Chapter 14
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Isaac's Public Apology
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Charlotte had been staring fixedly out the window at the uninteresting scenery outside, but suddenly her eyes widened.
"...Wow."
The dizzyingly vast plaza and the impeccably maintained roads.
The sparkling white royal palace standing at the far end of the wide carriageway.
The people lined up in fairly orderly fashion all the way to the front of the palace, the golden flags in their hands, and on what must have been hundreds or thousands of those flags, the imperial crest of three swords and two shields.
"...It's really impressive."
To her, who had spent her days lying in bed, Western Fantasy Romance Novel Collection 11 - The Pure Love Princess Wants to Be Loved! had been a wonderful companion. So, seeing with her own eyes a scene that had only been described in a line or two brought quite a profound sense of wonder.
Isaac glanced back at her from the seat behind as she let out one exclamation after another.
'She really looks thrilled.'
Gripping the carriage window frame tightly with her tiny hands and even sticking her head out to peer around—it was the very picture of an innocent nine-year-old child.
Isaac watched her, trying to gauge how much of Charlotte's behavior was an act and how much was genuine.
'She might have a sly, fox-like side after all.'
Isaac crossed his arms and leaned back deeply into the sofa.
He and Charlotte were cousins, eight years apart.
With such a large age gap and no notable talents to speak of, they had hardly ever interacted. But one thing was certain: up until now, Charlotte had been the type of child who would chatter on with ridiculous vanity the moment anyone paid her attention or spoke to her.
That was why he had gotten into the same carriage with her.
He needed a chance to interrogate her away from Jerome.
'But it seems that girl who would babble about anything if we just talked to her is gone now.'
In the end, he had gleaned no information from Charlotte's unexpected reaction.
How strange.
When she used to peek at him, desperately waiting for him to say just one word, she had been more annoying than a pebble on the road.
But now that Charlotte was ignoring him completely—not even listening, and pretending to be distracted by the grand plaza they only saw once a week—it was ridiculously endearing.
Had the old Charlotte been the act? Or was this one?
'No, is she seriously ignoring me when I'm talking to her?'
Such thoughts kept bubbling up, but every time he caught sight of Charlotte, he couldn't help the grin creeping onto his face.
Watching the little lady who had climbed onto the sofa on her knees, half-standing as she gazed out the window, Isaac began to formulate his future plans.
He hadn't realized it when their positions were reversed, but now that Charlotte was ignoring him, his eagerness to hear her answers was surging in a most peculiar way.
Perhaps it was a rare spark of amusement amid the boredom of the successor selection process.
She was a young flower that would eventually be crushed by his own hand, but exploring her would surely be entertaining.
"We're almost there. Going to keep sightseeing?"
"...Pardon?"
"How long are you going to ignore me?"
At that, Charlotte could no longer pretend not to notice Isaac's gaze, which was now quite serious as he looked at her. Besides, she realized her enthusiastic peering out the window with her back turned might look odd, so she sheepishly sat back down properly.
She slipped her feet into the round-toed Mary Janes she had taken off to climb onto the sofa and looked up at Isaac squarely.
"I don't know what suddenly made you want to talk to me."
At the surprisingly polite tone he had never heard from her before, Isaac tugged his lips into a smile.
Her ambiguous demeanor was stirring a thrill unlike any he had felt before.
"What would it take for you to answer my questions?"
Charlotte turned to him in slight surprise.
She had thought this madman—the one poised to bring a bloodbath to the Setia family—was just being capricious again.
But it seemed he actually had something he wanted to discuss.
Still, she couldn't just give in easily...
'...If I keep ignoring him, that sparkling—no, practically flashing—gaze will burn a hole in my back.'
Charlotte sighed inwardly as she pondered.
'Well, I can just attach conditions he'll never accept.'
Having walked the path to successor his whole life, Isaac wouldn't tolerate anything that tarnished his reputation or authority, right...?
"...Hmm. Well. If, at the royal banquet hall, you publicly apologize to me for your past behavior in front of everyone, I'll answer up to three questions."
Charlotte expected Isaac to snort at that.
But Isaac pondered it seriously, then slowly nodded.
"Fine. If that's what you want."
'...What? That ready agreement? ...He's joking, right?'
Charlotte quickly averted her eyes from Isaac's golden irises, which now seemed tinged with madness.
She had no idea how she had drawn the full attention of this big brother who would bring a storm of blood, but a strong premonition told her that if she didn't escape soon, her future would be nothing but trouble.
"The Setia family has arrived. Jerome Setia enters!"
Led by Jerome, Russell and Byaki entered with their respective partners. Following them, Charlotte and Isaac entered together.
"Charlotte Setia and Isaac Setia enter together!"
With the grand announcement, the air in the banquet hall stirred.
The dazzling, sparkling lights unlike any they had seen before; walls gleaming with gold and silver leaf; nobles' attire adorned with all manner of jewels; the sweet scent of fruit wine wafting from afar...
The enormous banquet hall, truly the center of revelry, was a sight to behold, but Charlotte couldn't focus on any of it amid the voices buzzing about her and Isaac.
"...Good heavens."
"Am I seeing this right? Have my eyes gone bad already?"
"You... I think I'm seeing the same thing..."
"Isaac is... standing with Charlotte, right?"
As even those frozen in shock joined in, the banquet hall grew ever louder.
"But Charlotte has basically been a ghost in public up until now... Why now...?"
"And he's even matching her eye level."
"Is Isaac actually smiling?"
As the stares intensified, Charlotte felt uneasy seeing Isaac smile even more deeply.
But ignoring her feelings entirely, Isaac seemed to revel in the commotion, scooping up his tiny cousin—about half his height—into his arms.
As if to flaunt how close they were.
Objectively speaking, the two cousins, inheriting the ducal house's fine bloodline standing side by side, made quite the picture.
Their porcelain skin that could make hearts flutter just by looking, large eyes, prominent foreheads, and sharp facial lines. The Setia family's signature aristocratic, doll-like features were captivating.
But that bizarre action only fueled the guests to gossip competitively about what on earth was happening.
"Something's wrong. Isaac couldn't possibly be mistaken, so maybe our eyes are the problem."
"Exactly."
All this uproar was perhaps inevitable.
Isaac was a boy as sharp as a sword.
And now, as a young adolescent, he possessed a chilling charisma that no one could underestimate.
If there was a flaw, it was his utter lack of pity for others and his ruthless tendency to use anyone for his goals...
So it was only natural that people were stunned to see him smiling for the first time.
As the commotion grew, Charlotte pushed against Isaac's arm holding her up.
'I just want to meet the Third Prince, talk, then hurry back for training. I don't need this fuss.'
Isaac glanced down at the wriggling Charlotte and curled his lips again.
"Everyone gathered here in the banquet hall, I have something to say."
Isaac's clear, resounding voice, which naturally drew attention, focused all eyes even more sharply.
'...No way, this guy doesn't mean...'
As Charlotte froze mid-push with that absurd thought, Isaac opened his mouth with an even deeper smile.
"Until now, I have made the grave mistake of treating our Setia family's youngest, our beloved Charlotte Setia, poorly. I cannot remove all the thorns embedded in our little one's heart in one go, but I, Isaac, swear before you all that I deeply regret it and will change."
This time, the banquet hall truly froze.
In utter shock, not a soul could utter a word.