Chapter 29
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: A Brother's Apology
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If Joseph had insisted on his royal status or claimed he was fond of Charlotte, I would have had something to say.
But anyone could see that the room Charlotte was currently staying in was in a truly deplorable state.
Moreover, the fact that the Setia House's direct-line youngest daughter had no space to train and had to come all the way to the knight order's training grounds wasn't exactly something to boast about if someone pointed it out.
Up until now, there had at least been the excuse that Charlotte herself lacked talent and interest in training, so she'd be thrown out of the family soon enough.
I had no idea where or how Charlotte had trained, but since she'd built up enough skill to defeat Lancelot—even if only briefly—that excuse no longer held water.
"...That matter is for our house to handle, so I don't think Your Highness needs to concern yourself with it."
Joseph slowly shifted his gaze, taking in Charlotte.
From his quiet look directed her way, Charlotte realized he was asking for her opinion.
Of course, Joseph's proposal was incredibly tempting, but with Russell pushing back this hard, agreeing to move rooms right now wouldn't fly at all.
Besides, it wasn't just about convincing Russell.
Even Betty, probably the easiest person to persuade among those she needed to convince, wouldn't be swayed.
"Then... how about I just visit often? That much should be fine, right?"
But Russell wasn't pleased with Charlotte's new compromise, either.
He hadn't liked her being around Joseph even when the prince was acting like a discarded doll, listless and down. Now that Joseph was looking at his little sister with such keen interest...
"Charlotte."
"What?"
"I just don't get why, out of all the friends you could have, you insist on getting so close to His Highness."
Russell dropped his overbearing attitude and spoke coaxingly, gently. Charlotte let out a hollow chuckle.
Suddenly, it hit her how lonely Charlotte must have been.
"What friends? You've never actually cared about me, big brother."
Russell belatedly muttered to himself in his mind, Oh no.
He knew Charlotte had been ignored in the family, so naturally, children from other houses and even the branch family kids in their own treated her with disdain. But after tuning her out, he hadn't given it much thought.
Talking like this only made him feel like he had more and more to apologize for.
"I'm sorry, little sister. I was just worried something might happen if you got too close to His Highness."
Not sure how she interpreted his fumbling excuse, Charlotte shot her brother a contemptuous glance.
"What are you even saying with people right here? Prince Joseph is only twelve. Seriously, big brother, are you in your right mind?"
Russell clamped his mouth shut.
Only twelve, she says. It didn't seem like something a nine-year-old should say, but he hated himself for stoking her anger with every word.
Seizing the opening, Charlotte pressed on excitedly.
"And you don't go talking carelessly to such a cute, sweet kid. What do you think he's going to pick up from that? If you're really that unhappy about it, come watch us every day. Problem solved. I'm done talking about this."
Russell, faced with Charlotte shutting down the conversation entirely, found himself viewing their sibling relationship more objectively.
He knew less about Charlotte than even Prince Joseph.
In the time he hadn't been paying attention, she'd developed her own firm opinions, clear ideas about what she wanted.
The girl who used to trail after her brothers, whining to play together, was gone.
Bringing up Joseph again would probably just make her cling to him out of spite.
He'd sensed it during that conversation with the House Lord before, but Charlotte had changed into a completely different person while he'd neglected her.
She used to act like a tyrant in front of the servants but tremble and go speechless before anyone even slightly above her in status.
When had she learned to express her will so sharply?
He hadn't properly cared for her lack of friends or provided a decent room and furnishings. If he traced the cause, it was his fault—and their father's.
So what grounds did he have to scold her now?
...When I get back, I need to fix up Charlotte's room first. Fine for me, but Father should have paid her some attention by now, right?
"Charlotte."
"What!"
"Your big brother was completely wrong."
Charlotte's eyes widened in surprise. She'd thought he'd prioritize his dignity, especially in front of Joseph, but here he was apologizing sincerely.
"Whatever, not now."
"Still, I'm glad you're talking to me casually again."
"...Ah."
Got too excited, slipped up.
Charlotte blinked, then unwittingly let her lips curve into a smile.
So what if he used casual speech?
It was just too funny seeing Russell genuinely delighted over that one thing.
He's impossible.
It felt a bit like cheating.
She'd thought Mount Hua Sect had its share of handsome Taoists, but the faces of the novel's main characters were on another level.
Especially those from the Setia House and the royals.
With such striking features, seeing him look so downcast like a kicked puppy made it impossible to stay mad forever.
Charlotte let out a laugh, smiling helplessly as her eyes crinkled.
After that, the meal proceeded quietly.
Seeing Charlotte seemed mollified, Russell avoided provoking her further by simply ignoring Joseph, while Charlotte enjoyed the outing to her heart's content.
As the meal was wrapping up, a servant rushed in looking for Russell urgently.
He clearly didn't want to leave Charlotte alone with Joseph, but being the vice-captain of the knight order meant he couldn't just linger comfortably.
Russell rose with a long sigh.
"Lancelot seemed upset with you, so avoid running into him and head straight home today."
His meddling was awfully belated.
But she didn't mind the concern from her brother.
Instead of snapping back, Charlotte just smiled and nodded.
"Got it. Go handle your business."
Thrilled at the casual tone, Russell grinned broadly, showing his teeth, before leaving.
Once out of the restaurant, he sighed repeatedly, then called a servant before mounting his horse and gave instructions to relay to their father.
With Russell gone, the restaurant finally fell quiet.
Only then did Charlotte look around.
With Russell and Joseph at each other's throats, her nerves had been on edge; she hadn't even noticed where they were or what she was eating.
The restaurant, with an entire floor reserved, was luxurious and beautiful.
The spacious dining area on the second floor offered great views outside. Vines climbed the white brick walls, and the early summer breeze wafting through the wide windows felt wonderful.
"Ah... so refreshing."
Charlotte thought even this was truly nice.
She did want to train in martial arts this life too. Mastering martial arts through diligent effort and practice did require long years of patience.
But unlike her past life, she didn't want to pour her entire existence into training.
Having lived once, she realized life was shorter than expected.
Training in a cave on nothing but rock-hard rations might make her a master faster than others, but she no longer wanted to struggle that desperately.
Don't live without ever trying dining out. This time, meet people, talk, live like that.
As those thoughts crossed her mind, she suddenly recalled the scene at the Great Bear Knight Order's training grounds earlier.
When Lancelot refused to accept defeat and lunged again, Joseph and Russell had stepped in front of her one after another.
In her past life, she'd handled everything alone, from start to finish.
Having others meddle and help felt embarrassing but not unwelcome.
Charlotte scratched her cheek, chuckling softly to herself before glancing at Joseph.
He'd been watching her the whole time, so their eyes met the moment she turned.
"Your Highness."
"Yes?"
How could his mouth be so pretty?
The prince's way of slowly munching looked adorably cute.
Gazing at those vivid red lips and clear black eyes, Charlotte thought, Of course the novel's male lead stands out, even in appearance.
Seeing his endearing face, practically glowing with a halo, she smiled warmly and nearly forgot her question.
"But why'd you come find me? You came looking for me, right? You don't usually leave the family grounds."
Joseph nodded nonchalantly.
"I told you yesterday. I'd come today too."
"...Well, yeah, but."
"I'll come tomorrow, and the day after too."
Charlotte blinked.