Chapter 39

“It would be safer for Viscountess Lintz to travel with me to the capital.”  

“We’ll consider every possibility to ensure the Viscountess’s safety.”  

The eerie sound of wind blowing through the trees echoed in the ears.  

Charlotte and Erhen weren’t the only ones taken aback by Lucas’s actions. The Rosenheim Ducal guards and Sonne’s security team also sensed something unusual and began exchanging wary glances.  

Even in the frozen moment, Lucas stood firm, as if he had resolved himself for something. Erhen, with a stern expression, finally spoke.  

“Sir, you are overstepping your bounds.”  

His tone was polite, but his voice was cold.  

Even though it was an era where the bourgeoisie had risen in status and class distinctions were blurred, nobles were still nobles, and commoners were still commoners.  

No matter how much the Duke of Rosenheim himself disregarded rank, his title and the current situation were enough to send chills down the spines of those watching.  

Lucas swallowed nervously under Erhen’s overwhelming presence but refused to back down.  

“I apologize, Your Grace, but we received a royal decree this morning permitting Sonne to take over the Viscountess’s escort.”  

“A royal decree?!”  

Before Erhen could respond, Charlotte exclaimed in surprise.  

The sharp gazes exchanged between the two men turned toward her.  

“Then I suppose I have no choice but to go with Lucas!”  

“Charlotte?”  

Erhen’s brow furrowed at her unexpected reaction.  

Charlotte approached him and whispered each word carefully yet quickly.  

“I’ll go with Lucas to follow the royal decree. Alright?”  

Her words carried weight. She was clearly asking him not to make a fuss. Charlotte mouthed silently, making sure only Erhen could see: “I’ll see you in the capital.”  

Her eyes were filled with earnestness.  

After staring into her eyes for a moment, Erhen let out a small sigh and nodded.  

Defying a royal decree was something he often did when it was just between him and Michael, but he couldn’t do so in front of so many witnesses.  

With Erhen’s reluctant approval, Charlotte stepped back to Lucas’s side, looking relieved.  

“Then, I’ll see you later, Your Grace.”  

Charlotte performed a light curtsey. Despite her dirt-streaked, tattered clothing and trembling body, her posture was flawless.  

Lucas followed her lead and bowed his head.  

“I apologize for causing trouble, Your Grace.”  

Once Charlotte and Lucas had finished their farewells and stepped away, Sonne’s security team also began to withdraw.  

As the group, including Charlotte, moved farther away, Philip, who had been silently observing everything, approached Erhen.  

“Are you sure it’s alright to let her go like this?”  

Of course, it wasn’t.  

But the desperate look in her eyes had rendered him powerless.  

Erhen muttered as he watched Charlotte’s departing figure.  

“It’s a royal decree.”  

With those brief words, the members of the Rosenheim Ducal family also began their descent from the mountain.  

***

With a click, the carriage door shut. Once she confirmed it was securely closed, Charlotte glared at Lucas and began to question him.  

“What was that? Why did you act like that? What kind of attitude is that toward His Grace?”  

“……”  

Lucas remained silent. Like someone suppressing something, he crossed his legs and stared intently out the window.  

Charlotte grew even angrier at his dismissive attitude and pressed him further.  

“How could you treat someone who’s been helping me all day like that?”  

“You!”  

“Ah! Why are you shouting all of a sudden?!”  

Lucas, who had been avoiding her gaze, finally burst out, unable to contain his emotions. Realizing his outburst, he clenched his teeth and suppressed his anger.  

His bloodshot eyes, reddened from lack of sleep, stared at Charlotte before slowly closing, as if trying to calm himself down.  

It was the first time Charlotte had seen Lucas restrain his anger like this. Her tone softened as she cautiously asked,  

“Is something wrong?”  

The carriage began to move as the signal to depart was given.  

Covered in dirt and looking disheveled, Charlotte asked her impeccably dressed brother if something was bothering him. Lucas sighed deeply at her obliviousness.  

After the carriage had left the mountain far behind, he finally spoke in a subdued tone.  

“Charlotte.”  

“Yes?”  

“What’s your relationship with the Duke of Rosenheim?”  

Charlotte, who had been patiently waiting for him to speak, found herself at a loss for words when he finally asked.  

What kind of relationship? The answer was simple.  

They were a divorced couple. A couple who had dated and then separated. But there were so many emotions hidden between those lines.  

Seeing Charlotte hesitate, Lucas spoke again.  

“You’re just accompanying him to Hamern under the pretense of a royal decree, right?”  

“……”  

Lucas’s voice wavered as if his emotions were spilling out despite his efforts to hold them back.  

He had known about the Duke’s feelings for Charlotte from the beginning. How could he not?  

On the day he visited their home, he had noticed the Duke’s careful actions and wavering gaze toward her. If anyone failed to realize it, they would have to be as oblivious as his sister.  

Who was the Duke of Rosenheim? Even without his title as a mage, he was a genius in engineering and a Duke whose status no one could ignore.  

Three years ago, when Charlotte married him, and even now, Lucas’s feelings toward the Duke were closer to admiration. He could even support the idea of the Duke pursuing Charlotte again under the guise of a royal decree—on one condition.  

As long as it didn’t put Charlotte in danger.  

“A relationship that ended a year ago, right?”  

Lucas asked again, his tone demanding confirmation rather than seeking an answer.  

After returning from his business trip and being summoned by the King, Lucas had learned information that confirmed his suspicions about the Duke’s feelings.  

The problem was that the Duke had been attacked and had appeared at Charlotte’s doorstep carrying that danger with him. This was a matter of utmost secrecy, and the King had only shared it with Lucas to ensure Charlotte’s protection.  

“It’s nothing you need to worry about.”  

The Duke’s words from three months ago echoed in his mind.  

As the Duke had said, Charlotte hadn’t been harmed because of him. She had been thoroughly protected, even at the Earl of Friesland’s banquet.  

But that didn’t mean Charlotte hadn’t been exposed to danger.  

The Duke of Rosenheim, carrying danger with him, had caused ripples in Charlotte’s life. This incident, in which Charlotte had been targeted under the name of Rothschild, was proof of that.  

Even now, Charlotte hesitated and avoided answering Lucas’s repeated question.  

“If, by any chance, you have feelings for him, let them go.”  

“…Brother!”  

“Don’t spend unnecessary time with him.”  

Lucas’s voice was cold, as if he didn’t need an answer in the first place.  

Charlotte was stunned by her brother’s commanding tone. Though they had bickered like any siblings growing up, Lucas had never spoken to her so imperiously.  

The carriage continued on its way. After a brief silence, Charlotte finally spoke in a sullen tone.  

“Why?”  

“…What?”  

“Why should I?”  

Her voice was filled with defiance.  

Her uncharacteristically sharp tone made Lucas’s eyes narrow.  

“Charlotte, you’re really…”  

“My feelings are my own. I’m not a child who needs your permission to decide how I feel.”  

“If that’s the case—”  

“If that’s the case, what?”  

“If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have divorced him in the first place!”  

Lucas’s shout finally burst out.  

The word “divorce” struck Charlotte like a blow, leaving her frozen.  

No one in the Rothschild family had ever brought up her marriage or divorce with the Duke.  

Though Charlotte had known the future of this world, her family had only seen her marriage and subsequent divorce as shocking and unprecedented.  

Moreover, after learning that Charlotte had indirectly participated in the rebellion, the Rothschild family had staked their company’s fate on supporting the current King, Michael Düsseldorf.  

Did her naive sister even understand what that meant?  

Charlotte remained silent, her expression hardening as she clenched her lips shut.  

“…Father might not say anything, but if Mother finds out, it won’t end quietly.”  

“……”  

“So, whatever your feelings are, sort them out yourself.”  

Lucas added in a heavy tone, seeing Charlotte’s sudden silence.  

He could only hope that her feelings for the Duke were nothing more than a fleeting memory of a past connection.