure.)

    ¡°My lady, are you feeling better?¡±

    ¡°Ah, Lia, yes. I am doing fine.¡±

    Lia or actually short for Cecilia was a young girl five years older than Charlotte and also her exclusive maid.

    (And also another character not mentioned in the game!)

    The reason for her agitation was, unlike what you usually read in stories about the cross traveler inheriting the original body¡¯s memories, she didn¡¯t. By some miracle, she was somehow able to get out of that sticky situation after she introduced the two beastkin girls. After that, all the servants introduced themselves to the two one by one.

    Charlotte who had already thrown her sickly fa?ade away by then attentively listened in and memorized each and every one of their names. But as for places and habits, they were still completely blank.

    (Oh well, I¡¯ll just have to improvise by then)

    A/n: ¡­I don¡¯t think you should be that lax, Lotte dear.

    Charlotte sat by the window and gazed outside. Lia poured her a cup of warm tea and brought a few snacks.

    ¡°Thanks Lia.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°By the way, how are those two doing? I haven¡¯t seen them around lately.¡±

    ¡°If you are referring to Iris and Lilly, then they might be in the middle of sweeping the garden. Shall I call them over?¡±

    Even though she was speaking normally, Charlotte could see on her face that she was quite nervous. No, more accurately, it was fear.

    (Just what kind of person was Charlotte previously, I wonder?)

    Aside from knowing that she was the haughty type and hated beastkin and commoners, nothing else was mentioned in the game.

    Charlotte could pretty much guess what was going through Lia¡¯s mind...no, probably everyone¡¯s mind, but acted like she didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°No, I was thinking of going for a short stroll anyways. Ah, before I forget, I had previously placed an order in the capital. I will need to trouble one of you to get it.¡±

    ¡°Yes of course.¡±

    Charlotte got up from her eat and headed outside, led by Lia. Even as she passed the servants, they also seemed to be afraid of her as everyone was avoiding her gaze, they kept their heads lowered and just bowed.

    (This is getting freaky)

    Outside in the garden, Iris and Lilly were working really hard, but still made several mistakes as this was just their second day. When the servants saw the young miss suddenly come over, they all panicked. They hurriedly began to sweep the pathway she usually took clean without a sign of dust. Some of the maids present then urged the two new comers to straighten their backs, clear the way, tidy up and not to show a single sign or action that might displease her.

    (Now I just feel offended.)

    Having seen the servants¡¯ ridiculous actions with the same ridiculous speed just made her speechless.

    She stood there with her eyes closed as she gently massaged her temples ¡°You people are way beyond weird¡­¡±

    Luckily she said that so no one could hear her. If they did, they would all scream in their hearts ¡°You¡¯re the one that¡¯s weird!¡±

    When they saw the young miss¡¯s troubled expression, they involuntarily gulped.

    (Forget it. Let¡¯s just ignore them.)

    Or so she decided in her heart.

    Charlotte looked up at the two little beastkin girls. Unlike before, they had a far better complexion. Their previous pale skin had turned slightly rosy. Although they are still too skinny and look underfed, over time they should get better. Let¡¯s just hope they don¡¯t get too fat.

    ¡°Right, Lia.¡±

    ¡°Yes my lady.¡±

    ¡°Do you know a place where there is a large open space and where I won¡¯t be disturbed?¡±

    ¡°Pardon¡­.Yes there is. Around the back garden, that should suit your request. Would you like me to bring you there?¡±

    ¡°If you would please.¡±

    Even now, the atmosphere around her was incredibly awkward. After Lia had brought her to the back garden, she dismissed Lia and went back to her room.

    The next day the servant who had set out to retrieve the things she requested from Annalisa quickly arrived.

    (These guys sure are fast and efficient)

    Little did she know that it was because they feared her ¡®wrath¡¯.

    She also asked one of the servants to go buy some training clothes and a set of pants and shirts.

    The previous Charlotte only possessed dresses, and expensive ones at that.

    (I swear that unless I¡¯m forced to, I¡¯ll never ever touch those things, ever!)

 Chapter 9

    Since then, Charlotte always slipped out of her room unnoticed by the servants and went to the back garden. Early in the morning she would complete her laps without fail. After breakfast, she would do some light exercises in her room and after lunch she would try out her new weapons and train her body some more.

    In this world, children only attend school at the age of 12 and graduate at the age of 18. To prepare for the oncoming years, nobles would hire tutors to teach their children and the same could be said for charlotte.

    From what she heard after eavesdropping on the gossiping servants, it seems like the previous Charlotte was hopeless in almost all subjects.

    To make matters worse, the Charlotte of now didn¡¯t have memories prior to that certain date. Heck, she didn¡¯t even know what subjects they actually taught in this world.

    And so, after her training she would mostly spend her time afterwards in the library reading all kinds of books.

    (Even though I hate studying, these are actually quite fun to read.)

    The history of the kingdom in more details compared to the game¡¯s, things about magic, monsters etcetera. As for language, as the language they chose for the game was English and her English relatively good, she didn¡¯t have much problems.

    (Luckily I still have a break for a week. It should be more than enough to catch up with what ¡®I¡¯ probably already learned.)

    And the most interesting of all subjects was naturally magic.

    In the game, magic was used by simply pressing a button. Easy peasy. But that would be impossible in her current state. As such, she needed to start from the basic of the basics.

    (Mana is the energy around us that comes from nature. Each individual possesses a certain amount of mana and some are also able to draw out the mana of their surroundings.

    There are 7 elements, just like in the game; fire, water/ ice, wind, earth, lightning, light and dark.

    Each individual can only use a certain amount of elements, while others only one. The element one is able to use is determined by birth, but only fully awakens when one has reached the age of 6~12, depending on the individual.

    And yet, for some reason it seems like mademoiselle Charlotte had refused to study magic since she was lazy¡­what a waste!)

    (It is also said that only certain people are able to form contracts with spirits with their respective elements. If one is able to form a contract, their magic power increases tremendously, gain some of their abilities and they can also be used as a partner in battles.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    This is also a feature in the game. If I remember right, the protagonist¡¯s or hero¡¯s familiar was a light sprite and a baby fire dragon. Uuu¡­I really hope I¡¯m not talentless in magic.)

    After she ha studies the basics about magic, charlotte returned to the back garden and tried putting her knowledge to practice.

    Just as requested, there hadn¡¯t been anyone for the past couple of six days that disturbed her. Or rather, they would gladly stay as far away from her as they could.

    She held out her palm and began reciting the incantation of each element to confirm her affinity.

    ¡°{Oh flame, hear my call, and come forth.}¡±

    -woosh~

    Nothing happened. Not even a spark.

    ¡°That¡­was embarrassing¡­¡±

    ¡°Guess I don¡¯t have an affinity for fire then.¡±

    But she didn¡¯t lose hope just yet. There were still 6 other elements to go!

    And yet, each time she recited a spell, nothing happened.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t make a mistake in the chants, did I?¡±

    She was already on her fifth try. Yet nothing happened!

    Now she really began to worry if she was a waste.

    ¡°Kgh! Still nothing¡­.¡±

    She was now at the last element.

    ¡°But the book said that dark and light are extremely rare¡­should I give up? Well, you never know¡­¡±

    She took a deep breath. This time, she needed to be in complete concentration.

    ¡°{Oh darkness that surrounds me, hear my voice and answer my call, what I seek is destruction.}¡±

    -tzz

    Charlotte stood with her hand directed at a tree. She felt as though electricity was passing through her veins to her fingers, and the next thing she knew

    -Bang!

    A Black bolt of lightning shot out of her hand and completely reduced the tree into a wasted state.

    ¡°Gulp¡­that¡­was dangerous¡­..¡±

    Had she stood with her direction at the house, what would have happened?

    The tree that had been so full of life a moment ago now looked so lifeless and decayed.

    ¡°Such a scary spell¡­I thought it was just a beginners spell, what the heck author!?¡±

    A/n: in my defense, she¡¯s speaking about the author of the magic book she read.

    Whoever wrote that magic book had better do a recheck. She spat out curses at the author¡¯s name nonstop.

    Mysteriously though, not s single person came rushing over to see what was going on. After all that racket, it would be impossible to not have heard anything, right?

    ¡°But still¡­dark affinity huh¡­¡±

    Charlotte stroked her chin as she thought about the various spells in the game. Certainly, there were quite a number of spells in the dark category, but they were rather disturbing.

    Again, who the heck came up with those spells?

    But in the game, there were no incantations, just names of the spell/ skills. How was she going to cast them like that?

    ¡°I read somewhere that if you have enough imagination, then it was possible¡­.yeah right! ¡­but let¡¯s give it a shot anyways.¡±

    This time, she carefully looked for a spell hat wouldn¡¯t cause any destruction nor use too much mana. She still didn¡¯t know her limit and using all her mana could lead to her death, or so it was written in the book.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­.¡±

    The skill she had in mind was called [shadow steps]. Just like its name, it allowed you to move like a shadow; a perfect skill for her who had been trained to be a ninja.

    ¡°Fuuu¡­.¡±

    She took a deep breath. Picturing the movements in her mind that her current body was incapable of performing. Then, she opened her eyes and leaped forward!

 Chapter 10

    With years of practice from her Sparta teacher of a grandfather, when her body suddenly began to move at a speed of sound, she didn¡¯t utter a sound of fear or shock but just stared in front of her with her mouth tightly closed.

    She leaped forward in just a blink of an eye, then jumped up into the tree branches and jumped from tree to tree in zigzag formation, adding summersaults, twirls etcetera while she was at it.

    After a whole round of that, she returned to her previous position, completely out of breath.

    ¡°Haahh¡­.hhaahh¡­well¡­that was...haah¡­fun¡­phew.¡±

    But because her body was still lacking stamina, just one round was able to reduce her to such a state. As expected, moving too fast was expecting too much from this body.

    ¡°Haaa¡­.¡±

    she rested her arms on her knee while still panting.

    (At least I didn¡¯t turn out to be ungifted. But for now¡­)

    ¡°I think that is enough for today.¡±

    Tomorrow is the day she would resume with her education. She needed to rest properly for both mind and body.

    Charlotte picked up the three weapons she had left on the ground, turned around and went back to her room. She didn¡¯t notice the pair of eyes floating around between the bushes as it watched her leave.

    Going through the back door, she slipped through the kitchen without anyone noticing her.

    To become one with the shadow; that was what her grandfather had always drilled in her.

    When she got back to her room, Charlotte called for the servants to prepare a bath as she was covered in sweat. It still wasn¡¯t time for dinner, as she went to check up on the two beastkin girls as she usually did.

    And just like always, the servants would clear a way for her and look down.

    (I still can¡¯t get used to it, or rather, I¡¯m never going to get used to this.)Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.

    Ignoring them again, she invited the two girls for some snacks. Naturally, as they did not know the previous Charlotte and were practically gluttons, they eagerly accepted. They didn¡¯t even notice the pale expressions of the servants around them.

    But, contrary to their expectation, the young lady didn¡¯t punish them nor did she yell at them. It finally dawned on them that something was extremely amiss with the young miss.

    The three moved to Charlotte¡¯s room. There, charlotte simply chatted with the two and asked NORMAL questions.

    ¡°So you two were slaves that escaped when the master died after a monster attack in the forest huh¡­¡±

    The two nodded.

    At first, they were afraid that if she found out that they were slaves, that Charlotte would throw them out or bring them back to a slave merchant. But, Charlotte just patiently asked them and didn¡¯t seem that surprised. There was also no disgust, pity or ridicule in her eyes, but they were eyes that were the same when looking at any other normal person filled with tranquility. It gave them a comfortable and peaceful feeling and they gradually opened up to her.

    ¡°My mother was from the silver wolf clan.¡±

    ¡°I came from the panther tribe.¡±

    ¡°I see. Is it far from here?¡±

    They shook their heads.

    ¡°Then, do you ever want to go back?¡±

    The instant she asked that, they lowered their heads. ¡°I see. Sorry for asking, that was insincere of me.¡±

    Now that she had the chance and was this close to them, she could no longer hold herself back and gently placed her palm over their heads.

    At first, they were startled and froze up, but as she stroked their heads, they loosened up. Tears began to roll down their cheeks and they began to cry.

    It was evident enough that they missed their homes, but were unable to return. Either they were not allowed to, didn¡¯t know how to, were afraid to or worse of all, it didn¡¯t exist anymore.

    There was that possibility since Charlotte didn¡¯t remember ever knowing about such tribes in the game. As for their parents, they might also no longer be here. Either it was an attack by humans who were against beastkin or a group of monsters had found their way there.

    Charlotte stood up from her chair and walked next to the two. They were fluffy and so small, that she could hug them even though she herself was currently small as well.

    She didn¡¯t say anything. She just tightly hugged them against her body and patted their heads. At some point, they also hugged her back and cried themselves to sleep.

    They were as light as feather, so even the small Charlotte was able to carry them, with the aid of a strengthening spell that is.

    While making sure not to wake them up, she placed them down on her bed.

    ¡°How adorable. If only I had little sisters as cute as them.¡±

    She sweetly smiled while placing the blanket over the two and headed out to have dinner alone.

    The only ones the previous charlotte had a normal conversation with were Walter and her father. Even then, she always spoke haughty. Currently, the two were still in the capital for business, so she had to dine alone again.

    Dinner was ham and salad.

    Hmmm, so lonely¡­¡­

 Chapter 11 did lady Charlotte get possessed!?

    Today is the day her home education officially (re)starts!

    Expecting that that young lady would be taking her time in coming here and in a flamboyant dress at that, when professor Steins opened the door, he almost thought he was hallucinating.

    Sitting there properly by the desk, Charlotte dressed in plain clothes held a book in her hand as she seemed immersed. The perfume that usually hung around her was replaced with a natural fragrant, she didn¡¯t wear any make-up and her hair was tied in a simply bun.

    When the professor opened the door, charlotte slowly put down the book and slightly frowned as she looked at the man in front of her. With a slightly displeased tone she said ¡°Professor, I find your stare rather rude.¡±

    Again, it was like someone was looking at a ghost when they looked at her. She was sure that her skin wasn¡¯t pale anymore. What was wrong with people of this world?

    ¡°Ah, apologies lady Charlotte. I hadn¡¯t expected that you would arrive before me...¡±

    The young man of around twenty placed his bag on the table.

    ¡°I had nothing else to do and I was bored, that is all.¡±

    (So that¡¯s the professor Stein the maids keep gossiping about.)

    While she had a calm and straight expression on her face, her thought were completely different. Lately, she had picked up a new hobby; eavesdropping on the servants. At first, she did so to gather information that she had needed to know but didn¡¯t, but later on it was just to pass the time.

    (With no Wi-Fi here, what else is there to do?)

    That was also how she came to know of her professors¡¯ names. As for this guy, Professor Steins, he was a genius scholar that graduated the academy with incredible scores despite being born a commoner. That wasn¡¯t all that made him popular. His face was also something that girls would dream about.

    (Also, I think I saw him in one of the scenarios where the hero¡¯s party went to visit the academy one time.)

    ¡°Well then, we shall continue where we left off.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

    ¡°Understood.¡±

    But, amongst the rumors she heard in the mansion, it was that they pitied the professor. Well, all of the professors actually. With such great prodigies as her tutors, the person in question always refused to study. But with the duke as her father, none of them dared to complain and could only endure as they patiently tried to teach her.

    (Hmmn, I pity them as well)

    ¡°Alright, the last time I gave you some homework. Turn to page #13 paragraph #2. Can you please explain it for me?¡±

    Charlotte turned the page, then secretly let out a sigh of relief as she had already studied that part just yesterday. After going through it once more, she fluently explained detail by detail aloud.

    ¡°That is all.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡±

    ¡°Professor Steins?¡±

    Charlotte tilted her head as she looked at the professor with his mouth agape.

    (If you keep that up, a fly will eventually enter.)

    ¡°Is it perhaps incorrect?¡±

    ¡°Eh...? No, no. that was splendid!¡±

    He seemed to have finally come out of his daze and for some reason, that strange look in his eyes was replaced with sparkles.

    (¡­I hope I didn¡¯t just activate this guy¡¯s Sparta mode)

    (Please spare me from that)

    She had enough of those in her previous life already.

    He didn¡¯t know what had happened to that young lady to suddenly change this drastically, but it sparked the flame in his heart. He began to enthusiastically teach her the history of the country piece by piece. He felt like the time he had to teach her was somehow shortened as it was already time for her magic teacher¡¯s turn.

    He reluctantly left.

    The one to enter next was a young woman also in her early twenties and also top of her year in magics. Before she entered, she had heard the rumors about Lady Charlotte from the servants that she had been acting strange and to be cautious of her. And just before she entered, professor Steins, her colleague, said the same thing, but with a completely different manner. That guy was practically sparkling!

    Karin braced herself as she pushed the door open.

    And indeed. The young Lady Charlotte was indeed sitting there with plain clothes, no make-up, no perfume and was actually reading. Was that a study book or something that the young girls of nobles have recently gotten addicted to?

    She really couldn¡¯t help being this paranoid.

    In the past, Karin had slightly lost her temper when Charlotte kept on complaining and complaining while filing her nails. The end result was devastating. That young lay¡¯s temper was beyond her control! It could be said that she even had a trauma of that child 11 years younger than her!

    Ah, she really needed the money, so she had to keep this well paid job. All she hoped for was that that nightmare wouldn¡¯t repeat itself again. Cold sweat dripped down her back as she entered the room.

    Again, Charlotte noticed that strange look in this teacher¡¯s eyes as well. This time however, it was pure fright!

    (Sigh, Lotte Lotte my dear, what did you do to these people!?)

    But, whatever had happened to the real Charlotte, even she didn¡¯t know and would sometimes just speak to herself like that.

    ¡°Hello Professor Karin.¡±

    (First, let¡¯s reestablish our relationship, shall we?)

    It was a pure smile without a trace of the usual Charlotte she always saw. Yes, it made her feel even more uneasy.

 Chapter 12 is it a ghost!?

    In the end, although she wasn¡¯t able to achieve her objective, at least Karin didn¡¯t look at Charlotte as she did before.

    (Well, despite being that frightened, she was actually a good teacher. To be able to teach so efficiently like that while in that mental condition, I really underestimated their mentality.)

    But, thanks to their guidance, she was able to understand the parts that she couldn¡¯t while alone. Especially concerning magic. Even while she was frightened, whenever Charlotte earnestly asked something, Professor Karin would explain it in such an easy to understand way.

    (It really was such a waste with that block head)

    After their lessons, Charlotte had free time yet again. She was just about to slip out to practice when Lia knocked on her door.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    ¡°My lady, the master has returned.¡±

    ¡°¡°I see. Thank you for notifying me. I will come down as soon as I can.¡± Is what she replied.¡± Lia repeated her words to Duke Adrian who had a frown on his face.

    ¡°Good work. Is there anything else that was unusual that happened?¡±

    ¡°No, I have already told you everything that happened.¡±

    ¡°Hmm then you are dismissed.¡±

    Lia carefully left the room, and soon after, Charlotte arrived.

    ¡°Father, welcome home.¡±

    Just as Lia had said, she wore plain clothes, no make-up no perfume and she was smiling earnestly. The corner of his mouth slightly twitched. There was something definitely wrong with his daughter.

    ¡°I¡¯m back, Lotte.¡±

    Although he found it strange, he greeted her back nonetheless.

    As for what he was expecting, it would be something like ¡°Father! You have returned! Did you bring any presents!?¡±

    Or ¡°Father! How did the arrangement for my marriage with the prince go!?¡±

    But not an earnest ¡°Welcome home, father.¡±

    Was it sad for a parent to think like that of their own child?

    Charlotte¡¯s eyes were as sharp as ever. That slight reaction didn¡¯t go unnoticed by her.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    Although he had thought that she had been behaving strange the last time he saw her, he had thought that it was because of the shock that day and didn¡¯t think much of it.

    However, the head maid and butler had frequently sent report. At first, he didn¡¯t belief them, that was until now.

    ¡°Lotte, about your marriage with the crown prince¡­¡±

    ¡°What about it?¡±

    ¡°The meeting date has been rescheduled for three weeks later.¡±

    ¡°¡­.I see.¡±

    (Damn I forgot it was just delayed!)

    ¡°Is there anything else?¡±

    ¡°I heard that you have improved quite a lot with your studies as well. I am glad to hear that.¡±

    ¡°It is only natural that I would know the basic knowledge of the kingdom that father protects.¡±

    ¡°¡­how are the two beastkin girls that you took doing?¡±

    ¡°Iris and Lilly seem to have improved a lot. It is all thanks to everyone¡¯s help.¡±

    ¡°Hmmmn¡­¡±

    Why does he feel like he¡¯s talking to someone completely different from the daughter he knew 9 years? The daughter he knew was definitely not like this. Her replies were polite and didn¡¯t sound like a child¡¯s at all!

    In her defense, she was already an adult, mentally . To her, knowing that much was like second nature.

    ¡°Oh yes, since your birthday is coming next month, is there anything in particular that you would like?¡±

    To get rid of the strange atmosphere that was beginning to form, Adrian swiftly changed subjects.

    (My birthday¡­or actually, Charlotte¡¯s birthday huh.)

    ¡°Nothing in particular¡­.although, if it¡¯s not too much trouble, I had always wanted a pendant made of garnet in the shape of a tear. Would that be acceptable?¡±

    Charlotte or actually Kana had been born in the month of January. She had always disliked jewels, but when it came to her birth stone, she had always dreamed of having one for herself one day. Well, with the price of the stone alone, she couldn¡¯t afford it at that time with her budget.

    But now, with Charlotte who actually bought clothes far more expensive than diamonds as if she was just buying groceries, she wasn¡¯t that greedy for asking this much, right?

    Charlotte stared with sparkling eyes full of expectation, that even if he couldn¡¯t afford it, he would have been unable to refuse her. But unexpectedly, she had just asked for jewelry. For a moment there, he had almost thought that she was going to ask him something like a mansion of her own!

    ¡°Are you sure that that¡¯s all you want?¡±

    She nodded her head vigorously.

    Again, was it a sad for him to think that his daughter was laying a trap for him?

    But no matter how long he waited, the words never came out of her mouth. He decided that he was starting to get paranoid.

    ¡°Well then, father must be tired after the journey. I will excuse myself then.¡±

    ¡°Yes, good night Lotte.¡±

    ¡°Night father.¡±

    Charlotte left shortly after. Inside, the duke let out a long sigh.

    ¡°Hmm~ hmmn~ hmnm~¡± in a good mood, charlotte started humming as she skipped her way back to her room.

    It was already quite late and the hallway was dark. There weren¡¯t any servants around as they probably also went to bed.

    It was quiet. The only sound that could be heard was Charlotte¡¯s humming sounds and her footsteps.

    She also didn¡¯t sense anyone else besides her there, that¡¯s why, when she felt a cold chill blow pass her even though all the doors and windows were locked, she abruptly turned around.

    But, there was no one behind her.

    (No, I definitely felt someone or something behind me¡­)

    -swish~

    Again!

    She turned around, this time; a black lump of SOMETHING was floating right in front of her face.

    She didn¡¯t scream. She couldn¡¯t scream as that was how she was trained to behave.

    That black lump came closer until it almost touched her nose. She wanted to run away, but her body felt heavy for some reason and she couldn¡¯t even move. Even breathing felt extremely difficult.

 chapter 13

    ¡°Hmmnn¡­¡±

    (When did I fall unconscious¡­?)

    Still feeling a bit dizzy, Charlotte stood up, but stopped.

    (Where the heck am I?)

    She was sure that she was still inside the mansion and about to go to her room when¡­

    (What the heck was that thing anyways?)

    Those thoughts had just entered her mind when ¡®something¡¯ jumped onto her lap.

    It was dark and from the feeling she got, she was outside on the ground. The only thing that lit this place was the moon, but that had hidden behind the clouds.

    She definitely felt something jump on her lap. But what was it?

    She couldn¡¯t see or tell from the touch alone. It wasn¡¯t cold, so it was probably not an insect or snake. It had hair or fur and was warm and fluffy. It reminded her of Iris and Lilly, but it couldn¡¯t be those two as the size only seemed to be that of a head.

    ¡°What is this?¡±

    ¡°Pyu~¡±

    ¡°¡­p-pyu¡­?¡±

    ¡°Pyu~pyu~pyu~¡±

    ¡°What the¡­¡±

    Out of nowhere, fireflies began to appear and surround her. Thanks to their light, she was finally able to see the tiny figure¡¯s appearance.

    It was small, furry, and silver and its tail and ears shaded in black. It¡¯s big round marbled eyes stared straight back at her.

    Its head came closer to her face until their nose touched one another. Then, the tiny little cat-wolf-cub like creature began to lick her cheeks.

    Was she dreaming? Hallucinating?The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    ¡°Pyu~?¡±

    Then, it began to rub its cheeks against her own.

    ¡°¡­.are you the one who brought me here?¡±

    As crazy as it was asking an animal such a question, she had this inkling feeling that he would one way or another answer her.

    ¡°Pyu pyu~!¡±

    The little fur ball began to nod its head.

    ¡°Why did you do that?¡±

    ¡°Pyu pyu¡­.¡±

    The little fur ball lowered its head and got off of her lap. He jumped back onto the ground and began to walk in circles.

    Charlotte followed him and stared at the place he had been encircling.

    For some reason, this place seemed very familiar¡­.

    ¡°This is the back garden!¡±

    ¡°Pyu pyu~!¡±

    There were still traces left of her having used magic, so she could instantly tell now.

    The little fur ball then seemed to be extremely happy. It sat down and reached out its paw.

    Charlotte squatted down. She didn¡¯t feel any ill intentions from it and she was very confident in judging peopl- er, others. She reached out her hand as well and, as soon as she did, the little fur ball placed his paw onto her hand.

    ¡°Pyu~!¡±

    A blue-purple-ish light began to shine. From where they stood, a magic circle appeared in that same glowing color. On their hands/ paw, an insignia began to appear.

    She was startled, but soon after she understood what was going on. Perhaps because they had formed a contract and their feelings synced with one another.

    The insignia completed and a crescent moon shaped insignia appeared on her left hand.

    ¡°This is¡­are you sure?¡±

    ¡°Pyu~ pyu~!¡±

    Unlike before, they were now able to understand one another even if they didn¡¯t speak.

    ¡°Pyu~ pyu~ pyu~!¡±

    ¡°I see. So you were the one who was watching me.¡±

    The last few days, whenever she came here to train, she felt a pair of eyes watching her, but never sensed anyone there. It was a little unsettling.

    Now it was all too clear.

    ¡°But how did you bring me all the way out here?¡±

    ¡°Pyu pyu pyu~¡±

    The little fur ball then pointed with his nose in the direction of the forest. There, a black lump of smoke came forward.

    (That¡¯s the thing I saw earlier¡­)

    ¡°Pyu~ pyu~ pyu~!¡±

    ¡°Sorry. So he¡¯s your friend?¡±

    He began to jump around, implying that she was right.

    ¡°Um¡­but what is your name? I¡¯m guessing you already know mine, huh.¡±

    ¡°Pyu~¡±

    ¡°You want me to give you a name? Let¡¯s see¡­I¡¯ll say this now but my naming sense is terrible.¡±

    The little fur ball then conveyed it¡¯s thought to her saying that it didn¡¯t matter.

    ¡°Umm, alright, then¡­how does puff puff sound?¡±

    ¡°Pyu~¡±

    It accepted without hesitation.

    ¡°Eh!? I thought you were going to say it was lame.¡±

    ¡°Puy~~¡±

    ¡°Alright then, puff puff it is.¡±

    A little weird if she says so herself. But that was the best she could come up with at the moment.

    Since it was getting later and later and this child¡¯s body needed a lot of rest, she said her goodbye to the lump of smoke (as weird as it felt) and went back to her room with puff puff.

    It was a little late to mention, but she had this strange feeling like she was somehow able to see a lot clearer in the dark. Perhaps this was because of the contract he formed with her.

    As for what kind of spirit he was, she would have to look for advice tomorrow from Professor Karin.

 Chapter 14

    When Charlotte woke up the next morning, a soft furry tail was gently stroking her cheeks.

    She sat up and yawned, patting Puff Puff with her free hand

    ¡°Good morning Puff Puff.¡±

    ¡°Pyu~ [good morning mistress~]¡±

    ¡°Oh? Looks like I can now hear you clearly.¡± She sweetly smiled, stroking its chin and got out of bed.

    ¡°Oh right, what kind of spirit are you again?¡±

    ¡°Pyu~ [since mistress had the rare dark elemental affinity, I was finally able to find a master. I¡¯m called a night wolf!]¡±

    ¡°Well aren¡¯t you a cute little wolf. Sorry, but I¡¯m not really that knowledgeable on that subject so I have to do a little more research.¡±

    ¡°Pyu~ [if there is anything I can help with, then you can always ask me~!]¡±

    Puff Puff walked over to Charlotte and hopped on her shoulder, then he disappeared into smoke.

    Charlotte understood that if she needed him, than she could call him using the insignia on her palm.

    After freshening up, Charlotte headed downstairs to eat breakfast with her father and Walter who joined them.

    ¡°Father, would I be allowed to go into town a bit later?¡±

    Duke Adrian put down his fork and looked at her puzzled ¡°Well, I do not mind but you have to take some guards with you.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­then never mind.¡±

    She had completely forgotten that with what had happened, it would be impossible for her to go out alone. It was already a mystery why she was left alone when she practiced and no one had attacked her.

    (Guess I¡¯ll just sneak out after they leave.)

    A bit disappointed and with nothing else to do, Charlotte just decided to read the books about spirit contracts and familiars while strolling in the garden. Iris and Lilly had gotten better in their work and their health also improved.

    The previous Charlotte probably never read a book of her own free will or taken a stroll down here, so when she saw the look in the servants¡¯ eyes, she couldn¡¯t blame them and ignored them yet again.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.

    (I just hope it won¡¯t become worse.)

    Charlotte eventually sat down underneath a tree. There was a nice breeze and the sky was blue.

    Iris and Lilly later ran up to her with their hands behind their backs.

    ¡°What is it?¡±

    The two held out their hands.

    ¡°For you!¡±

    Iris held a purple iris flower while Lilly a white Lilly flower.

    ¡°Really? Thank you.¡±

    They were the flowers of the name she had given them and they were grateful for all she had done. Although they still felt that it was not enough for everything she had done, they wanted to at least show their gratitude.

    Charlotte gladly accepted the flowers and tucked them in her hair that was currently let loose. Since they had already come here, she put away the book and played around with them.

    Her life was full of fun and happiness. She enjoyed each moment she spend with the people around her and learning the new things.

    Then, that cursed day finally arrived.

    The day she was to meet with the crown prince and officially make her engagement to him.

    (Tsk, I was distracted and didn¡¯t think of a plan at all!)

    Indeed. With Puff Puff showing up, training and studies every day, playing around with those two, when her father finally reminded her about their meeting that same morning, it was as if a bolt of lightning had struck her heart.

    ¡°Father¡­is it already that day?¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Why yes.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Is that so? Are you certain it isn¡¯t next month?¡±

    ¡°¡­Lotte, I had said it was in two weeks. The two weeks have already passed by.¡±

    ¡°Fufufu~ Father, you are getting rather old. Isn¡¯t it the day after tomorrow after tomorrow?¡±

    ¡°Did you stutter or did you actually forget?¡±

    ¡°¡­.I understand father. I will go and prepare myself immediately.¡±

    Charlotte left the dining room. The two men then stared at each other, not sure of what was wrong.

    ¡°Does she perhaps¡­.not want to go?¡±

    Walter carefully asked, but Duke Adrian immediately denied it ¡°Impossible. She had always kept talking to me about that boy ever since she had a glance at him on his tenth birthday two years ago.¡±

    ¡°But from the way she acted I would have guessed otherwise¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­well I do agree that she has been acting strange lately.¡±

    They both simultaneously shrugged their shoulders. They just hoped nothing bad happens.

    Charlotte had rushed back to her room. She needed to come up with a plan to somehow not make this engagement a success.

    There are three reasons why she wanted to refuse with all her heart.

    <ol>

    <li>She wanted to avoid entering the castle as much as possible. That place is like a battle field with booby-trap lying all over the place.</li>

    <li>Although she couldn¡¯t care less about the game¡¯s original story line since she had already ruined it by still being alive, changing it too much could cause some major backlashes.</li>

    <li>As the only descendant of the Ionesse household, she had her position to think about. If the future king of a country and the only child of a powerful duke household were to marry, it could cause unnecessary trouble between the nobles.</li>

    <li>And four (Yes, there was a fourth), in the game, even though he had been engaged to fianc¨¦ candidate #2 Marionette Von Lukedium, he had never liked her and had a childhood sweet heart; the second daughter of a marquise household; Leila Hearts.</li>

    </ol>

    So please, she didn¡¯t want to get caught up in any of the four.

    (Well, if the guy himself doesn¡¯t want to get engaged to me, that shouldn¡¯t be much of a problem, right?)

    But then again, if he refused without a good enough reason, it could cause trouble with the nobles again and it would also be difficult for her to find a fianc¨¦ in the future.

    ¡°Really, being a noble is such a pain in the ass.¡±

 Chapter 15

    Finally, it was time for the auspicious meeting. The meeting place was none other than the Villa of Marquise Hearts!

    Because it was in between the capital and the fief where charlotte resided, the king had asked for this favor of lending the place for a bit.

    (Coincidence? I think not.)

    Today, Lia had neatly done her hair with the hairpin Charlotte wanted and make-up, but as per charlotte¡¯s request, it was thin and simple. The perfume she used was of a lavender fragrance, not too strong. She wore simple not too high heels and a not too flashy white dress.

    Pure and simple; that was how she was currently being described by the servants even though they usually avoided her gaze.

    Duke Adrian didn¡¯t accompany her and left her safety to Walter.

    Charlotte stepped into the carriage. Iris and Lilly as well as Cecilia accompanied her as her attendants. The carriage sped off into the distance and the Duke silently watched from his window.

    ¡°I leave her safety to you, my friend.¡±

    The inside of the carriage was rather awkward. Cecilia was still as nervous as ever around Charlotte and Walter wasn¡¯t the talkative type. To break the silence, Charlotte began to play around with Iris and Lilly¡¯s ears.

    Cecilia instantly tensed up, seeing her like this, Walter finally spoke.

    ¡°What is it Miss Cecilia? If it¡¯s the young miss, then you should have already adjusted to her strange behavior over the past few weeks.¡±

    Cecilia glanced in front of her at Lady Charlotte and two beastkin girls joking around ¡°Still, it feels weird. Everything about her is weird lately.¡± She whispered to him.

    Walter cracked a smile ¡°I suppose that is true. Having known her all her life and then she suddenly changes without warning. Even the master is worried, but seeing her improve, he decided that it was for the best.¡±

    ¡°Well she did improve in a lot of ways I suppose¡­¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!

    The carriage came to a stop. The driver announced their arrival, and his voice was like an alarm bell to Charlotte¡¯s ears.

    She still hadn¡¯t thought up of a plan to avoid their engagement¡­..

    One by one, they got off the carriage. A servant of the villa then guided them inside. Charlotte was instructed to go alone to the rose garden to where the crown prince was.

    (They say brats are always the most difficult to deal with. Let¡¯s just hope that¡¯s not the case here.)

    She took a deep breath as she walked closer and closer.

    There, a young boy of 12yrs old dressed in simple attire of royalty sat by the fountain. He had golden blond hair and azure blue eyes. The perfect image of a prince.

    ¡°Greetings your highness. My name is Charlotte Ionesse, it is a pleasure to finally meet your acquaintance.¡± Charlotte slightly lifted the hem of her dress and politely curtsied.

    ¡°Lady Charlotte, the pleasure¡¯s all mine.¡±

    Charlotte then went to take a seat opposite Prince Leonard.

    ¡°¡­¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    None of them spoke any further. Or rather, he didn¡¯t know what to talk about while Charlotte was wrecking her brain to come up with something to escape this place.

    ¡°I heard that you got injured when you were on your way to our last meeting. I hope you have already healed properly.¡±

    Charlotte who had her head lowered looked up slightly surprised. She didn¡¯t think that he was such a good mannered kid, or at least, that he would even pretend to be nice.

    She smiled ¡°Thank you for your concern. Thanks to everyone¡¯s help, I have already recovered without a problem.¡±

    ¡°That is good to hear. Although I must apologize that that all happened while you were on your way to see me.¡±

    ¡°No no no. it wasn¡¯t your fault. Since the wound has been healed, let us forget about it.¡±

    (And while you¡¯re at it, please forget about our engagement as well. But that would be asking a bit too much huh.)

    At some point in time, the two started chatting about meaningless things such as their hobbies favorite color etcetera.

    (Damnit! This guy is really likable to have as a chatting buddy, that I completely forgot my original objective!)

    They were complete chatting buddies at this point.

    ¡°Lady Charlotte, it has been fun chatting with you.¡±

    ¡°You as well, your highness.¡±

    ¡°You can just call me Leo. That is what people close to me call me.¡± He flashed her a charming smile.

    That smile was probably something he does to everyone. No wonder all the girls she knew (young maids she was eavesdropping on again) always talked about how charming he was.

    (Poor Leila must be having a hard time huh.)

    ¡°My, I feel honored that you consider me as such. Then, please just call me Lotte as well.¡±

    ¡°Very well, Lotte.¡±

    (Well, making friends isn¡¯t such a bad idea¡­)

    As far as she knew, the only ones she could actually think of as friends in this life were Iris and Lilly. She didn¡¯t make any contact with other noble daughters, and she probably would have a hard time too.

    ¡°Um, Leo¡­.¡±

    It was time to return. Charlotte was already going back when she suddenly called out to him. She wanted to tell him, but stopped.

    Leo just stared at her, puzzled.

    ¡°Never mind. Then, until next time.¡±

    The two parted ways after that and didn¡¯t meet until two weeks later.

 Chapter 16

    Leonard Cortez, 12 yrs old, 1<sup>st</sup> prince of Firri?t kingdom.

    The engagement meeting was abruptly interrupted when the Duke and his daughter were ambushed on their way to the capital. When he heard the news, Leo was a bit worried. Later that day, he received news that the duke¡¯s daughter had received an injury and fainted. The next day, he was told that she returned to her fief.

    Two weeks passed and then he was told that the meeting would continue in a week¡¯s time, their location the villa of marquise Hearts.

    (Is this a curse?) He seriously thought to himself. He consulted his best friend and his bodyguard, Terence, the only one who knew of the relationship between the marquise¡¯s second daughter and himself to seek advice.

    His words were ¡°Just see what kind of girl she is. If you don¡¯t like her, then just refuse.¡±

    A bit harsh, don¡¯t you think?

    But what other choice did he have? Even his parents didn¡¯t know of their relationship.

    And finally, that day came.

    Luckily Leila wasn¡¯t there at the villa, so he didn¡¯t need to worry about her. As he was waiting while enjoying the scenery, a young girl¡¯s voice brought him back to reality. He turned around to see the not too gaudy dressed girl curtsying as she politely introduced herself.

    She was two years younger than him, yet she gave off this mature feeling. She was beautiful compared to other girl¡¯s, but in his eyes, Leila was still the prettiest.

    It started off as awkward, but as they began to speak, he found her rather pleasant to chat with. Unlike other noble daughters he had met in the past, who would always try to cling to him or seek his attention, she gave him this comfortable feeling. She wasn¡¯t unbearable and spoke politely, to the point where he who had been strictly taught was beaten by her in etiquette.

    (Is she really nine years old?)

    Physically speaking; probably.

    Mentally speaking; nope.

    They kept on chatting about unrelated topics until time was over.

    (Ah, I forgot to do what I had actually planned.)

    He even allowed her to call him by his nickname that only those he trusted were allowed to.

    When they were about to part ways, she suddenly called out to him, but stopped midway. He was curious as what she wanted to say, but seeing that had a hard time trying to, he didn¡¯t force her.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°So, how was your fianc¨¦-to-be, your~ high~ness~?¡±

    Back inside the carriage, Terence teasingly asked Leo as soon as he spotted him coming back.

    He sighed ¡°To be honest, she isn¡¯t so bad. But, my heart already belongs to Leila.¡±

    ¡°So you were unable to stop the engagement?¡±

    ¡°Pretty much. ¡­although I guess you could say we became friends.¡±

    ¡°Ha! You were planning to break the engagement but instead you went and made friends with her? Do you know how ridiculous you sound?¡±

    Not even minding their positions, the two were chatting as friends instead of superior and subordinate.

    ¡°I know. But I didn¡¯t get the feeling like she actually agreed to the engagement.¡±

    ¡°So you both don¡¯t want to get engaged with each other but do nothing about it? ¡­.Leo my friend, you are seriously making me worried here.¡±

    ¡°Jokes aside, what of the matter I asked you about previously?¡±

    Leo stopped joking and looked seriously at Terence who still had a trace of mischief on his face.

    ¡°Yeah yeah. If you¡¯re wondering about who kept harassing Leila, then it¡¯s those three as you had suspected.¡±

    Leo clicked his tongue, a flash of anger passing through his eyes. He also still needed to deal with the matters in the castle, now there were people who were bothering his lover?

    It¡¯s been two months since a rumor about the two being in love spread through the capital. Since she had also visited the capital, Leo guessed that Charlotte might also have known of this. But he didn¡¯t sense anything out of place, thus excluded her from being one of the people who could be harassing Leila.

    ¡°Let¡¯s head back to the Castle. I need to report back to father.¡±

    He didn¡¯t enter the carriage, but instead took a horse and sped off. Terence sighed. He got out of the carriage and followed after Leo, leaving the driver behind without any explanation.

    Back in the capital, it was as lively as ever. In front of the main gate, a subjugation squad had just returned and was dragging the monster¡¯s corpse to the research facility in the castle. Mages and magic researchers would often use parts of the monster¡¯s body for various experiments.

    He didn¡¯t understand any of the things they were doing, but was clear that it was for the good of the kingdom to develop new technology and to defend their home.

    As Leo and Terence were just about to enter the king¡¯s study, a high pitched voice called out to Leo. It was only a split second, but Terence saw that his friend¡¯s his lips twitched when he realized who the owner of that voice was.

    ¡°Your highness~! Welcome back~¡±

    Bright purple clothes, the sound of jewels clattering, a huge amount of make-up and a thick smell of perfume that it almost made those nearby choke. Marionette Von Lukedium, daughter of Duke Troy Lukedium who is one rank below Duke Adrian Ionesse.

    Unlike Charlotte, Marionette lives in a mansion inside the capital, thus avoiding contact with her has sadly been proven impossible. Also, it has been confirmed that this girl has a superiority complex with Duke Adrian¡¯s daughter and is practically smitten with Leonard.

    As for the person in question, he really wanted to smack that girl senseless or just run away, but he needed to think of his position and endure. Endure!

    ¡°Lady Marionette, what can I help you with?¡±

    ¡°Hehe~ your highness how was your trip?¡±

    As if she didn¡¯t know any shame, Marionette kept coming closer and closer until she wrapped her arms around Leo¡¯s arm, pressing her modest breast against his arm.

    ¡­he really wanted to hit this girl.

    Leo coughed ¡°Lady Marionette, you are aware that I am already engaged, are you not? Please mind my standings.¡±

    (Lotte, I apologize, but I¡¯ll have to use your name)

 chapter 17

    After returning to the mansion, Charlotte strictly scolded herself for acting so foolish.

    Since the two beastkin girls had become a lot healthier, she decided it was time to give them a little lesson on self defense and then slowly advance as they went while unconsciously letting out her frustration, resulting in the two beastkin girls witnessing another side of her that would be difficult to forget.

    She needed to prepare them for what was to come in the next few years and wouldn¡¯t always be able to stay by their side. As expected, since they had beastkin blood flowing through their veins, their strength and stamina was far superior to that of a human.

    The two weeks passed by without a hitch and it was Charlotte¡¯s birthday.

    For the past few days, the mansion had become livelier and Charlotte herself barely had any free time.

    Finally, night arrived. The guests came in and it was time for her debut into the noble society.

    As she gazed down from above, Charlotte tightly gripped the hem of her dress.

    ¡°Lotte, you really have grown. If only Freya could see you now.¡±

    Duke Adrian was a bit emotional at the moment. Freya was Charlotte¡¯s birth mother, but she had passed away when she was only 5 years old, or so she found out later from the servants¡¯ gossips. As a single parent, she didn¡¯t know how he truly felt, but one thing was for sure, he loved her with all his heart and she felt proud to be his daughter and guilty at the same time.

    Duke Adrian wiped away the tear that hung on the corner of his eye. He reached out his hand and placed a necklace around her neck.

    ¡°Although I don¡¯t know if this is exactly what you wanted, this used to belong to your mother.¡±

    Charlotte looked at the pendant hanging around her neck. It was a deep red gem in the shape of a tear drop and was decorated beautifully with silver. She sweetly smiled and replied ¡°It is even better. Thank you, father.¡±

    She didn¡¯t remember anything about her mother, or actually, she wasn¡¯t even the real Charlotte. But in her previous life, she only had her grandfather, and having experienced the love of a father was plenty for her.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    He smiled back at her. It was time. Duke Adrian began his speech, and then it was her turn to speak. She was a bit nervous, but she had prepared herself in advanced. The speech ended without any incidents.

    Afterwards, other nobles began to congratulate her one by one. But thanks to the training she received from her etiquette teacher and her natural talent for acting, nothing seemed out of place even though it was a fake smile. By the time that was finished, her mouth felt completely cramped.

    Duke Adrian seemed to still be preoccupied by the numerous guests congratulating him, but when she saw that most of them were young women, she let out a stiff laugh.

    ¡°Father is still young after all.¡±

    And single at the moment. But it doesn¡¯t look like he¡¯ll be remarrying any time soon, if not at all.

    ¡°You seem to be enjoying yourself.¡±

    A joking voice came from her right. Charlotte turned to look at the owner of that voice and let out a sigh ¡°Please do not joke with me right now, I feel exhausted, Leo.¡±

    He laughed back at her ¡°Oh, it looks like you aren¡¯t keeping up the fa?ade in front of me.¡±

    Charlotte laughed back at him with one hand over her chest and the other holding a glass of juice ¡°Speak to yourself. Also, I do not feel the need to.¡±

    He chuckled, then made a polite bow as he handed her a bouquet of flowers. ¡°Happy 10<sup>th</sup> birthday, Lady Charlotte.¡±

    ¡°Why, thank you very much.¡±

    Music began to play and the people began to dance. Leo reached out his hand, she accepted and the two began to dance.

    ¡°Thank you for this dance.¡± Not soon after the song ended, both Leo and Charlotte were surrounded by people. On Leo¡¯s side were both adults as boys and girls and on Charlotte¡¯s side were both girls and boys at a young age.

    (And here I thought I was already finished¡­)

    It wasn¡¯t until the next song played that she was freed. Whenever she saw someone approach her and if it was a boy who would ask for a dance, she would skillfully slip into the crowd and escape.

    After speaking with her father, Charlotte decided to slip outside to the front garden. Iris and Lilly were working inside to hide from nobles¡¯ eyes and she was feeling a bit lonely and bored. While strolling around aimlessly, she suddenly stopped in her tracks when she heard the voices of several young girls.

    (The heck is it now?)

    She stealthily walked in the direction of the voices. It was somewhere in middle of the rose garden where the fountain was. Hiding behind the bushes, Charlotte frowned when she got a clear look at their faces.

    (Those are¡­.definitely Marionette and her two underlings.)

    *A/n: whoopsy~ i forgot this part.

    She could recognize them immediately even in the dark thanks to their flashy appearance.

    (Then the one there should be¡­Leila.)

    Dressed in blue, blue hair and blue eyes. there was no mistake about it.

    For now, she decided to listen in on their conversation and if things got out of hand, she would step in. as the host of the party, she needed to take responsibility for her guests.

 chapter 18 Rumble~

    ¡°Hump! So you actually have the guts to show your face here?¡± Marionette puffed out her chest and signaled the two girls by her side.

    The two grinned. One by one, they began to push the girl¡¯s shoulder on each side until she bumped against the fountain.

    ¡°What¡¯s more, you shamefully go behind other¡¯s backs and flirt with the prince. Even though he already has a fianc¨¦!¡± her eyes boiled with rage. She walked in front of Leila as she looked down upon her ¡°He is destined to be with me! You, a mere marquise¡¯s daughter, actually try to snatch him away from me!?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡±

    ¡°How dare you!¡±

    The two underlings did everything to get onto Marionette¡¯s good side.

    From the shadows, Charlotte couldn¡¯t help but face palm.

    (Really, I knew she was a self-centered, haughty, arrogant and annoying brat from the profile I read, but I didn¡¯t know she was this delusional!)

    Even Leila who was the one being pushed to a corner like this felt awkward. She knew that what she was doing was wrong, but she loved him with all her heart and so did he. Even though he already had a fianc¨¦ and this was that said fianc¨¦¡¯s party, but hearing the girl¡¯s self proclamation, she really questioned her intelligence.

    Marionette had at some point begun to ramble on and on about how great she was. When she finished, she fiercely glared at the meek girl in front of her. ¡°Since you aren¡¯t welcome, then there is no need for you to show your face any longer!¡±

    With the final push, Leila was unable to resist and was about to fall into the fountain. It was cold, and if she fell in now, she could catch a cold. But, she had already stumbled and was about to fall in!

    Back inside the hall, after the dance with Charlotte, Leo got forced to dance with the other noble girls. His engagement hadn¡¯t been officially released to the public, so some of them might not know. Some of them on the other hand still tried to get his attention even after knowing.

    When he finally managed to get away, Leo looked around for Terence.

    ¡°Yo, had fun?¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Behind him, he was able to recognize that annoying voice that always teased him.

    ¡°Terence, have you seen Leila?¡±

    He frowned ¡°No, I don¡¯t think she arrived yet.¡±

    ¡°What? She isn¡¯t the type to be this late. ¡­what about Lotte?¡±

    ¡°If you mean Lady Charlotte, then I haven¡¯t seen her either.¡±

    No matter how long he waited, Leila still hadn¡¯t come. Then, they overheard a group of girls gossiping.

    ¡°Hey, have you heard?¡±

    ¡°*giggle* are you talking about Marionette and that girl Leila?¡±

    ¡°Yes yes! It seems like Marionette is finally going to teach that girl a lesson! Fufufu~¡±

    That didn¡¯t sound very good.

    Leo and Terence exchanged glances and split up to look for Leila.

    When he finally found her, he saw Marionette push Leila into the fountain. He was about to scream out and catch her when suddenly, someone else beat him to it.

    The only thing he though at that moment was (Fast). He didn¡¯t even notice when she arrived.

    Just before Leila was about to fall into the fountain, Charlotte could no longer watch and leaped towards them. She grabbed the girl¡¯s wrist, her hair almost touching the water¡¯s surface as she pulled her back up with one tug.

    ¡°Tsk. What is the meaning of this?¡± she clicked her tongue and glared at the group of girls in front of her. Yes, they had done it now. If they had only simply kept pushing her and saying mean things, then she would have left them alone. But, using violence, inside the Ionesse mansion, that was a no no.

    Her sudden appearance startled them all. Even Leila stood there frozen and immediately lowered her head upon recognizing her identity.

    ¡°L-lady Charlotte!?¡±

    The two underlings stuttered and even Marionette who had acted so haughty just a moment ago was trembling under her gaze.

    Charlotte had found out that in the past, the two of them had always been on bad terms. But, when their gazes met, a different fear crept over her heart. This was a completely different glare from the past, where she, Marionette always stood tied with her nemesis!

    Thinking that they didn¡¯t hear her properly, she repeated herself as she unfolded the fan in front of her mouth with one arm over her chest. It was the perfect pose of an intimidating young noble girl ¡°I asked; what is the meaning of this? Are you perhaps deaf?¡±

    They still didn¡¯t answer. Charlotte then turned her head to look at the meek girl standing behind her, her head still lowered. Only when those eyes had left her did she finally speak.

    ¡°Charlotte! Even though we may hate each other, you do know who that girl is, don¡¯t you!?¡±

    Enemies they may be, but Marionette believed that, if someone else also tried to snatch away her fianc¨¦, then surely she would cooperate with her to get rid of their common enemy, even if only temporarily.

    When she heard those words, Leila began to shake. She could feel Charlotte¡¯s gaze on her and she didn¡¯t dare to look up.

    -snap

    Charlotte closed her fan and then looked back at Marionette; an evil smile with a face full of plots against that girl. Charlotte frowned.

    ¡°Whoever she may be, at the moment she is one of my guests. I will not have anyone harass my guests, even if it¡¯s another guest. If you have a problem, then settle it elsewhere. You actually have the audacity to ruin my birthday? Are you prepared for the consequences? Hmn?¡±

    She folded her arms over her chest and raised her chin up arrogantly. Yes, she was really annoyed that someone was ruining the atmosphere in her garden when she wanted to rest!

 Side story: 1

    My name is Cecilia Owsen, the 5<sup>th</sup> daughter of the Owsen household ranked as baron. I have four older sisters and one younger sister, you can imagine what my life has been, right? Not only that, but I also have three older brothers who always seem to tease me.

    But well, at least we were the kind of nobles that people considered the happy-go-lucky kind. It goes without saying that my parents weren¡¯t one of the corrupt nobles. Why?

    We were so poor to the point that we could even be considered commoners, that¡¯s why. To raise 9 children, just how much money was necessary? At one point, they began to sell the furniture that was deemed unnecessary and we were somehow able to get by until all that remained was the house, our beds, the dining table and chairs. I called it a miracle.

    Then, a misfortune worse than poverty befell us.

    Father had had been promoted by his superior. With his wages increased, we slowly began to regain the life we once had.

    Isn¡¯t this a good thing, you ask?

    Well, we all thought that until that day came.

    Yes, it happened early in the morning when the sun had yet to even rise. We were still asleep when the sound of loud banging against our front door awoke us. ¡­.this is a bit embarrassing, but our house is small, so that¡¯s how we were able to hear it.

    With everyone now wide awake from the shock, mother, and my 8 other siblings as well as myself curiously stood on the side as our father went to see who could be visiting.

    Father had just barely opened the door when someone kicked it open. Father landed on the floor while still rolling around. ¡­.did I mention that he had a rather round tummy? It¡¯s not caused by over eating, I assure you. ¡­he¡¯s just too lazy to excise.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    After the door was kicked open, a number of soldiers stormed inside without warning and began to run around the house, throwing everything into chaos.

    We were too confused and shocked to do anything and just stood there petrified.

    The soldiers had an arrest warrant for some reason, saying that we were guilty of a crime and be sentenced to death by the guillotine. And just like that, our entire family got dragged to the capital and was imprisoned.

    (Father¡­what did you do THIS time?)

    And seeing that the rest of the family was clueless, no, even my father was clueless mind you. The guard so kindly explained to us why we got arrested.

    ¡­.apparently, father had partaken in a business involving human trafficking as well as beastkin slavery.

    (Father, I know you¡¯re not the smartest person in the world, but did you have to be this gullible!?)

    Ahhh¡­to think that our father got framed yet again. I was skeptical of how we suddenly became this rich, but didn¡¯t think it was this bad. Haaa¡­.how many times does this make? I¡¯m afraid this time it really is over.

    Everyone had already given up on hope. At least we weren¡¯t going t be stoned to death, right?

    And so, we all waited in despair for our death.

    But, on the day we were to be executed, another miracle happened.

    Yes, it seems like our name has been cleared. But how? No, who would even care to go to all the trouble?

    After I found out, I decided to swear my loyalty to the man who saved me. I was 12 at the time. After we got back home safe and sound, I immediately departed to his house. And thus, I became a maid at that house. Because I was the youngest, I became that man¡¯s daughter¡¯s exclusive maid. I was also trained by my fellow coworkers with the blades to be able to protect the family when the time comes.

    Yes, I thought I would finally lead a peaceful life this time. That¡¯s why, when I finally met her, that man¡¯s daughter, Charlotte Ionesse, I almost died from high blood pressure!

    How!? How could this be!? That man, he, he was such a noble person. How, how could SHE possibly be that man¡¯s daughter!? Impossible! No, I will not accept this!

    I decided that as her exclusive maid, it was my job to correct her behavior in place of the mother she had lost.

    ¡­.that was the biggest mistake of my life.

    Yes¡­after that day, I learned to never ever say anything more than needed when with her.

    At that time, she was still but a 7 year old girl.

    Dear lord in heaven, what will happen to me when she becomes older?

 Chapter 19

    When Marionette saw her act like that all high and mighty, she was certain now that she didn¡¯t know the identity of the little thief.

    She regained some of her confidence and challenged her on as she put up her own arrogant air. ¡°Hump! Since it doesn¡¯t look like you know, I will tell you. That girl is Leila Hearts, the one who keeps flirting with his highness!¡±

    It was over. She was doomed! Leila became gloomier and gloomier. She just wanted everything to finish already and be done with it.

    Charlotte¡¯s frown deepened. She really felt like she was getting a headache!

    Seeing her frown like that, she knew that it was already over for that girl and began to chuckle gleefully. Her laugh irritated Charlotte even further, to the point where if it weren¡¯t for her status, she would have long ago shut her up and thrown her out for good.

    ¡°Honestly, it seems like you fail to understand my words. I pity those around you.¡±

    Her words not only shocked Marionette, even the prince who had remained where he was almost laughed out loud.

    ¡°And you¡± she pointed the tip of her fan at Leila ¡°You want to stay by his side, but you aren¡¯t even able to keep up your head? To you, I pity the people who will have you as their future queen. If you cannot even stand up for yourself when faced with a group of little girls, how do you intend to stand up for the people? It¡¯s laughable!¡±

    ¡°Also,¡± she turned back towards the three girls who stood with their mouths agape and their eyes filled with puzzlement ¡°Whoever the prince chooses to marry is none of your concern. Moreover, you moronic bunch of brats actually dared to disturb me at my own party? It seems that in the time I haven¡¯t seen you, you have grown quite bold!¡±

    Their legs began to shake until they slumped onto the ground like jelly. Their eyes still locked onto hers. In their eyes, she was frightening. To the point where if they forgot their status, they would have already wet themselves.

    ¡°You¡¯ve ruined my mood. Scram!¡±

    ¡°Eeeeekkkk!!!¡±

    They forgot about their pride and even though she used such rude words. The only thing on their minds right now was to get out of here as fast as they could!

    Since she was with her back turned to Leila, she felt less pressure compared to the other three. Nonetheless, even though the girl in front of her was smaller and younger, she felt helpless.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    ¡°Tsk. And how long are you two going to keep standing there?¡± she glanced at the two hiding behind the bushes.

    Leo and Terence involuntarily gulped and stepped forward.

    ¡°My my, your fianc¨¦ sure is scary~¡±

    Terence said with both hands raised as if in surrender with a joking smile on his face.

    When she heard a familiar voice, Leila finally looked up, a flash of relief in her eyes.

    ¡°How long did you know we were there?¡± Leo asked as he stood between Leila and Charlotte with caution.

    Charlotte acted as if she didn¡¯t notice the hostility coming from him and sat down on the fountain¡¯s edge while fanning herself ¡°And who wouldn¡¯t? With you breathing so loud, even the ants could hear you.¡±

    They were speechless.

    Charlotte kept fanning herself, a frown stuck on her face. While Terence was still as carefree as ever, Leo tried to come up with words ¡°Aren¡¯t you¡­going to ask me something?¡±

    Charlotte finally turned her head to him. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. The next moment she opened her eyes, they returned to its former calmness ¡°What would you like me to ask?¡±

    ¡°Um¡­well¡­¡±

    ¡°If it¡¯s about your little sweetheart, then I know a lot more than you yourself probably know.¡±

    She was utterly pissed. But, the years of training had made it so that she could calm down within a blink. Anger leads to rash decisions and rash decisions can lead one to one¡¯s own downfall.

    ¡°So you don¡¯t have any problems?¡± he was still cautious of her even now.

    ¡°Did you not hear me? I already said that whoever you choose to marry is your choice, not mine. Also, I have no intentions of going through with this engagement; you and I both know this. So you can stop being so reserved on the matter.¡±

    Hearing her say it with her own mouth, he finally let out a sigh. So he was right after all.

    ¡°By the way, when are you going to introduce me to your friends? Or do you not wish to?¡±

    The anger she previously had had already vanished. With a charming yet playful smile she tried to tease the three flustered kids.

    ¡°Sorry. This is Terence, my child hood friend and also my guard. This is Leila Hearts¡­well; you know the details I assume.¡±

    ¡°I must say, Lady Charlotte, you are quite frightening, in a lot of ways.¡±

    ¡°Fufufu~ I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡± She returned Terence with another joke of her own.

    ¡°Um, Lady Charlotte¡± Leila finally stepped forward, still a little shaky in front of Charlotte, but this time she met her gaze ¡°Thank you for your help earlier. I am truly grateful.¡± She bowed.

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. Although, I feel rather offended by you.¡± Charlotte frowned.

    When she heart that, her heart trembled. She hesitantly looked up, but the words she spoke next left her stunned

    ¡°Even though you say you are grateful, you keep looking at me as if I were a wolf or demon? Am I that frightening?¡±

    ¡°E-eh!? N-no!¡± Leila began to anxiously shake her head and hands ¡°Not at all! You¡¯re beautiful and I couldn¡¯t even begin to compare! I was just afraid that you would be angry at me going behind your back about that matter!¡±

    Charlotte stared at the uneasy girl with her brow raised ¡°Strange words, in a way. But I¡¯ll gladly take your compliment. Fufufu~¡±

    Her carefree attitude finally made the girl relax somewhat. Behind her, the two boys sighed as they shrugged their shoulders.

 Chapter 20 the end is near

    The four of them then began to chat away. Leila gradually started to loosen around Charlotte and Terence¡¯s unrestrained jokes brought laughter within the group.

    ¡°But, you sure are different from the rumors, Lady Charlotte.¡±

    Charlotte looked at Terence a bit puzzled ¡°Really? What do they say? Also, you can just call me Lotte.¡±

    Terence smirked. Leila and Leo were also a little aware of the rumors surrounding Charlotte, thus looked rather worried. ¡°I heard that you were on a far higher level compared to Lady Marionette¡¯s arrogance and haughtiness. But that isn¡¯t all, apparently you like to beat the servants and if anyone who crosses you displeases you, you throw them in the dungeon.¡±

    Charlotte carefully listened to each and every word he spoke while stroking her chin ¡°Interesting.¡± So was that the reason why all the servants were frightened of her? Surely, that must be the reason. ¡°So we actually had a dungeon huh¡­.¡±

    She was mumbling to herself, so the others didn¡¯t hear what she had said.

    ¡°Still, the part about you being vicious seems to be true.¡± He finished with a last strike

    ¡°Ha!¡± Charlotte giggled ¡°I may have some patience, but not that much. If you cross the line, I can be a lot worse.¡±

    ¡°So where is that line?¡± he asked out of pure curiosity.

    Charlotte smirked while letting out an evil sounding laugh ¡°Fufufu~ if you really want to know, care to try?¡±

    As the crown prince¡¯s guard, he had come across countless dangers even if he was still young. But, when faced with that girl, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a cold chill blow against him. At that moment, he knew. He vowed to never ever under any circumstances get on her bad side. This was a danger different than a life and death situation.

    It wasn¡¯t just Terence. Even Leila and Leo thought the same. As if she sensed this, she let out a more carefree laugh ¡°Do not worry that much. Since we are friends, I wouldn¡¯t possibly do anything too drastic.¡±

    (Ah, no. I don¡¯t think that came out right. ¡­well, whatever)The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

    The three let out stiff laughs. Finally, they decided that it was time to head back inside.

    Charlotte did a final dance with her father. Leo finally got to dance with Leila and the party soon came to an end.

    Changed into her sleep wear, Charlotte gazed at the stars from her balcony. She was humming the tune that played while she was dancing while stroking Puff Puff¡¯s head.

    Today was a lot of fun. Aside from Iris and Lilly, now she had made other friends, but also enemies it seems.

    But all¡¯s well that ends well.

    Today was a day she was able to forget all about her worries. The things that happened in the game and who she really was, it seemed as if she was dreaming. Her troubles seemed so far away.

    After a while, Puff Puff left to go back to his home. Wherever that may be.

    ¡°If only this peace could last forever¡­.¡±

    After that day, she returned back to her usual routine.

    Training in the morning with Iris and Lilly, lessons in the afternoon and free time till night. A life without worries.

    That was why; she had completely forgotten something which she should not have.

    She was not Charlotte.

    Charlotte should have died long ago.

    Her father was supposed to become filled with evil.

    Because she prevented all that, a new trouble arose.

    Without a villain, how could the game progress?

    No, there always needed to be a villain. That was just how this world was programmed.

    Far far away from the human territory, shrouded by darkness and miasma, a pair of red glowing eyes looked down upon his subjects.

    Around him, he carried an air that could send someone with a weak sprit straight to the next world. An appearance that was not human. Two twisted horns, two long sharp fangs, skin as black as the night.

    The devil king that should have awakened only after 10 years had already awoken and gathered his army.

    ¡°What of the humans?¡±

    A deep and heavy sinister voice resounded.

    ¡°My king, they have yet to know of your awakening. Should we purge them while they are unprepared?¡±

    The lord of vampires and 4<sup>th</sup> general of the devil army suggested with his head slightly bowed.

    ¡°General, what do you think?¡±

    A youthful looking woman then lifted her head. Pink glowing eyes, two horns and a long sharp black tail with two black wings on her back; she was a succubus and the 2<sup>nd</sup> general the devil army..

    ¡°Although it is a splendid idea, if the humans were to retaliate and also form an alliance with the other races, in our current state victory will be uncertain.¡± She had an enchanting voice that could even enchant women, much less men.

    ¡°They are just but pitiful humans. If you wish to get rid of them all at once then it would be better to do so now, no?¡± standing next to devil king was yet another demon. Pale skin, black wings, two twisted horns, red lowing eyes filled with hatred as she smiled sinisterly. Lilith, the demon lord of wrath, second in command of the entire devil army.

    The surrounding greenery had long ago polluted. Not even a tree¡¯s trunk was left behind. The devil king and his generals had finally assembled after three centuries of slumber. The world had enjoyed its peace, the age for chaos has finally returned.

 Volume 2: chapter 21 Spring

    Winter passed by without any difficulties. The people of the town also enjoyed a rich harvest and were preparing for the festival that was about to come.

    ¡°A festival huh, sounds fun.¡±

    Over the past months, Leila and Charlotte had become best friends and she would often visit Charlotte. Today, they were having tea in the front garden. Leila didn¡¯t hold any prejudice against beastkin, so charlotte also invited Iris and Lilly over to chat as they were around the same age.

    ¡°Lotte, you like festivals?¡± Leila gracefully took a sip while peeking at Charlotte who sat opposite to her.

    She sighed ¡°I do not know. I have never gone before as father is cautious concerning me leaving the house. Well, it is not like I do not understand though.¡±

    (Also, I sort of already snuck out a few times¡­mot that I¡¯m telling anyone.)

    ¡°I see¡­¡±

    ¡°What of you? Have you ever gone to a festival?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡± Leila put down her cup and began to tell Charlotte all about the things she experienced with enthusiasm. Iris and Lilly were also interested on the subject. Looking at them, Charlotte knew that they wanted to go.

    ¡°Hmm, then I could ask Lia to take you two once the festival starts. Sorry, but I won¡¯t be able to join you two.¡±

    Every time she asked if she could go into town, her father¡¯s mood would instantly change and the atmosphere around the table became deadly silent. Even Walter was unable to convince him.

    (But really, it¡¯s not like I can stay inside forever you know, father. Should I sneak out again? ¡­No, since those two are still here they¡¯ll notice that I¡¯m gone. *sigh*)

    When she said that, Leila felt rather awkward herself. It was evident that Charlotte wanted to go, but her safety took top priority. But, an idea struck her.

    ¡°I got it!¡±

    Leila¡¯s eyes began to sparkle for some unknown reason. After that, for some reason she left with an abnormally cheerful expression that it was worrisome.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

    When it was the day of the festival, as requested, Lia and a few other servants who had the day off brought Iris and Lilly to see the festival while Charlotte remained at home as she finished up her homework.

    She was so immersed in her studies that, when the door to the library opened she hadn¡¯t noticed three people enter.

    ¡°Boo!¡±

    ¡°Hah!¡± A hand landed on her shoulder and she finally noticed someone behind her. Out of reflex, she grabbed that person¡¯s wrist, twisted it and threw him over her shoulder while pointing the pen she held in her other hand at his throat.

    With a loud bam, Terence fell onto his back on the wooden table. His hair a mess and his back probably broken. ¡°Ow¡­..¡±

    When she looked up, she saw that it was actually Terence and Leo and Leila who had sneaked up on her.

    ¡°Haha ¡­Oops? Well, at least it wasn¡¯t Leila.¡±

    ¡°Oi, what is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°I meant; you¡¯re the sturdiest out of the three of you.¡±

    ¡°You do know that I probably broke my back, right? What the heck kind of monstrous strength have you been hiding all this time?¡±

    ¡°That was your own fault for sneaking up on me. Seriously, do not ever do that again.¡±

    ¡°Yeah Yeah. It¡¯s not like I would want to break my back a second time.¡± With great difficulty, Terence managed to get up from the table while rubbing his aching back. ¡°But seriously, what the heck was that?¡±

    ¡°Lotte, I didn¡¯t know you were that strong.¡±

    The two boys said, each with different meanings.

    ¡°More importantly, why did you two sneak up on me?¡±

    Terence kept on grumbling and Leo only laughed awkwardly. Leila stepped forward and began to explain ¡°I¡¯m sorry Lotte. It was just that, you had mentioned the other day that you wanted to see the festival, so I thought we¡¯d surprise you. Since it¡¯s with Leo and Terence, I thought your father wouldn¡¯t mind.¡±

    With just that, she managed to get the gist of it. But still ¡°In the future, please do refrain from such surprises as it may end with more than just an aching back.¡± she was cursing herself for having failed to notice them, but if she had forgotten that this was inside the library, the chances that she would have used magic were high.

    ¡°Well, what did my father say?¡±

    ¡°About that, we still haven¡¯t asked¡­¡±

    ¡°We thought of going with you first.¡±

    Or so the two lovebirds said.

    She sighed. But, she really wanted to go, so the four of them moved to the duke¡¯s study.

    ¡°Lotte, what is it?¡±

    Behind the desk of piled up papers, a familiar loving voice resounded.

    ¡°Well, father, you see¡­.¡±

    Duke Adrian got up and walked in front of the desk, then he finally noticed the three other people behind Charlotte. He gave his respective greetings and then Leo tried to convince him

    ¡°So¡­the three of you want to bring Lotte into town for the festival?¡±

    The four nodded their heads. He looked at charlotte who kept staring at him with those sparkling eyes. Eventually, he sighed and agreed ¡°However, I am only doing this as Terence is accompanying you and high highness has learned how to fight. So, do not separate from them under any circumstances, understood?¡±

    ¡°Yes, father! Thank you very much!¡± the four of them then quickly left with no time to spare. Left alone again, the duke sighed. He had become extremely worried with the way she had so drastically changed.

 Volume 2: Chapter 22 Festival

    Charlotte changed into a more easy to move outfit of a skirt and simple blouse. She covered her hair with a hat she received as a present from Iris and Lilly from her birthday and the four headed off.

    It wasn¡¯t that far from the mansion, but they took a horse as they went. It goes without saying that Leila sat together with Leo, so Charlotte sat behind Terence.

    This was the first time she had entered the town (officially). The streets were decorated with flowers and filled with people full of laughter.

    ¡°As expected, the duke¡¯s territory is as prosperous as they say.¡± Terence commented

    ¡°Of course it is; this is my father we are speaking of.¡± Duke Adrian was a good lord to his people and a workaholic.

    As they entered town, they got off the horses and strolled pass the stalls and plaza. For a noble and royalty, Charlotte was surprised to see that the two were so easy going as they danced to the flute¡¯s tune.

    ¡°My I have this dance?¡±

    Terence offered her a dance and she gladly accepted ¡°Why of course.¡±

    It seems like Leo and Terence were a lot more familiar with the town as they led the two girls around. There were several performances and the snacks were enjoyable. There were even things she had never seen before.

    A little tired, Terence and Charlotte went to sit on a nearby bench while the two lovebirds were still at it.

    ¡°Those two sure have a lot of energy huh.¡±

    Charlotte followed his gaze and nodded. ¡°But, isn¡¯t it better than seeing them sad?¡±

    He chuckled ¡°You sound more like a worried sister than a fianc¨¦ watching her partner with another woman.¡±This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    He was still at it ¡°I had already said that I have no intentions of going through with the engagement.¡±

    ¡°Right¡­I have been wondering, but why do you hate being his fianc¨¦ so much?¡±

    Charlotte looked at him with a serious expression as if she was looking at an idiot ¡°I thought it would have been clear by now.¡±

    ¡°What? It¡¯s obvious that you don¡¯t hate Leo. You might not have any romantic feelings, but this is something normal for you nobles, isn¡¯t it? Moreover, you would become the future queen¡­ah.¡±

    ¡°So you finally realized? That was slow. Yes, I don¡¯t want to become queen. It sounds like a lot of work and I like to be unrestrained. If someone wants to willingly take that burden from me, then I would be more than happy. Well, that¡¯s putting it in a harsh way.¡±

    ¡°Pfft- hahahaha!¡± hearing her answer like that so straight forward, Terence could no longer hold it in as he laughed until he was even rolling on the ground. ¡°Hahah! If the two of them heard, their expressions would be priceless!¡±

    ¡°Hmn, should I give it a shot?¡±

    Unknown to Leo and Leila, their two friends were actually plotting something mischievous against them.

    As she was in the middle of preparing while the two returned, something alarmed Charlotte¡¯s danger senses. She tugged at Terence¡¯s sleeve and whispered ¡°Hey, did you feel that?¡±

    He frowned. He didn¡¯t know what she was talking about, but when he wanted to ask, she shut him up with a glare. Without waiting for the two, Terence lifted Leila into his arms and Charlotte pulled Leo away to a more crowded area.

    ¡°Hey, what are you two doing!?¡±

    The two ignored their questions and spoke further

    ¡°Yeah, after checking carefully, there was definitely someone watching us.¡± However she was able to sense them when even he didn¡¯t notice, but he had judged that he shouldn¡¯t pry as he felt she had a lot more hidden secrets.

    ¡°Hmn. But I don¡¯t know who they are or who they were after. Any ideas?¡±

    From their short conversation, Leo had already picked up on the situation with their weird behavior. The only one still clueless was Leila.

    ¡°Terence, are you positive?¡±

    ¡°Sorry your highness. It looks like they¡¯re experts that I won¡¯t be able to handle.¡±

    Snatching a child or two in this crowd undetected was an easy task. Especially for professionals.

    ¡°I think we should look for a place where there are guards stationed and head back to the mansion.¡±

    ¡°Alright¡± after some thought, Leo agreed ¡°We did promise to bring you back unharmed. Let¡¯s go.¡±

    But, as soon as they left the crowd, Charlotte felt that itchy danger approach them again. By the time they could even leavethe crowd, their figures had already disappeared from the streets.

    *A/n: I have no idea if itchy danger is even a proper phrase T_T

 Volume 2: Chapter 23

    ¡°Mission accomplished.¡±

    ¡°Lets hurry back before anyone notices they¡¯re missing.¡±

    ¡°Yeah yeah. But did we have to bring this brat along?¡±

    Her eyes were closed and her body paralyzed, but she was fully conscious.

    (Damn! I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d drug us!)

    She remembered. They were just about to turn the alley when three figures appeared from above. Under normal circumstances, she could escape. But, Leila and Terence were their first target as Leila was the most defenseless amongst them and Terence the most dangerous for them.

    With them out cold, Charlotte and Leo didn¡¯t have a choice to go along with them lest they didn¡¯t mind the two getting killed.

    Being carried like a piece of luggage over their shoulders was uncomfortable. She didn¡¯t know where they were being taken, but before it was too late, she sent a distress signal to Puff Puff.

    Inside her room, Puff Puff was taking a nap while waiting for its mistress¡¯ return when her voice suddenly rang in its head and woke him up.

    As soon as he received the message, Puff Puff jumped off the bed and went to look for Professor Karin who had yet to leave. She was the only one who knew of her relationship with Puff Puff and had already met several times at her lessons, so she was the best choice.

    Karin was tidying up her desk and was just about to leave when Puff Puff suddenly jumped in from the window into her desk.

    ¡°Puff Puff? What are you doing here?¡±

    He kept making circles on the desk which caught her attention.

    ¡°What happened?¡±

    ¡°Pyu~~~¡±

    He began to whimper and make all kinds of signs he could. The only one who could really understand what he was saying was Charlotte or anyone who was a tamer.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Luckily Karin had somewhat practiced the tamer skill and could understand a little of what he said.

    ¡°Eh!? Are you saying something happened to Lady Charlotte!?¡±

    Puff Puff fiercely nodded his head.

    ¡°Oh lords! I¡¯ll quickly inform the duke!¡± Karin dropped the bag in her hand and ran to the study.

    ¡°What!? What did you say!?¡±

    Even Walter who was coincidentally there looked like he didn¡¯t belief her.

    While panting, she explained as much as she could ¡°Yes! Her familiar had just told me!¡±

    ¡°Wait, since when did she¡­no, that isn¡¯t important. Do you know where she is?¡¯

    Puff Puff had quickly followed after Karin. She looked at him for answers, but it seems like he didn¡¯t know that much.

    ¡°And you are saying that even his highness and the other two were taken?¡±

    ¡°Yes. When she informed Puff Puff¡­her familiar, she must have still been in town as they can¡¯t talk telepathically if they are too far apart. But¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand. Thank you for informing me. Walter, immediately notify all the knights under my control that are present. Sent a messenger to the castle and Marquise¡¯s house as well. This isn¡¯t something that we alone can handle. Professor Karin, I will need to trouble you to stay behind incase another message comes.¡±

    ¡°¡±Yes!¡±¡±

    In a split second, the festival was put to a stop. Several knights were deployed and blocked all exists from the town. But receiving no reaction, it either meant that she was currently unconscious or they had already left town.

    Karin and Puff Puff helped out in any way they could. With still no sign of them in town, they sent out several scouting squads to look further.

    The marquise and king had speedily received the news and sent out several search teams of their own. They moved so quickly and efficiently that the kidnappers had a hard time getting pass.

    With her eyes closed, she was unable to tell where they were. And even if she did, she still wouldn¡¯t know as she never left the mansion with the exception of those three times.

    (It¡¯s like every time I leave the house, disaster follows.)

    After half a day, they finally stopped moving. Their small bodies were thrown onto the hard ground and the sound of metal clanging could be heard.

    Only when she was certain that the kidnappers had left did she try to open her eyes that still felt heavy.

    Their hands were tied behind their backs and as for the boys, they even had their feet tied up and their mouths covered with cloth.

    Charlotte glanced around. They were probably in an underground cell, but where ever this place was located or if they were still in the kingdom of Firri?t was beyond her.

    Although they had a pained look on their faces after being thrown like that, other than that they seemed fine. The drug would most probably wear of around this time, so she just needed to patiently wait for them to wake up and pray that no one would come to hurt them in the meantime.

    It was dark. Night had already fallen and there were no window down here. The sound of water dripping echoed throughout the cold and dark cell. Luckily she could see perfectly fine in the dark thanks to her contract with Puff Puff, but this didn¡¯t seem too good.

 Side story: 2 How we met/ how we parted

    My name is Kana Katsuki. Currently, I am on the run from the people of my clan who want to drag me back.

    Why am I running away from my own people?

    That¡¯s simple.

    Our clan is one with decades of history and we deal with a lot of illegal matters in the shadows. I myself had gone on numerous missions as the heir to my clan. Be it assassination, infiltration, guarding, stealing, I did it all.

    But that wasn¡¯t the problem. No, the problem lay elsewhere.

    After my birth, my mother died of food poisoning. She was a poison expert, so how was that even possible?

    At that time I was still an infant and had no way of knowing.

    At the age of 5, my father never returned after going on an infiltration mission. He was an expert at disguises and the head of our clan. So how was that even possible?

    I was still helpless at the time.

    My grandfather was my only close relative from the members within the main family and took custody of me. We went to train in the wilderness; he taught me all kinds of skills to survive no matter where I may be.

    But, as the years passed by, I began to question the cause of my parents¡¯ death. Thus, I went to investigate things.

    The 12 year old me was more than capable of taking lives away without blinking an eye. Thinking back, I was a little scary, wasn¡¯t I?

    Each time I snuck out and returned, I would always find my grandfather sitting in my room with a grim expression. Each time he would repeat the same words.

    ¡°Child, do not look into this matter anymore. The clan has secrets that should never be revealed, even to you, who is the heir.¡±

    I was immature and stubborn. I didn¡¯t take his words to heart and kept investigating, ignoring him each time I returned. Because, as the days passed by and the information I uncovered increased, so did my suspicions.

    I began to suspect my fellow clansmen and started listening in on their conversations whenever they held a meeting as I hid in the ceiling. The words I heard them speak almost broke me apart.

    My mother was threatened and forced to take in poison. My father who knew of this tried to get rid of the traitors but was also threatened and killed in the end.

    Why? Why did they have to kill them?

    I couldn¡¯t even remember the faces of my parents, there were no portraits of them either; they were all destroyed by someone.

    I was consumed by my own anger and filled with hatred. I began to act rash. I took actions that would label me as a traitor. But, who were the real traitors; I asked myself this question even now.

    By the time I turned 14 I had somewhat calmed down, but that was only on the surface.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.

    I could feel people constantly watching me from the shadows, monitoring my each and every move.

    At night, I would slip away and disguise myself. I would sneak behind the very people who were supposed to watch me and I would torture them endlessly until I drained every ounce of information I could get out of them. The next day they always found out that another member was missing.

    I continued with this routine, until they finally decided to make their move.

    It happened when I was 15. I had just returned from another mission when I got called by the elders.

    I looked around, but no matter how much I searched, I couldn¡¯t find a trace of my grandfather.

    That¡¯s when they told me- or more accurately, they threatened me.

    I was told to stop snooping around and quietly obey their commands. Naturally, I refused straight away. That¡¯s when they threw a tablet at me; in it was a recorded video.

    On the other side of the screen, my grandfather, although a strict teacher, he still took care of me like a grandfather would. Chained up and bruised all over, two other clansmen were pressing their kunais against his throat.

    The elders repeated their words.

    But no matter what, my answer remained the same.

    It seems like they were prepared no matter what my answer would have been. The next moment, the entire room was filled with my fellow clansmen, all pointing their weapons at me. I still sat there in seiza, my eyes coldly sweeping over them.

    The dam blocking all my emotions that I had kept buried within me broke. My killing intent petrifying them as I let out mad laughter. I killed them. Anyone who blocked my path, I cut them down. Guilt was something I didn¡¯t have, something I was taught to discard.

    To my grandfather, I apologize. This was just the way you had trained me to be. My life before anyone else¡¯s.

    Perhaps he knew something like this would happen, perhaps that¡¯s why he told me never to attach myself to these feelings.

    I fled. Covered in the blood of my own clansmen. They want to make me their puppet, I refused. Just like my parents, they decided to get rid of me. Unlike them, I chose to run than to rather die. That was just how I was trained to be. I was a failure of a human who didn¡¯t know the meaning of life.

    That¡¯s when we met.

    He was just a college student who led a normal life. We were two completely different people from completely different worlds.

    Without even an ounce of suspicion, he brought the half conscious me who had been seriously injured into his apartment and treated my wounds. I didn¡¯t have a clear memory of what happened afterwards, but when I woke, up I found myself in an unfamiliar room all bandaged up.

    It was done really sloppy.

    As if it was normal, he began to introduce himself as he handed me a cup of coffee.

    I thought to myself; was he another one of their pursuers or just a genuine blockhead. I really couldn¡¯t decide. But there wasn¡¯t anything weird in the coffee, so I acted according to the situation.

    He never asked me who I really was or how I got injured. He never held any suspicion against me.

    After that, I don¡¯t know what happened, but 7 years passed by peacefully. The person I once was, was but a phantom of the past. He taught me the value of human life, the joy in living and the meaning of love.

    Without my knowing, the fa?ade I had kept up all those years was no longer a simple act, but a new me. Emotions I was never capable of feeling, a life I never would have known was possible; it felt so unreal.

    I eventually found a job and helped with the design of a game that he was looking forward to. My boss, Isui, was an old friend of his, so we were one of the few people who got the firs copy.

    I was living a life without worry.

    To the point where I almost forgot who I really was.

    Even after all these years, I was still na?ve.

    Did I seriously think that THEY had given up on me?

    The first rule within the clan; any traitors, no matter who they are, are to be killed without fail.

    They were toying with me.

    They wanted to see me suffer.

    So, that¡¯s why they let me life till now.

    This peaceful dream-like-life came to an end.

    All after I received his call.

    I heard his voice

    That familiar voice of the person who I fell in love with

    The one I still love even now

    His voice was different

    It had almost no strength

    I heard him speak¡­his final words

    My mind went blank

    My body moved on its own

    The next thing I knew, I stood behind our apartment. There, I saw his body lying on the ground, in a pool of his own blood.

    I didn¡¯t even sense anyone. When I heard the gunshot, it was already too late-

    *Bang!

 Volume 2: Chapter 24

    ¡°Wa¡ªup--¡±

    ¡°Hey! Wake up!¡±

    A heavy kick landed on his stomach and he finally opened his eyes wide open from pain while groaning.

    ¡°You¡¯re finally awake.¡±

    ¡°You¡­did you have to kick me so hard?¡± he looked in the direction of that familiar voice with tears in his eyes.

    ¡°You weren¡¯t waking up and I was starting to get bored.¡±

    ¡°Is that the only thing on your mind right now¡­? Who on earth treats their fianc¨¦ like this?¡±

    Because he was the closest to her, she didn¡¯t have a choice BUT to choose him. She had already removed the gag from his mouth after he was finished screaming using her teeth. With their faces so close to one another, Leo¡¯s face was slightly blushed. But since it was dark, he was thankful that no one could see him. Or so he thought.

    ¡°You¡­are you the reincarnation of the devil?¡±

    ¡°How rude. I did so much as to remove that thing from your mouth and this is how you thank me? ...Anyways, those two are too far way, so could you wake them up for me?¡±

    He sighed. But then judged that it would be for the best for those two if he did that instead of her. While crawling on the ground, he first woke up Terrence who woke up with a slight push. But no matter how much he tried, Leila wouldn¡¯t wake up.

    ¡°Either they used a heavier dosage on her or she¡¯s weak to drugs.¡±

    ¡°You know a lot about these things.¡±

    Of course she knew. Aside from physical training, she had been taught about the various poisons, medicines and other herbal plants.

    But, in this world she had also done her own research as the plants varied. There were also the ingredients they used in the game to make various poisons and potions. As she had the basic knowledge, she had also helped in the creating of the potions and poisons in the game, just that the names differed from reality.

    ¡°¡­Anyway, our lives shouldn¡¯t be in any danger¡­for the time being.¡±

    ¡°Well, we should come up with a plan to escape and somehow call for help.¡±

    Terence and Leo moved with their backs against one another and tried to get the ropes off.

    ¡°If that is all you are worried about, then the whole country already knows about use getting kidnapped.¡±

    They froze

    ¡°What do you mean?¡±

    ¡°I already informed my familiar who already informed my teacher who then informed my father who most certainly informed the king.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    ¡°¡­okay. We get it.¡±

    Terence finally managed to get the cloth away from his mouth and took deep breathes. ¡°Hold up hold up. Since when did you have a familiar!?¡±

    Even Leo was curious ¡°You should know that not everyone is able to form a contract with spirits, especially at such a young age.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I have been told. The only ones who were aware were my magic teacher and now my father. Instead of that, I think it would be better to focus on how to get out of this place. You two seem calm, so this probably isn¡¯t the first time.¡±

    ¡°¡­Well, as the crown prince it is pretty natural, but you¡¯re way too calm yourself. As far as I know, you¡¯ve been raised inside the mansion almost your whole life.¡±

    ¡°Also, you even sensed danger when even I couldn¡¯t when I¡¯ve been trained, but you...¡±

    ¡°Since its you guys, I don¡¯t mind telling you, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Especially my father.¡±

    Although it was dark, they could tell from her voice that she was being really serious. Something that she rarely was.

    ¡°Alright.¡±

    ¡°We promise.¡±

    She let out a sigh. Then, she only told them about how she secretly trains herself in her back garden and how she met with Puff Puff and that she was able to use a bit of magic. Although it wasn¡¯t entirely true, it wasn¡¯t a lie either.

    The two others also shared with her of their capabilities, so it would be easier to work together when the time comes.

    ¡°So Terence has the fire attribute while Leo the lightning and wind attribute. ¡­couldn¡¯t you have just burned the ropes?¡±

    ¡°You say it as thought it¡¯s easy! Do you know how much control and concentration it takes?¡±

    ¡°No idea.¡±

    Leo interrupted them ¡°Well, we specialized more in close combat rather than magic. We only use that as a last option. For instance, now that we don¡¯t have any weapons.¡±

    Most of their belongings are gone. It goes without saying that Leo and Terence¡¯s sword got confiscated. As for charlotte, the only thing that was missing was her hat.

    ¡°¡­those bastards actually dared to take my hat!?¡±

    ¡°¡­Is that anything to get angry about?¡±

    ¡°And this is the first time I hear you use foul language¡­because of a hat.¡±

    Again, they were left speechless at her common sense.

    ¡°Hump! That¡¯s it. I don¡¯t care who they are, but if they show up before rescue does, I¡¯m going to kill them.¡± Her voice was low, but it sent a cold chill down their backs. After experiencing dangerous situations over the past, they were certain; she was actually emitting killing intent!

    But, how could someone who had never faced dangers much less been so close to death¡¯s door possibly pull off this feet?

    Charlotte took a deep breath to calm her rage; she almost reverted back to that. She returned to her usual calm self, which let the two finally feel relieved.

    ¡°Anyways, they didn¡¯t take any of my weapons.¡±

    Again, they were shocked.

    ¡°Weapons¡­what do you...¡±

    The sounds of bones cracking sharply rang in their ears. That was definitely the sound of a finger breaking!

    ¡°{Night vision}¡±

    After freeing her hands, Charlotte walked over to the two and casted the night vision spell on them. Thanks to that, they were able to see in the dark.

    ¡°Okay. I¡¯ll cut off the ropes now.¡±

    When they heard her say so, they shivered. She wasn¡¯t trying to break their fingers, was she!?

    ¡°Pfft¡± she let out a soft laugh ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I did say I have a weapon didn¡¯t I?¡±

    Two be fair, she had three. One was the fan she hid in her bosom, one was the hair pin that was still stuck in her hair and the other was the bracelet around her wrist, which were all made of special materials for emergencies like this.

    She took the bracelet off and after pouring in some mana, the bracelet¡¯s shape began to change into a small silver knife.

    ¡°I have no idea where you got that thing from.¡±

    This was something that had yet to be developed in this world. Even though it was usually used to hunt wild animals in the game, for Charlotte who trained as a kunoichi, it was the perfect weapon.

    The two of them silently watched in amazement at her actions. Without delay, she cut the ropes loose and also did Leila¡¯s.

    ¡°Instead of breaking your finger, couldn¡¯t you have just done that?¡±

    Charlotte looked at Leo then replied ¡°To do that, I would need both my hands, which were tied at that moment.¡±

    ¡­Alright. It was a stupid question to ask.

 Volume 2: Chapter 25 Escape

    ¡°So what now?¡± Leo rubbed his wrist that had turned slightly red.

    Making full use of the spell she casted on them, the two carefully studied their surroundings. A look of horror filled their eyes.

    ¡°Sorry you two. But even if I didn¡¯t cast that spell on you guys, you would still have seen it no matter what.¡±

    She felt a little guilty. They were still kids nonetheless, but the situation was inevitable.

    This wasn¡¯t the only cell down here. Apart from them, there were other bodies as well. Bodies that had been tortured, hacked, skinned and some even turned into nothing but bones. They were the only living ones here at the moment.

    ¡°¡­Are you two okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­We¡¯re fine. What about you?¡± they were more worried about her since she was a girl.

    From the sound of his voice, she could tell that he wanted to puke. Even Leo was forcing himself not to let out a sound. Luckily their corpses had already dried out somewhat so there wasn¡¯t that much of a stench.

    ¡°I am alright. ¡­but this just proves how dangerous these people are. We need to be careful. Don¡¯t you have any idea who could be behind this?¡±

    ¡°No¡­¡±

    ¡°Then we are in deep~ deep~ trouble.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re not helping at all, Lotte.¡±

    She laughed awkwardly. Ironically, they were all thankful that Leila was still unconscious. For her, this would without a doubt be too much.

    Even though she could easily open the lock with her lock picking skills, what would happen afterwards? If the enemy found out, there was no guarantee for their lives.

    The three of them huddled closely to Leila to keep themselves warm through the night. Because of all the tension, none of them could fall asleep.

    Night passed and morning probably already arrived. With dark circles under their eyes, a metallic sound alarmed them.

    They quickly put the ropes around their hands and feet to not alarm the enemy.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    A tall robust man walked in with a fire torch. The sudden appearance of light momentarily blinded them.

    The man¡¯s face was covered in scars; he had an appearance that fit the role of a villain perfectly.

    With one glance at him, Charlotte gasped. She instantly recognized that man¡¯s identity.

    ¡°Hump, so there are four of you brats.¡±

    Behind him, another man came forward into the light. He was tall and skinny, his face half covered by a piece of cloth.

    She gasped again. She also recognized him!

    ¡°So, which one of them did that guy want?¡±

    ¡°The prince and the duke¡¯s daughter. So what should we do with the rest?¡±

    ¡°Just get rid of them.¡±

    Their hearts trembled! They were actually going to kill them just like that!

    The huge built man let out a sinister laugh, causing the hair on Leo¡¯s and Terence¡¯s body to stand up straight.

    He took out a ring of keys and opened the cell. Just as he was about to pull out his dagger, a small silhouette suddenly appeared in front of him. Before he knew, a heavy force hit his abdomen and he was sent flying against the wall!

    ¡°Ghu!¡±

    ¡°You two! Change of plans! It¡¯s now or never!¡±

    The meaning behind her words, they immediately understood. Leo quickly lifted Leila and Charlotte didn¡¯t waste time and began an incantation.

    ¡°{Shadow bind!}¡±

    Since her contract with Puff Puff, her progress in magic had skyrocketed. She was able to cast spells with just a few words or call out the name of the spell. And, thanks to the darkness surrounding them that was her source of strength, the spell took immediate effect with twice more the strength.

    Before the other man even had the time to be surprised by his partner¡¯s body suddenly flying away, something cold crept onto his body, making him unable to move and even his mouth was covered.

    ¡°Listen, these guys are a lot more dangerous than you thought. If I think they are working for who I think they are, even if Leo and I were left alive, it wouldn¡¯t be for long.¡±

    Charlotte hit the two with another spell that would hopefully knock them out for a while to buy time as they try to find a way out.

    Terence and Leo picked up the weapons of the two and with charlotte leading the way, they made their escape.

    ¡°Do you know where you¡¯re going?¡± From behind her, Leo asked worriedly.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    It was dark down here as well. Thankfully her spell hadn¡¯t worn off yet and they could easily see around.

    If this is the place she thinks it was, then this was most likely the underground dungeon where a group of assassins called [seven sins] made into their hideout. She remembered that in the game, Leo and Terence as well as Leila got kidnapped by them. But it was only a short part that was used as a flashback in the game. But, this was a dungeon that the players would later explore so she had no choice but to go the way she remembered from the game¡¯s map.

    ¡°If I¡¯m right, which I hope I¡¯m not, then right now we¡¯re on the 3<sup>rd</sup> level in an underground type dungeon that¡¯s currently being occupied by a group of deadly assassins. First, we need to look for a place to hide. Then we can think of further details.¡± After she said that, she didn¡¯t speak a word further.

    Even though they were starting to feel suspicious of how she knew all that, she was their friend and they trusted her.

 Volume 2: Chapter 26 Safe-zone

    ¡°Hmmm~ no~~¡­s-stopp itt~~¡­.eh¡­?¡±

    After tickling her for two whole minutes, Leila finally woke up to see Charlotte¡¯s face up close.

    ¡°Fufufu~ maybe I should start calling you sleeping beauty from now on fufufu~¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­what¡¯s going on¡­?¡±

    When she looked around, it was dark and she couldn¡¯t recognize the place.

    ¡°Lotte, maybe I should do the explaining¡­.¡±

    Without waiting for Leo to finish speaking, Charlotte cut him off ¡°Listen carefully. Right now, we need to be extra careful. Do not, under any circumstance scream. Remember, never make any loud noises.¡±

    Leila tilted her head in puzzlement. Waking up and suddenly being told not to make too much noise¡­what was going on?

    Leo sighed and then took over ¡°Leila, listen. We were kidnapped, but thanks to lotte¡¯s quick thinking and actions, we somehow managed to escape.¡±

    ¡°Wait wait wait, what?¡± even though she was surprised by his words, she still kept in mind Charlotte¡¯s warning.

    ¡°All you need to know is that the people who kidnapped us are dangerous. Right now we¡¯re inside the 4<sup>th</sup> floor of an underground dungeon. I was already told that you don¡¯t know how to fight or any magic, so as much as possible, stay close to those two.¡± Charlotte than casted the night vision spell on her as well.

    After they had run away, going up would be dangerous. And even though going further down was also dangerous, at least, as long as they avoided the monster¡¯s dwelling area, then they were safe. Charlotte then led them to a ¡®safe room¡¯ in a secret passage. There, they found a lake. They didn¡¯t know from where the light came from, but a green-blue light shone on the water¡¯s surface and there were also a lot of light crystals hanging on the walls.

    But that still wasn¡¯t enough as it was dark nonetheless. After Charlotte casted the spell, Leila gasped at how much clearer she could see. It was as if the sun shone down here.

    After they had put down Leila, charlotte suggested to wake her up immediately as she needed to know this much.

    Now that they were all conscious, Terence and Leo turned to Charlotte. She knew that they wanted an explanation.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I know what you guys want to know, but I can¡¯t tell you. Even if I want to, it¡¯s something that I just can¡¯t.¡±

    It¡¯s not like she didn¡¯t trust them, but even if she did tell them it would only make them more confused. Right now they couldn¡¯t afford to be careless.

    ¡°You won¡¯t tell us even if that breaks the trust between us?¡± Leo asked, there were both anger and confusion in his voice.

    Leila was still confused and didn¡¯t know what they were talking about.

    ¡°Whether you trust me or not is your own decision. But, as I had said, this is something that I can¡¯t tell you guys, and not that I don¡¯t trust you not to.¡±

    Everything about her was weird. From the knowledge she possessed to the way she fought. These were things that a daughter of a duke shouldn¡¯t know or be capable of.

    ¡°u-um¡­¡± it was silent. Only the sound of the water streaming could be occasionally heard.

    Leo and Terence let out a sigh and shrugged their shoulders.

    ¡°In that case, I guess it can¡¯t be helped.¡±

    ¡°Huh¡­?¡± charlotte was both surprised and confused

    ¡°Like Leo said, it can¡¯t be helped. Everyone¡¯s got their secrets and you¡¯re our friend. So we trust you.¡±

    ¡°You guys¡­.¡± If they were going to be angry with her or hate her or even abandon her, she would understand, but ¡°¡­are idiots, you know that?¡±

    ¡°Oi! Is that something to say to your friend!?¡±

    ¡°What if I was a spy or what if I actually led you to a trap? Are you retarded? Is this how the future king should behave?¡±

    Her words were as harsh and blunt as ever, to the point that it didn¡¯t surprise them anymore after knowing her all this time.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on you three?¡±

    Leila jumped in between Charlotte and Leo and Terence. They let out a small laugh and Leo replied ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Its nothing.¡± and acted as though that conversation never happened.

    ¡°Okay, since you said this is an underground dungeon, do you know what kind of monsters lurk here?¡± Terence asked the question that had floated in his mind for a while, to which Charlotte blinked her eyes and said ¡°¡­.I think it would be for the best if you didn¡¯t know.¡±

    ¡°Hey, can¡¯t you just tell us at least that much?¡± he really wanted to know

    ¡°If I did tell you, you would just panic even more. Don¡¯t you know the saying [ignorance is a bliss]?¡±

    ¡°So it¡¯s bad? You can tell me if it¡¯s bad at least right?¡±

    ¡°Terence, let¡¯s just take her words for it, okay?¡±

    ¡°¡­fine.¡±

    ¡°Anyways, we should be safe for the time being. They probably wouldn¡¯t have even imagined that we would go deeper in the dungeon instead of going trying to escape immediately. Monsters don¡¯t roam around here except for lost ones maybe.¡±

    ¡°¡­alright. Then?¡±

    ¡°We should rest.¡±

    ¡°¡°Hah?¡±¡±

    Since she woke up, Leila felt like she had been left out on things, so she just crouched down and pouted as the three made plans.

    ¡°Yes. You guys should be tired and I mean psychologically. If we keep going, before your bodies break down, your minds will. Also, I can feel a healing effect coming from the lake so this place is perfect for resting.¡±

    The reason she came here was also because of this. In the game, there were always two to three safe zones on each floor that also had healing effects. She wasn¡¯t sure whether that part would be the same, but after professor Kana¡¯s guidance on magic, she had learned how to sense the mana around her. Now, whether the place had negative energy or positive energy and even being able to detect the presence of others with mana, she was able to do it.

 Volume 2: Chapter 27

    They took her advice and took a short nap. Charlotte stayed awake to keep the watch and Leila chatted with her to keep herself from falling asleep.

    ¡°Have you tested out your affinity yet?¡±

    ¡°No. we usually do it when we enter the academy. I heard you had to place your palm over a crystal ball and it tells you which element you can use.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡± so the fact that she did it by trying out a basic spell of each element was weird, if not abnormal. Hmn, it was a good idea to tell Professor Karin that she just accidentally found out after all.

    Currently, Leila was 11 years old, so next year she would enroll into the academy. Terence and Leo were already students there, but they were currently on their vacation and would officially start next week.

    ¡°But¡­I wish I knew how to use magic. That way, I would be able to help you guys instead of being dead weight.¡± Leila hugged her knees as she buried her face.

    Charlotte glanced at her and patted her back ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Since that guy loves you so head over heels, there is no way he would think that¡­if he ever does, do tell me and I will teach him a lesson.¡±

    The things she said with that serious tone made Leila unable to resist laughing. A tear rolled out of her eye and she smiled at charlotte ¡°Thank you very much Lotte. ¡­apart from those two, you¡¯re the first female friend I ever made. Even my own sister hates me.¡±

    ¡°Apart from Iris and Lilly, I guess you¡¯re also the first female friend I made in this noble society.¡±

    After an hour or so, Charlotte judged that they had rested long enough and went to wake them up.

    ¡°Ow! Can you not wake us up in a gentle manner!?¡±

    Of course, she did so with a kick.

    ¡°Apologies, I am afraid I do not know how to do so.¡±

    Terence¡¯s eyes were red and he gritted his teeth while pointing at Leila ¡°Then how the heck did you wake her up!?¡±

    ¡°By tickling her. Doing that with the opposite sex feels weird, so pleas deal with it or just wake up before my feet touches you.¡±Stolen novel; please report.

    ¡°That¡¯s sexism!¡±

    Charlotte covered her ears with her palms and frowned ¡°Need I remind you not to make loud noises?¡±

    Ah, this girl was driving him insane!

    ¡°Leo calm down will you? And Lotte¡­.act a little nicer please.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry your highness, but I¡¯m afraid that is not possible.¡±

    He sighed. She was as unpredictable as ever too. At some point, she would be fuming with rage, another, she would smile as if nothing was wrong, at another, she would act so formally even while speaking words that didn¡¯t fit her way of speaking.

    ¡°Anyway, what should we do now? It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll stay here forever, right?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°¡­I was joking.¡± She had already sent Puff Puff her location, so all they needed to do was wait for rescue to come ¡°But we don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll be found by our rescuers first or our enemies, so we should keep moving while keeping a low profile. Terence, you keep a watch at the back while Leo is the vanguard. Leila will stay in the middle as she has no way to defend herself.¡±

    ¡°What about you?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll act as a scout to make sure the path we take is safe. If anything happens, I can just quickly escape, that is if I am on my own.¡±

    There were no objections. No matter how much the two looked at it again, it was the safest plan they could go with.

    Terence had a lot higher sense for danger when compared to Leo, so if something were to approach them from behind he could quickly react. As the most defenseless, Leila stayed in the middle where it was the safest and Leo who had trained to some extend could deal with anything that might have escaped Charlotte¡¯s eyes.

    It was just that, Charlotte had taken on the most dangerous task of being the scout. But, with the speed and skills she had previously displayed, they couldn¡¯t convince her otherwise.

    They took a few sips from the lake to lessen their hunger (thirst) for the moment and moved on. Sometimes, they would come across small monsters such as goblins or kobolds, but they were easily killed off with charlotte¡¯s sneak attacks from their blind spot and then burned till nothing was left by Terence¡¯s flames so as not to attract other monsters with their blood.

    Things were progressing smoothly to the point where Leo and Terence felt uneasy. Was this [a calm before the storm] or just thanks to Charlotte¡¯s skill that they had yet to come across any life threatening danger? This was after all the 4<sup>th</sup> floor!

    It was openly known that within dungeons, the deeper you went in, the more dangerous it becomes. From what they were taught at the academy, from the second floor further, it would be crawling with monsters. Not to mention the 4<sup>th</sup> floor!

    After the [night vision] spell had worn out, Charlotte recasted the spell. The change was just too drastic that they were so thankful to have her with them.

    As they advanced deeper, they came across skeletons. Charlotte picked up anything that might seem useful without the slightest hesitation. It made Leo and Terence feel ashamed of themselves that they were afraid of skeletons while Charlotte, a girl two years their junior, was casually rummaging through their ¡®corpses¡¯.

 Volume 2: Chapter 28

    ¡°We sure are lucky~¡± Charlotte said as she picked up a small vial from a skeleton.

    ¡°What is that?¡± the three were really curious as to what it was that she was admiring it so much.

    Charlotte showed it to them and explained ¡°You guys should know what potions are, right? Well, this is a healing potion. We don¡¯t know what might happen, so it¡¯ll be plenty useful later on.¡±

    They gasped. Although potions weren¡¯t that rare, they still cost a lot of money. Well, being a member of royalty and nobility, they could easily obtain as many as they wanted. The point was that now, here, stranded in the middle of a dungeon without any preparations, this was a huge deal.

    ¡°Leo, you should keep it in case anything happens.¡± Whether he would use it for himself or not, she would leave that up to him. He was still the crown prince after all.

    Under normal circumstances, he would have refused and told her to keep it for herself, but going by that glare she gave him before he even opened his mouth and understanding the responsibilities he had, he couldn¡¯t even argue back.

    As the future king, he felt completely helpless.

    They entered another safe zone and charlotte received word from Puff Puff.

    ¡°Looks like they already arrived at the dungeon, but are currently unable to enter.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Leila was as clueless as ever

    Leo explained ¡°It¡¯s probably because excluding the fact that they need to be careful of any ambushes from the assassins, they also need to keep in mind that this is a dungeon filled with monsters. Also, we don¡¯t know what type of dungeon this is so we also don¡¯t know until where the subjugation squad has already ventured to.¡±

    ¡°But even if we did, going by the fact that this place is occupied by assassins, the chances that they even left after the 1<sup>st</sup> floor is low.¡±

    ¡°Terence is right. So even if I tell you guys, it wouldn¡¯t do us much help.¡±The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    ¡°Then, all we need to do is patiently wait, right?¡±

    ¡°No, we should head back to the way we came from and move to the first safe zone.¡±

    ¡°Why? We can just advance furt-¡°

    ¡°Up ahead is someplace we can¡¯t and will not go, lest you want an instant death. I leave the rest up to your imaginations. Let¡¯s go. We¡¯ve rested long enough and monsters should probably have smelled us out already.¡±

    ¡°Ehh!? They can smell us!?¡± Leila freaked out. It suddenly dawned on her why they kept moving around even if there was no need to.

    Leo frowned and asked ¡°How many?¡±

    Terence was also alarmed by her news. That girl was acting way too calm, so he never knew whether the situation they were in was safe or dangerous. She was way too calm! ¡°You can tell us at least that much, right?¡± if she told him [it would be best if you didn¡¯t know] one more time, he swore he was going to explode!

    ¡°¡­.alright. Since you asked for it; 2 slimes, 3 goblins, 2 kobolds and even an arachne. There, happy now?¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡±

    ¡°¡­y-yeah¡­maybe you should have kept that to yourself after all.¡± He really regretted not taking her advice!

    ¡°Too late for that. Just try not to breath too loud.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s asking for the impossible¡­.¡±

    While she may have practiced her breathing so she could hide her presence, they didn¡¯t. To them, it sounded the same as telling them not to breathe at all!

    ¡°Tsk. Too late, we can¡¯t get out. They¡¯re already close by.¡±

    ¡°H-how can you tell?¡±

    Charlotte rolled her eyes. Seriously, what had they been learning while they were at the academy? ¡°This is basic knowledge called mana sensing. Now, get ready since we have to go through them if we want to get out!¡±

    They went into formation just like before with Charlotte leading in the front. They were frightened when they saw all the monsters had gathered in front of them. With the night vision, even if they didn¡¯t want to, they could clearly see all the gruesome details of their appearance.

    Before, all that was left was their corpse that needed to be burned. But now, since it was too much for Charlotte to handle alone, they also needed to dirty their hands.

    Leila could only feel helpless as she tried not to get in anyone¡¯s way. Up ahead, charlotte released spells after spells that they had never even heard of. But thanks to her, they only needed to deal with three to four monsters while she took care of the most.

    To them, this was a nightmare and something they would never be able to forget in this life time.

    ¡°Okay, we better get moving.¡± She said as she swung the blood off of her knife.

    ¡°What about their corpses?¡± Terence asked, just to be sure.

    She hesitated a little but shook her head ¡°No, it¡¯s already been a long time so it won¡¯t do much. Also, since such a large group already spotted us, we need to get out of here as fast as we can.¡±

    This was basic survival knowledge.

    They took a different route even though they had the same destination as before. When they asked her the reason, she replied that it had been occupied by monsters at the moment.

    They really had to ask themselves. If she was alone, would she perhaps have dived head first in that swarm?

 Volume 2: Chapter 29

    ¡°How long before we can move in!?¡±

    Inside a tent just a little away from the underground dungeon¡¯s entrance, Duke Adrian¡¯s voice roared with impatience.

    By his side, Walter tried to calm him down, but he himself was also starting to lose his patience.

    ¡°General, I apologize for the delay. But it turns out that the message lady Charlotte sent was true. The [seven sins] is a highly wanted and dangerous assassination group. If we were to move in without careful planning, it could back fire on us.¡± The kneeling captain of the duke¡¯s army said with resolute, even when faced with his rage.

    ¡°Professor Karin, how is Lady Charlotte currently doing?¡± to try to calm his heart, Walter asked for Charlotte¡¯s situation.

    Puff Puff who was in Karin¡¯s arms then relayed the words its mistress told him ¡°He says that they are currently safe inside the dungeon and none of them are injured.¡± Even she as her teacher felt relieved to hear that news.

    ¡°So Leo is safe as well. Please relay my thanks to Lady Charlotte for letting me know.¡± when he heard the news, King August had immediately deployed his personal knight squad and set out to the rescue for his son. As for the matters concerning the kingdom, he left Prime Minister Vander in charge and his wife, the queen, as back-up.

    It wasn¡¯t just the king. Even Leila¡¯s father had come with a squad of his own. The largest team however still belonged to Duke Adrian.

    They had already sent out several scouts to secure the area and all the soldiers were ready to advance. All that was left was the scout¡¯s report.

    ¡°General!¡± a man in light uniform rushed inside as rude as it may be, but this was an emergency. With panting breath, he gave his report.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    ¡°Alright, move out!¡± Duke Adrian finally gave the word. The soldiers all marched in formation inside and the ground began to tremble.

    Not being able to just stand and wait, Duke Adrian also joined the battle with Walter right next to him.

    ==

    Four floors below, Charlotte had received the news from Puff Puff and informed the others. They were relieved, but Charlotte warned them to be cautious nonetheless.

    While they were resting, Charlotte sensed something strange in the air. It wasn¡¯t the presence of monsters, but something else she didn¡¯t know.

    ¡°¡­stay here, I need to check up on something.¡±

    ¡°Where are you goin-¡° but before Terence could even ask, her figure had already vanished. She was like a phantom that appeared and disappeared without warning!

    Only after she was absolutely sure that they would be safe for the time being, did she leave. She followed the presence until she reached a dead end. But, unlike a normal dead end, this one gave her the feeling of an illusion.

    She closed her eyes and scanned around her, but there was no sign of danger.

    (Then this is probably another one of those hidden rooms, right? but, is this a trap or a treasure room¡­.?)

    She remembered that that was indeed the case, but, she also remembered that the guy who was in charge of that section had a rather sadistic personality. The traps he placed were terrifying and the chances that it was treasure instead of a trap could be said to be close to 1 out of the 1000.

    (Whatever. This isn¡¯t worth it if it¡¯s just a secret room.)

    She thought that it perhaps might have been something else, but that didn¡¯t seem to be the case. Just as she was about to turn around to head back, an unknown force paralyzed her body.

    ¡°Eh!?¡±

    Before she could even react, he body was gradually being pulled towards the wall!

    Inch by inch, an invincible force pulled her closer until she was just in front of the wall. Yet, it didn¡¯t stop!

    Just when she thought she would hit the wall, her body passed right through it!

    (So it was an illusion¡­.)

    She wanted to cry, but the sound never left her lips.

    ==

    ¡°Where do you think she went for so long?¡± Leila asked worriedly. It had already been long past a quarter hour and they knew she wasn¡¯t the kind of irresponsible person. ¡°¡­nothing bad happened to her, right¡­?¡±

    But, not even Leo or Terence could assure her as they themselves had asked that question in their mind.

    It could be said that, the only reason they were still alive until now was thanks to her.

 Volume 2: Chapter 30 The king of snakes

    On the other side of the wall, the invisible force that had dragged her not too long ago vanished. There, she was petrifiedat the scene in front of her.

    (Ohmygodohmygodohmygod you have got to be kidding me this is insane am I hallucinating!?)

    Sure, slimes, goblins, kobolds and even gigantic spiders were fine to handle to some extent, but was god testing her?

    This was, without a doubt, a trap!

    It wasn¡¯t one where the room exploded or was filled with other deadly traps. It also wasn¡¯t a place that was filled with hundreds of monsters that could kill you. And it was definitely not a place where one could hope to find treasure!

    On the other side of the wall stood a large round spacious open room. In the center of the ceiling hung an enormous purple crystal that shone light upon the room. A large magic circle that she had never seen before was carved into the ground, but, the most important thing was, the humongous snake coiled in the middle!

    Even the largest anaconda she had managed to escape by a hair¡¯s breadth in the past was like a baby compared to this one!

    (Even the snake in Harry Potter wasn¡¯t that big!)

    How could something like this even exist in the first place!?

    Charlotte didn¡¯t dare to breath and walked as slowly as she could backwards as to not wake up that monstrous creature. But, as soon as she tried to go back the way she came from, cold sweat dripped down her entire body.

    (The entrance got shut!)

    Before, she thought it was just an illusion, but it was actually a transportation type of trap!

    (If I somehow ended up on the very last floor at the final boss, I swear to god I will #&@# kill the guy who came up with this brilliant idea in my next life!)This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    When she tried to get out and bumped with the stone cold wall, the slightest sound that she made didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the gigantic snake.

    Its eyes abruptly opened as it locked onto the intruder¡¯s tiny body, its tongue making hissing sounds and its tail slithering on the ground, creating small earthquakes on the ground.

    (--I¡¯m &^$#@% screwed!)

    -vroom!

    Its enormous and long body jumped forward towards Charlotte. As frightened as she was, she quickly dodged by jumping to the left while she kept rolling until she was a distance away front it.

    (That was way way way too close!)

    Its scales had grazed against her arm. Any later and she would have ended up in its mouth as food!

    What should she do!? She remembered that there was indeed such a place inside the ghost dungeon, and it was indeed the final floor! The 65<sup>th</sup> floor!

    (And even worse, unless you beat the boss, there are no exits!)

    In the game, it wouldn¡¯t have been a problem as you could just revive and try again. But, this was a real life and death situation!

    (Like hell I would even give that idea a try!)

    The entire room shook and rubbles of rocks fell down. It regained its senses after having hit its own head against the wall and viciously glared with its slithered eyes at her. Even ghosts weren¡¯t this scary!

    Once again, it charged at her with even more speed!

    Without a second to waste, charlotte jumped upwards this time, afraid that it might have learned its lesson as bosses usually had some intelligence. Using [shadow step], [light weight] and [physical boost] simultaneously, she managed to evade once again.

    Next, she used [glide] a basic skill in the game and used it to soften her landing as she rolled onto its head. It was a truly gruesome feeling to slide against its cold hard slimy scales.

    From atop its body, she quickly tried o see if her magic had any effect.

    ¡°{Turn into nothingness*DestructionForce}!¡±

    A large thick streak of black lightning shot out of her hand and collided against its scales.

    A sizzling sound and the smell of burned rotten meat hung in the air.

    The snake began to violently wriggle around in pain and smacked Charlotte¡¯s tiny body against the wall.

    -Bam!

    Luckily, she had placed two shields around her body. One in the front against its attack and one in the back to lessen the damage she would sustain from hitting against the wall.

    ¡°Gha-!¡±

    Still, the impact alone was far too much for her undeveloped body to handle. She spat out a mouthful of blood as she crouched on the ground. At least, now she knew that her magic wasn¡¯t ineffective. She still had hope, even if just the slightest glimmer.But even then she wasn¡¯t allowed to take a break.

    Even more enraged now, the snake¡¯s ferocity multiplied by ten folds. It bared its fangs at her and, this time she felt that no matter which direction she went, it would catch her!

 Volume 2: Chapter 31 Their first battle

    At that moment, she panicked. She didn¡¯t have any other choice!

    ¡°Puff Puff!¡±

    Still on the surface and in Karin¡¯s arms, Puff Puff¡¯s ears lightly twitched. It jumped out of her arms and then disappeared after a purple magic circle suddenly appeared.

    Karin panicked as she had lost the only way of communication she had. But, if Charlotte had summoned him knowing all that, than that must mean that she was in a difficult situation! She needed to inform the duke immediately!

    At her call, a dark purple magic circle appeared in front of her, within it an enormous creature. Before she could even make out its appearance, she felt something grab her by her back color and was brought to the other side of the room in an instant.

    The creature gently placed her down on the ground, its tongue licking her cold cheeks and rubbing its head against her.

    ¡°Puff Puff!¡±

    Compared to its adorable small cub form, it had now turned into a large silver haired wolf, its tail and ears still the same color as well. Even though its size was nothing compared to the snake, compared to Charlotte¡¯s ten year old body, he was huge!

    But, no matter what form he took, she would be able to recognize him anywhere.

    The snake was still recovering on the other side and she used this chance to take a short breather ¡°Thank you Puff Puff. I¡¯m sorry I dragged you in this mess, but I needed your help.¡± she stroked his head.

    ¡°[Mistress, please do not worry. It is the sole reason that I formed a contract with you, so that I could be of assistance. Now, please get on. Your body has been injured and moving should be hard.]¡±

    She didn¡¯t argue with him and climbed on his back. Her whole body was aching; she gritted her teeth and had to endure.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    As soon as she lay on his back, the softness and warmth made her feel alive again.

    ¡°{Mistress, here it comes.}¡±

    ¡°Alright. I leave my safety to you.¡±

    Just as they had finished speaking, the snake once again dashed their way. Puff Puff¡¯s speed was far superior than both the snake¡¯s and Charlotte¡¯s. It moved like a shadow both on the ground and in the air.

    The snake hissed at the two and spat out a greenish substance from its mouth. Puff Puff dodged the attack and when Charlotte looked back, the place where that green substance had landed started to rot away.

    (Acid or just poison!?)

    But, she trusted Puff Puff to take care of her safety. When he dodged and was suddenly attacked by its tail, he would then put up a black sinister looking barrier and escape with Charlotte on his back.

    She didn¡¯t know how long he would be able to keep this up, so each time she had the chance, she fired off any offensive spell she knew.

    From black streaks of lightning to spheres, icicles, life draining spells to anything that she knew both from the game and what she had learned in this world.

    Unlike the game, there was no HP bar that could tell the enemy¡¯s life points. She just needed to keep firing off her magic until it was dead. She didn¡¯t even know how much damage she was doing or even if what she was doing was hopeless.

    But, she needed to belief. That no matter what the outcome, she at least needed to try until she fainted!

    The snake rose up high as it hissed, a magic circle appeared in front of its mouth.

    ¡°[Mistress, please hold on tight]!¡±

    Just as Charlotte gripped his fur, she felt a huge force against her as they moved at an unimaginable speed, while being chased by a huge beam of green magic mass shooting out of the snake¡¯s mouth, or rather, the magic circle in front of its mouth.

    Moving at such a fast speed, as soon as they came to a stop Charlotte gasped for air. Even she had never moved that fast before. No, even the fasted car or jet wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep up!

    ¡°[Mistress, are you alright]?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­don¡¯t worry about me.¡±

    She forced herself to stay conscious and focus on the battle in front of her. Going up against this thing was madness in itself, but with no way to escape, she had no choice but to see it t the end!

    ¡°Listen, if the situation seems hopeless and I somehow get killed¡­I¡¯m sure you can teleport back to your home village, so escape, alright?¡±

    ¡°[Mistress! I will stay with you till the end!]¡±

    ¡°No! This is an order! I don¡¯t want to drag you down with me! Understood!?¡±

    No matter how much he didn¡¯t want to, as the master, he needed to obey her orders even if he didn¡¯t want to. That was the contract he himself made with her.

    He didn¡¯t say anything else and neither did she. At least now, she didn¡¯t have to worry too much. She had also made sure to give the three¡¯s location to Karin before she headed out and by now they should also have been rescued. She didn¡¯t need to worry about them.

    With the last bit of mana that she possessed, she focused her attention to the snake. It was all or nothing.

 Volume 2: chapter 32

    ¡°KKRRRRRRR!!!¡±

    Unlike the hissing sound it had been previously making, the gigantic snake now started using magic and letting out ear piercing cries.

    Charlotte was almost at her limit and her body felt as though it was starting to crumble down. Her magic didn¡¯t seem to have run out yet, but she didn¡¯t have the strength to cast any spells.

    Puff Puff¡¯s speed was still the same and since he arrived by her side she did have an easier time than before. The damage she had previously received was starting to bite down on her and blood flowed down from her lips. The internal damage was way beyond her to endure and each time they moved she let out a few groans.

    There was also the poison that was on the snake¡¯s scales. Her right shoulder began to feel numb and she had to make use of her left hand.

    (How much longer!?)

    She bit down on her lips to keep her consciousness from fading away.

    Another barrage of poisonous attacks shot towards them.

    (We can¡¯t keep this up forever)

    She tried to search in her memories for a stronger spell. A spell that could deal a lot of damage in one go.

    (There is one, but¡­.)

    She had never tried (or practiced) this spell before. There was the chance it could backfire so she didn¡¯t want to use it recklessly.

    (Since I¡¯m running low on battery, I might as well give it a final shot!)

    ¡°Puff Puff, bring me as high as you can. {Hear me, oh ruler of chaos, bring forth thy curse to slay mine enemies*VoidStorm}!¡±

    The two leaped into the air until they almost touched the ceiling. A dense amount of black mana gathered in front of her and a large magic circle as black as ink began to form.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    Unknown to Charlotte, but Puff Puff sensed the danger of the spell and the change in its mistress¡¯s eyes. Her black hair began to emit a strange sinister purple light and her blue eyes became a glowing violet.

    -Zzzzt!

    A crackling sound erupted and several huge pillars came raining down. Everything shook and each blast created a hole in the snake¡¯s body. The ground underneath crumbled and the snake fell down with it.

    The two went down carefully to see if it was dead or still alive.

    Underneath, they found several of the snake¡¯s body scattered around. They were still wriggling, but after a minute or two stopped all together.

    (So where¡¯s the exit?)

    She frantically looked around, but everything seemed to still be tight shut. No doors no windows no nothing not even stairs that could lead up. Still mounted on top of Puff Puff, they moved around until they found a door that stood at least 5 meters tall. On it were strange carvings and symbols similar to the ones that were above the ground earlier.

    (The exit?)

    But, no matter how much they pushed or tried to pull, it wouldn¡¯t budge. Even Puff Puff didn¡¯t seem to have any ideas.

    They stepped back a little and Charlotte tried to study the door. She carefully looked at the carvings on the door¡¯s frame and unconsciously, her lips began to read the symbol she herself didn¡¯t understand. This was a feeling that she hadn¡¯t felt since the first time she arrived here. Her body and mouth would move on its own, but strangely she could understand what she was saying. It was the same as when she first tried to learn magic. Her body automatically accepted.

    Her words came to a stop. The symbols on the door¡¯s frame started emitting a purplish light and slowly began to open.

    (--This is worse than that humongous snake!!!)

    There, on the other side of the door, a coffin openly hung vertically in the air. Surrounded by layers upon layers upon layers of magic circles, inside laid a pale looking young man with his red glowing eyes looking straight into hers.

    (Crap! I actually forgot about this dude!)

    Pale skin, red glowing eyes, sharp fangs sticking out from the corner of his lips, long silver hair and a face that could melt a maiden¡¯s heart.

    [Ghost dungeon¡¯s prisoner]

    [Prince of the vampire clan]

    [Traitorous sinner]

    These were the titles he possessed in the game.

    In the game, after the hero party had defeated the snake and final boss, they found another hidden room. This story had 4 directions it could go.

    <ol>

    <li>Ignore him</li>

    <li>Curse at him</li>

    <li>Converse with him and become enemies after freeing him (after he somehow hypnotizes you)</li>

    <li>Converse with him and free him and become allies or friends</li>

    </ol>

    (My choice? Leave him the heck alone!)

    She wanted to leave, but she couldn¡¯t even avert her gaze from his. Her body felt paralyzed. Just like that time.

    She tried to urge Puff Puff to take her away, but it felt like their telepathic connection had been severed momentarily.

    Then, a sharp voice made her heart shiver

    ¡°Little girl, are you not going to set me free?¡±

    (Like hell I will!)

 Volume 2: Chapter 33

    His voice sent a shiver in her heart

    ¡°¡­Why would I do such a thing?¡±

    He chuckled ¡°And why not? Having come all the way here.¡±

    ¡°Do not be mistaken. It was you who dragged me in this trap, was it not?¡± as shaken as she was, her voice was still as composed as ever. ¡°Further more, even if I did know of a way, is it not obvious that you are dangerous? Only a fool would do such.¡±

    ¡°Impressive, for a little brat. From the way you speak to the way you act, I would never have guessed you would be a mere 10 year old until I saw you. Taking on the guardian of this place alone; truly impressive for a human.¡±

    ¡°Your flattery will get you nowhere.¡±

    She gripped Puff Puff¡¯s fur, practically begging him to take her away from here. That man, his presence alone could crush one¡¯s very soul!

    ¡°Then, what will it take for you to free me?¡±

    ¡°I have already decided that no matter what, I will not free you.¡± She narrowed her eyes. His gaze felt uncomfortable, if she could, she wished she could stab them so that he stopped staring at her.

    ¡°Then, what if I told you a way out of here?¡± she twitched ¡°Surely, you must have already figured out that there is no exit, correct? I can get you out of here.¡±

    It wasn¡¯t like he was lying.

    In the game, no matter which choice you made, the only way out was to befriend the guy and he brought you back to the surface using magic. A magic spell that only the vampire clan understood.

    Just that there was a high risk here.

    As she said, after you converse with him and free him, there are two endings.

    <ol>

    <li>You live</li>

    <li>You die</li>

    </ol>

    The chances are 50-50. It was an impossible decision for her to make.

    ¡°If I free you, there¡¯s still no guarantee that I would come out alive or that even my corpse would come out. Your kind has always tried to slaughter us and now you ask me for help? Even a 5 year old wouldn¡¯t be that stupid.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

    He chuckled again in amusement ¡°That is true. In that case, would you like to form a contract? You should know that one can form several contract, correct?¡±

    She narrowed her eyes with suspicion ¡°A contract with me as your slave? Not a chance.¡±

    ¡°Ahaha! Of course not! As the one who rescued me, you would be my master. Every command you make, I will follow. Complete submission.¡±

    ¡°And why would you even do such a thing?¡± this wasn¡¯t a route you could choose in the game, rather, it didn¡¯t exist.

    ¡°Instead of waiting to rot away down here, I am willing to obey you, is that not enough?¡±

    ¡°Even if I order you to kill yourself?¡±

    ¡°Then so be it.¡±

    He seemed so resolute about it, that it made her feel uneasy. But, thinking logically, it could benefit her. He was after all of royal bloodline of the clan of vampires. The only thing stopping her is the thought that he might have ulterior motives that she has no way of knowing. Her current strength was nothing compared to his and in her state, even if he was under complete submission, there was the slightest chance that the contract could break and she could die.

    But, should she stay here and rot to death or take on this gamble?

    She bit her lip and frowned. ¡°¡­alright.¡±

    ¡°Then, come closer. To form a contract, a blood exchange is necessary.¡±

    She knew at least that much. She wasn¡¯t an idiot, you know.

    With Puff Puff¡¯s help, she got closer to him. He bit down on his own lip and blood flowed down his mouth.

    (You have got to be kidding me¡­.)

    The blood drained from her face as she realized the method he wanted to use.

    Guessing her thoughts, he let out a laugh ¡°What, do you not want to?¡±

    (Yeah right! who would kiss a guy they just met!?)

    ¡°¡­scumbag¡± she gritted her teeth as those words left her mouth with deep hatred.

    Blood was already filled in her mouth, so she didn¡¯t need to bite her lips like he did. With trembling fists full of rage, their lips neared.

    If she wasn¡¯t mistaken, she was sure she felt his tongue enter her mouth!

    (I.WANT.TO.KILL.HIMMM!!!!)

    Right now, she was just a ten year old, while he was a vampire of over centuries old, was his brain alright!? A lilicon! A pedo! He¡¯s a freak!

    As they parted way, as if to agitate her further, he licked his lips where the blood still remained.

    ¡°Not bad.¡±

    ¡°¡­and how do you suppose I free you? Those seals are something only the vampire clan understands.¡±

    No matter how irritated she was, no matter how much she had wanted to bite off his tongue when he did that, no matter how much she wanted to skin him alive, she needed to endure.

    (When I get out of here I am so going to *beep* *beep* him!)

    ¡°Ho~ so you also know this much? I must say, I underestimated you. Ah, no need to glare at me like that. The fact alone that you could open that door is proof enough that you can undo the seals.¡±

    ¡°And why is that?¡±

    ¡°Can it be?¡± he looked at her with amusement ¡°So you yourself haven¡¯t realized? I must say, your friend over there still kept this a secret from you. You are special. Be it your blood, knowledge, talent or soul, you can ask him as well.¡±

    The one he was talking about was Puff Puff. This made her even more puzzled.

 Volume 2: Chapter 34

    She glanced at Puff Puf, but then glared back at that man.

    ¡°*Chuckle~* well, shall we complete the contract first? {My name is Cyran Melchior, one who rules over the night}.¡±

    ¡°{My name is Charlotte Ionesse, one who controls the darkness}¡±

    Unlike in the game where you could just see your titles, titles were things that the individual just simply possessed and knew of. It was the same feeling she got when she first began to learn magic. The first time she discovered her title was some time after her contract with Puff Puff.

    ¡°Interesting~ {I herby surrender mineself to thee and vow to serve thee with mine utmost loyalty till death do us part}¡±

    ¡°{I herby accept thy as mine servant}¡±

    This was a blood pact. Unlike wit Puff Puff, a burning sensation as if her right hand was being branded by hot iron, an insignia drew itself on her hand in the blood that leaked from the wounds.

    It was in the shape of the royal vampire clan¡¯s emblem, an insignia that she saw in the game¡¯s logo as well. Drawn in a glowing red, it was drawn from her own blood. The same insignia also appeared on Cyran¡¯s right hand. The blood pact was complete.

    A sudden dizziness assaulted her brain, but she forced herself to keep conscious. Not yet. She still needed to undo the three seals.

    She got off from Puff Puff with great difficulty, while tottering and leaning against him; she drew a deep breath and concentrated on the seals in front of her.

    As soon as her eyes landed on them, without her knowing, her eyes began to glow violet again and her lips began to chant words of unknown language. It was that same feeling again. The feeling as though someone was controlling her body.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    -vrsh~

    The first seal broke apart just like that. Then, she started on the second seal. Again, without any difficulties, it also shattered apart.

    Behind her, Puff Puff was full of worry while in front of her, Cyran looked at her with his eyes wide open. Although he knew that she would be able to undo the seals, but not at such a frightening speed and with such accuracy. Even his grandfather, the one said to be the most skilled in seals wasn¡¯t on this level. This was a seal placed upon by the devil king himself after all.

    ¡°Are you serious?¡± what kind of monstrosity did he come across? And she had yet to completely develop both body and mind. What would happen in ten years? Was it possible that she would be able to even defeat the devil king at that point?

    If that was the case, then he made the right decision. His master would be someone with great strength and he would look forward to serving her. If it was to get his revenge, then he would gladly help her!

    -clank

    The final seal broke. The chains that had been merged into his flesh evaporated and a huge weight lift from his body.

    He jumped down from the coffin, with a single motion from his arm, his clothes changed into a clean and neat long tailcoat suit.

    After she finished the last part, the dizziness became too unbearable after using magic beyond her limits and her eyes closed as her body fell backwards.

    Cyran swiftly leaped towards her and caught her in his arms. Her tiny figure looking exhausting.

    Cyran turned to look at the wolf who kept glaring at him. He let out a chuckle ¡°No need to worry. I already promised not to harm her.¡±

    ¡°[Cyran, you fiend, if you dare to do anything to her, I will¡­!]¡±

    ¡°Old friend, looks like you haven¡¯t changed a bit over the centuries. How long has it been exactly? I would have expected a warm welcome.¡±

    ¡°{You betrayed your own clan and even brought doom to my people}!¡±

    ¡°Hump. You formed a contract with her, yet didn¡¯t even tell her your real identity? You even hid your real strength.¡±

    ¡°{She is still too young and my power could bring her harm. That knowledge will only bring her disaster!}¡±

    ¡°I suppose you are right about that. But, doesn¡¯t that place us in the same boat? ¡­.enough chitter chatter. We should get out of here. I¡¯ve had enough of this place. And, I did make her a promise after all.¡±

    Rage was still boiling in his eyes, but he knew at least that he wouldn¡¯t dare to harm the person that he formed a contract with. Following him from the side, the two jumped back above the ground with Charlotte¡¯s unconscious body in Cyran¡¯s arms. Cyran drew a magic circle and they teleported their way out.

 Volume 3: CHapter 35

    The birds cheerfully chirped by the window and a gentle breeze blew against her face. A frown formed on her delicate looking face as she twists and turns around on the bed.

    Something warm wrapped around her body and she seemed to calm down. Slowly, she opened her eyes only to be met with a pair of azure green pupils staring at her. Brown caramel hair that draped over his face.

    She frowned, and without warning, kicked with all her might against his stomach.

    ¡°Guha-!¡±

    Bam, he was kicked off of the bed and landed with his bottom on the floor. He let out a painful moan ¡°ow~ why did you kick me?¡±

    Taking her time, she leisurely sat up on the bed and leaned her head on her palm resting against the bed¡¯s frame. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Cyran?¡±

    ¡°Eh~? Whatever do you mean, my lady? My name is Ran.¡± He said with an angelic smile that could make any maiden fall for him.

    But, Charlotte was different. She frowned and with irritation spoke ¡°Don¡¯t pretend to be a little kid when you¡¯re old enough to be called a relic. I find it disturbing.¡±

    ¡°Hee~¡± the youthful tone he had used changed into that of a young man, the voice that he had used back then that was full of a different devilish kind of charm ¡°How could you tell?¡±

    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you know this better than I? We have a contract, remember? Even if you were to change into an insect, I would still recognize you as irritating as it is.¡±This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    ¡°Interesting indeed. I now see why he chose you as his master.¡±

    Charlotte didn¡¯t know what he meant by that, but as if he came out of nowhere, Puff Puff sat on her lap and made himself comfortable.

    ¡°¡­What happened? How did I get back home?¡± while stroking his soft fur, Charlotte looked around and recognized that this was her room back at the mansion.

    ¡°I did promise you that I would bring you back, did I not? Also, to make things easier, I told everyone that my name is Ran and became your servant, as a butler, that is.¡±

    (This guy¡­he did as he pleased, didn¡¯t he?)

    Worrying about what nonsense he might have told her father and friends, she failed to even notice her own condition until he pointed it out for her.

    ¡°You had collapsed due to excessive use of mana and mental strain. There was also some poison in your system, but thanks to the contract with me who has fast regenerating abilities, as the master you gain part of my abilities, thus saving your life. The poison has also been neutralized and your internal injuries have already healed by now.¡±

    It was known that amongst the demon races, vampires had the highest recovery rate. Even if their arms were severed, if they consumed enough mana or blood, then it would grow back without a problem.

    The contract she made was one that allowed her to borrow some of his skills, just like how her magic training improved with Puff Puff. But, that wasn¡¯t the only thing that she gained from him. She could feel that apart from her recovery rate increasing, her physical strength and even mana have increased.

    ¡°¡­Thank you.¡±

    ¡°No, I should thank you for awakening me with your presence and also for freeing me.¡±

    ¡°Hmm. So, are you going to keep up that appearance?¡±

    ¡°Apologies, but it seems so. The story I told your father was that I was rescued by you and your contracted spirit and I did so in this appearance. If it were to be found out what my true identity was...¡±

    ¡°I get it already. ¡­anyway, since I am already awake, I would like to see my father. You may do as you wish so long as you don¡¯t harm anyone or cause too much trouble.¡±

    After that, she didn¡¯t even glance at him anymore. She got off the bed and grabbed a robe to cover herself and went out to look for others.

    Inside her room, Puff Puff kept glaring at ¡®Ran¡¯ while ¡®Ran¡¯ only smirked back at him.

 Volume 3: Chapter 36

    Compared to before, the hallway seemed a lot more cramped. No matter which corner she turned, there would be an entire line of servants waiting. The fear that they had for Charlotte seemed to have lessened, but there was still a large gap between them.

    Under their uncomfortable gazes, Charlotte made her way to the duke¡¯s study.

    ¡°Fa-¡° as soon as she had entered, his body flew towards her as he tightly embraced his daughter in his arms ¡°Father¡­I¡­.can¡¯t¡­..breathe¡­..¡±

    ¡°Oh, sorry! Lotte, are you alright?¡± she gasped for air after being freed and nodded her head.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for worrying you, father.¡±

    ¡°No, all that matters to me is that you are alright.¡±

    ¡°My Lady, how are you feeling?¡± Walter then joined in after the duke composed himself again. Walter poured her a cup of warm tea as she took a seat.

    ¡°I am fine. But, how long have I been asleep?¡±

    Duke Adrian coughed dryly as he glanced at Walter, who then explained ¡°Today marks the fifth day. Luckily we had Professor Karin with us who informed us of your condition. At that time, your mana had been depleted too much and caused you to faint.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­what of Leila, his highness and Terence who were with me?¡±

    ¡°Rest assured. They are all alright without a single injury. They had been coming each day to visit you as well.¡±

    ¡°I see.¡± A smile formed on her lips. Now she was sure that nothing happened after she left. ¡°Ah, what of the kidnappers?¡±

    ¡°¡­That¡­I¡¯m afraid some managed to get away and we only arrested a few underlings.¡±

    (Well, as expected I should say. Those two probably made an escape as well.)

    ¡°I understand. Thank you for telling me. As for me¡­father, I suppose I also have some explaining to do, don¡¯t I.¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    Duke Adrian smiled bitterly. He had wanted to ask her, but was afraid she would try to avoid the topic. As for Charlotte, she knew that she would have to tell them sooner or later. She had already come up with an excuse *cough* explanation long before all this mess.

    She told them as she had told Karin. Of how she had been secretly practicing with Iris and Lilly and of her contract with Puff Puff. But, as she thought, telling them about her real identity would still be impossible. She also didn¡¯t tell them about what happened after she split with Leila, Leo and Terence and of her relationship with ¡®Ran¡¯ and his real identity. She just told only what was necessary. The fact that they didn¡¯t even question his identity smelled fishy, but she concluded that he used some sort of hypnotizing magic on them.

    ¡°Father, I also need to tell you one more thing. ¡­It is about my engagement with his highness.¡±

    ¡°Hmn. That you are against it, right? I understand.¡±

    ¡°Yes, I know it¡¯s unreasonable but-¡­.pardon?¡±

    Again, he laughed bitterly ¡°Although I do I have to admit that as a father, I fail to understand you, but as the duke, I had already found out about the relationship between you, his highness and that girl, Leila. It was a bit too obvious that another girl would always seem to tag along with you three and yet you didn¡¯t seem to have any objections.¡±

    ¡°That obvious huh.¡±

    ¡°But can you tell me the reason why? It doesn¡¯t seem like you hate his highness nor does he seem to hate you, so I fail to understand your reason.¡±

    ¡°Well, that is¡­we certainly don¡¯t hate each other, but. Father, you should know how much he loves that girl.¡±

    ¡°That isn¡¯t the only reason I assume.¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­well¡­.to be honest, it¡¯s just my selfishness but I do not wish to become the future queen. There is also the fact that I am the only child of our household, one that has great influence over the kingdom. If the royalty and the strongest duke household were to form a bond of marriage, the future king no less, problems may arise within the aristocratic society. I also wish to see those two happy as their friend, but I suppose the biggest reason would still be the fact that I do not wish to enter the castle.¡±

    ¡°¡­The king and I did know of the consequences when we decided as such, but I didn¡¯t think that you would even think of such things. Furthermore, this isn¡¯t something that noble young ladies your age would usually even fret about. Hmn, you are indeed our daughter. It is the queen training, isn¡¯t it?¡±

    ¡°You read my mind, father.¡±

    (You can put it that way, I guess¡­.)

    ¡°But, why are you worried about entering the castle?¡±

    ¡°Father, you should know best at how many secrets are hidden behind those walls. If one accidentally stumbles across them, there won¡¯t be any guarantee that they will be able to keep their heads.¡±

    ¡°¡­Lotte dear, your imaginations frighten me.¡±

    ¡°I speak only the truth, father.¡±

    Even Walter at the side who pretended to be invisible was stunned at discovering for the first time in a long time about the things that really went through her head. Since when did she been this sensible?

 Volume 3: Chapter 37

    After a long long father to daughter talk, Charlotte decided to go for a stroll in the flower garden when Iris and Lilly came jumping onto her.

    They had been worried about her the entire time and even found her hat that she had dropped in town at the festival. Lia also seemed somewhat worried and wished her good health despite still being so timid around her. They needed to get back to work and so Charlotte was left alone once again.

    As she hummed a tune of her old world, Leila and the other two arrived. Leila also jumped onto her with tears flowing from her eyes. Complaining and grumbling about how she made them worry when she didn¡¯t come back after so long only to come back unconscious with injuries all over her and a stranger carrying her at that.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that you three. I somehow ended up in a trapped room. Well, at least I am still alive, am I not?¡±

    Lei sighed ¡°That isn¡¯t the problem. Do you know how worried we were? And when your father found us only to see his daughter missing¡­I¡¯m afraid if your teacher and Walter weren¡¯t there at the time, he would have gone mad.¡±

    ¡°T-that bad¡­? I¡¯ll need to thank them later.¡±

    ¡°But what happened to you? Do you know how worried we were!? And afterwards, we heard from the adults that the name of the dungeon was actually the ghost dungeon!¡± Leila was still freaking out even after five days had passed. But that was just how it was. Being scared and shaken by that, the abnormal one was still Charlotte.

    (¡­I probably shouldn¡¯t mention anything about that snake huh¡­for their sanity¡¯s sake.)

    ¡°I guess you were right when you said it would have been better for us not to know too much. Next time, I won¡¯t ever doubt you again!¡± Terence said with respect as he gave her a thumbs up.

    ¡°I pray that there won¡¯t even be a next time. Really, if possible, let that be the last time. ¡±

    ¡°But, why called a ghost dungeon?¡± Leila still couldn¡¯t understand that after all.

    Leo and Terence too ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s not like we saw any ghosts at all.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°Haaa¡­you three, haven¡¯t you had enough yet? ¡­.the reason why they call it a ghost dungeon isn¡¯t because of ghosts or anything, but just figuratively speaking. Researchers and adventurers who had entered would rarely return alive and knowing this, the miasma inside the dungeon will play tricks on their minds and they ¡®think¡¯ they hear the voices of the dead. Well, something in short like that.¡±

    They let out an oh~ and began to mumble amongst themselves.

    ¡°But, especially you Leo, are your parents alright with you coming over after what happened?¡± she doubted that the king and queen were so reckless and he couldn¡¯t have sneaked out either. That would be irresponsible on his part.

    ¡°No, I just used the excuse about saying I was worried about my fianc¨¦.¡± He gave her a sheepish smile.

    ¡°I see you really have royal blood in you, Leo.¡±

    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°Ah, I almost forgot to mention. ¡­my father and I had a heart to heart talk and I told him about you and Leila. We can¡¯t keep up this pretense forever, so I needed to tell him eventually.¡±

    Leo and Leila gulped. He hadn¡¯t even told his parents as he was afraid they would use drastic measures to pull them apart, but Charlotte was also right. ¡°W-what did he say?¡±

    ¡°You two needn¡¯t worry. It seems like my father had already found something suspicious for a while and I simply confirmed it. He didn¡¯t seem to mind and said if that was what I wanted, then he was fine with it.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what did you even tell him!?¡±

    They couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine that scary duke being okay with him having a ¡®lover¡¯ while his precious daughter was his fianc¨¦e.

    ¡°Hey, my father may be scary at times but he isn¡¯t unreasonable. I just said that I only thought of you as a friend, wished for your happiness together; hate the queen training and some other stuff. Apparently the king had also been worried since I was the only child of our blood line too, so it shouldn¡¯t be that difficult.¡±

    ¡°But¡­¡±

    Charlotte clasped her hands around Leila¡¯s as she carefully gave her some advice ¡°Leila, you need to have more confidence. I¡¯m not saying to be like Marionette and act haughty, but you¡¯re the daughter of a marquise, a rank only below duke! And, as I had said before, if you really wish to stay by his side you also need to be able to help him and lead the people as the future queen. A queen who is backed to a corner by a group of little girls, how you will survive in that den of wolfs called ministers!? Do you know how scary they can be?¡±

    Although she may not have witnessed it personally, she had seen countless cases on TV and movies. No matter what time period, world and even the world she had been living in, places such as royal castles, etcetera are all filled with conspiracies. She for one hates politics. Thus, she wants to avoid the eyes of powerful and influential people at all costs.

    Well, she sort of already failed after befriending the crown prince. No, this plan had already failed the moment she realized she was the daughter of a duke.

    ¡°L-lotte, you¡¯re kinda scaring me¡­¡±

    ¡°Yeah, how do you even know all that? Even I know that much¡­.¡±

    (Oi, that¡¯s not helping Leo.)

 Volume 3: Chapter 38

    ¡°Right. we would need to return to the academy in three days. So you¡¯re saying that if anyone who threatens her with their status, then you would step in.¡±

    ¡°Not bad Terence. In four months, Leila would turn 12 and in five months the academy would hold another enrolment test. So you would have to protect her from the shadows as you have always done. Until then, I suppose she will be in my care.¡±

    ¡°How do you know about that¡­.? Never mind. I find that if I question every bit of information you possess, I¡¯d go insane.¡±

    ¡°Fufufu~ why thank you for your understanding.¡±

    With that, Leila and Leo felt a huge burden off their shoulders. Leo had then told the three that he would have a word with his parents on the subject, and while they were at it, Charlotte told Leo a few things that he should say to help out with the plan.

    He found out that, despite her saying she hated politics, that she was incredibly good at making schemes.

    (I prefer to call it a plan. A plan, alright?)

    Two days later, Leo and Terence left for the academy and Leila would often visit Charlotte on her own.

    The days passed without any problems until a certain someone came to look for trouble.

    While practically begging her father, Charlotte was given permission to come along with him to the capital. While he went to do his work, Charlotte made a visit to Leila¡¯s home.

    Compared to her mansion, it wasn¡¯t that big, but it was still a mansion nonetheless.

    As soon as she heard from the servants that Charlotte had arrived, Leila rushed downstairs to great her.

    The marquise and his wife were also home and they became acquainted with one another. As for Leila¡¯s older sister, she had also gone to the academy. The relationship with Leila and her parents could be said to be good, but as for her sister, it seems like she¡¯s hated for some reason. Or is it because her sister is also head over heels with Leo?

    (Uwaa~ being popular sure is tough. I¡¯m glad I don¡¯t have that problem.)

    Living in the countryside at her fief, it had been a pleasantly quiet lifestyle. After having a short chat with her parents, the two girls went to Leila¡¯s room.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    ¡°Let me guess, its Marionette, isn¡¯t it.¡±

    ¡°Well¡­yes.¡±

    ¡°What is it this time?¡± Charlotte sat with her legs crossed and her arms folded.

    ¡°Em, it seems like she¡¯s started a rumor about you having an affair with Terence.¡± Leila gathered all her might as she said that while gripping the hem of her dress.

    ¡°¡­.¡± At the moment, Charlotte had a rather stupefied expression on her face. Yes, that was just stupid. ¡°PFFT-! Pahahaha!¡± she began to roll around on the bed while gripping her stomach as tears even came out laughing hysterically ¡°Haha! Are they stupid? Oh lords have mercy. To think that that was the best they could come up with. Are they stupid? Haa, and here I thought something terrible happened to you. Leila dear, please don¡¯t startle me like that next time, okay?¡± she gave her a pat on the shoulder while still not having completely gotten rid of the laughter.

    ¡°This isn¡¯t a laughing matter! If because of me your reputation get¡¯s damaged-!¡±

    ¡°Tsk tsk tsk, Leila dear, if its rumors you¡¯re concerned about, then you are wasting both of our time. A rumor is a rumor, whoever wishes to belief that let them do as they wish. I have no intention of stopping her if that is all she is capable of. It¡¯s like telling me to convince the whole world that I¡¯m not in love with that guy. That would just create even more suspicion. I also have no idea how they even managed to come up with something as ridiculous as that. What are they trying to do anyways? I don¡¯t even see any connection with what any of that rumor had o do with her jealousy. Pffft-¡±

    ¡°But-!¡±

    ¡°Look, all that matters is that you guys belief me. That is enough. Though, if Terence finds it troublesome, he¡¯ll have to deal with it himself. I wish him good luck on that.¡±

    ¡°Lotte, aren¡¯t you a little too carefree? You are still the daughter of a duke.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it isn¡¯t in my nature to worry too much about unnecessary things and neither should you.¡±

    ¡°Even so, what if this gets in eth way of getting married in the future?¡±

    ¡°Rumors are just rumors. If we don¡¯t do anything too drastic, they will eventually die down. If the king had to pay attention to all the rumors surrounding him, he would have turned grey long ago. Anything else?¡±

    ¡°Lady Charlotte~~¡±

    At that moment, without warning, the door to Leila¡¯s room swung open and an annoying figure came flying inside. Before he could even touch her, Charlotte jumped off of the bed and spun around, kicking him right in his abdomen.

    ¡°Tsk. What do you want now? Or more importantly, why are you even following me around!?¡±

    ¡°Eh~~ could it be that you forgot our promise?¡±

    ¡°Erm, Lotte, who is this?¡±

    ¡°THIS is an annoying bug that keeps stalking me wherever I go. Pay no attention to it as it is but an insect.¡±

    ¡°O-okay¡­.?¡±

    ¡°How cruel of you~¡±

    The young boy that looked the same age as Charlotte clung onto her leg, as if the kick before had never occurred. Brown caramel hair and green azure eyes, he had changed his appearance so that he looked the same age as her to make following her easier. Yes, that was ¡®Ran¡¯.

    (As it turns out, his personality is actually that of an M and a Loli-con. This is a deadly combination!)

    Deadly annoying for her, that is.

    ¡°¡­.what is it now?¡± she clenched her fist to calm her rage as she glared at him. Before she left the mansion, he had also come along with her along with Iris and Lilly as her attendants. But, she had clearly told them to wait outside.

    ¡°Oh, yes. A message came for you my lady. Or actually, for the both of you, from the queen.¡±

    ¡°¡±The¡­queen¡­?¡±¡±

 Volume 3: Chapter 39

    ¡°It must be about you and my engagement with Leo.¡±

    ¡°B-but this soon? I haven¡¯t prepared myself yet!¡±

    ¡°Please calm down. It¡¯s not like she¡¯ll eat you alive.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not helping at all!¡±

    After Ran¡¯s abrupt message, Leila began to freak out. But thanks to charlotte, she somehow managed to get (drag) her into the carriage as they made their way to the queen.

    This would be the first time that she entered the castle¡¯s grounds as she had previously run away.

    A maid led the two girls inside. The castle was a lot larger than she thought and she would have easily gotten lost.

    Leila had at some point grabbed her hand to calm her nerves, but even now she could feel Leila¡¯s hands shaking and covered in cold sweat.

    ¡°My queen, I have brought your guests.¡±

    ¡°Come in.¡± from the other side of the door, the servants opened the door and the two waked inside. There, the queen was sitting on a sofa while sipping her tea. Even though she had already turned 33 yrs old, she still looked like a woman in her twenties and had a slender figure. She gently placed the cup down as she shifted her gaze to the two. With a gentle voice she spoke as she gestured ¡°Please, have a seat.¡±

    The two curtsied and went forward.

    ¡°My, what lovely young ladies you are. I¡¯m guessing you must be Lady Charlotte and you Lady Leila, correct?¡±

    ¡°I feel honored that the queen knows of me.¡±

    ¡°I too, my queen.¡±

    She sweetly smiled at them ¡°You should know what I have summoned you here for, no? my son has already told us everything. However, are you truly alright with this, Lady Charlotte?¡±

    Charlotte returned her smile as she spoke with utmost curtsey ¡°Of course, my queen. My feelings towards the two are that of friendship, nothing else. If by doing this brings them happiness, then as their friend, that is the right thing to do.¡±

    ¡°I see. I am glad you do not seem to hate them for this.¡±

    ¡°Most certainly not. I find them rather difficult to hate.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

    ¡°As a mother, it makes me happy to hear you say that. Lady Leila, I do hope you are prepared if you truly wish to stay by my son¡¯s side.¡±

    ¡°Yes, my queen. I will do my best.¡±

    ¡°My my my, it truly pleases me that my son has a good eye for people. Do not worry. My husband and I, as well as the duke have begun to make preparations. It will take time, but rest assured, if it is for our son¡¯s happiness, then we will do everything we can.¡±

    As the one who had decided to break their engagement, Charlotte excused herself and let the two have their private conversation as future mother and daughter in laws.

    Wandering through the castle grounds, she asked a guard to lead her to the research facility where Professor Karin worked while not teaching Charlotte.

    ¡°Professor Karin, sorry for disturbing you. I hope you do not mind my sudden visit.¡±

    ¡°Ah! Lady Charlotte!¡± when she saw her, she was a little startled. The place was extremely messy with papers and tools lying about. Apart from her, there were also her colleagues present.

    ¡°I was a little curious so I wanted to have a look. I have already received permission from the queen, so I hope it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    ¡°No no no. But, what would you like to know?¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes. In five months the academy would start with their enrolment exams. Although I still have yet to reach the required age, father had said that he would pull some strings so that I could enter earlier. I wanted some advice about the school, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±

    ¡°Eh? Well, certainly, Lady Charlotte¡¯s knowledge is quite amazing, so it isn¡¯t impossible.¡± Karin took a chair and sat opposite Charlotte as she explained ¡°Also, with your magic progress, I¡¯m afraid you have more than enough to even enter the senior section.¡±

    The academy allows only students between the years 12 to 18 years old. Within the school exist two separate sections; the junior and senior section.

    The junior section is for students between the ages 12 to 14 and the senior section for the students 15 to 18. Of course, early graduation is also possible if you meet the requirements. Karin had graduated at the age of 17 and is one of the geniuses of the country and also works as a court mage as well as a researcher at the same time.

    On the other hand, Professor Steins had graduated at the age of 16, another genius. But, while Karin studied about magic, Steins focused more on scholarly knowledge.

    As for Charlotte, she still didn¡¯t make any plans on which course to choose.

    ¡°Of course, with Lady Charlotte¡¯s talents, you would probably be able to graduate for all subjects.¡± She stated proudly. As her teacher, it gave her great pleasure that her student was such a hard worker.

    ¡°Well, the real reason why my father suggested the idea was because he thought it to be a good chance to get to know other children my age and, of course he also mentioned that I needed to look for a new fianc¨¦.¡±

    Charlotte had consulted Professor Karin on a lot of things. Even she was unable to think of everything on her own and needed an adult¡¯s advice.

    As for the matter with the new fianc¨¦¡­she wasn¡¯t really all that enthusiastic about it.

    Love¡­ Was she capable of falling in love once more?

    Unknowingly, she entered a daze as she thought of her previous life. It was a cold and harsh one, a life of black and white. The one to change her into the person she was now, the first person to ever make her experience those emotions¡­.

    She stared in a daze at professor Karin, yet the one she was looking at was someone that was not here. Her heart suddenly felt tight, a single tear rolled down her cheeks.

 Volume 3: Chapter 40

    Followed by Iris, Lilly and, of course Ran, Charlotte went into town to the blacksmith Annalisa who she hadn¡¯t seen in a while.

    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you again. How may I help you this time?¡±

    Annalisa instantly recognized the girl.

    ¡°Actually, I was wondering if you could make me something again.¡±

    ¡°Of course. You always ask me to make the most interesting things, so how could I refuse?¡±

    Letting out a haha, Charlotte retrieved the papers from her pocket and displayed them on the counter.

    ¡°Um¡­isn¡¯t this¡­a sword?¡±

    ¡°Yes. I can never be too sure, so I need a weapon like this as well.¡±

    Iris and Lily were curious and poked their heads to see. Even Ran was curious and let out a whistle in amazement.

    ¡°Even I have never seen something like this.¡± Or so he said.

    Naturally, this is because it¡¯s a weapon that had yet to be developed in this world/ game.

    One of them was a katana. A standard weapon.

    On another paper, she had drawn the designs of kunais, shuriken, tanto (dagger), throwing knives, sai, fan and chain. These were all weapons that she was best familiar with and would have a difficulty using the ones from this world. There were a lot, but she trusted in Annalisa¡¯s skills that she would be able to satisfy her needs.

    ¡°I will probably be leaving in five months, so I hope you will be able to finish by then. Also¡­since I would be entering the academy and be unable to take them with me, I would like to leave Iris and Lilly in your care. They might be able to help you with anything you need. Of course, I will give you the required funds to do so and if any problems arise, you can ask my father or a man named Walter for assistance.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

    She had already discussed this with the two of them before hand, but even so, they didn¡¯t seem to be willing.

    They began to cling onto her, but this was something she had decided the day she had picked them up. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m throwing you away, alright? You two are making me sound so evil. It¡¯s just that if you only stay at the mansion, nothing will change. Here, you can help Annalisa and since she¡¯s also of the same kin, you don¡¯t need to worry.¡±

    But, no matter what she said, nothing helped.

    Un, she had completely underestimated their clinginess towards her. But that wasn¡¯t good. Even if the part of her father turning bad had been prevented, that didn¡¯t mean that it would always stay this peaceful. There was also the sudden increase of monsters that would occur in five years. They needed to at least be able to defend themselves. She had already taught them some sword skills and martial arts, but that probably wasn¡¯t enough against monsters like that snake.

    In the game, these two had developed their skills when they were with Annalisa. So, this was the best choice she could make for them.

    Annalisa gave her an Ok after a long hesitation and that the weapons would be finished in four month¡¯s time.

    ¡°Why did you suddenly decide something like that? Could it be that you finally got tired of the brats?¡±

    Charlotte glanced at Ran walking by her side ¡°You may think as you wish.¡±

    He began to laugh ¡°You really are interesting. Those weapons too. I would never have even thought such thing existed. But what would such small things possibly be capable of? Scratch your enemies??¡±

    ¡°Small things huh. Fufufu~ guess you¡¯ll have to find out on your own.¡±

    ¡°But to think you agreed with that plan of your father¡¯s¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh? You mean going to the academy? If you think about it, than that would give me a lot more freedom. ¡°

    ¡°You¡¯re rather strange for a noble young girl.¡±

    ¡°Same goes for you. I had always thought your kind to be more arrogant and look down especially on us humans. Who would have guessed that you would actually follow a little human girl, willingly at that?¡±

    ¡°As I said, you are an exception.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve always wondered what you meant about that.¡± Then, the two suddenly halted in their steps. With a charming smile, he turned to her and asked ¡°What are your orders, mistress?¡±

    She closed her eyes and carefully said ¡°Just don¡¯t kill them.¡±

    ¡°Understood.¡± A malicious glint flashed passed his eyes and the next instant he disappeared and reappeared next to her again and they continued to walk as if nothing happened.

    Not far from where they stood laid a pile of bodies on top of each other all black and blue.

 Volume 3: Chapter 41

    A/n: Ahem...sorry for the delay, life was a bit unpredictable haha....

    Lanoria Academy, one where anyone no matter their status can enter as long as they had the required age and talent. Today marked the day of the 326<sup>th</sup> year of enrollment.

    In front of the academy¡¯s gates stood several carriages that brought over young nobles throughout the entire human territory, others were walking on foot others dressed plainly, others flashy.

    ¡°Um, Lotte, why did you come with me? And with that much luggage as well?¡±

    Standing in front of the gates, Leila asked the girl who was a little shorter than her with a clueless expression.

    ¡°Leila dear, of course it is to enroll in the academy. What other reason could there possibly be?¡±

    ¡°But don¡¯t you turn 11 years old only in four months? I thought the required age was 12.¡±

    ¡°No need to worry. My father and tutors gave a word so that I could enroll earlier than planned.¡±

    Having known Charlotte¡¯s abnormal behavior over the year, Leila gave a hopeless sigh and decided to give up. She wasn¡¯t worried about her failing the test, no; she was worried that she would instead end up having the highest scores amongst all the 1<sup>st</sup> years and in exchange incur hatred and jealousy of others. But thinking again, Charlotte was probably not going to be bothered by those either.

    Again, she sighed.

    The enrolment consisted of two tests; a written test and a practical one. The first test was the written exam and all applicants were to enter the class rooms according to the student number they received.

    The first test went smoothly. Afterwards, the students were separated in another smaller group and to follow the instructor in charge of them to test out their elemental affinity for magic. Since not all students had a gift for this, they would then be placed in a different class.

    ¡°#212, Charlotte Ionesse. Please step forward.¡±

    Out of the crowd of children a smaller girl stepped forward.

    ¡°I have heard about your situation, but no matter what your age, you will still be tested according to the rules. Please place your hand over the crystal and pour in some mana.¡±

    Without saying a word, she did as told.

    Although it was common knowledge that children in this world would only learn how to control their mana after they enroll in the academy, if you were able to accomplish at least this without anyone¡¯s guidance than it proved that you had the talent for magic. In a way, it was a test within a test.

    He didn¡¯t expect much from this noble young girl who was not only much younger but probably also a lot more spoiled to be able to know these basics. So when the crystal ball began to emit a red light, he looked at her rather surprised and amazed as well.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    But, it still wasn¡¯t the end. After that faint red light, a blue one appeared, next was a green one and then a yellow one and now even a sleek of lightning!?

    It wasn¡¯t just the instructor, even Charlotte herself was confused. She had already expected that she had the affinity of only darkness magic, but that expectation was completely proven wrong.

    Not only did the darkness element not even appear, but in its place were all the other elements. This didn¡¯t make any sense.

    ¡°*cough*alright. Next!¡±

    After writing something down, the instructor called forth the next student. Still confused, Charlotte went to ask Ran through telepathy.

    [Oh? You just found out? I thought you already knew this.]

    For some reason it sounded like he had already known this fact even before this.

    [But the last time I checked, I was only able to use darkness magic.]

    [How did you test that out in the first place?]

    [Chant a spell one by one of every element.]

    [¡­.mistress, I¡¯m afraid that is the most absurd way I have ever heard someone test out their affinity.]

    [So it seems. I still don¡¯t get it though.]

    [Haaahhh¡­at least now I feel at ease knowing that you are after all still only a human. For you humans, your elemental affinity only stabilizes around the age of what humans call puberty. The reason was probably because at that time your body had yet to familiarize with the other elements. Well, that¡¯s as far as I can tell.]

    [I see. Thanks. Should I say ¡®as expected of an elder¡¯s wisdom¡¯?]

    [Oi! That¡¯s goi-!]

    But before he could even retort back, she cut off their telepathic communication.

    And that concluded the test. It was a lot simpler than she had originally thought it would be. Everyone was to go to their temporary assigned room in the west dorm and wait till the next day for the results to come out. The fact that they could test all those students in one day was what Charlotte found amazing.

    The next morning a large crowd of children gathered in front of the scoreboard for the written test. Leila and Charlotte met up with each other and walked together to see the results.

    ¡°Yeay~! I did it! Lotte, I passed!¡± Leila hopped up and down while hugging charlotte. Although not within the top ranked, Leila had managed to land a score within the top 30 and was ranked 28<sup>th</sup>. All that cramming the last few weeks had fully paid off!

    As for charlotte, when Leila spotted her name on the board, the only thing she could say was ¡°As expected of Lotte. You really are the greatest!¡±

    Listed all the way at the top and ranked #1 stood the name [Charlotte Ionesse].

    Charlotte still stood there with one arm crossed over her chest while fanning herself with the other and only raised an eyebrow then retrieved her gaze.

    Then, out of the crowd a familiar annoying youthful voice called out to her using her nickname with a broad grin on his face.

    ¡°So, how did you do? I actually got ranked 9<sup>th</sup>. Well, I have been absent the last few centuries, so should I say not so bad.¡± He praised himself while stroking his chin proudly.

    As for Charlotte¡¯s reaction; her lips slightly twitched when he called her ¡®Lotte~¡¯ just a moment ago, but then replied coldly ¡°I would be more worried if you actually failed the test.¡±

    ¡°Ohw~ I thought you would at least praise me~¡±

    ¡°I already told you that I find that manner you are currently speaking in extremely disturbing.¡±

    ¡°Uwa~ you actually added ¡®extremely¡¯ this time.¡±

    (Now you just sound like an irritating high school girl!)

    She closed her fan with a snap ¡°Leila, let¡¯s go. We have to get our uniforms now.¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­.?¡± Looking between Charlotte and that boy who she remembered was Charlotte¡¯s new servant; she really didn¡¯t understand their relationship at all. She knew that Charlotte wasn¡¯t one to look down on other people even if they were servants, but for some reason Charlotte seemed to always use harsh words against this person alone.

    Not waiting for Leila to response, Charlotte pulled her along by the arm and she tried to get away from Ran as fast as possible.

    No matter what or how he acted towards her, she wouldn¡¯t forget his real identity. And, even if she had formed a contract with him as her the master, she knew that if he really wanted to, he could easily break it. He was dangerous, in a lot of ways.

 Volume 3: Chapter 42

    Seeing her escape with her friend, a grin appeared on his face. That girl was still as cautious of him as ever.

    For the past few months he had spend with her, every time he tried to use charm magic on her, she would never fail to escape. It was either that she just sensed something wrong or KNEW that he was doing something to her, just like how he was about to use magic on her friend. Alas.

    Laughing in amusement to himself, Ran leisurely followed after Charlotte. Either way, it didn¡¯t seem like he would be bored while waiting for her to grow her full potential.

    A/n: this part belongs to the previous chapter that I forgot to paste, my bad.

    ==

    ¡°You talk to her.¡±

    ¡°Why me? If you really want to talk to her, then just go.¡±

    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t push me!¡±

    When Charlotte opened her eyes, she saw that a group of girls had at some point gathered around her, whispering amongst themselves.

    ¡°Can I help you with something?¡±

    Since they had completely different scores, Leila and Charlotte were placed in different classes. With no one to talk to, she took this chance to take a short nap.

    Constantly being on alert for any surprise attacks, she hadn¡¯t been able to get a good night¡¯s sleep for the past few months. The one responsible for all this is Ran, of course. Even though their dorms were in two completely different blocks, she still couldn¡¯t get rid of that annoying feeling of being constantly watched.

    Just thinking about that guy gave her a headache.

    ¡°My name is Ana, since we¡¯ll be sharing the same class for a few years, let¡¯s get along.¡±

    Dressed in the academy¡¯s uniform; a navy blue skirt and a white and light blue blazer and a brooch identifying her as an S-class student. A blue ribbon was attached to the brooch, signifying that she had the water elemental affinity, unlike herself, who had yet to receive her elemental affinity classification.

    Charlotte just casual replied back, ¡°Same here, my name is Charlotte Ionesse.¡±

    But upon hearing the girl¡¯s name, the atmosphere around them seemed to have taken a strange turn.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    ¡°O-oh, I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t know you were THE Charlotte Ionesse. Ha-ha- please forgive our rudeness.¡±

    Without waiting for Charlotte to reply, they quickly scattered around the classroom, avoiding eye contact with her as if she were some kind of plague.

    (¡­.what just happened?)

    Seriously, all she did was tell them her name. She already checked in the mirror and she looked just fine. Leila didn¡¯t say anything either. Then¡­

    (¡­.it¡¯s either that another rumor was spread or the problem just lay in the original Charlotte.)

    Yeah¡­no. if they didn¡¯t want to talk to her, that would be their problem, not hers. Whatever the case, as long as it didn¡¯t interfere with her planned schedule, she wouldn¡¯t pay it any mind.

    (I just hope Leila¡¯s doing better.)

    There are a lot of Leo fan(girl)s here after all. Since the moment she set foot within the academy, she could constantly hear Leo¡¯s name from both boys and girls. He was a nice guy that anyone could get along with, but she really couldn¡¯t see why people would be gossiping about him nonstop.

    Speaking of gossips¡­.

    ¡°A-are you serious? That¡¯s His highness Leo¡¯s fianc¨¦?¡±

    ¡°I heard she had the highest score amongst all the newly enrolled students, and she isn¡¯t even twelve yet! You don¡¯t think she used her connection, did she?¡±

    ¡°Shhh! What¡¯ll you do if she hears you? Don¡¯t you know what kind of person she is?¡±

    ¡°W-what?¡±

    ¡°A friend of mine once met her at his highness¡¯s party, apparently she ordered her lackey¡¯s to make sure that other girls stayed away from him and used such extreme methods.¡±

    ¡°Heeh? But I thought that was Marionette Von Lukedius. Doesn¡¯t she also attend the academy?¡±

    ¡°Oh my god, you don¡¯t think those two will start a war or something, right?¡±

    ¡­she thought she was going to hear something interesting. She thought wrong. Did they think she was deaf or something? She could hear them loud and clear. And what did they mean her lackeys?? Never once after she took over this body did those ¡®lackeys¡¯ of her visit her, so naturally she didn¡¯t even know she had any to begin with. In fact, she hadn¡¯t met any of the people who the original Charlotte usually hung out.

    Just as she was contemplating on who the original Charlotte¡¯s ¡®friends¡¯ were, the door to the classroom opened. A tall, middle-aged man entered in the academy¡¯s professor¡¯s uniform and had a rather stern face. For some reason, he reminded her of professor steins, though a lot older.

    Never mind. She should just focus on the lessons, continue her trainings and occasionally meet up with the other three, live peacefully and quietly, slowly erasing her presence from others. Oh, and let¡¯s not forget to avoid that pedo as much as possi-

    ¡°Lotte~ looks like we¡¯re in the same class. Let¡¯s get along~¡±

    ¡°Pff-!¡±

    (TF is he doing here!?)

    Just as she was planning on how to avoid him, the moment she turned to look at her right, she saw an annoyingly familiar face smiling at her.

    (F***! I forgot he scored high enough to attend the elite classes! DAMNIT! I should have just purposely scored lower!)

    While he kept smiling at her, she looked at him with annoyance, her lips slightly twitching, before turning her gaze back to the front of the class.

    (I don¡¯t know him, don¡¯t look, I don¡¯t know him, don¡¯t look.)

    While she ignored him and focused her gaze to the front of the classroom, Ran kept waving at her with a bright smile plastered on his face, catching the attention of everyone in the classroom, even the professor, as they looked at Ran and charlotte back and forth with a strange expression.

    (I want to kill this pedo¡­.)

 Volume 3: Chapter 43 relieving stress

    ¡°Fufu~¡±a pleasant laughter resounded in the quiet grass plain.

    ¡°Oi! Can¡¯t you be a bit gentler!?¡± While speaking, Ran quickly dodged to the left, without time to rest, he quickly kicked off the ground, simultaneously blocking the upcoming objects surrounded by jet black flames with a magic barrier.

    ¡°Oh come now, were you not the one who suggested acting as my practice dummy?¡± her voice was as calm as ever as she accurately threw the three kunais held between her fingers at the constantly moving target, each strike aiming to kill.

    ¡°When did that happen!?¡± Ran retorted, but it didn¡¯t seem like Charlotte was paying attention to his words. He could only dodge as fast as he could, lest those nasty things stabbed him. When he wasn¡¯t paying attention, one of the kunais managed to get past his notice. When he finally noticed, it was already too late and he could only move so that it didn¡¯t hit his lungs, stabbed him in the shoulder blades. ¡°Kgh- you¡¯re enjoying this, aren¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°What could you possibly mean by that?¡± Charlotte innocently blinked her eyes, looking at him as if she was being wrongly accused. As soon as she finished speaking, she casted another mid-ranged offensive spell. While Ran was distracted once more, three kunais appeared once more in each hand which she imbued with her mana.

    Having experienced her sneak attacks twice already, he leaped towards her at lightning speed, successfully grabbed her by her wrists before she could throw them. ¡°Heh, you can fool me twice, but not thrice.¡±

    Caught in his grip, unexpectedly, the smile on her face grew wider, ¡°Too bad.¡± But before he could figure out what she meant, she lifted her leg to kick him that he quickly blocked with his hand.

    ¡°Didn¡¯t I say-¡°

    --Bam!

    A heavy kick landed on his sides, sending him several steps back. When he looked up, he glared at the figure that kicked him from behind. ¡°You¡­¡± standing side by side were two identical looking girls. No matter how you looked at them, they perfectly resembled one another that you could mistake them for the same person. Surprised, he said, ¡°Shadow clone. You actually know this spell and it looks like you¡¯ve also mastered it.¡±

    Still in battle-mode, Charlotte prepared for the next attack. ¡°Aren¡¯t you a bit pitiful for a vampire noble?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve been sealed for three centuries, what did you expect?¡± He was telling the truth. Although his vast amount of mana made him a dangerous opponent, his speed and reflexes had somewhat dulled. Against someone like Charlotte who relied on both speed and magic attacks, he couldn¡¯t deny that he was being pushed to a corner. What he didn''t say though was that if he really...Ran glanced at the side, looking at that tiny figure, his eyes unconsciously twitched with irritation.You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°Then again, you managed to take down the devil king¡¯s guard dog, are you sure you¡¯re still human!?¡± even a high ranked demon was unable to defeat that thing. Although she did sustain a lot of injuries in the process, for a human girl her age to reduce the demon serpent the devil king personally summoned into sushi rolls was just beyond monstrous!

    Not to mention that it was rare for humans to be able to properly control their magic if they possess the dark attribute. There were even rare cases of humans who possessed dark magic that died due to losing control. But this girl, not only did it seem like she was able to use it as easy as breathing, but even knew highly advanced magic spells that she casted with such ease. He hadn¡¯t even noticed her chanting any incantations! Did he underestimate her?

    ¡°Looks like if I keep holding back, I might really die.¡±

    (So you were holding back after all, huh.)

    She couldn¡¯t deny that his speed was far superior than hers, and if he really was serious, she would have been dead long ago. His magic attacks were also something to be weary of, as each of his attacks had made her use all her strength to block, barely escaping if she wanted to dodge. Because of that, she switched to her current attacking style, fierce and aggressive, not giving him the chance to cast a single spell without getting hit in the process.

    On the sides, PuffPuff lazily stretched his paws. If you were to look carefully, you would notice a peculiar smile in his eyes as he watched Ran¡¯s ¡®miserable¡¯ state.

    More than a month had already passed since her enrolment in Lonaria academy. A lot had happened, a lot of frustrating things for Charlotte, making today¡¯s training a one sided tackle.

    (Not only do those annoying lackeys keep pestering me, this pedo stalking me, fangirls leaving annoying hate letters in my lockers, the student council trying to recruit me EVERY SINGLE DAY, but even my teacher is ganging up on me? Are they messing with me!?)

    Normally, something of such level was still tolerable for her. What really ticked her off was¡­.

    [five weeks ago]

    A strange rumor once again floated around campus. This was an everyday occurrence, thus no one really paid it much attention as there were countless rumors. For instance, the academy¡¯s seven wonders.

    ¡°Seven wonders? What¡¯s that?¡± Leila curiously asked Terence who brought up this topic.

    It was currently lunch break, thus the four of them met up at the predecided meeting point where they would have lunch. The four of them¡­plus an extra addition¡­.Ran.

    While stuffing his face with his lunch, Terence carefully explained, ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re mysteries our academy¡¯s supernatural club are unable to solve.¡±

    ¡°Such a club exists?¡± Charlotte asked indifferently, leisurely sipping her tea while her other hand kept moving about.

    Leila, Terence and Leo looked at the two with a strange expression, but decided to ignore it and continue.

    ¡°Want to hear what they¡¯re all about?¡± Leo asked to dissolve the awkward silence that was starting to grow from the pair sitting opposite of them.

    ¡°Oh! I think I heard the first one from one of my classmates.¡± Leila pointed her index finger at the tall clock tower south from where they sat and retold what she heard, ¡°Long ago when the academy was recently founded and still small, they said the clock tower was one of the very first buildings that was built. It was said that one of the students had stumbled upon an ancient long lost magic, a magic that was able to bend space and time to their will.¡±

 Volume 3: Chapter 44 The first wonder of Lonaria Academy

    ¡°Control time and space?¡± She recalled there being something like that in the game. Wat though? The longer she stayed in this world, it felt as though her memories became hazy whenever she thinks of the game. Charlotte placed down her cup with one hand, her other hand still swinging the sharp silver object in her hand at full speed.

    ¡°From what I know, this arts is long lost and few humans even possessed this ability to begin with. Probably only that lazy old hag 6<sup>th</sup> still possesses this magic now.¡±Ran randomly threw this remark, making the rest of the group puzzled.

    ¡°Who¡¯s lazy old hag number six?¡± Ran was a vampire, that meant that whoever he was talking about was most likely a nonhuman. Charlotte seemed to remember something about this; someone who knows time and space magic and isn¡¯t human, is lazy, female and sixth of something. She seemed to recall there being someone who fit this description from the game, but she just couldn¡¯t put her finger on it. It was there, but she couldn¡¯t completely remember what.

    ¡°Ah¡­¡± when he wasn¡¯t paying attention, the silver knife in Charlotte¡¯s hand grazed his neck, red blood dripping on his white uniform. ¡°Silver¡­you¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± Ran jumped back a few steps, gripping the cut wound on his neck as his eyes twitch while watching the still calm Charlotte.

    Charlotte lifted her gaze and looked at him with an annoyed expression, carefully speaking each word, ¡°Then.stop.bothering.me.¡±

    Ran helplessly shook his head, ¡°Sorry, no can do. I¡¯m quite thirsty right now.¡±

    ¡°Tch, then just thirst yourself to death.¡±

    ¡°How cruel~ It¡¯s been almost half a year since I had a single sip of your bloo-¡°

    -swoosh~

    ¡°That was close~ you almost severed my head.¡±

    ¡°It would have been better if it did.¡±

    Their weird ''conversation'' didn¡¯t make any sense to Leila, Terence or Leo, frightening them even. Leila lightly cleared her throat and decided to continue and ignore the two, ¡°The identity of the student who was able to use this magic is still unknown till this day, but, those who saw his shadow, yet never his face, all followed him to the clock tower, always practicing his magic in secret at midnight.¡±

    Charlotte suddenly cut in, ¡°If he was secretly practicing, how come so many people know of this? How is that even a secret at this point?¡±This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

    ¡°Ahaha¡­¡± Leila laughed awkwardly, then continued as if she didn¡¯t hear her, ¡°A-anyways, when the students who followed him wanted to get closer and entered the clock tower, his shadow would suddenly disappear without a trace. The next midnight and the midnight after that, no matter how many times they followed him, the results were always the same. But, each time the students who had followed him noticed something strange.¡±

    ¡°He was actually a demon in disguise.¡± Ran randomly added.

    ¡°Huh? No. How did you come to that conclusion?¡±four heads turned to look at Ran with a slight frown. The academy was located between the borders of the three human countries, in the middle of the human territory. Unless one of the kingdoms had fallen, the chances of a demon sneaking into the academy was very low¡­sort of.

    ¡°All I heard was that each time, they noticed that a-¡°

    ¡°There they are!¡± suddenly, a loud shout cut Leila off for the nth time. But this time, when they heard the loud voice and looked at the direction it came from, followed by the single shout, countless shouts followed after, with them, a herd of footsteps¡­

    --durduruduru

    The ground lightly shook, then, as it continued, so did the intensity, dust started rising¡­

    ¡°Oh boy¡­¡±

    ¡°W-we better get going¡­¡±

    ¡°How in mother-nature do they keep finding us? Do they have a tracking expert amongst them?¡±

    ¡°Tomorrow, we should meet up at the old oak tree.¡±

    ¡°Got it.¡±

    ¡°But, won¡¯t they find you two again?¡±

    ¡°¡­let¡¯s hope not?¡±

    Nodding their heads in agreement, before the herd of students could reach them, they quickly scattered away into separate directions.

    ¡°Crap, they¡¯re escaping again!¡± one of the students shouted.

    ¡°Argh! To the left! The left!¡±

    ¡°No, I clearly saw them go to the right!¡±

    ¡°Your highness! Please wait for us~!¡±

    ¡°Huhu~ looks like we¡¯ll be able to get another scoop! [His highness and Lady Charlotte, a secret rendezvous]? [Lady Charlotte in the lead, what is lady Marionette¡¯s next move]?¡±

    ¡°Oi! No pushing! We found them first!¡±

    ¡°Hey, Lady Charlotte went that way! After her!¡±

    ¡°Vice-president, we can¡¯t let them escape!¡±

    ¡°Pres, I think we should stop if those two don¡¯t want to¡­¡±

    The chaos that suddenly came, quickly left just as fast, the dust slowly started settling back down¡­

    Seeing them leave, Charlotte hopped down from the tree, making her way back to her dormitory. Of course, Behind her, Ran was still following close by¡­

    ¡°Haa¡­.¡± Charlotte let out a long sigh as she lay down on her bed. It¡¯s barely been one and a half week, yet she¡¯s already this tired. Charlotte turned to lay on her side and looked at the empty bed not far from hers.

    Since the day they were assigned to their official dorms, she¡¯s barely seen her roommate. When they do meet, it would mostly be her trying to avoid Charlotte. When she greets her, the girl would just meekly nod her head and bow, before leaving again. Her roommate was Ana, the one she¡¯d met on the first day of class. Not only was she avoided by her roommate, but also her entire class¡­.except Ran.

    Charlotte got up from her bed and walked towards her desk. Seeing the recently arrived letters, she faintly smiled. She didn¡¯t know her father was such a worrywart, sending her letters every three days, as well as the occasional letters from Analisa that Lily and Iris had requested to send.

    By the time she finished reading, lunch break was almost over. Charlotte neatly folded the letters back in their envelope and placed them in her drawer. Checking for all the things she needed for the next class, she left once again.

 Volume 3: Chapter 45 The sixth wonder of Lonaria Academy

    ¡°Idiot Pres, I think you should give up. Those two seem like pros at escaping.¡± Eugene advised, his eyes still wholly focused on the stack of papers in front of him.

    ¡°Nonsense. Four-eyes, how many times did you escape, yet still ended up joining the student council?¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­oi, four-eyes, you listening?¡± Van smacked his hand at the desk, yet Eugene still kept ignoring him. ¡°You!¡± seemingly not having given up, Van turned around, pointing at the girl with a hair color closely resembling pink who was quietly reading a book on magic research. ¡°Pink.¡±

    Hearing him call her that, her eyes left her book, looking at that ultra-idiot-always full of energy- stupid-annoying-president, ¡°It¡¯s Pianikka, not pink.¡±

    ¡°Whatever, Pink, didn¡¯t you also say you wouldn¡¯t join, but still did in the end?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s cause my magic research professor said she¡¯d be willing to become our club¡¯s advisor if I did. Though, if I knew we¡¯d have YOU as our pres, I wouldn¡¯t have agreed.¡±

    ¡°¡­.¡± What was wrong with these people? Why was each member so pessimistic!? ¡°Vice-pre-¡°

    ¡°Sorry sorry, I¡¯ve got a date today. Good luck, pres.¡± Saying so, Eric casually waved his hand and left.

    ¡°Kgh¡­you, you traitors!¡± Van cried out as he slumped into his chair.

    Lonaria academy¡¯s junior year student council, one of the academy¡¯s seven wonders as the most mysterious student council to have ever existed in the history since its founding. Mystery, as in a mystery how they were able to keep everything in check with the weirdest combination of its current members.

    Eugene Wilfort, 14 years old, 3<sup>rd</sup> year junior student and top student of the knight section in his year. Heir to a large trading company in Lionerta kingdom, loves counting money; nicknamed [four-eyes] by Van, a.k.a. the treasurer.

    Pianikka Rhodes, 14 years old, 4<sup>nd</sup> year (final) junior student and top of the magic research section in her year. Third daughter of a wealthy noble household in Firriet kingdom, a research fanatic; nicknamed [Pink] by Van, a.k.a. the secretary.

    Eric, 15 years old, 4<sup>th</sup> year (final) junior student, genius duel elemental mage of the water and wind elements. Eldest son of a commoner¡¯s household in the kingdom of Cornelius, a complete flirt and womanizer; nicknamed [vice-president] by Van, a.k.a. the vice president.

    Van Loderdale, 15 years old, 4<sup>th</sup> year (final) junior student, young genius (??) of the knight section and fire elemental mage. Although his backgrounds are a mystery, rumor has it that he is the second son of a noble household in Arck Empire, an (overly) optimistic (??) young man; nicknamed [ultra-idiot-always full of energy- stupid-annoying-president] by Pianikka, [Pres] by Eric, [idiot Pres] by Eugene, [the weirdest president] by the entire junior campus, a.k.a. the president.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    And yet, this weird combo of a student council has managed to keep the junior campus in order, no, it became even more of a stable year ever since they took over.

    Members of the supernatural club have investigated this matter, the only conclusion they could come up with was, that there had to be a secret mastermind behind the scene. The members of the supernatural club have tirelessly investigated, sometimes even staking out just outside of the student council office, yet never have they been able to catch a glimpse of this so called ¡®mastermind¡¯.

    When the gossip club decided to take over this case, investigating each of the members of the student council, some even stalking the members, trying to find out what kind of secret method they used, yet even they had failed to uncover this mystery.

    This year would mark the last year of Lonaria academy¡¯s sixth wonder, as most of its members would enter their senior year, making this the last year, their last chance, at uncovering the truth.

    Could it be? That behind that weird student council, there actually hid an ingenious group that disguised themselves as idiots for others to fall in their trap of thinking they were weirdoes? Could it be? Are the members of the last few years student council members be such frightening schemers!?

    ¡°Follow us next week on the weekly gossip! Don¡¯t miss it; it¡¯s our last chance at finding out!¡± A cheerful and energetic looking girl spoke with full enthusiasm, her voice loud as she stood upon the self-made-platform in the center of the plaza on campus.

    As soon as the girl left, the crowd that had gathered scattered one by one, gossiping amongst themselves.

    ¡°I feel like this academy keeps getting weirder the more I find out.¡± Sitting on a tree branch not far from where the crowd had been, Charlotte leisurely flipped through the book she recently borrowed from the academy¡¯s library called [beginner¡¯s magic theories] to familiarize herself with the other elements besides the dark attribute once again.

    ¡°Hmm, what are you reading?¡± Ran leaned his head over to read the title, ¡°Beginner¡¯s magic?¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Charlotte absentmindedly nodded her head, fully concentrated on the book. Tomorrow her class would finally start their first practical lesson on magic. While each of her classmates had already been given a determined elemental affinity, including Ran, none of the instructors had told her anything about her case.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­.[oh spirits of the flame, hear my call and lend me thy strength, life flare]¡±

    --poof~

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°¡­ppft¡±

    ¡°Tsk, this is the eleventh time already. I did everything just the way this book instructed, so how come?¡± Not just the fire element, but even earth, wind, water and lightning, no matter how many times she tried casting the spells, either only a lump of smoke would appear, a drop of water fall from the sky, a pebble ¡®seemingly¡¯ moving a single inch from its original position, a momentary breeze pass by, and as for lightning¡­HAH! There was zero reaction!

    Her patience was close to hitting bottom rock¡­

    ¡°¡­are you sure that crystal ball didn¡¯t make a mistake?¡±

    ¡°This is already the eleventh time you asked. I¡¯ve also confirmed this, it wasn¡¯t a mistake. Though¡­it¡¯s quite surprising that you can¡¯t even seem to sense the elements themselves at all.¡±

    ¡°Sense the elements? What do you mean?¡± this was the first time she heard something like this.

    ¡°¡­.¡± Ran abruptly turned to look at Charlotte with an amazed expression. Was she actually an airhead? ¡°You¡­forget it. Look at it this way, how do you normally cast your spells?¡±

    Charlotte thought for a while, ¡°I don¡¯t know, it just happens I guess?¡±

    ¡°¡¯Just happens¡¯ my ass! No one, not even gods, just use magic like that! You need to sense it! Sense it!¡±

    ¡°¡­never mind, just try casting the other elements like you do with¡­whatever you usually do. *sigh* I give up, you¡¯re beyond abnormal.¡±

    ¡°Are you going to help or not?¡±

    ¡°I think you should return to the VERY basics of magic. First, sense the mana around you.¡±

    ¡°Done that.¡±

    ¡°Then, sense the different elements.¡±

    ¡°They all feel the same¡±

    ¡°¡­..¡±

    ¡°So? What¡¯s next?¡±

    ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve just aged a few centuries. How did that human woman even put up with you?¡±

 Volume 3: Chapter 46 Exposed?

    Letting out another sigh, Ran jumped down from the tree. ¡°Follow me, we¡¯ll have to see whether this method works or not.¡±

    Without saying a word, Charlotte followed after Ran as they soon left the campus grounds. After jumping over the wall that marked the academy¡¯s territory, they soon entered a wide grass plain that seemed to stretch out endlessly.

    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s try this again. Try picturing a flame floating just above your palm, like this.¡± Ran held out his hand. The mana in the area seemed to react, slowly gathering around his palm, red sparks slowly ignited into a palm sized flame, gently flickering along with the breeze.

    ¡°Now you try it.¡±

    Charlotte had carefully observed his actions and tried copying him. Slowly, she began gathering the mana from her surroundings into her palm, but as soon as she went to the next step-

    --poof~

    For the twelfth time, a black puff of smoke arose from her palm, making her cough several times.

    ¡°¡­it¡¯s not working.¡±

    By now, Ran had already felt that something was seriously wrong with this human. Even an airhead, as long as they had the affinity and mana capacity, they could cast such a simple spell. He wasn¡¯t mistaken; there really were multiple elemental affinities within this girl, but then why?

    ¡°This is pointless, why do I even need to learn these anyways? If I want a flame, I¡¯ll just do this.¡± With a flick of her wrist, black flames effortlessly formed in her palm.

    When Ran looked at those flames, he narrowed his eyes, as if deep in thoughts. The flame in her hand, although small, he could feel its blazing heat even from where he stood. What would happen if that thing made contact then? It couldn¡¯t be, right¡­.?

    ¡°¡­You said that all other elements also ended up in failures?¡± Charlotte nodded her head. ¡°Then, instead of using their respective elements, try materializing them with the dark element like you did with this flame.¡± There had only ever been three individuals in existence that had ever been able to accomplish this feet. If she really was able to pull this off¡­

    Charlotte quickly caught up to his meaning, yet unaware of the thoughts going through his mind, ¡°If it¡¯s that, I¡¯ve already done it countless times.¡± To the point she didn¡¯t even remember how many.

    ¡°Just do it.¡± There was something he wanted to make sure of. Maybe he was thinking too deep, but he wanted to make sure nonetheless.

    Charlotte rolled her eyes. Without the need to cast any incantations and just a flick of her wrist like before, a pitch black ice sphere emitting a biting cold hovered above her other palm.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

    ¡°Try hitting something.¡± Clicking her tongue, without a second thought, she mercilessly shot the black flame in her right hand and the ice sphere in her left hand at him.

    --shaaa~

    --crack!

    In an instant, the place Ran had been standing half a blink ago had been turned into an icy landscape while the other half had been completely burned to ashes.

    ¡°You really don¡¯t waste the chance to kill me huh.¡± Standing- or rather, floating 5 meters above the ground, Ran looked at the place he had been standing not too long ago, his brow slightly raised.

    Charlotte lifted her head to look at him and innocently smiled, ¡°Oops, I missed.¡±

    (Damn his annoying speed.)

    ¡°What are you cursing at me again?¡±

    ¡°Hmn? What are you talking about?¡± Charlotte blinked her eyes

    ¡°Well, whatever. I¡¯ve already confirmed what¡¯s wrong with you. No, I should have known the moment we formed the contract. I can¡¯t belief I was fooled by your innocent appearance.¡±

    ¡°Hey? You¡¯re speaking in riddles again.¡± Why did she suddenly have a bad feeling about this? Something wasn¡¯t right with this guy¡­

    ¡°Still pretending?¡± Ran had a sarcastic smile over his face as he jumped back down, slowly walking closer to her, ¡°Your blood, that taste, no normal 11 year old human child can produce something that alluring to a vampire. I didn¡¯t smell anything on your hands, that¡¯s why I didn¡¯t suspect anything¡­but what about your soul?¡±

    Charlotte¡¯s face slightly stiffened. What did he find out? To say that he was able to see into a person¡¯s soul, it wasn¡¯t impossible if the other party was weaker than him.

    At first, she had decided to keep feigning ignorance, but as the two continued to stare at each other, she knew that he was already certain of something.

    The expression she always wore slowly faded away, replaced by a dangerous sharp glare, unimaginable bloodlust concealed in those eyes.

    Ran began laughing, his laughter able to make a person¡¯s heart freeze over, ¡°So, I assume THAT is your true appearance? Tell me, who are you really? No matter how I look at it, Charlotte Ionesse, a human barely a decade old growing up in such a spoiled environment, there is no way someone like that can produce such bloodlust that comes from an entire lifetime of slaughtering.¡±

    In an instant, Ran changed back into his original appearance of a silver haired vampire, his tall stature towering over Charlotte¡¯s petite body, a pair of blood red eyes looking down on her from above.

    Those eyes, it was those cold piercing eyes that could even make the her from ¡®that time¡¯ shudder in fear. Those eyes that she saw in that dungeon, they were like a predator watching it¡¯s pray¡¯s every move. Extremely uncomfortable.

    Just like that time, her body unconsciously took a few steps back, but Ran ¨CCyran Melchior, didn¡¯t give her the opportunity. Reaching out his large pale slender hand, he grabbed her wrist, his other hand gripping her chin, slowly and forcefully lifting it till their eyes met.

    ¡°Tell me, who are you?¡±

    His voice sent shivers down her entire body, but her eyes remained steady, as if not knowing the word fear. She didn¡¯t say anything, he continued, ¡°So you can even resist this level of hypnosis. No wonder you always escaped when I tried to use magic on you. I¡¯m curious. If I look carefully, I can still sense a small fraction of the girl¡¯s soul still barely there, slowly being taken over by you, then tell me¡­did you take over this human¡¯s body, demon?¡±

    There wasn¡¯t a trace of his usual childishness, his grip over her so tight she could feel her bones starting to break. Her heart rate started increasing as she was struggling to even breathe, her complexion becoming pale, then slightly purple.

 Volume 3: Chapter 47 True colors

    Cyran watched the girl struggle in his grip with cold eyes. He had his suspicions since the moment they had met. How could a normal human draw that stone-faced guardian¡¯s attention? How could a normal human use dark magic that was even labeled as a sin in some countries, cast it with such ease? How could a normal human defeat the devil king¡¯s 6<sup>rd</sup> familiar? But most importantly, how could a normal human understand his clan¡¯s ancient language that even some vampire descendants fail to comprehend? Even breaking the devil king¡¯s strongest sealing magic as if she were pulling out a weed sprout¡­.

    ¡°Let¡­go of me!¡± Charlotte enhanced her entire body with magic on the spur of the moment, breaking free from his grip.

    Cyran looked at his hand that had blocked her kick. His flesh was partially rotten by that black energy that was emitting from her body.

    Charlotte glared at him, ¡°Demon? You should look in the mirror if you forgot what demons really look like!¡±

    But Cyran simply scoffed at her words, ¡°Your heart ¨Cyour soul is even blacker than a demon¡¯s. If you¡¯re not a demon, then what are you? A god? I did hear rumors saying that the god of order had disappeared. What? You decided to play human now?¡±

    ¡°If I was, the first thing I would do was probably kill you and be done with it.¡± How the hell did this suddenly turn into her being the disappeared god of this world!?

    The dangerous aura from Cyran didn¡¯t seem to lessen in the slightest, if anything, it grew even more terrifying as time went by. ¡°Lost your memories perhaps? It doesn¡¯t matter. Now that you¡¯re in such a weakened state, it would be foolish not to get rid of you.¡±

    Charlotte seemed to have sensed her life being in danger. She quickly enhanced her body as fast as she was allowed to, dodging his attacks that came down on her like rain. The sky had at some point turned a crimson red without her knowing, the atmosphere filled with pure bloodlust between the two figures. With the barrier in place, no matter what happened here, they wouldn¡¯t be disturbed. He could slowly take his time to get rid of her¡­

    ¡°Kgh-!¡± Although she always knew he was dangerous and keeping him so close to her was plain stupidity, she didn¡¯t know how to get rid of him nor what had suddenly triggered him to want to kill her this much.

    Obviously he had mistaken her for someone else, but who? Which enemy could make him glare at her with such deep hatred? Charlotte had several suspects in mind that she could remember from the game, but at the moment, she couldn¡¯t afford to get distracted by her thoughts.

    Although her defenses were good, Cyran¡¯s speed was far greater. He found several openings in no time at all, slipping past her defenses and grabbing her by the neck, he mercilessly threw her with great force to the ground.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    Blood spurted out from her mouth, coughing nonstop. But before she could regain her balance, Cyran¡¯s body already stood in front of her, grabbing her by the throat once more as those blood red eyes locked onto hers.

    ¡°Show me who you are¡­¡±

    ¡°Urgh-!¡± As his eyes turned an even deeper red, she felt a heavy pressure weight down on her body, her bones feeling as though they were being slowly crushed. Her head felt as though it was being split apart, her breathing became chaotic. But she could feel that, beyond that pain, her soul was being forcefully torn open.

    ¡°Ah!¡± She screamed. Unknown to her, an ominous violet glow enveloped her body, countless strange black marks that resembled runes spread through her entire body, yet at the moment, her consciousness laid elsewhere. Even Cyran had yet to notice this change.

    Scenes played through both of their eyes; they were images ¡®she¡¯ was very much familiar with, as they were the memories of not Charlotte Ionesse, but Kana Katsuki. Those cold, bloody memories and that nightmare that she buried deep within, trying to forget them, they were forcefully brought back to the surface.

    ¡°Remember what I thought you. Never show your target any mercy! Emotions are but a burden to your life!¡± the images of her grandfather who she didn¡¯t know was still alive or not¡­

    ¡°HahahHahaHAha!¡± the her that slaughtered any in her way as she was drenched in their blood¡­

    ¡°Kana...I¡­r-run¡­¡±the death of the only person she was truly able to open her heart to¡­

    -Bang- her death¡­

    And¡­

    The scene suddenly changed into complete darkness and silence. In the midst of this darkness stood a lone figure dressed in black from head to toe. That person had long hair that reached the ground. A strange energy seeping from that person¡¯s body. Sensing the two persons presence, that person slowly turned around. It felt as though time had momentarily come to a stop.

    As Cyran dug deeper into her memories, his frown deepened. What? Impossible!? Wasn¡¯t that person already-!?

    --Tzz!

    Before the last scene could fully play out, the spell was interrupted. The sudden burst of energy that was shot at his body send him a few meters away. Cyran finally returned to the present, he glared at the figure that had interfered.

    ¡°You¡­!¡± Cyran clutched his head with one hand; the backlash he received from looking into her past was something he hadn¡¯t expected. No, what he didn¡¯t expect was that this girl was actually ¡®that¡¯ person out of every existence.

    ¡°Cyran, did I not warn you before not to lay your filthy hands on her?¡± standing not far from Cyran was a tall man with long dark hair and violet glowing pupils cloaked in ancient black robes, different from the person he saw in those memories. In his arms, he securely held the curled up Charlotte whose entire body was now drenched in cold sweat, her face twisted in pain as she constantly gasped for air, her eyes tightly shut.

    ¡°Noir¡­that human, are you telling me that she¡¯s¡­¡±the man Cyran called Noir cut off his words

    ¡°Do not speak a word of this. If I ever find out that you harmed her again in any way¡­¡± his tone carried a heavy pressure, making even Cyran, a vampire noble, difficult to stand straight.

    A strange smile spread across Cyran¡¯s face. To make even this uncaring guy show this much emotion whenever this human was involved, it just answered his unspoken question. It was laughable that he didn¡¯t notice something as obvious as this till now.

    Noir gently placed a finger on Charlotte¡¯s forehead; her body slowly began to relax as a warm energy spread through her body. The strange marks that had appeared all over her body slowly faded away.

    Cyran kept his distance as he cautiously watched that man¡¯s actions. He¡¯s sealing those memories again?

 Volume 3: Chapter 48

    ¡°You forcefully undid the seals in your baseless suspicion, almost taking her life in the process. And even if you didn¡¯t kill her, the backlash of those memories would eventually drain her life force dry. I currently see no reason why I shouldn¡¯t kill you while you¡¯re in your weakened state.¡± There were almost no emotions as he looked at Cyran.

    Cyran¡¯s eyes widened in alarm.

    Before he could react, thorns erupted from the ground beneath his feet. Noir held out his palm, squeezing them into a tight fist.

    The thorns wrapped themselves around Cyran and dug into his flesh. His skin that had been pierced showed signs of being poisoned as they turned a darker shade with each passing second.

    Without hesitation, Noir waved his tightly closed hand in every direction, throwing Cyran all over the place like he was a piece of rag. He had ignored his warnings, even harming his mistress. He would make this fiend feel the pain ten times his mistress went through because of him!

    Cyran didn¡¯t utter a sound, only clenching his teeth as the thorns dug deeper into his flesh and the unknown poison turning his blood cold.

    Noir, the king¡¯s most loyal servant. A stone-faced man that never showed any emotions to others except his master. Whoever dared to go against his master, he would mercilessly deal with them, giving them a living hell.

    Noir was just a familiar while he was a pureblooded vampire. If this were the past, their strength could be said to be equal. Whenever they fought, they would always end up in a draw. But now, in his weakened state, he was unable to even avoid such a simple attack. The years he had been sealed away finally showed their effects.

    His sight started blurring, obstructed by the blood that dripped from his face.

    The foolish one could be said to be him, not Charlotte. Perhaps what declined wasn¡¯t only his strength, but also his intelligence. All the clues stood right in front of his nose, yet he was still unable to see them. No, perhaps he just refused to belief them and ignored all the warnings in his head. He could only curse himself for not seeing this coming.

    =

    ¡°Hey there little guy, are you lost?¡±

    A memory of long ago. He remembered them as though it happened just yesterday.

    ¡°Astina, what are you doing?¡±The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    This was a memory from the age of war and chaos.

    ¡°Lax, isn¡¯t he¡¯s just so cute~¡±

    A meeting between an injured young fox spirit and a group of four teenagers.

    ¡°What? It¡¯s a spirit animal. It¡¯s rare for them to appear in this area.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, maybe it got lost. Just how you¡¯re always getting lost despite having a map, Livi.¡±

    The three of them broke out into laughter while the other teenager hung his head down in embarrassment.

    ¡°So, what are you going to do with it?¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I¡¯ll keep him! It¡¯s fine right, Nat?¡±

    This was the beginning of their journey that would one day bring about complete change to this chaotic world.

    This odd group of fox spirit, demon, elf, drake and human.

    This was a tale of old, now forever forgotten in time.

    The human who was called Astina

    The demon named Volax

    The drake that possessed a humanoid form, Livi

    And the elfen girl granted the name of Natrus by the forest elders

    ¡°Hey, when did you complete the contract? You¡¯re way too hasty Astina!¡±

    ¡°Aww~ come on, it¡¯s not like it¡¯ll kill me. What do you guys think of his name? Noir!¡±

    ¡°Hah? See, that¡¯s why I told you to stop being hasty!¡±

    ¡°Oh, I quite like it though. Don¡¯t listen to Lax, he¡¯s just jealous since you¡¯re better than him at magic.¡±

    ¡°Thanks Nat, I know. He¡¯s always been like that. Haah¡­how I worry for his future bride.¡±

    ¡°Haha, but isn¡¯t that person you, Astina?¡±

    ¡°Liviiii! Shut up! I¡¯ll kill you!¡±

    ¡°H-hey, I was just kidding around. No need for violence!¡±

    ¡°{Shadow blade}!¡±

    ¡°Nat! Help me!¡±

    ¡°Heh, you brought this upon yourself. Good luck Livi.¡±

    ¡°This isn¡¯t funny! Lax, get your girlfriend under control already!¡±

    ¡°¡­You know, I think I¡¯ll join her.¡±

    ¡°You guys! Stop! Stop! Stop!¡±

    Although it was a chaotic era, the time they spend together was irreplaceable. They did not care for their difference of origin; they were just a group of na?ve and ignorant kids that sought out adventure.

    The little fox spirit watched as they grew stronger, protecting the girl that had saved him from death.

    It never would have thought that one day; this bond that seemed unbreakable would shatter.

    Leading them to their destruction

    ¡°Do you know why you¡¯re still alive?¡± Noir looked at Cyran who was in such a sorry state

    ¡°You still refuse to reveal your real identity. What else could there possibly be than your original reason?¡±

    ¡°You should feel it as well. The time is nearing. Her seal will undo itself one day, that will be the time ¡®they¡¯ return as well.¡±

    ¡°You think I will agree to it now that I know who she is?¡±

    ¡°You have no choice if you want revenge.¡±

    ¡°Kgh, once I regain my strength, I will make you pay as well.¡±

    ¡°I shall look forward to that time.¡±

    Noir and Cyran glared at one another buteventually made a deal.