Charlotte - Chapter 29

“You should’ve just given me a different punishment instead.”

Mona muttered the words as she bowed to Leo and turned to leave.

Her voice was quieter than the sound of her hand turning the doorknob, yet Leo still heard her. And with a soft tone, he responded to her back.

“What punishment could be worse for you than this?”

The moment she was pushed out of the office, Mona bit down hard on her lip.

He was right.

It felt as if she had swallowed poison. A slow, burning agony gnawed at her insides.

As she hurried down the corridor, the fire in her chest became unbearable, and her steps faltered.

She barely managed to avoid collapsing, gripping the windowsill for support.

Still, her head hung low, like a trampled blade of grass.

It was heavy. And terrifying.

The path Leo was so certain of—the one he believed to be firm beneath his feet—was nothing more than a fragile tightrope.

Where had it all gone wrong?

What had been the first mistake?

As the burning questions swirled inside her, only one face surfaced in her mind.

Pale skin kissed by moonlight, silver hair spilling over it like threads of stardust.

Fingertips brushing back those soft strands would reveal eyes poised between the sky and the sea.

A delicate nose drawing a perfect line between them.

And below it, lips so vividly red, standing out even more against her fair complexion.

The princess of Ignator, shining brighter than ice sculptures in the snow-covered royal palace.

The same woman who had smiled at her so sweetly while weaving her lies.

Who had deceived her precious young master, only to plummet in disgrace before she could even spread her wings.

Charlotte.

Mona should have stopped her from setting foot in Rosa.

Should have made sure she never faced Leo again.

If only Leo had never lost his sight.

If only the king had an ounce of shame, a shred of honor.

If only Princess Mia had become Leo’s bride, as planned.

How different would things be? How much better?

The uselessness of these thoughts only crushed Mona further.

She hadn’t even lifted her hand from the windowsill, yet her knees threatened to buckle again.

She barely held herself together when—

Footsteps.

Not far away, someone hesitated mid-step.

Mona didn’t know whose path she had blocked, but she forced her expression into something neutral and lifted her head.

“……”

“……”

Of all the people she didn’t want to see right now—

It had to be her.

Charlotte.

Charlotte’s gaze flicked briefly to Mona’s hand, still pale from the force she had used to grip the windowsill.

That fleeting glance sent a wave of irritation through Mona.

Out of sheer stubbornness, she tore her hand away from the window, straightened her legs, and locked eyes with Charlotte.

Then, after only a brief silence, Charlotte spoke.

“Can I have a moment of your time?”

An unexpected request.

Mona’s jaw tightened for a second before she answered.

“…Of course. I suppose I should.”

She must be planning to scold me for what happened yesterday. It was an easy guess, so Mona simply nodded in agreement.

Given that Charlotte had a habit of lashing the maids of the separate palace without hesitation, there was a high chance that a beating awaited her.

Mona, however, was not afraid. On the contrary, she hoped for it. A wicked thought surged within her—she wanted Charlotte to beat her mercilessly, to the point where Leo would never be able to see Charlotte the same way again.

“Come in.”

Unfortunately, her delightful imagination didn’t quite match reality. There wasn’t even a twig in sight when she stepped into the room.

“Why don’t you sit?”

Charlotte, surprisingly, displayed a basic level of courtesy, offering Mona a seat on the sofa like any proper host receiving a guest.

Of course, finding sincerity in her actions was another matter entirely.

After all, this high-quality sofa had only been replaced because Charlotte had gone into a drunken rampage on her very first day in Rosa, smashing a bottle of wine.

“If it won’t take long, I’d rather stand and hear it.”

Feeling slightly nauseous, Mona stood stiffly in front of the armrest, making her refusal clear through her posture.

Charlotte, who had already seated herself, furrowed her crimson-tinted brows slightly, her expression unreadable.

Perhaps she was displeased with Mona for not obeying her—after all, she was soon to become the mistress of the Kartenon ducal family.

Still, she didn’t throw a fit and demand Mona sit. Instead, she seemed to have decided on another form of punishment—silence.

Charlotte remained seated in absolute stillness, while Mona stood unmoving.

The situation was similar to when she had faced Leo, but this time was far worse—because the uncomfortable face was right in front of her.

At this rate, they could stand there forever.

Growing impatient, Mona finally broke the silence. She had something to say, too.

“I won’t apologize for what happened yesterday. After all, Your Highness has already achieved what you wanted.”

At the sudden sound of Mona’s voice, Charlotte jerked her head up in surprise. As her neck tilted back, her soft hair spilled over her shoulders.

Exposed under the light, her transparent eyes looked almost innocent.

Ah…

Mona found herself momentarily in awe.

The exterior was truly exquisite.

Even Mona, who knew exactly what lurked beneath, had almost been deceived again.

“So what?”

A sharp voice from the past suddenly sliced through her daze, snapping her back to her senses.

Overlapping with Charlotte’s face was another expression—a grotesque one that had once coldly asked what Leo’s death had to do with her.

That was the real Charlotte.

The lethal poison that nearly killed Leo—this woman was responsible.

Mona steadied herself and took a step closer to Charlotte, who was blinking up at her with wide, feigned-innocent eyes.

“The lord intends to deceive all of Rosa, calling your dowry his personal assets.”

“…What?”

“You must have been quite satisfied, considering how long you stayed in this room yesterday. Personally, I think the payment is far too extravagant for a body so worn and used, but if that’s the lord’s decision, then there’s nothing to be done…”

“Did you tell him to do that?”

Charlotte suddenly leapt up from the sofa, raising her voice for the first time as she strode toward Mona.

“Leo—why would Leo pay for that?”

Mona simply stared blankly at Charlotte, who was now screaming at her.

Come to think of it… this was a first.

Mona had thrown all sorts of words at Charlotte in the past, yet Charlotte had always listened in eerie silence, as if she didn’t care enough to react.

“Why would Leo’s wealth be used for this…?”

But now, the very first time Charlotte’s voice had risen, it was for Leo’s sake.

It didn’t make sense.

And yet, there it was—unfolding right in front of her.

“Do you have any idea what that money means…?”

Charlotte didn’t even acknowledge how Mona had just insulted her. As if it didn’t matter in the slightest.

The sanity Mona thought she had regained began slipping again, unraveling.

It felt as though a thick, black fog was seeping into her mind.

She had long since seen the depths of Charlotte’s cruelty.

But now, it seemed there was an even deeper abyss beneath it—one she had failed to recognize.

And that mistake could not be allowed to be anything more than an ominous feeling.

While Mona struggled in her growing confusion, Charlotte stormed out of the room.

As if she didn’t already know exactly where those hurried footsteps were headed.

Mona didn’t watch her leave.

She feared she might see a shadow drenched in sorrow.

Because if she did—this confusion would end in the worst possible way.

***

Impulsively spilling her true feelings over such an absurd claim, Charlotte strode down the hallway, entirely unaware of the mistake she had just made.

She was on her way to confront that fool, Leo.

“Insane. He’s completely lost it.”

She knew exactly where Leo’s personal fortune had come from—it was the price of countless days spent with his life hanging by a thread on the battlefield.

And now, he was going to squander it all because of someone like her?

It was unthinkable.

“…….”

But her furious strides gradually slowed.

The long, deliberate steps she had taken moments ago began shrinking.

And then, just before reaching Leo’s office, her legs came to a complete stop in the middle of the corridor.

She suddenly realized—there was nothing she could say to him.

What could she possibly tell him?

If she told him not to waste money on her, that wouldn’t be the Charlotte Leo knew.

Charlotte wasn’t in a position to even pretend to care about the value of his life.

Beggar!

Shameless wretch!

Beggar!

Shameless wretch!

Mona’s furious screams echoed through her mind, over and over again.

A fresh, burning brand seared itself beside the word slave—a mark she could never erase.