“What are you all looking at? You’re all dismissed!”


  “You! What are you laughing at? Drop that smile from your face! You are forbidden from smiling!”


  It was a terrible lunch for Roel. The stress coming from the judging eyes around him left him nearly with a stomach ache despite the good food served to him.

  Damn it! Why do I feel so humiliated? I feel like I’m going to drop dead from the embarrassment!

  Regardless of whether it was when the chef was explaining the origin of the fish fillet with a bright smile or when the famed musicians that he had invited from Loren played a melodious, uplifting tune, he would somehow think of that humiliating moment when he was left standing alone in the middle of the room, the center of everyone’s attention.

  That nasty woman! How can she abandon me after doing all of that! That’s too much!

  Roel would love nothing more than to seal that public shaming Charlotte had delivered to him into the recycle bin in his head labeled ‘Dark History’, but it was easier said than done. He felt that this would be a mental trauma that would make his fingers curl up out of sheer cringe even years from now.

  That empty chair before me sure feels ironic. Ahhhhh! Don’t make me recall that memory again!

  Roel gnashed his teeth as he ripped his fish fillet apart.

  How could that woman use her bloodline ability three times in a row to humiliate me?

  It was fortunate that most of those present were his people, but those knowing smiles that they kept directing toward him left him feeling so awkward and mentally stressed that it felt like he would develop a brain tumor out of this.

  Or is this some kind of ploy to assassinate me through shame?

  Also, the incident did spark a sliver of doubt in Roel’s mind—what in the world was with that divination?

  He took a huge gulp of refreshing chilled mead to cool his emotions and exhaled deeply before beginning to run through what had happened earlier. The current turn of events was not very desirable, and there was a need for him to think of a way to resolve the situation.

  While it was not explicitly stated in the game, the clues seemed to suggest that their engagement hadn’t been annulled at that time, likely because game-Roel had refused to do so. So, if he wanted to remove his death flag with Charlotte, the best way to do so was to sit down with her and peacefully talk things over.

  However, the complications that happened along the way made that harder than it had to be.

  For some reason, Charlotte had abandoned all of the frontloading to get straight to the point, but the results of her divination ironically painted a wonderful future for their union instead. Honestly, Roel was still having difficulties trying to come to terms with what had happened thus far. He had never seen such an amazing act of self-sabotage before.

  “She was definitely intending to annul the engagement, but this outcome is really……”


  Roel tugged at his hair while feeling that he had been placed in a really difficult position. The thing was that he had actually prepared a set of maneuvers to annul the engagement peacefully, and all Charlotte had to do was to sit there and do nothing at all—he wasn’t even expecting her to cooperate with him!

  But what now?

  Charlotte basically dropped bomb after bomb to ruin the whole game, leaving the two of them in an awkward position to do anything at all.

  “None of you are to leak out anything that happened today! What occurred was nothing more than an accident, understood?”


  After lunch was over, Roel had summoned everyone present and emphasized that it was just a freak accident and the results of the divination were unreliable. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like his clarification was working very well……

  On the other hand, Charlotte rushed all the way back into her room inside the carriage and holed herself up.

  “Young miss, please come out. None of us are laughing at you.”


  Grace looked at the bundle wrapped within a thick layer of blanket and sighed deeply. She had never thought that Charlotte’s Arbiter of Fate would end up with such results.

  Divining with Arbiter of Fate consumed Charlotte’s mana greatly. If she refused to eat on top of that, it was likely that she would suffer a migraine soon or even be unable to get up tomorrow morning.

  Feeling that it wouldn’t do to leave things be, Grace racked her mind to think of a way to console Charlotte, but before she could say anything, her mistress had already spoken up first.

  “Grace…… What do you think of the results of my divination?”


  The girl hidden in the blanket asked with a voice quivering in embarrassment. Grace pondered for a moment before responding from a professional’s standpoint.

  “.…… I think that it’s worth taking them into account, but you shouldn’t blindly accept them unconditionally. You have only used a costless general binary divination, which has a lower success rate and credibility, as well as many loopholes.

  “On top of that, divination is highly sensitive to the weather and the bloodlines and Origin Attributes of the ones divined. Besides, even if the results of the divination are accurate, there are also many loopholes with the questions you asked as well.”


  Admittedly, Charlotte was too agitated earlier that many of the questions she asked were vague and unclear. For one, she divined whether the two of them would end in bliss or not, but the definition of ‘bliss’ differed from one individual to the other. Besides, bliss was a transient state; even a tragic marriage could be peppered here and there with moments of bliss.

  As for the divination of whether they were ‘in love’, love could also be a transient state as well. There were plenty of lovers who married out of passion, only for their blazing love to be doused within weeks.

  Such examples were not uncommon amongst nobles, which only went to show that Charlotte’s divinations were not truly meaningful.

  “I-is that so?”


  Hearing Grace’s interpretation of the situation, Charlotte’s head peeked out a little from the blanket as the redness on her face receded a little. Slowly but surely, she was regaining her composure.

  “Yes, young miss. So, what do you intend to do? Will you fulfill the engagement you have with young master Roel, or do you intend to……”


  Charlotte fell silent. She pondered the question for a long while, but in the end, her face darkened once more.

  “.…… I don’t dare to make a gamble here.”


  “.……”


  A silent sigh escaped from Grace’s lips. Considering the experiences Charlotte had been through thus far, it was not that difficult for her to understand the rationale behind the girl’s decision.

  The risks really were too high.

  No matter how the Ascarts tried to hide it or how optimistic the results of the divination were, there was no denying that Roel was entangled with two charming girls who were every bit as beautiful as Charlotte.

  Was Roel a good marriage partner?

  The answer was a resounding yes. He had a lot of good qualities, be it his appearance, his background, his talents, and much more. There were very few people in the world who were as eligible as he was. However, these factors happened to be of secondary concern to Charlotte.

  What Charlotte—or rather, all children who had an unhappy childhood—really wanted was someone who truly loved her; someone who was willing to build a happy family with her. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem like Roel fit the criteria.

  “I was too rash earlier. I should negotiate again with him later at night.”


  Having finally calmed down, Charlotte slowly crawled out of her blanket as she made up her mind to follow her initial plan.

  “I feel apologetic to him, but I’ll offer him ample compensation.”
……

  You nasty woman! You still dare to stand before me, huh?

  At the dining table once more, Roel glared at the stiff-faced girl sitting opposite to him furiously. All of the indignance he had accumulated since lunchtime had exploded into seething rage. Ever since that incident, he couldn’t help but feel that everyone was laughing at him. His mind was really on the edge right now.

  She’s really too much! How could she make me bear the brunt of the impact all by myself!

  “Mister Roel, do you still remember the collaboration proposal you sent to us a while back?”


  “Yes, of course, I remember it,” replied Roel snappishly.

  Under the illumination of the candlelight, Charlotte put on a slightly guilty smile while Roel eyed her with disgruntlement.

  Heh, collaboration? You only remember it at a time like this, huh? Are you just looking for another opportunity to abandon me once more?

  “I’ve taken a look at the proposal, and I fully agree with it.”


  “.…… Miss Charlotte, you fully agree with it?”


  “That’s right. I’d taken a careful look at the proposal before heading here, and I believe that the proposal is mutually beneficial to both of our houses. I do have the rights to call the final shots on this matter.”


  “I see…… Allow me to thank you on behalf of the Ascart Fiefdom then. I look forward to working with the Sorofyas. You may send over your negotiators whenever convenient to discuss the details of the contract with our Legal Department.”


  Roel’s complexion alleviated a little after hearing Charlotte agreeing to the collaboration proposal. Seeing this, Charlotte also heaved a sigh of relief. With the business deal settled, the atmosphere between them lightened a little.

  “Mister Roel, I am very apologetic about the events that transpired earlier this afternoon. However, after careful contemplation, I would still like to annul our engagement. May I know your thoughts on this matter?”


  “This…… Pardon me, but I think that it’s still too abrupt……”


  Roel looked at Charlotte’s head, which had never turned green even once throughout the entire day since they met one another, and he felt a little reluctant to let her off just like that. However, his hesitant attitude was interpreted very differently by Charlotte.

  “300,000 gold coins.”


  “What?”


  “I’m willing to compensate the Ascart House 300,000 gold coins for the annulment of this engagement.”


  “.……”


  At the very moment Roel heard the generous offer coming from the wealthy young miss of the Sorofya House, his body immediately stiffened up. He narrowed his eyes a little as he smelled the scent of an opportunity here.

  It might be nigh impossible for him to get any Affection Points out of Charlotte anymore, but at the very least, he could at least squeeze some gold out of the Sorofyas, which was practically loaded with money. This was, after all, a deal for her to regain her freedom. What did mere money count as?

  Besides, she owed him for emotional damage from the mental trauma she had afflicted on him!

  With such thoughts in mind, the gaze Roel directed toward Charlotte grew kinder and kinder. Even though Charlotte’s head had never turned green all this while, he felt like her entire body was glowing as green as a field of cabbages at this very instant.

  “Miss Charlotte, how can you say such words?!”


  The veteran farmer, Roel, immediately got right into the act to maximize his harvest. With tightly clenched fists, he stared at Charlotte with eyes filled with disbelief, as if an honest man being callously betrayed by his lover.

  “I’ve been treating you with my utmost sincerity so as to fulfill the sacred promise of our ancestors. Yet, you wish to annul the engagement in such a manner? 300,000 gold coins? How can that possibly match up to the century-old promise between our houses?!”


  “.……”


  Roel’s indignant declaration left Charlotte feeling utterly dumbfounded. As someone who had been striking business deals for the Sorofyas for years now, there was no way she wouldn’t understand what he was up to.

  Wow. I have never seen someone who can ask for more money in such a shameless manner.

  Charlotte took a few deep breaths to compose herself. She finally understood why Roel was able to spur such rapid development in the Ascart Fiefdom within just a few years—he might be a noble, but he was no less cunning than any businessman!

  You still dare to talk about me? You are obviously the one who wishes the most to cash in on this engagement!

  Roel sensed that Charlotte was starting to lose her temper, but he wasn’t intimidated in the least. One must know that despite his rich exterior, the truth was that he was heavily in debt. Three years had already passed thus far, and he still owed 350,000 gold coins to the System.

  This was definitely not a small sum, so it was inevitable that he would feel anxious about it.

  “350,000 gold coins. That should be enough to express my sincerity.”


  “We, the children of the Ascart House, are very proud of our legacy. We view the will of our ancestors in high regard. The spirits of my ancestors often appear in my dreams to……”


  “400,000 gold coins!”


  “Even the diaries of my ancestor, Ponte, have been stored securely in our Labyrinth Villa over at the Holy Capital. This century old engagement promise has Grandpa Blanc’s honor on the line, and it represents our hundred years of friendship with the Sorofyas……”


  “450,000 gold coins! Mister Roel, you should know when to be satisfied!”


  “.……”


  Charlotte warned sharply with anger seething in her voice, causing Roel to stop his rant. He looked at the auburn-haired girl before him and blinked silently for a moment before lowering his head with a deep sigh. There was a long silence drifting in the air before Roel finally spoke once more.

  “.…… So, no matter what I say, you’re determined to end this engagement with your money.”


  Those words shocked the angry Charlotte. She raised her head to look at the slightly forlorn boy sitting before her, and all of a sudden, she felt a slight ache in her heart. Guilt began pricking at her conscience.

  “I just think that…… we aren’t suited for one another.”


  “Not suited for one another, huh…… I know that you have some reservations about me, but if you would just tell me what’s wrong, I’m willing to try my best to change for your sake. Isn’t the purpose of this meeting for us to give one another a chance?”


  “.…… I’m sorry.”


  Faced with Roel’s questioning, Charlotte’s face was clouded by her dilemma for a moment before she lowered her head and rejected him once more. On the other hand, Roel also fell silent too. His golden eyes reflected his deep disappointment, as if he couldn’t understand why Charlotte would reject him so heartlessly.

  This heavy atmosphere made every second feel like an eternity.

  Unable to bear with her guilt, Charlotte ended up caving in and broke the silence.

  “This is my personal problem. I’m sorry, Mister Roel…… I’ll compensate you with 500,000 gold coins, and I hope that you can forgive……”


  “Deal.”


  “???”


  As soon as Roel heard Charlotte’s pleading offer, Roel suddenly bounced back to life as he sealed the deal decisively. This turn of events left the still guilt-ridden Charlotte utterly dumbfounded.

  “Cough cough. Well, I’ll accept Miss Charlotte’s goodwill. In truth, our Ascart House, from my father’s generation onward, has been very supportive of the freedom to love, so we do empathize with how you feel about this matter. Please rest assured that we’ll do our best to shift away this hundred-year-old boulder that stands in the way of your happiness!”


  Roel quickly changed his tune, unhesitatingly tossing aside all of the nonsense he talked about concerning the Ascart House’s legacy. He even conveniently brought up Carter’s support of the freedom to love, phrasing it in a manner that made it sound as if the hundred-year-old engagement promise was nothing more than a boulder blocking both their paths to happiness.

  “Mister Roel, has no one ever told you that you’re a shameless person?”


  “Hahaha. Well, there are people who tell me that from time to time, but I’d like to believe that they simply don’t know me well enough.”


  Having extorted a massive sum of 500,000 gold coins from Charlotte, Roel waved his hand nonchalantly, completely disregarding Charlotte’s sharp criticism.

  Customers tend to be a little edgy whenever they have to part with their money. It’s understandable, really.

  Roel, as a veteran in this field, had skin as thick as the city walls. There was no way Charlotte, who had never learned how to insult another person, could possibly stand a chance against him.

  That being said, he still thought that it was not a good thing to keep her fuming. The goal of annulling the engagement had been achieved, so his death flag had been successfully removed, but there were still benefits from maintaining a good relationship with Charlotte.

  “Speaking of which, Miss Charlotte, I have an ancient letter here which appears to have something to do with the Sorofya House. May I invite you to take a look at it?”


  Roel wanted to divert Charlotte’s attention elsewhere, so he reached into his chest pocket and took out the envelope in it. He placed it on the table and pushed it toward Charlotte. However, Charlotte wasn’t intending to play along with him anymore.

  “What kind of sinister ploys are you up to this time around?”


  “It isn’t a ploy, I promise you. I found this envelope by coincidence a few days ago, and I noticed the insignia of the Sorofyas’ golden rose on its wax seal. That’s why I thought of showing it to you.”


  “Golden rose?”


  The words piqued Charlotte’s interest. She frowned for a slight moment as she directed her gaze at the envelope in Roel’s hand. After a moment of contemplation, she reached out for it.

  “Let me take a look at it then.”


  Right after those words were spoken, Charlotte’s hand fell on the envelope.

  To everyone’s surprise, in the moment that both of their hands were connected with the envelope, a powerful pulsation of mana suddenly burst forth, rattling the manor.