Chapter 43

Eventually, Erhen stood in front of Charlotte and Michael. Perhaps because she had seen him almost every day while in Heringen, even though it had only been three days, Charlotte found herself working hard to keep her excitement from showing on her face. 

Erhen alternated his gaze between Charlotte and Michael, slightly furrowing his brow.

“Why are the two of you together?”

“How rude, not even greeting me first. I may look like this, but I am your King.”

“Peace to Rohadin.”

His belated greeting, delivered reluctantly, seemed full of forced politeness. Charlotte bowed her head, wondering if it was just her imagination. Michael, apparently sharing her thoughts, clicked his tongue with a “Tsk.”

“I called the Viscountess first regarding the royal palace café bidding. Why?”

“Why discuss the bidding on the Plains of the Sun?”

“I plan to proceed with a private contract.”

“Suddenly? Isn’t that an unfair practice?”

“I’m well aware of the demand among palace officials for the café run by the Viscountess.”

Neither Erhen nor Michael backed down as they bickered. While it made sense for Erhen, who was in a relationship with Charlotte, to behave this way, even Michael, who usually ignored Erhen’s protests, seemed puzzled by his own behavior. He simply didn’t want to lose.

Feeling awkward amidst the sudden quarrel between the two men, Charlotte brought her hand to her mouth and cleared her throat to make her presence known. Michael, who had been absorbed in his exchange with Erhen, snapped back to his senses. 

What am I doing, like a child? 

Erhen, too, looked embarrassed and turned his head with a cough.

“…Anyway, since this is an unofficial meeting with the Viscountess, let’s end the conversation here.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Duke of Rosenheim, I’ll see you at the meeting later.”

With a sheepish expression, Michael dismissed them. Erhen, who wasn’t much different, left the garden with Charlotte, who was barely suppressing her laughter.

***

After walking for a long time from the Plains of the Sun into the hallway, Charlotte glanced around to ensure no one was nearby. Confirming they were alone, she suddenly grabbed Erhen’s hand.

Looking down at her, as she held his hand tightly and gazed up at him with a pout, Erhen couldn’t suppress the smile forming on his lips.

“Have you been well?”

At Erhen’s gentle question, Charlotte raised her voice as if exasperated.

“How could I have been well? How could anyone be fine after parting like that? And you, Duke! You seem to have been doing well! How can your face still be so handsome?”

“Of course, I—”

“Duke! Duke! Duke of Rosenheim!”

The words “I haven’t been well” were swallowed back into Erhen’s mouth, interrupted by a voice calling from a distance. Both turned their attention toward the source. At the end of the hallway, which they thought was empty, a woman came running toward them with quick steps, making loud noises.

Behind her, several maids followed, looking flustered.

“Princess! Please don’t run, Princess!”

At the maid’s desperate cry, Charlotte released Erhen’s hand. Before he could even glance at her now-empty hand, the princess had already reached them and grabbed Erhen’s wrist roughly.

“Huff, huff. I finally caught you! Duke Rosenheim!”

Her sparkling eyes, glistening under the sunlight, were filled with vitality. Her long, wavy hair, cascading down to her waist, swayed gently in the air as she came to a sudden stop.

Giselle Düsseldorf. She was the only sister of Michael, the King of Rohadin, and—

“I heard my brother was meeting with you today, so I ran here! I missed you so much!”

—she was the beloved Princess of this country, who openly professed her love for Erhen.

If Charlotte of the Rothschild family had been the people’s princess since childhood, Giselle, who became a real princess when Michael ascended the throne, was the royal mascot. 

In Michael’s stead, who was often busy with state affairs, she attended various events and mingled warmly with the people, earning their love regardless of age or gender. 

Michael cherished his only sister dearly, and many noble families sought to approach power through her. However, as it was widely known that she harbored a one-sided love for the Duke of Rosenheim, no man dared to challenge that position.

With flushed cheeks, Giselle held onto Erhen’s wrist tightly and jumped up and down in joy. However, Erhen’s expression as he looked at her was cold. It was a stark contrast to the way he had looked at Charlotte earlier.

Erhen gently grabbed Giselle’s hand, which was holding his wrist, and spoke.

“Princess, in front of others….”

Though his touch was soft, his meaning was clear. Despite Giselle’s firm grip, her hand fell away helplessly.

“Peace to you.” 

Erhen said, his voice calm.

Though his actions could have easily offended Giselle, she seemed accustomed to such reactions. Without any change in her smiling expression, she clasped her hands together shyly and said, 

“Oh my! I didn’t even realize! I was so upset when I heard you were on leave and couldn’t see you for a while. Do you know how much I missed you?”

“My apologies.”

“Oh my, I didn’t notice you were here as well, Viscountess Lintz. I’ve heard so much about you. It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“Peace to you, Princess. I am Charlotte Lintz.”

When Giselle acknowledged Charlotte, Charlotte finally greeted her. Standing before Giselle, who seemed overjoyed at seeing Erhen, Charlotte didn’t know what expression to put on. Moreover, Giselle, as Michael’s sister, surely knew about her past marriage to Erhen.

After exchanging brief greetings with Charlotte, Giselle turned her attention back to Erhen, her smile directed solely at him. It was as if she had finished her business with Charlotte.

“You see, Duke, I cleared my schedule when I heard you’d be passing by here. Let’s have tea together!”

“I’m sorry, but I have prior engagements.”

His quick refusal made her adorable proposal seem futile. Yet Giselle didn’t give up.

“Are you really going to ignore me after I cleared my schedule to meet you?! Let’s have tea, just the two of us!”

Her playful tone, accompanied by a series of “Hmm? Hmm?” would have melted the hearts of many men. 

“I told you, I have prior engagements.”

But Erhen remained firm.

“If you keep saying you’re busy or have plans, when will you ever go on a date with me? What if I never saw you again after that attack!”

Finally, Giselle, frustrated by his repeated refusals, crossed her arms and shouted, pouting. Her unfiltered words were filled with regret over Erhen’s constant rejections.

A moment of silence followed her outburst. Eventually, Erhen let out a light sigh.

“Princess.”

“Yes! So, does that mean you’ll come with me now?”

Excited by Erhen addressing her first, Giselle laughed gleefully. However, instead of answering directly, Erhen turned to Charlotte, who had been standing behind him, and took her hand in his. 

Unlike his usual manner of simply holding her hand, this time, his large, gentle hand intertwined with her fingers, locking them together.

Giselle’s expression finally froze. Her gaze remained fixed on their clasped hands, unable to look away. It couldn’t have been more blatant.

“…Duke.”

“Forgive me for leaving abruptly.”

Erhen said, turning his back on Giselle before she could finish speaking. Charlotte quickly bowed to Giselle and followed him.

Though it seemed like Giselle muttered something as she stood frozen like a statue, Charlotte felt an inexplicable sense of reassurance as she silently followed Erhen, who was firmly holding her hand and leading the way.

***

Erhen and Charlotte walked silently through the palace for quite some time. Only after they had moved far from prying eyes and reached an empty building did Erhen finally stop. Shielding Charlotte within the space between the buildings, Erhen turned around to face her with a spin.

“Don’t misunderstand.”

This was the first thing he said.

His eyes even carried a hint of desperation, as if fearing she might misunderstand him. Though there was nothing to misunderstand in the first place, Charlotte couldn’t help but let out a laugh. She released his hand and covered her mouth with both hands to stifle her giggles.

However, her reaction only deepened Erhen’s misunderstanding.

“I feel awkward saying this myself, but the Princess is… following me around unilaterally….”

For some reason, he trailed off mid-sentence.

Huh? Cutting himself off like that only made it more suspicious.

Charlotte narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

“Why? Even the printing presses in the shops know that the Princess is head over heels for the Duke of Rosenheim.”

In truth, Charlotte had heard about this on her way to the palace today. Instead of Lida, who usually accompanied her, another maid named Mary had followed her and shared the story.

Mary had told her that, after she had left for Heringen, Princess Giselle had started following the Duke of Rosenheim around persistently. 

Unlike Lida, who seemed to have some idea about Charlotte and Erhen’s relationship, Mary knew nothing. She had eagerly offered to recount the events of the past year when the Viscountess had been away in Hamern.

Charlotte had brushed off Mary’s comments at the time, thinking little of them. But witnessing Princess Giselle’s affectionate advances toward Erhen in person had ignited a fire within her.

Furthermore, the Princess had greeted her out of mere courtesy and then completely ignored her. To others, it might seem as though the Princess didn’t even overlook the Viscountess, but to Charlotte, it felt like she was being treated as mere background scenery.

…Now that she thought about it, this was infuriating.