Chapter 8
Chapter 8
Late Night, Just the Two of Us, in Bed
“Y-You—why are you here?! And more importantly, I—!”
The moment Charlotte opened her eyes, she started thrashing wildly, so Raon quickly grabbed her shoulders.
“Calm down, young lady. Right now, stability is the top priority.”
“You…! This, my shoulders—shoulders?”
Huh?
Did she hit her head when she fell? Why is her language function gone?
“Excuse me for a moment.”
Raon gently checked over Charlotte’s head once again, but there didn’t seem to be any noticeable injuries.
Then was it shock? Psychological trauma from the fall?
While Raon was worrying over this and that, it was, in Charlotte’s perspective, a completely pointless concern that would’ve made her laugh bitterly if she could hear it.
Because Charlotte was simply… embarrassed.
Her hazy memory slowly returned.
It started from the violent tremor.
The ground that had supported her suddenly became like floating air, and her body flailed helplessly.
There was nowhere to grab onto, and the distance to the ground she caught a glimpse of was far too great.
I’m going to die.
Her instincts screamed it.
The fear of death twisted her breathing instantly, and in the fading haze of consciousness, she thought of someone.
‘Raon….’
Save me.
And then she opened her eyes to this situation.
And Raon was right in front of her.
In her bedroom, no less.
On top of that, he was suddenly even touching her head?
It was impossible for Charlotte to stay calm in this situation.
“Y-You…! You, you, you.”
Her eyes widened as if they would pop out, and her mouth opened and closed in frantic confusion.
To anyone watching, she looked like she had lost the ability to speak, but for Charlotte, it couldn’t be helped.
Because she was always the one who approached first, and Raon was always the one who kept his distance.
Charlotte knew.
Raon didn’t hate her.
He simply kept his distance because of their roles as master and servant.
So she always approached him.
Thinking that if she kept pushing, maybe he would eventually give in.
“Lady, your behavior is inappropriate.”
“This is… troublesome.”
“If you keep this up, I’ll really die… I’ll be murdered…”
Of course, none of that ever happened.
Raon moved away from her like a magnet repelling the same pole.
Though, Charlotte would never deny that she enjoyed that dynamic.
It had been playful, after all.
Seeing Raon flustered and flailing had been cute and entertaining.
But none of her words had ever been lies.
They had all been sincere.
And yet, Raon, unaware of that sincerity, cruelly said this.
He told her to find an appropriate match and get married.
That it would be the happiness he wished for her.
Charlotte was still young.
An eighteen-year-old girl who had just become an adult.
Even if her body had grown, she had been raised lovingly and spoiled, and her mental growth had not fully caught up.
So she could only become stubborn and hurt.
Feeling frustrated that he didn’t understand her feelings.
Feeling a bit angry, thinking she’d do as he said just to spite him.
And at the same time, hoping he might get jealous.
She was still just a young girl with all those emotions tangled together.
And then, at that moment, this sudden, aggressive behavior from Raon—
This unfamiliar version of him she had never seen before, yet secretly wished for—
It was embarrassing.
‘Seriously! Charging in like this is cheating!’
Charlotte steadied her breathing.
She had gotten too worked up. She needed to calm down.
For now, she decided to ask what she was most curious about, one thing at a time.
A very mature line of thinking that Raon would have praised if he had known.
It also showed just how poorly he underestimated her.
“…Did you save me?”
The first question was whether Raon was the one who had saved her.
She had no memory after losing consciousness.
The crown prince had been beside her—maybe he had saved her?
But for some reason, she couldn’t imagine anyone other than Raon saving her.
And as expected, Raon smiled faintly at the question.
Sitting down, resting his chin on his hand, he smiled in a rather mischievous way.
“Heh. Who do you think I am? I’m your capable butler, aren’t I?”
“Really? You actually saved me in that short time?”
“I used my ability all five times. My body still feels like it’s going to fall apart.”
“……”
Charlotte knew about Raon’s “ability.”
If he used it, it made sense that he could reach her even from that distance.
And she also knew he wasn’t the type to lie to her.
“…Tha—thank you.”
“Hm? Pardon?”
“Th-thank you! I said thank you! You were the one who saved me, so I should at least say that….”
Charlotte turned her head away, her face turning red.
Seeing that, Raon burst out laughing.
“Pfft… you’re adorable, young lady.”
Her blush deepened even more.
Seriously, why was he like this today? It was dangerous for her heart.
Charlotte quickly changed the subject.
“If you used your ability, then the crown prince saw it too, right? He was right next to us.”
“Ah… I had to talk my way out of that.”
“What did you say?”
“I tried lying a bit, but it didn’t work, so I just said it was body-strengthening magic. I told him the details were complicated, and that was that.”
Charlotte chuckled.
“And?”
“He asked if I could prove it. So I just said I couldn’t because I was carrying you and left quickly.”
“Good job.”
“Right? Heh.”
As Raon leaned in slightly, as if asking for praise, Charlotte’s eyes widened again.
What is wrong with him today?
His tone, his behavior—everything felt different.
This wasn’t the Raon she knew.
Could it be…
“……”
No way.
She pushed the thought aside for now and changed the topic again.
“Ahem. Anyway, did the crown prince say anything else?”
“He did… He asked us to visit the imperial palace together soon. Said he’d send a letter.”
“The imperial palace? Why?”
“It was the imperial ball, after all. Since the palace hosted it, they’re probably planning to apologize properly and offer compensation for what happened.”
A building collapsing—this had been a massive incident that could’ve cost lives.
Fortunately, only the terrace had collapsed, so there were no additional casualties, but it was still a disgrace for the imperial family.
From House Roswell’s perspective, it was something worth compensation.
So naturally, it seemed they intended to apologize and perhaps use the opportunity to confirm what had happened.
‘Maybe it’ll turn into a request next time?’
Even the crown prince couldn’t directly interrogate someone’s abilities without justification.
So if he was interested in Raon’s power, he would likely prepare proper compensation and make a request.
Of course, even without justification, it was still a request from the crown prince—refusing outright would be difficult.
“More importantly… how did the imperial ballroom even collapse?”
“I’ve been thinking about that…”
Raon had also wondered the same thing on the way back.
Even if maintenance had been poor, it was still an imperial facility. It shouldn’t have collapsed so dramatically.
And from Raon’s perspective, something even stranger stood out.
This kind of event had never happened in the original game.
Even in multiple playthroughs, nothing like this had ever occurred.
Which meant something had changed.
‘Wait… don’t tell me?’
Raon found a clue.
The problem was Archmage Alik.
Alik hadn’t been invited just as a mage tower master.
He had been assigned to inspect the mana circuits used for the imperial ballroom’s grand lighting effects.
The dazzling display that used bursts of mana to illuminate the hall in colors required extremely precise calibration.
So Alik was supposed to check the mana core output and ensure the circuits were stable.
But…
“He left before finishing the inspection after arguing with the young lady.”
Apparently, after meeting Charlotte during a break and being satisfied with their conversation, Alik left without completing his work.
And the others had also failed to confirm his inspection afterward.
They couldn’t have known an archmage would just walk off like that.
In the end, it was a perfect storm of variables and negligence.
Charlotte naturally had one question.
“Then… am I responsible too?”
“More or less. It’s fair to say the Archmage left because of you.”
“……”
Charlotte glared at Raon.
As if saying he should be on her side.
But this wasn’t a matter of taking sides.
The truth was simply too clear.
And both of them were mistakenly assuming Alik had left because of Charlotte’s teasing and provocation.
Still, Raon softened the blow a little.
“Even so, the Archmage is more at fault for abandoning his job.”
“R-right?! It’s his fault for leaving irresponsibly like that!”
Charlotte’s relieved smile was so obvious it was almost childish.
Raon let out a small laugh.
Seeing that expression, Charlotte froze.
It was the first time she had ever seen Raon smile like that.
So innocent… almost like he found her endearing.
‘And yet he told me to marry someone else.’
The thought made her sulk again.
She hugged her knees tighter.
“…One more question.”
“Yes, ask anything.”
“…While I was asleep… were you just staying by my side as a caretaker? And now that I’m awake… are you leaving?”
Her face was buried in her knees, only her eyes peeking out.
Raon tilted his head, then casually sat down on the bed beside her.
“No. I’m staying here tonight.”
He smiled brightly, full of mischief.
“It’s a promise, after all. A very important promise between me and the young lady.”