Chapter 56
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Translator: Wjin
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Second Prince's Proposal
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Ricardo stood at the doorway, simply gazing inside. Amid the crowd offering him silent bows, Charlotte hopped down from Russell's arms, gave a small bow of her own, and approached to stand before him.
With eyes the color of pale green that showed no tension even before a prince, Charlotte asked languidly,
"Did you come to see me?"
Ricardo stared fixedly at the tiny girl looking up at him.
Just coming here, he had thought his mother had given him an utterly absurd order.
But now that Charlotte was right in front of him, his mind changed again.
When he thought of her as a worthless girl with no looks, no skills, no talent, ignored even by her own family, she had seemed utterly pathetic.
Ricardo raised an eyebrow, nodded, and gestured toward the outside.
He noticed Russell looking at him with presumptuous, flustered eyes, but Ricardo turned away without a care. Since when had Charlotte been such a big deal? For Setia House folk, who were practically his own people, to look at him like that was baffling.
"Charlotte..."
"I'll be right back. Just gotta pick something up."
Charlotte glanced back at Russell, winked to say it was fine, waved at Joseph to tell him not to follow, and only then trailed after the Second Prince.
Click.
Once Ricardo and Charlotte had vanished side by side, another ripple of murmurs passed through the participants.
Not just anyone, but the haughty Ricardo, who loved lording over people from the tip of his chin—he had come on his own two feet to fetch someone?
And this was the second time.
Before the prelims started, plenty had seen Charlotte and Ricardo slip away together into a side room.
'Oh my, what's going on? Second time already!'
'But Charlotte didn't seem interested, and Prince Ricardo was the one chasing her, right?'
'Does that even make sense? From what I saw, it was just...'
'Just what? If not that, what business could they have? And Prince Ricardo came himself, didn't he?'
The participants' gazes all turned to Joseph at once.
The Third Prince, who drew not even the slightest expectation, sat quietly staring toward the door. For someone who was always like a sack of barley left out to dry, today his eyes oddly seemed to hold a flicker of anger.
'Anyone would think it's a love triangle.'
'Hey, watch your mouth.'
Amid the children giggling as if they'd heard a hilarious joke, Joseph simply closed his eyes while seated.
The scabbard gripped tightly in his hand trembled faintly.
In the new room, Charlotte shot Ricardo a glare.
The Second Prince, handsome on the outside but a lunatic within, had said nothing since entering the empty waiting room. What on earth was he thinking?
'What's his deal?'
She hadn't for a second imagined that this Second Prince, whom she couldn't find even a speck of appeal in, would rush over the moment the prelims ended to hand her the necklace.
So she had planned to demand it in front of everyone, but calling her alone like this made her suspicious.
Still, no other reason he might come find her came to mind no matter how she racked her brain, so she had followed along obediently.
Out of sheer curiosity.
But even after she crossed her short arms and waited a good while, Ricardo showed no sign of speaking first.
With no choice, she opened her mouth.
"I guess you're satisfied I passed the prelims? Since you came to see me in person."
"Huh? Yeah."
"So you came to give me that necklace as promised?"
Necklace?
Ricardo hadn't even considered the possibility of losing the bet with Charlotte in the first place, so he furrowed his brow long and hard, dredging up the memory before finally recalling that condition.
'Ah... right, we made that bet.'
Honestly, the very idea of losing to Charlotte and giving her something was humiliating from the start.
He had never intended to honor it anyway, but now wasn't the time to fuss over that.
It was supposedly one of the late Emperor's relics left behind, but... whatever, none of his business.
Ricardo had lived in such abundance that he rarely thought any object particularly precious.
He casually removed the necklace with its red pendant and held it out.
"Here."
Moreover, with his head full of his mother's orders, he paid little mind to Charlotte's face lighting up as she took the hardly remarkable necklace.
"Thank you. So, may I go now?"
Seeing Charlotte smile brightly and tilt her head as if ready to leave at once, Ricardo quickly waved her off.
"No, I have something to say."
"Pardon? To me?"
"Yes."
Charlotte thought his behavior odd but stopped in place.
Back in the side room before the prelims, she figured they'd said all there was to say.
Anyway, Ricardo had approached her because he was irked that Joseph could even breathe a little freer, and the pretext was just helping her pass the prelims.
The prelims were done, and the bet on their outcome settled.
So what more could the Second Prince want with her?
'What now...? Offering to make me win the whole tournament?'
Charlotte tilted her head, waiting for him to speak, but he just stared at her, blinking like his mouth was glued shut.
Tapping his thigh with his finger, clacking his teeth as if chewing on something nonexistent...
'...What's with him? He was threatening me earlier, now this?'
If she wasn't mistaken, he seemed to hesitate, as if reluctant to say whatever it was.
"...Charlotte Setia."
After a long pause, Ricardo finally spoke, calling the girl's name once more as she stood before him.
"Yes?"
Ricardo grew irritated at himself for struggling to open his mouth before Charlotte, who watched him with wide eyes.
Frankly, he had no idea how to phrase it.
'Did Camilla House Lord raise you in secret?'
He couldn't ask that outright,
'Your skills are impressive. Did you learn from Prince Joseph?'
That made his blood boil,
'Be honest, spill it all. What did you do, how, to wield a sword like that?'
Praising her per his mother's advice twisted his guts. He'd never in his life given anyone such nauseating compliments.
And there was another reason speaking up was so hard.
That faint floral scent he'd noticed before.
Because of the aroma wafting from the Charlotte standing before him now, this girl he'd seen countless times as utterly plain suddenly seemed... plausible, like someone of substance. Even her platinum hair and light green eyes, proof of mediocre talent, looked oddly appealing.
If anything, she should be leaping with joy and gratitude that he was even talking to her—so why was he the one hesitating?
Ricardo mulled over his words endlessly before giving up and blurting it out.
"Charlotte."
"...Pardon?"
"Let's get engaged."
The words burst out without context.
Ricardo's eyes widened a fraction, and Charlotte's went round as saucers.
For a fleeting moment, he wanted to take them back, but seeing her startled gaze fixed on him, he thought it might've been for the best.
'...Eh, whatever. Wasn't planning to lead with that, no idea why it slipped out, but it'll work. If her ears perk up, she'll spill everything.'
For him, the future Emperor, to make such an offer was a staggeringly generous proposal.
Anyone would welcome it, let alone Charlotte.
But contrary to his expectations, she didn't nod in eager agreement or jump for joy.
Instead, her jewel-like emerald eyes filled with doubt as she tilted her head this way and that, long lashes fluttering before she asked back.
"...Pardon? Me? I'm not interested... Don't you have another candidate lined up? Or not? Why would you even think that?"
"...What?"
"Pardon?"
Her response was so bewildering his mind blanked.
"You... said no?"
Without a second thought, Charlotte sliced through his proposal again, sharp as a blade.
"Yes. Why would I...?"
Ricardo was left utterly speechless.