Roel raised the question with a calm voice, but his sharp eyes assessing every single detail of Charlotte’s reactions. He noticed her body stiffening unnaturally for a brief instant upon hearing his question.
Grace was both Charlotte’s personal maid and bodyguard. She was responsible for attending to her every need and ensuring her safety.
As a high transcendent adept in close-quarter combat, she compensated for Charlotte’s weakness in frontal attacks. With one specializing in aggression and the other in support, they made a fearsome duo that was more than enough to deter most aggressors.
Grace’s absence was unnatural considering how it would make Charlotte much more vulnerable to enemy attacks. Even if not for that, it was only normal for Charlotte to bring her confidant with her on long journeys.
“Grace has some matters to attend to…”
“She isn’t with you even though you’re traveling? What could be more important than your safety?”
“…”
Charlotte was rendered speechless.
She couldn’t agree with Roel here, for it would have been making light of Grace’s dedication to her duties. She couldn’t trample on everything Grace had done for her even if it was just a lie. That would have been the worst insult to Grace.
“Grace… is feeling unwell. I ordered her to take a rest.”
“Oh? Grace is resting right now?”
“She is. All the traveling must have gotten to her. Even a high transcendent would find it hard to cope with our hectic schedule.”
“I see… May I ask what’s with this cup of tea then? I was fairly certain that it was brewed by Grace, judging by the aroma.”
“!”
This is bad. Darling is too sharp!
As Roel unraveled her lies through his sharp observation, Charlotte panicked. His narrowed golden eyes showed that he was ready to pounce at any gaps in her statements. She gathered her willpower and forced herself to stand firm.
“She left right before you came. She was feeling light-headed, so I had to take care of her first before meeting you. Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“I understand.”
Roel answered with a nod as he scanned Charlotte from head to toe. A frown soon formed on his face, making Charlotte’s heart skip a beat. Realizing that he might be onto something, she quickly tried to change the topic, only to be a second too late.
“What about you, Charlotte? Are you feeling well?”
“Of course. The last few months have been exhausting, but it’s not too much for me to take.”
“…”
It was fortunate that Charlotte was already prepared for that question, allowing her to answer without a hitch. Relieved that she had handled the question well, she casually reached for her teacup.
At the same time, she raised her head to gauge Roel’s reaction, only to be surprised by his darkened expression.
W-what’s going on?
Charlotte was confused.
Roel’s reaction suggested that her answer had been off the mark, but that shouldn’t have been the case. Unsure about what was going on, she directed a questioning look at Roel, but the latter wasn’t saying a word at all.
The silence loomed and her nervousness intensified. The graceful demeanor she had been maintaining began to collapse. Taking in her reaction, Roel finally opened his mouth.
“Charlotte… how well do you think I know you?”
“Ah?”
Charlotte was taken by surprise by the abrupt question. Looking at the black-haired man before her, she thought about the days they had spent together. Moments later, she answered with a smile.
“I’d say that darling knows me quite well. May I ask what’s with the sudden question?”
“Nothing much. I was just curious to know what you thought about me. I can’t help but think that you are underestimating my feelings for you.”
Search h0sted n0vel for the original.
“Underestimating?”
Charlotte tilted her head in confusion. Roel responded with an affirmative nod.
“That’s right. We haven’t met for a year now. I’d understand if you feel that I don’t care about you and have neglected you, but the truth is that I know you much better than you think I do.
“You’re fond of floral tea blends steeped at 70-degrees. You can’t keep your hands away from strawberry-flavored desserts and macarons. You tend to wake up at the crack of dawn. You feel uneasy if you don’t spend some time looking through your work before sleeping…”
Much to Charlotte’s bewilderment, Roel calmly listed out the little habits in her daily life. A rush of elation surged into her heart, and an irrepressible smile formed on her lips.
Humans don’t usually pay much attention to others, even to those whom they were close with. This was even more so when it came to someone as independent as Charlotte. Her confident demeanor often left others thinking that she was on top of things and didn’t require care and concern. Even her own father, Bruce Sorofya, had neglected her due to it.
Yet, despite the excruciatingly limited time Roel and her had together, he still had such a thorough understanding of her. That could only mean that he cared so much for her that he paid attention to every single detail about her.
To Charlotte, there was nothing in this world sweeter than knowing that she was being cherished by the man she loved. But knowing that she couldn’t allow Roel to know about her affliction, she exerted every last bit of her self-restraint to keep herself from swooning for him.
While she was being overwhelmed by the intensity of Roel’s feelings for her, her brain had already started to process the significance of his words.
“Darling, I didn’t know that you care so much about me. I am moved by your sentiments. However, I don’t understand the intent behind those words.”
“What I’m saying is that you shouldn't bother lying to me.”
“Lying? I-I don’t understand what you’re saying…”
“You don’t understand? I’ll put it in clearer terms then.”
Roel looked at Charlotte’s stiffened face and exhaled deeply.
“It doesn’t show when it comes to others, but you tend to get nervous whenever you lie to me. You’d feel restless and start fidgeting with your hands… such as how you’re touching the rim of your teacup now.”
“!”
Charlotte’s eyes fell on her thumb, which had been tracing the rim of her teacup for a while now, and her body froze up. Her first instinct was to put down the teacup and refute Roel’s words, but in the midst of lowering her teacup, she realized that he had fallen for his trap.
By the time she looked at Roel once more, the skepticism in his eyes had been replaced with certainty.
Her lie had already been exposed. Roel wouldn’t leave the carriage anymore until he got to the bottom of things.
“Charlotte, can you tell me what happened now?”
“…”
Charlotte cursed her own uselessness.
Unable to hold back his worry anymore, Roel stood up and approached Charlotte, hoping to hold her hand. Such a level of intimacy was something the two of them had long grown accustomed to, but astonishingly, Charlotte immediately shot to her feet and retreated a step.
This unprecedented rejection shocked Roel.
“Charlotte?”
“That’s not it, darling. I’m begging you, please don’t touch me. Allow me to explain the situation first…”
Fearing that Roel would misunderstand the situation, Charlotte decided to reveal the truth after some hesitation. As he listened to her story, Roel’s face slowly turned livid.
Roel raised the question with a calm voice, but his sharp eyes assessing every single detail of Charlotte’s reactions. He noticed her body stiffening unnaturally for a brief instant upon hearing his question.
Grace was both Charlotte’s personal maid and bodyguard. She was responsible for attending to her every need and ensuring her safety.
As a high transcendent adept in close-quarter combat, she compensated for Charlotte’s weakness in frontal attacks. With one specializing in aggression and the other in support, they made a fearsome duo that was more than enough to deter most aggressors.
Grace’s absence was unnatural considering how it would make Charlotte much more vulnerable to enemy attacks. Even if not for that, it was only normal for Charlotte to bring her confidant with her on long journeys.
“Grace has some matters to attend to…”
“She isn’t with you even though you’re traveling? What could be more important than your safety?”
“…”
Charlotte was rendered speechless.
She couldn’t agree with Roel here, for it would have been making light of Grace’s dedication to her duties. She couldn’t trample on everything Grace had done for her even if it was just a lie. That would have been the worst insult to Grace.
“Grace… is feeling unwell. I ordered her to take a rest.”
“Oh? Grace is resting right now?”
“She is. All the traveling must have gotten to her. Even a high transcendent would find it hard to cope with our hectic schedule.”
“I see… May I ask what’s with this cup of tea then? I was fairly certain that it was brewed by Grace, judging by the aroma.”
“!”
This is bad. Darling is too sharp!
As Roel unraveled her lies through his sharp observation, Charlotte panicked. His narrowed golden eyes showed that he was ready to pounce at any gaps in her statements. She gathered her willpower and forced herself to stand firm.
“She left right before you came. She was feeling light-headed, so I had to take care of her first before meeting you. Sorry to have kept you waiting.”
“I understand.”
Roel answered with a nod as he scanned Charlotte from head to toe. A frown soon formed on his face, making Charlotte’s heart skip a beat. Realizing that he might be onto something, she quickly tried to change the topic, only to be a second too late.
“What about you, Charlotte? Are you feeling well?”
“Of course. The last few months have been exhausting, but it’s not too much for me to take.”
“…”
It was fortunate that Charlotte was already prepared for that question, allowing her to answer without a hitch. Relieved that she had handled the question well, she casually reached for her teacup.
At the same time, she raised her head to gauge Roel’s reaction, only to be surprised by his darkened expression.
W-what’s going on?
Charlotte was confused.
Roel’s reaction suggested that her answer had been off the mark, but that shouldn’t have been the case. Unsure about what was going on, she directed a questioning look at Roel, but the latter wasn’t saying a word at all.
The silence loomed and her nervousness intensified. The graceful demeanor she had been maintaining began to collapse. Taking in her reaction, Roel finally opened his mouth.
“Charlotte… how well do you think I know you?”
“Ah?”
Charlotte was taken by surprise by the abrupt question. Looking at the black-haired man before her, she thought about the days they had spent together. Moments later, she answered with a smile.
“I’d say that darling knows me quite well. May I ask what’s with the sudden question?”
“Nothing much. I was just curious to know what you thought about me. I can’t help but think that you are underestimating my feelings for you.”
Search h0sted n0vel for the original.
“Underestimating?”
Charlotte tilted her head in confusion. Roel responded with an affirmative nod.
“That’s right. We haven’t met for a year now. I’d understand if you feel that I don’t care about you and have neglected you, but the truth is that I know you much better than you think I do.
“You’re fond of floral tea blends steeped at 70-degrees. You can’t keep your hands away from strawberry-flavored desserts and macarons. You tend to wake up at the crack of dawn. You feel uneasy if you don’t spend some time looking through your work before sleeping…”
Much to Charlotte’s bewilderment, Roel calmly listed out the little habits in her daily life. A rush of elation surged into her heart, and an irrepressible smile formed on her lips.
Humans don’t usually pay much attention to others, even to those whom they were close with. This was even more so when it came to someone as independent as Charlotte. Her confident demeanor often left others thinking that she was on top of things and didn’t require care and concern. Even her own father, Bruce Sorofya, had neglected her due to it.
Yet, despite the excruciatingly limited time Roel and her had together, he still had such a thorough understanding of her. That could only mean that he cared so much for her that he paid attention to every single detail about her.
To Charlotte, there was nothing in this world sweeter than knowing that she was being cherished by the man she loved. But knowing that she couldn’t allow Roel to know about her affliction, she exerted every last bit of her self-restraint to keep herself from swooning for him.
While she was being overwhelmed by the intensity of Roel’s feelings for her, her brain had already started to process the significance of his words.
“Darling, I didn’t know that you care so much about me. I am moved by your sentiments. However, I don’t understand the intent behind those words.”
“What I’m saying is that you shouldn't bother lying to me.”
“Lying? I-I don’t understand what you’re saying…”
“You don’t understand? I’ll put it in clearer terms then.”
Roel looked at Charlotte’s stiffened face and exhaled deeply.
“It doesn’t show when it comes to others, but you tend to get nervous whenever you lie to me. You’d feel restless and start fidgeting with your hands… such as how you’re touching the rim of your teacup now.”
“!”
Charlotte’s eyes fell on her thumb, which had been tracing the rim of her teacup for a while now, and her body froze up. Her first instinct was to put down the teacup and refute Roel’s words, but in the midst of lowering her teacup, she realized that he had fallen for his trap.
By the time she looked at Roel once more, the skepticism in his eyes had been replaced with certainty.
Her lie had already been exposed. Roel wouldn’t leave the carriage anymore until he got to the bottom of things.
“Charlotte, can you tell me what happened now?”
“…”
Charlotte cursed her own uselessness.
Unable to hold back his worry anymore, Roel stood up and approached Charlotte, hoping to hold her hand. Such a level of intimacy was something the two of them had long grown accustomed to, but astonishingly, Charlotte immediately shot to her feet and retreated a step.
This unprecedented rejection shocked Roel.
“Charlotte?”
“That’s not it, darling. I’m begging you, please don’t touch me. Allow me to explain the situation first…”
Fearing that Roel would misunderstand the situation, Charlotte decided to reveal the truth after some hesitation. As he listened to her story, Roel’s face slowly turned livid.
