Chapter 103
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 103
‘Grandfather.’
“Attitude is a weapon, Raon. Your attitude is the shield that will protect you.”
He, who had willingly acted as her shield against the world, might have left her academic studies to tutors, but he had always personally taught her how to carry herself.
“Keep your chin tucked, your tongue pressed to the roof of your mouth, your teeth lightly touching, and your shoulders level. Keep your core firm, and finally, look the other person straight in the eye. You must never look away, nor should you tremble.”
He had instructed her step-by-step, correcting her posture. Whenever she stood according to his teachings and raised her eyes, her grandfather would always offer a calm smile.
“Yes. Just like that.”
He said that only then would she be able to protect herself. He had wanted to hand her a shield.
The moment she met her grandfather’s wrinkled, gently smiling eyes in her memory, the timid Outsider vanished like dispersing dusk. The guest who had been hiding in the wardrobe was gone.
In her place stood the daughter of Han Hong-heon, the pillar of Yongcheon.
It was as if the dim light of dawn had given way to a clear morning.
Barbara, and even the Wolves who had been standing by with clenched fists, were left speechless by this natural yet astonishing transformation.
The maid, who had been about to strike Barbara’s cheek with full force, was equally taken aback. The woman blocking her path did not exude a flashy, powerful aura like Charlotte or Sabine. Nor did she carry an intimidating presence that made it difficult to meet her eyes.
Yet, in the brown eyes staring straight back at her, there was an air of dignity that made it impossible to treat her lightly. Hesitating under this inexplicable atmosphere, the maid eventually looked back at Charlotte, silently asking what to do. But Charlotte was not looking at her. She, too, was staring intently at the woman whose entire demeanor had shifted.
“My lady.”
As Barbara snapped out of her daze and tried to pull Seo-ah back behind her, Charlotte stepped forward. Seo-ah, who had been looking at the maid until then, calmly turned to face her.
The Marchioness, who bore a striking resemblance to Sabine, was as intense as a golden sun.
I mustn't make a mistake. I mustn't stutter.
Seo-ah tightened her core. Then, politely clasping her hands before her, she bowed at a measured, graceful pace before straightening up and speaking.
“I apologize.”
“…”
Charlotte’s violet eyes narrowed as she approached. Against Barbara’s fierce gaze and impenetrable coldness, Charlotte had flared up like a raging volcano, but before Seo-ah’s polite apology, she grew strangely quiet.
This was because the distinct elegance of someone who had spent years mastering proper etiquette was clearly evident in this peculiar woman. The brown eyes calmly meeting hers were as solid and polished as expensive rosewood. She did not shift her gaze restlessly, nor did she blink.
“I have caused you concern due to my foolish judgment. I am truly sorry.”
Her impeccable accent, her controlled breathing, her precise delivery, and her low, resonant voice—this was not someone who had picked up the language by ear, but someone who had learned it through rigorous education.
The discrepancy between the woman hiding in the wardrobe and this aristocratic lady was unsettling.
Elegantly wrapping her fur shawl around herself, Charlotte spoke in a cold tone.
“Foolish judgment?”
Though she appeared calm to others, Seo-ah’s heart was pounding frantically. Her palms, clasped before her, were already slick with sweat, and she felt as though she might look away if she let her guard down for even a second.
How on earth should an uninvited guest caught hiding in a wardrobe behave?
“When you make a mistake, do not make excuses. Admit it honestly.”
Her grandfather’s voice echoed in her mind once more.
“There are times when honesty is your most powerful weapon.”
It was no surprise. To Seo-ah, he had been her entire world.
As if possessed, Seo-ah lowered her eyes slightly and calmly began to speak.
“My name is Han Seo-ah, and I am from Danguk. Danguk is a distant country, several months away by sea. To me, Luxen is a place of great wonder, but at the same time, every moment has been a source of constant tension. The social customs, common sense, and implicit rules that are obvious to the people here are not obvious to me, making it difficult to even discern what is wrong.”
“…”
“Even so, what I did was clearly wrong. …For some reason, I was afraid.”
“So you hid?”
“…”
Seo-ah bowed her head once more before looking up.
“It was a foolish decision. I apologize.”
Charlotte tapped a finger against her crossed arm.
“I understand you may have the wrong impression. However, although I acted foolishly, I did not sneak into this room as you might fear. I have been using this room ever since I arrived at this manor.”
Seo-ah pointed toward the open wardrobe.
“I do not know if this serves as proof, but all of my belongings are inside that wardrobe.”
But Charlotte did not even glance at the wardrobe, instead asking sharply, “You have been using this room? Why?”
“…I apologize, but I do not know the reason for that either. I was simply assigned to it; I had no choice in the matter.”
“Then I am also curious as to why you were invited here by Oscar in the first place.”
“That concerns a contract between His Excellency and myself. I ask for your understanding, as it is difficult for me to disclose its details without his permission.”
Seo-ah bowed her head and raised it again. Charlotte remained silent.
Silence fell over the room once more.
In the quiet, Charlotte stared intently at Seo-ah as if testing her. Whenever she stared at someone in silence like this, even the most prominent noblewomen of Luxen would grow flustered and walk on eggshells around her. Yet, this strange Outsider who had just popped out of a wardrobe calmly endured the silence and the uncomfortable gaze.
In the world of nobility, wealth and power were weapons, but so was one's attitude. Even in the exact same situation, the outcome was bound to change depending on how one carried oneself.
Just like right now.
The woman before her was dignified but not arrogant. Though she had apologized multiple times, she did not seem groveling or as if she were hiding something. Above all, she did not offer unnecessary excuses and leave herself open to being caught in her own words. She used carefully chosen, ambiguous words as if she had been trained to do so, and she shifted all sensitive matters to Oscar to avoid responsibility.
Charlotte let out a thin laugh.
She realized she had no legitimate way to punish a guest for hiding, however suspicious it was. Nor could she take her anger out on Barbara, who had tried to hide her. In the end, this strange woman of unknown origin had not only successfully defended herself but had also managed to protect the wolf Charlotte so despised.
She had won. Charlotte von Reinhardt had lost. And in front of all these people.
Barbara, as well as the Wolves, sensed that it had become difficult for Charlotte to press Seo-ah any further. A confrontation that would have ended with Barbara’s cheek being battered or required Oscar’s eventual intervention had been resolved in just a few minutes.
Barbara, who had been staring blankly at Seo-ah’s slender back, spoke to Charlotte.
“Marchioness, I shall have tea served.”
At this indirect suggestion to leave, Charlotte, who had been glaring at Seo-ah, turned her head. She glanced out the window, then down at the ring on her finger, before letting out a soft chuckle and taking a step forward.
However, just when it seemed she would pass Seo-ah by, Charlotte stopped after two steps and turned back to face her. The woman who turned toward her with fluid grace was indeed difficult to find fault with.
But.
Charlotte’s gaze drifted to the neatly combed hair. The long brown hair cascading down to her waist looked familiar.
She recalled the brown strands she had seen clinging to Oscar’s bedsheets. They were exactly this length and of this very color.
A cold smile played on Charlotte’s lips.
“Shall we have a cup of tea together?”
She could not back down over something like this.
Not her. Not Charlotte.
*
“It’s a battlefield here today, too.”
One of the Wolves muttered as he watched Simon von Bernheim sprinting through the hall connected to the terrace.
“Wow, Senior Simon is actually running?”
“That’s why I’m saying it’s a battlefield here today.”
If Oscar’s arrogance stemmed from a deep-seated distrust that prevented him from believing in anyone but himself, Simon’s arrogance came from a powerful self-conviction that everyone else was an idiot.
Simon von Bernheim, who usually walked leisurely with his Wolves as if looking down on everything and never ran no matter how urgent the matter, was now running like a dog with its tail on fire. Seeing this, the other wolves clicked their tongues and kept out of his way.
Simon bounded up the stairs in an instant and appeared on the top floor. The Wolves guarding Oscar’s office immediately threw the doors open. Having sprinted through the entire building without his breathing faltering, Simon stepped into the office. Karl, the leader of the Search Team who had been looking down at a map alongside Oscar, glanced up at him.
Simon gave Karl a brief nod of greeting before immediately reporting to Oscar.
“The Ishas Ambassador has reportedly boarded a speedboat.”
Oscar, who had been studying the map, let out a dry chuckle, and Karl added in a gruff voice, “Even if we left for the port this instant and took a speedboat, it would take a month just to get there.”
Several Wolves holding key positions in the Company let out sighs of frustration.
However, Oscar merely sneered, expressing neither sighs nor anger toward Ishas. It was a waste of energy to even care about such things.
Even if they spent a long time traveling to see the King of Ishas, they wouldn't receive compensation, nor would the opening of the canal be guaranteed. A dog that had bitten once was bound to bite again.