Roel had a bad premonition.

  On the other side of the table, a girl with auburn hair was directing a very ominous gaze his way. If he really had to describe it in words, it would be like a ravenous beast catching sight of food, or a completely destitute gambler stumbling upon gold by the side of the road. In any case, it was just bone-chilling!

  “Wait a moment, Miss Charlotte. I think you need to calm down a bit first.”


  Sharply sensing that things were headed in the wrong direction, Roel hurriedly interjected to cut off Charlotte’s train of thought, whatever it was. Years of dealing with Nora had trained up his sense for danger. He took a while to ponder over the situation before speaking up.

  “We should first get our priorities straight. The purpose of this meeting is to examine our engagement; the incident with the Golden Fleet is just an accident, a mere intermission. The chances of it happening once more are incredibly slim.”


  “I see. In other words, you’re saying that we need to ramp up the test cases in order to compensate for the high failure rate?”


  “That’s not what I mean! In the first place, I don’t think I’m obliged to help you on this matter, right?”


  Roel clasped his forehead speechlessly. Unexpectedly, his rejection only brought about a sinister smile on Charlotte’s face. At the next moment, her expression suddenly changed, and she raised her hand to wipe off her ‘tears’.

  “Mister Roel, I never expected to hear such heartless words from you!”


  “Ah?”


  “You made me declare our love before so many people through Arbiter of Fate, and yet, you wouldn’t even help me on this small request!”


  “W-w-wait a moment! Stop it! Stop talking nonsense!”


  The veteran actor Roel was completely flustered by Charlotte’s abrupt crying act. Half an hour ago, he was the one acting as a valiant man struggling to guard his house’s honor. Half an hour later, he ended up being placed in the role of a scumbag taking advantage of his weak fiancée.

  “Mister Roel, have you forgotten the friendship forged by our ancestors when they joined hands to deal with a common enemy? I-I know that all men are fallible to lust and greed…… For our ancestor’s honor, I’m willing to sacrifice my body and my assets to fulfill you. But in return, can’t you at least grant this one request of mine?”


  “I…… You……”


  Roel pointed a trembling finger at the crying girl before him, but he was unable to find the words to refute her. He had never thought that this lofty looking young miss would actually have such a devious side to her. Her fake tears looked so genuine that anyone watching this scene would think that he was taking advantage of her!

  “I-I’m warning you, don’t go overboard! You and I both know darn well the circumstances surrounding our engagement. Just half an hour ago, you were still trying to bribe me with money to annul it!”


  “Yes, and I’m repenting on my folly right now. Besides, I don’t actually have the authority to annul our engagement on my own accord.”


  Charlotte slowly put down her hand, which was still wiping away her fake tears a moment ago, to reveal the smile of a scheming businesswoman. She took a good look at Roel’s stiffened face before remarking in interest.

  “As you know, the market conditions are determined by the forces of supply and demand. I made a misevaluation earlier and nearly wasted 500,000 gold coins for naught. I assure you that I won’t make the same mistake again.

  “Mister Roel, what is your current impression of me?”


  Charlotte tucked a lock of her auburn hair behind her ear as she looked at Roel with an alluring twinkle in her eyes. Her sudden outburst of charm made Roel’s heart thump quickly, though his sharp eyes did spot the suspicious curl at the corner of her lips.

  Tsk, this woman!

  “You’re asking for my first impression of you? Miss Charlotte, are you certain that you would like to hear the truth?”


  “Of course.”


  “Then I shall be perfectly frank here. Miss Charlotte, I don’t deny that you are impeccable on the outside, but I personally believe that it’s what’s on the inside that counts. I’d very much prefer someone who has inner beauty, not someone who derives pleasure from mocking others.”


  Faced with Roel’s sharp criticism, Charlotte chuckled demurely behind her hand before responding concisely.

  “Mister Roel, you do have an appearance that can charm many young girls, but it’s a pity that you aren’t my type. And speaking of inner beauty, I find it ironic that someone who attempted to extort money from his fiancée on their first meeting is criticizing me.”


  “.……”


  Tsk, this woman sure is a tough nut to crack!

  Looking at Charlotte, Roel belatedly realized that the intelligence he had gathered from his previous life wasn’t useful here. Charlotte had the ability to adjust her character accordingly, depending on who she was dealing with. Her initial distant but polite persona was still manageable, but now that she had transformed into a sharp-tongued devil, he suddenly found himself being put in a spot.

  “I see. Miss Charlotte, it looks like the both of us have horrible impressions of one another.”


  “Indeed. I feel a little embarrassed that I actually share a commonality with you.”


  “Son of a banshee! You are just going to insult me directly now, huh?”


  “The same goes for you too, Mister Roel. You just told me that you don’t like me directly to my face. I must say that this is the first time I’m hearing such words in my life.”


  Charlotte gently raised her teacup with a casual smile, but her smile didn’t extend to her eyes or her tone at all. Roel was also trying his best to maintain a smile and look as relaxed and elegant as possible.

  As a result, the two of them ended up glaring at one another across the table for a long while before Charlotte finally sighed softly.

  “It looks like the both of us can come to a consensus that it’s necessary to annul the engagement.”


  “Indeed. It’s beyond me to imagine a life with you.”


  “Why don’t the two of us take a step back and think of it as an exchange?”


  “.…… What do you mean by that?”


  Roel looked at Charlotte warily, as if a customer putting up his guard against an unscrupulous businesswoman. However, the latter paid no heed to his excessive attitude and carried on.

  “During the period of our engagement, you’ll help me uncover clues regarding my ancestors. In exchange, I’ll offer you financial help. Thoughts?”


  “Are you trying to hire me here?”


  “You can think of it that way too. Let’s exploit our temporary engagement to its greatest potential and achieve a win-win situation. Don’t you think that it’s much better that way?”


  Charlotte’s lips edged up confidently, expressing her certainty that Roel would accept her terms. Seeing this, Roel clicked his tongue in annoyance, but he had no choice but to acknowledge what Charlotte had just said.

  The fiancé of Charlotte Sorofya—even if it was temporary, the young nobles of all countries would still gladly take up the position. From such a perspective, Roel, as a man, could be considered rather fortunate. It was actually not that bad of an idea to help Charlotte out, even if not for the money but just the Sorofyas’ goodwill.

  It was just that he was serving as the proxy fief lord, and while his workload had reduced significantly over the years, he was, by no means, free.

  While Roel was still hesitating over this matter, a familiar aura suddenly suffused him, and Grandar’s voice sounded in his ears.

  “Take her deal. This is a good opportunity for you to make a breakthrough.”


  “.……”


  With even the big fellow recommending him to do as such, Roel’s face scrunched tightly together, conflicted. It took a long while before he finally reluctantly nodded in agreement.

  He had indeed been stuck at Origin Level 5 for too long. Even if not for Grandar urging him on, he was also feeling rather anxious about his bottleneck too. If this matter could really provide him with the impetus to make a breakthrough……

  “How are you intending to compensate me? What if I fail to find any clues despite having worked on it for a long time?”


  “Yes, I do recognize such a possibility. So, in order to spur your motivation, I shall pay you in installments.”


  “Installments?”


  “That’s right. For example, hold my hand.”


  “Haa? Miss Charlotte, surely you can’t be thinking of ordering me around like a servant just by spending some money, right? I am……”


  “1000 gold coins.”


  The moment the auburn-haired girl dropped her offer, Roel froze right on the spot. It took only an instant for him to straighten his back and change his tone.

  “Sincerity is the key to doing business. It’s only right for me to do my best for you if I’m accepting your money. Like you have said, this is a win-win situation. For our common goal, I’m willing to sacrifice myself a little.

  “Isn’t it just holding hands? Grab it all you want!”