Charlotte - Chapter 28

Charlotte trembled uncontrollably, her body instinctively tightening around Leo before releasing again. It wasn’t something she did on purpose—her body moved on its own, as if no longer under her control.

“So, it wasn’t somewhere strange after all… but somewhere good,” Leo mused, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips. He could feel how overwhelmed she was, as if he had planned it all along.

Then, adjusting his grip, he firmly repositioned her legs in his arms. What followed was entirely different from before.

The pace quickened, the depth deepened, and the intensity grew. Everything changed in an instant.

Charlotte’s body, already overwhelmed, struggled to keep up with the sudden shift in intensity.

Her back arched, her hips writhed restlessly, and her thighs tried desperately to close—but Leo held her firmly in place with just the strength of his arms.

With no control of her own, her body moved only in response to him, as if she were merely there to take in everything he gave.

Leo, who couldn’t know that Charlotte also wanted this, opened his mouth, doing his best to suppress the penetration.

“I’ll cum in the deepest place I can reach.”

“Ah!”

“If you’re so desperate to pay the dowry, then don’t spit it out—take it properly.”

“Haa… ngh!”

After finishing his long speech, Leo, gritting his teeth, thrust his taut erected penis into Charlotte with a thud.

She felt a throbbing pulse in her stomach. She could clearly feel the spring sloshing inside her.

“Huh… … .”

Charlotte did something that was not unpleasant, even though she didn’t mind Leo leaving a trace. It was an expression of her immaturity in receiving ejaculation.

“Haa.”

Leo let out a languid sigh and let go of Charlotte’s legs, which he had been holding tightly, and pulled out of her.

As soon as the cock disappeared, a stream of white semen flowed out from the gap that would not close.

“Ugh… … .”

Leo reached out and checked it, then scraped the semen with his fingertips and put it back into the vagina.

He also spread it thickly in the passage where his fingers could easily pass through.

Even though he knew it was useless, seeing him do it like that, it seemed like he was simply trying to harass Charlotte for not listening to him.

Leo’s next action was what gave him confidence in that thought. He grabbed Charlotte’s slender calf and pulled her closer to him than where she was before lowering her again.

‘… … I’ll drive you so deep that your bottom is worn out.’

Leo strictly kept his promise with Charlotte.

***

The next day, Leo summoned Mona to his office. It was a private meeting.

Since Leo had lost his sight, Mona had taken responsibility for overseeing his daily life. It wasn’t unusual for them to be alone together.

But this moment felt different.

It wasn’t time for tea, nor was it mealtime. The sun sat high in the sky, meaning there was no reason to check on his bedding, either. And above all, an unusual tension hung between them, making this encounter feel more unfamiliar than ever before.

It was obvious why she was standing in front of his desk.

This was about yesterday.

Mona knew it. And yet, she didn’t lower her head. She wasn’t here to beg for forgiveness. She had already accepted the consequences before running to Charlotte last night.

Though Charlotte’s reaction had caught her off guard, Mona didn’t regret what she had done.

If the king dared to send another letter filled with the same vile nonsense, she would do it all over again—without hesitation.

And if that meant facing punishment, so be it.

Even if she were reprimanded. Even if she were severely punished. None of it mattered.

As Mona reaffirmed her resolve, Leo finally broke the silence and got straight to the point.

“I plan to liquidate part of my personal assets and use it for the princess’s dowry.”

“……”

“I’ve already informed Ferndel and Erik. Just letting you know.”

“Wh…”

Mona parted her lips but couldn’t form a single coherent word.

What…?

She couldn’t believe it.

What… is he doing…?

Her face twisted in disbelief, unable to mask her reaction. She stared at Leo, searching for some kind of explanation.

Leo was pErikeptive—there was no way he hadn’t noticed her stunned silence. Yet, like a stone cast into a still pond, he simply let his words settle and waited for the ripples to fade.

The ticking of the clock filled the office.

As the seconds dragged on, Mona finally understood the meaning of Leo’s silence.

This wasn’t up for discussion.

It was a decision. A statement. A fact.

“Why…”

She forced the words out, cutting through the hesitation that clung to her lips like a blade.

“Why do you have to go this far for her?”

Bitter frustration poured from her mouth instead of blood.

“Why you, my lord? Why is it always you who has to sacrifice something for her?”

Charlotte had been the one to weigh her own gain and toss Leo aside without a second thought.

She was the one who had shattered the years they had spent together, the memories they had built, and the emotions that had grown between them—all in an instant.

And yet… for her, Leo was willing to give up even more?

How far would he go? How much more would he give?

“I won’t accept this.”

Mona shook her head, like a child stubbornly refusing something unbearable.

“Her mere presence in Rosa is already sickening. The fact that she’s going to be your wife—I can barely keep my sanity as it is. And now you want to use your wealth to support her? No. Absolutely not.”

Leo’s personal fortune was the spoils of his victories.

Had he not returned from war alive, that wealth wouldn’t even exist.

And now, he wanted to hand it over to Charlotte?

Mona clenched her fists.

If she didn’t harden her heart now, if she didn’t stop him, one day Leo might hand over everything—even his own life—to that woman.

A beggar.

A parasite.

Mona thought back to the words she had held back from Charlotte the night before.

A courtesan.

A witch.

Maybe even the way she gasped for breath—like she was on the verge of breaking—had been just another form of sorcery, meant to draw people in.

And for a fleeting moment, it had worked.

Mona had wavered.

“Mona, I won’t hear any objections on this matter. Just do as I say.”

Leo’s firm resolve left no room for argument.

At that moment, an image flashed through Mona’s mind—Leo, swallowing poisoned food without hesitation. The memory sent a tremor through her, and before she could stop herself, a quiet sob escaped her lips.

Hearing it, Leo stood from his chair.

His fingers traced the edge of the desk before he stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

Swallowing down her tears, Mona shifted slightly to the side, meeting his approach head-on.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Leo said, his voice steady. “But that’s not why I’m doing this.”

His tone was calm.

“This isn’t about what Charlotte means to me.”

And it was convincing.

“Rather, she will be someone important to my child. That’s the only reason.”

Leo laid out his explanation in a way that left little room for doubt.

If news spread that Charlotte had become the Duchess of Kartenon without a single coin to her name, most people would react just as Mona had.

And the titles they gave her would be far worse than anything Mona had called her.

A beast. A parasite. Filth.

Her name would be buried under a pile of slurs, as if she were something less than human.

If Charlotte were merely his wife, Leo could endure watching her stand alone amid a storm of ridicule.

But Charlotte was also the mother of his future child.

And he would not allow his child to grow up watching their mother be scorned.

“That’s all there is to it.”

It was a statement so devoid of emotion that anyone else might have believed him.

“…I see.”

Leo thought he understood Mona’s thoughts?

“Is that so.”

Impossible.

If there was anyone who understood Leo’s feelings—feelings even he himself was blind to—it was Mona.

In the end, this was just Leo’s way of helping Charlotte.

Using a child who didn’t even exist yet as an excuse.