EP. 134 Value Part 1
As dawn approached, Charlotte returned to her room with a somewhat pale face.
Learning the art of seduction itself was not a big issue, as it was something people her age would at least briefly learn.
However, the pace was excessively fast, leading to extreme mental exhaustion.
‘Dizzy.’
Thinking that she wanted to quit everything and go back, she naturally tried to crawl under the desk.
She noticed a battered fairy tale book placed on the desk.
Seeing this, she felt a mix of emotions, brushed her bangs back, and sighed.
‘...A fairy tale.’
It was her favorite fairy tale from childhood, seemingly about extending a helping hand to those in need.
In retrospect, it was a rather absurd story.
‘Still, as a child, she had empathized with it quite a bit.’
In fact, she had once gone to help Jeong-hyeon, influenced by it.
‘But those are all old stories.’
As those thoughts flashed through her mind, she let out a sigh filled with emptiness.
Then, she tightly closed her eyes and crawled under the desk.
*
"Charlotte. If you're a princess, why not act like one and maintain your dignity?"
After the hero disappeared.
It seemed that her secret of bringing food to the hero every evening had been discovered.
The first prince, the second prince, and Karina began to torment her, using it as an excuse to mockingly bully her.
"Defying Father's orders to bring food to a lowly criminal? Are you insane?"
Despite claiming noble lineage, they used vulgar language.
They started picking on her, pulling her blue hair, which was the opposite color of theirs, and finding ridiculous faults with her.
"If you want to associate with such lowly beings, why not live with them?"
The first and second princes had always shown signs of disliking her.
But it was the first time they were so blatant, which was quite bewildering.
So, she sought help from Karina, with whom she was somewhat close.
"Princess, how about handling your own matters?"
Karina ignored her with a mocking voice and left.
Standing there blankly, Charlotte couldn't understand what she had done wrong.
The second prince pulled her hair and pushed her down, laughing loudly.
Unrestrained violence.
More than the pain in her head or buttocks, the blind malice directed at her was terrifying, making her cry as she looked around.
Even the servants she was close to turned their eyes away, forcibly ignoring the situation instead of helping her.
‘...Why?’
What had she done so wrong to deserve such reactions?
All Charlotte did was extend a hand to someone in need, just like in the fairy tale she had read.
Unable to understand any of it, she cried and protested, asking what she had done wrong.
But the bullying only intensified, and nothing changed.
"Oh? It's raining."
As she crouched down with her face covered in tears, it was the rain that stopped everything.
Seeing the rain grow stronger, they left as if they had made a pact, and only then did the servants start to look around cautiously.
......
Not knowing where it all went wrong, she just cried endlessly.
Her nanny hurried over from afar and embraced her, speaking.
" Charlotte! Are you okay?"
Of course, she wasn't okay, so she just cried, and the nanny patted her back and quickly took her inside.
*
After washing her in warm water, the nanny dried her hair and spoke.
"Charlotte... You did nothing wrong."
Not knowing if it was because someone understood her or because the nanny was on her side, she just sobbed.
The nanny gently embraced her and spoke.
"Unlike you, they are children of concubines, so they are naturally hostile towards you."
"Children of concubines...?"
Charlotte nodded as she thought of their mother, who was still alive, unlike her own deceased mother.
The nanny wiped her tearful face and spoke.
"So you must become strong, Charlotte."
"... Okay."
"But don't worry too much. I'll protect you no matter what."
In the warm embrace, she nodded and agreed.
"Then promise to stay by my side."
"Yes, of course."
The nanny's pinky finger hooked onto hers.
At that moment, when the warmth transferred through their fingers, Charlotte believed the nanny would always be there to protect her.
[Gren Nereid (Deceased)]
Less than a month later, the nanny passed away.
Charlotte, recalling her childhood memories, ruffled her hair and crawled under the desk.
After the nanny's death, she developed excessive anxiety, and the space under the desk became a substitute for the nanny's warm embrace.
'... It's warm.'
Covering herself with a blanket allowed her to recall the warmth she felt back then.
Being inside, she felt a cozy sensation and was simply happy.
So, thinking she wanted to stay trapped in there forever.
- Well, if there's no choice, let's just go ahead with the engagement or whatever.
The event at the academy suddenly came to mind.
"......"
Why did such things keep coming to mind whenever she crawled in here?
Overcome with shame, she struggled like before, then went limp and awkwardly chuckled.
'Still... it wasn't bad.'
The feeling of someone supporting and embracing her was something she hadn't felt since the nanny.
Thinking it was one of the unforgettable memories, she tried to close her eyes.
Suddenly, part of the 'seduction' class she learned today came to mind.
- Princess, one of the things women often use to seduce men is their armpits.
- Armpits...? Wouldn't it be better to use breasts, thighs, or buttocks?
- Rather than those primal areas, armpits are more effective. Think about it, Princess. Breasts and buttocks, even when covered by clothes, reveal their shape, so they aren't as rare. But armpits are covered by arms...
The teacher who taught her seduction, a woman herself, explained all sorts of vulgar and incomprehensible male preferences.
Thinking that just listening to it was vulgar and dizzying, she blushed as it kept coming to mind.
Suddenly, the thought that she was learning all this for Jeong-hyeon crossed her mind.
'So, in short.'
She would have to do those things for Jeong-hyeon later, right?
Feeling as if her soul was leaving her body at the thought, she blankly stared at her armpits and muttered.
'... Do I have to show them later too?'
She heard she had to let him lick them...
As she thought about it blankly, she quickly shook her head in denial.
'No, no, absolutely not. Even if I die, absolutely not.'
Thinking she would never do such shameless acts, she closed her eyes.
* * * * *
Duke Filothes sat on the throne, looking down arrogantly, then descended and spoke.
"So, is Charlotte doing well?"
To that question, the butler bowed politely and replied.
"Yes. She is reportedly doing better in her lessons than expected."
With those words, he smirked and spoke.
"Of course, she should. Her appearance is the only thing of value."
The butler remained silent, only bowing his head.
Seeing the servant's demeanor, he lost interest, scoffed, and picked up a nearby document.
"So, how is the engagement proceeding?"
"We are pouring all our resources into it, planning to invite not only major nobles but also minor ones."
Nodding in satisfaction at those words, the butler cautiously brought up another topic.
"However, the financial situation has deteriorated significantly, and we need to find a solution."
The fact that he was mentioning it now meant it would be a topic of discussion in the next meeting.
Thinking over the suggestion to prepare a countermeasure, he calmly proposed one.
"It would be wise to use the demons."
"... Demons, you say?"
"Yes, demons. If we use them, no one would find it strange, so we could use their reputation to confiscate the nobles' wealth."
Reciting the thoughts of his ally, the Pope, the butler looked at him with a somewhat bewildered expression, then bowed his head and continued.
"And there are rumors of a new religion being established at the academy."
"A new religion?"
A new religion emerging right after the original one collapsed...
Whoever it was, they had timed it well, he thought, but then he heard something he couldn't ignore.
"The problem is that this religion is advocating the kingdom's downfall... It seems necessary to propose a countermeasure."
If such an issue had reached his ears, it must have been quite significant.
It seemed best to send the knights to handle it, so he decided to dispatch the 3rd Knight Order, which still had some capacity.
"However, there are rumors that the inquisitors were defeated by them... I'm concerned the 3rd Knight Order might not be enough."
"Then send some inspectors with them."
"Understood."
Watching the butler bow politely again, he felt his interest wane and waved his hand.
Since they were already discussing the church, he asked the butler about the Pope's whereabouts.
"By the way, has the Pope still not been found?"
"... No. Despite inquiries, no trace has been found, suggesting she might have died or been taken to a subspace or the demon realm."
Having spent a long time together, he felt it was only right to at least find the body.
He ordered them to 'find her as soon as possible' and yawned.
'My friend, with this, the peace of the kingdom you desired will continue.'
Thinking he should be pleased, he returned to the throne.