Chapter 3
Chapter 3
Before long, the banquet hall was filled with a massive crowd.
Charlotte frowned at the sight. She hated places with too many people.
Normally, she would never waste time in a place like this…
But such dull time could be endured if she thought about the reward waiting for her.
Charlotte glanced up at Raon, who was deep in thought, and then quietly let out a girlish smile.
‘Tonight, I get to sleep with Raon when we go back!’
How long had it been?
When she was younger, it used to happen quite often, but after her body grew, Raon firmly refused every time.
He used to say something like… “I don’t want to die yet.”
Charlotte assumed it must be because her grown body had become too alluring, making him embarrassed.
Whatever the reason, she was simply happy about it.
Sleeping together didn’t necessarily mean something improper, but still, while falling asleep, Raon would stay by her side.
His large hand would gently stroke her hair and softly caress her eyelids as they closed.
Just imagining it was enough to make the properly raised young lady’s face break into a smile.
“Hoo…”
Charlotte exhaled and calmed her excitement.
For that, she had to spend today acting out a meaningless performance to win the heart of a man she had no interest in.
That was the agreement.
It wasn’t difficult to exchange a few words, but Charlotte was quite dissatisfied with this act itself.
And the reason was obvious.
Because the one forcing her to do it was Raon.
‘I’m already this happy just sleeping next to you…’
Does he really want her to end up with other men?
From Charlotte’s perspective, Raon looked far too desperate.
Of course, considering his position as a butler—and the recent talks of her marriage circulating around the dinner table—it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible…
‘But still, he’s trying way too hard…!’
Feeling petty, Charlotte glared at Raon’s face.
His sharp eyes were narrowed in concentration.
Under his neatly combed black hair, beads of sweat had formed.
A drop of sweat rolled down the bridge of his straight nose.
And that sight looked… too…
“Sexy…”
“Pardon?”
“Huh?”
Did she just say that out loud?
Startled by her own words, Charlotte’s face turned bright red as her eyes shook violently.
And then she noticed something nearby.
“Th-that man over there! That must be the Archmage! I just happen to be drawn to intellectual types! And seeing him passionately explain magical tools just made me…!”
“Is that so? In any case, it’s good that you’ve taken interest in this target. I was just thinking about how to approach the Archmage as well.”
“……”
“Please listen carefully. This time, my lady must absolutely follow my instructions exactly—”
Thankfully, the excuse worked.
But still…
Charlotte felt oddly irritated.
So she stomped toward the Archmage without another word.
Behind her, a voice called out.
“My lady, this time you must follow my instructions ONLY! Absolutely!”
‘Hmph. He makes it sound like I never listen and just cause trouble.’
Of course, Charlotte fully intended to ignore that instruction too.
Because in her eyes, there was no room for anyone else besides him.
And not just because there was no empty space physically.
Inside Raon’s POV
The Knight Commander route had completely failed due to the young lady’s coding skills that processed inputs in a way I had never seen before.
The Lucian route was disappointing, but fine—I learned something.
If anything, I just needed to input more detailed settings.
So I refined everything perfectly from the opening line to the final interaction for today’s target.
The youngest Archmage in history, Alik de Levné.
In the original game, he was a man who believed only in “knowledge” and “results.”
The only way to capture someone like him was through high-level intellectual discourse—demonstrating knowledge superiority.
“Lady, the Archmage is currently obsessed with ‘large-scale pure magic.’ You must suppress that with concepts like maintenance and risk management. Remember the three keywords I gave you?”
“Modularization, stabilization, and… standardization, right?”
“Excellent.”
The genius mage who cared for no one but himself would today have Charlotte Roswell carved into his brain.
Charlotte walked confidently toward Alik.
He was currently lecturing nobles about the imperial “Mana Core,” the heart of the Empire.
“The Mana Core is a masterpiece carved from a single massive magic stone. This singular core maintains the barrier and mana circulation of the entire capital. A flawless monolithic structure—this is the pinnacle of magic.”
While nobles gasped in admiration, Charlotte smoothly slipped into the conversation.
“Oh my, I never thought I’d get to hear about Sir Alik’s masterpiece, the ‘Heart of the Empire,’ so closely. I’m truly delighted.”
Good! Perfect timing!
She attracted everyone’s attention.
Even though his eyes were hidden under dark blue hair, Alik clearly turned toward her.
“I’m glad to hear that. May I ask the name of a lady unfamiliar with high society?”
“Charlotte von Roswell. You may call me Lady Charlotte.”
That’s 30% success already.
The rest depends on Charlotte’s speech ability.
“However, I have a small question. May I ask the genius mage for guidance?”
“Of course.”
“What happens if a single minor circuit inside that core burns out due to mana overload?”
Well done, Charlotte!
Alik’s expression wavered slightly.
“…That is impossible. My calculations are perfect.”
“But theoretically speaking, circuits can fail due to unknown variables, can’t they?”
“…That is true, but—”
“Sir Alik’s brilliance is undeniable, but if a variable occurs, the impact on the Empire would be catastrophic.”
Alik’s pride began to twitch.
Now.
“Then do you have a solution in mind?”
“Yes. If we divide the single core into five smaller cores with identical functions, then if one fails, the others can compensate while the broken one is replaced. Modularization.”
Alik froze.
His mouth opened and closed.
Then—
“THAT’S ABSURD! MAGIC IS MOST EFFICIENT WHEN IT IS SINGLE AND UNIFIED!”
But Charlotte remained calm.
“Rather than worrying about leakage, shouldn’t we worry about collapse? Think of it as improving stability.”
“That would reduce efficiency by at least 30%! You are sacrificing performance for hypothetical danger!”
“And if we standardize the connection points, the leakage can be minimized.”
It was over.
Game, set, match.
Alik had no rebuttal.
His genius mind was already constructing the idea internally.
I almost teared up.
This is perfect.
The Archmage route’s first meeting was a total success.
Even if the Crown Prince route fails, I have insurance now!
Just as I was about to go retrieve her—
“My butler told me something interesting. That putting all eggs in one basket is what fools do.”
“…?”
“Excuse me? Fools?”
“Yes, fools.”
“Lady Charlotte, are you referring to me…?”
“No, not specifically you. Just something I discussed with my butler.”
‘…Ah.’
Of course.
I had failed.
I forgot to include “do not speak unnecessarily” in the final instruction.
Before I could intervene—
“Your butler? A mere servant dares criticize my work?”
“He didn’t criticize it. He had a constructive intellectual discussion. My butler is very competent.”
WHY ARE YOU PRAISING ME THERE?!
“Are you saying that butler is superior to me?”
“In some ways, yes.”
Alik’s face turned red.
This is bad. Very bad.
“A BUTLER!? How dare a servant compare intellect with me, the youngest Archmage in history!”
Charlotte’s eyes slowly shifted.
Uh oh.
Never insult something she’s attached to.
And then—
“How disgraceful, Sir Alik.”
“…!”
I rushed forward and stepped between them.
Enough!
I had to block her view of him immediately.
I forced a smile through clenched teeth.
“Lady, do you have something urgent to attend to?”
Charlotte instantly changed expression and smiled sweetly, grabbing my arm.
“My competent butler came for me. I was getting bored anyway.”
“Wait, Lady—”
“Let’s go. This is way more fun than talking to a genius.”
She pulled me away.
Behind us, Alik’s enraged voice echoed.
I… I gave up.
Yeah.
This is my fault.
It’s all my fault.