Chapter 31
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: A Quiet Promise
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Charlotte let out a small laugh because Joseph looked so endearing.
"It's not like I'm really your mom or anything. It's just... I hope things go well for you? That you don't go astray and grow up properly... you know, something like that."
'When you turn into a tyrant and start killing people, I'd appreciate it if you spared me... that's the feeling.'
Charlotte swallowed the latter part, unable to voice it aloud.
Joseph stared at her blankly, as if he hadn't understood a single word, then shook his head in a way that was unusually mature for a child.
"I misspoke."
"...Ah, why! I was being honest."
"How did you figure out I was sick? How do you know how to treat it... and now you even know my trigger."
"I really was being honest."
As Charlotte pouted in complaint, Joseph lightly brushed his face with the hand not holding the reins.
By the time he seemed to have composed himself again, he nodded without further complaints or sighs.
"Fine. We'll take it slow and see."
"See what?"
"You."
Joseph's dark eyes still held many questions, but he didn't look too frustrated.
He seemed a bit more at ease than when they'd first met.
And, very faintly—barely noticeable to Charlotte—a hint of trust seemed mixed into his gaze.
She couldn't tell if it was her imagination or not.
After all, Charlotte herself didn't know much about trust.
The two rode leisurely without hurry and soon arrived at the clearing.
Charlotte didn't refuse Joseph's hand as he helped her dismount.
"Oh, this place is perfect."
Being at the edge of the hunting grounds, the clearing Joseph used as a training area was untouched and strewn with rocks, but it was spacious enough.
Charlotte nodded with a pleased expression.
It might not be fitting for the youngest daughter of a ducal house, but after just an hour or two of clearing rocks, it could make for a fine training ground.
"I probably won't be able to train properly today anyway since Lancelot drained all my energy, but I'll come here every day from now on."
"Sure."
"You too—stay hidden so no one from Lancelot or the Setia House spots you, and come out when I arrive."
"...Like you're in charge or something."
"Exactly. I'll protect you, didn't I say?"
As Joseph silently picked up a stick from the ground, Charlotte grinned broadly. She approached him as he scanned the surroundings and suddenly reached out her hand.
Joseph reflexively tried to dodge, but realizing she aimed for his back, he reluctantly stood still and let her.
Charlotte closed her eyes and focused, feeling the flow of his qi.
Unable to sense much from the surface, she unhesitatingly lifted his outer garment and slipped her hand inside, placing it directly on his bare back.
She felt him flinch as if ticklish, but she ignored it, probing various points on his back with her eyes squeezed shut in concentration.
The flow of qi was still stagnant.
She didn't know if he'd continued training after she collapsed, but using aura like this was undoubtedly wildly inefficient.
'If everyone got qi deviation every time they used aura, swordmasters wouldn't exist. I think Joseph's talent is what's causing all this.'
Charlotte shook her head and withdrew her hand.
Then, eyes sparkling, she turned Joseph around.
"I'll check your body slowly each time I come. But doing this every day isn't sustainable. It'd be faster if I trained a bit myself first, then opened your acupoints..."
"...Acupoints?"
"Anyway, it could be dangerous, so I need to prepare thoroughly."
"Fine. Say there's such a thing, and for some unknown reason you're an expert at it, able to do what the imperial physicians can't. And for whatever reason, you've decided to open these acupoints or whatever for me. So?"
Charlotte clutched her stomach and burst into laughter, sensing how hard Joseph was trying to rationalize the situation.
Only after he stared at her silently for a long while, clearly not getting what was so funny, did her laughter subside.
Wiping away tears, she mumbled,
"I'll make sure everything's ready by Shadow Blade Day. Not perfectly, but at least eighty or ninety percent."
"Got it."
"That way, I can watch you crush that damn second prince there."
Of course, that would invite even harsher scrutiny on the third prince, so it might not be entirely good.
Joseph's eyes narrowed again as he watched Charlotte mutter to herself.
His inscrutable deep black gaze lingered on her for a long time.
"Miss, even though your confinement is lifted, staying out so late is dangerous."
Charlotte, who had been excitedly discussing plans with Joseph and setting up their daily training meetings, sighed deeply at the sudden appearance of the servant.
'It's not about danger. They just hate seeing me hang out with Prince Joseph.'
Who had sent the servant?
Too many suspects came to mind—that was the problem.
Honestly, her plan to train with Prince Joseph starting tomorrow was just her own vow; Jerome, Isaac, and Russell all disliked him, so who knew if it would work out.
And that was the best-case scenario. With Lancelot, Byaki... and even the second prince who sent him to 'educate' the third, plus House Lord Camilla—they wouldn't welcome this.
The silver lining was that Lancelot, Byaki, and Camilla still showed no interest in her, so they might not care if she associated with the third prince.
Shaking her head inwardly but keeping a straight face, Charlotte quietly stood and brushed off her clothes. Having sat under a tree stump to talk, they must be covered in dirt.
'For now, play nice. That way, they won't hassle me tomorrow when I go meet Joseph.'
"Yeah. Heading back now."
As she was all but dragged to the carriage, Charlotte kept turning back to Joseph, gesturing repeatedly toward the clearing and the eastern sky where the sun would rise, signaling she'd come tomorrow morning.
Once the carriage departed, Prince Joseph remained alone in the quiet clearing, staring in the direction she'd vanished, lost in thought for a long while.
On her way back to her room, Charlotte racked her brains furiously.
How to train with Joseph without interference.
But it wouldn't be easy. The more she thought, the more obstacles appeared.
She subtly asked the servant, who revealed it was Jerome who'd summoned her.
'Ah... why is that puppet of a father suddenly interested in me now? He could've just kept ignoring me like always.'
And Lancelot was highly likely to interfere too.
'Father might be persuadable, but surprisingly, brother Russell—who popped up as a wildcard—seems like a huge hassle.'
Just look at today: hadn't he unnecessarily clashed with Joseph?
"...Haa."
Her head throbbed from endless deliberations when, unconsciously entering what she thought was her room, she blinked and stepped back out.
"Huh?"
But this was the top floor of the annex, with only her room up here.
Staring blankly at the door now adorned with a 'Charlotte' nameplate and floral decorations that hadn't been there before, she opened it again.
"...Where is this? My room?"
It wasn't strange to think she'd entered the wrong room. It was plausible enough. In the short time she'd been out for half a day, her room had been transformed beyond recognition.
The walls, once bare wood, were now papered with luxurious apricot wallpaper. The large plain windows were draped with beautifully embroidered lace curtains.
The empty space by the entrance now held a dainty red table and chair, flanked by a lamp and a tall chest of drawers perfect for books.
Where her small bed had been was now a canopy bed swathed in white curtains, topped with an array of cute stuffed dolls girls would love, fluffy premium bedding, and multiple layers of pillows that looked impossibly soft.
The barren, frame-less desolation was gone.
The room, infused with reds, warm oranges, and ivory tones, felt cozy and charming.
"...Wow, what's all this?"
Charlotte gasped in admiration at how the attic room's furniture had been entirely replaced in an instant.