Chapter 28
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: The Prince's Proposal
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“......Mmph.”
Russell turned to look beside him, only to find Charlotte—who had been sitting across the table—now scooted right up next to him, stuffing bread into his mouth.
“......Charlotte!”
“Why are you being so dense, brother? And why smash the table? Do you have any idea how much work goes into custom-making tables like this?”
“......Mmf?”
Russell shot back in bewilderment, as if she were claiming to have done the carpentry herself.
Before his words could even come out clearly, Charlotte tore off another piece of white bread and shoved it into his mouth.
“Prince Joseph isn't the one following me around—I was the one who first suggested we get friendly. So get that straight. Why are you suddenly acting up like this? You're paying way too much attention.”
‘If we stay on good terms...... who knows? When Joseph becomes emperor someday, maybe he'll spare an extra life or two?’
Charlotte inwardly grumbled the words she wanted to hurl at her clueless brother.
Russell, faced with this unprecedented glimpse of Charlotte's perceptiveness, had no choice but to unclench his tightly gripped fist.
And somehow, the way she had scooted close to feed him bread felt oddly touching.
Instead of saying another word to Joseph, Russell leaned back against his chair.
‘I never imagined sitting down face-to-face with Prince Joseph for a meal like this, but with Charlotte so clearly smitten right now, all I can do is chalk it up to my own mistake.’
Russell chewed the bread furiously, swallowed with effort, and finally managed to speak.
“Charlotte.”
“Yes?”
“Your brother was wrong. Please drop that formal tone.”
At this point, Russell didn't care about Prince Joseph or keeping up appearances—he'd given up entirely. No matter how he turned it over in his mind, her icy formality gnawed at him too much.
Charlotte blinked up at her brother.
Those fairly beautiful blue eyes held the look of a whipped puppy.
With arms and legs built like they could wrestle a bear, the sight of him pleading like this with his own little sister was somehow adorable and amusing.
And she appreciated that he'd joined them despite clearly harboring no warm feelings toward Joseph, even after she'd talked him into it.
‘Eh, maybe I'll let it go.’
Charlotte blinked slowly and let out a soft chuckle.
“I'll think about it.”
“What......?”
“I said I'll think about it. For now, let's eat, okay?”
If anyone else had said “I'll think about it,” Russell would have hurled his chair and stormed off on the spot.
It was that condescending.
But hearing it from his little sister somehow melted away his irritation.
‘“I'll think about it” means she's softening up a little, right? If she were truly pissed, she wouldn't even bother saying that much.’
Russell meekly picked up his utensils as Charlotte directed.
Only then did Charlotte exhale a long, silent sigh of relief.
Truth be told, she didn't want to ruin this rare, enjoyable outing with pointless bickering.
It was her first time eating out, after all.
Well...... honestly, it was her first time ever, past life included.
And whether this world had the saying or not, they said you don't even swat a fly at the dinner table.
So she had zero interest in listening to this nonsense of a fight.
With both of them finally dropping the argument and clamping their mouths shut, Charlotte quickly scooped up some soup and brought it to her lips.
Even the simple soup—onions, butter, potatoes—tasted sweeter and more delicious than her daily fare. The herring was fresh without a hint of fishiness, moist and melting tenderly in her mouth. The fruits and vegetables were all crisp and vibrant, making every bite a joy.
She ate with a beaming smile until she suddenly realized Joseph hadn't so much as touched his utensils. She looked up.
“Brother? Joseph? You're not eating?”
The instant Charlotte's gaze met the doll-like beautiful male lead sitting across from her, Joseph—who had been resting his chin on his hand, simply staring at her—spoke up.
“How about living with me?”
Pfft.
Unaware or not of how close Russell—who had just picked up his utensils—came to spraying vegetable soup everywhere, Joseph pressed on shamelessly, his stunning face utterly composed.
“That annex you stay in looks pretty cramped. The place I'm at is a whole building to myself—plenty of space, open grounds, even a training yard. Perfect fit.”
Charlotte blinked at Joseph's unexpected offer.
Truth be told, she'd never imagined him suggesting something like that.
Up until now, Joseph had been too busy grilling her after she'd scraped together every last bit of qi—real or imagined—to patch up his condition just a little, all after pulling his drowning ass out of the water like some reward demand.
‘But...... it's not a bad idea?’
She was grateful he'd picked up on why she'd gone to the Great Bear Knight Order's training grounds—no personal space for practice—and made the offer. And yeah, her room really was cramped and shabby.
No matter that both she and Joseph were practically cast-offs, he was here under the “guest” label, so they'd at least give him decent digs.
Big enough for a couple of kids, no problem.
Besides, living with him would make tending to his health way easier—and that pulled her in more than anything.
‘In the story, Joseph enters Shadow Blade Day and still doesn't win. Skill aside, it seems like his condition holds him back...... If I could fix that......’
And Joseph was a sword prodigy coveted even by an enemy kingdom's princess.
When his health was up to snuff, anyway.
Someone like that could make for a solid sparring partner.
She needed to start external arts training soon, and having an opponent beat practicing solo.
Heading to the Great Bear grounds every time worked fine, but the commotion it stirred up was getting old.
“That sounds too good......”
Just as Charlotte was about to voice her agreement—
Bang!
Charlotte stared blankly at Russell's fist slamming down on the table.
Russell's mouth gaped open as if to shout something, but he met her eyes and frantically rubbed his face with his left hand instead.
“It's nothing. Really nothing—just, y'know...... a fly. Haha.”
“You catch flies that noisily?”
“Haha. Anyway, Your Highness, what brought on such a sudden idea, haha?”
Not daring to oppose outright, Russell dodged his sister's gaze while glaring daggers at Prince Joseph.
But the prince didn't flinch or look away, meeting it calmly with a perfectly serene expression.
Russell only knew about Prince Joseph what the gossip said.
A prince thoroughly trampled by the second prince—fine as a plaything even for Setia side-branch kids like Lancelot.
Had sword talent as a child, but no stamina to back it.
Lost it all when his mother, Aienne, fell from favor.
More or less.
Every time their paths crossed, those vacant eyes just confirmed the rumors.
Like a pretty doll.
He did seem genuinely into swordsmanship, but the talent talk? Probably just royal childhood hype—nothing to write home about.
So what was that predatory gleam lurking in those tranquil eyes?
Where had those dead-fish eyes, brimming with emptiness, gone?
Russell caught himself staring at Joseph far too long and gave his head a slight shake.
Sitting at the same table was bizarre enough for a throwaway card like him. The prince was only here because of Charlotte, and now he was getting cheeky.
Desperate to bail from this weird scene, Russell forced a gentle tone.
“......Your Highness, you'd best think this through before speaking. Whatever Charlotte says, I'm on board—so I won't object here. But you know better than anyone why you're staying at our house.”
‘So quit feeding her weird ideas and stay in your lane.’ No sooner had Russell finished than Joseph arched a brow.
“Well.”
“......Huh?”
“Know better than anyone? Well, I don't really know.”
“Your Highness.”
“Isn't the real issue that Charlotte's stuck living so poorly a mere house servant like me can make an offer like this? That room of hers isn't even fit for a palace maid...... no, a lowly servant girl.”
Russell was struck speechless.