In the past, Charlotte might have said one or two more words to Gelis. However, having just learned from Princess Clecia that this man was colluding with the Holy Church, there was nothing left to say.
Gelis was already on Charlotte’s must-kill list; it was simply a matter of whether he died sooner or later.
“Your Highness, you must be joking. I, Sharlo Fogmoon, have always been a loyal vassal of the Kalic Empire, and I remain faithful to His Imperial Majesty.”
Charlotte’s words were highly sophisticated. To an outsider, it seemed as if he were acknowledging Gelis’s potential to become Emperor, implying that he would naturally be under the prince’s command.
But to Gelis, the message translated as: ‘The Emperor isn’t dead yet, so why are you acting so restless?’
Clearly, Charlotte intended the latter meaning. He didn’t say anything more, maintaining his persona as a man of few words. He spotted a familiar silhouette, chuckled softly, and walked toward her.
……
Seeing Charlotte and Clecia dancing, Bella felt a twinge of jealousy rise in her heart. ‘This damn man, why is he always arm-in-arm with beautiful girls?’
It was making her lose her confidence. She had originally thought she could endure being a concubine for 3 years, eventually using her beauty to win the power struggle and become the primary wife.
At that point, Charlotte would just need to lie on her belly and enjoy her.
But now, women were approaching Charlotte one after another. They were either more powerful, wealthier, or at the very least, had better figures and prettier faces.
The only thing she still had going for her was her strength.
She scanned the East Territory nobles around her. There were many familiar faces, but she wasn’t in the mood for small talk.
The only person she might have wanted to talk to was Floleen, since she was also from the East Territory.
However, she felt the atmosphere of the evening banquet was a bit strange. Everyone else had been relegated to spectators while only Charlotte and Clecia danced.
Some people looked on with envy or jealousy, while others seemed apprehensive.
This was understandable; flowers always needed green leaves to set them off. Right now, anyone who stepped up would merely be a leaf to their blossom.
“Beautiful Miss Bella, may I have the honor of a dance?”
Prince Roy, having just finished venting his anger, returned from getting some fresh air outside the banquet hall. He gallantly extended his hand to Bella.
From the moment he saw her, the fury in Roy’s heart instantly dissipated, replaced by joy. After all, who wouldn’t be happy to see their goddess?
Although Bella’s figure wasn’t quite as developed as the other well-known beauties, she possessed an incredibly charming face.
In terms of pure facial features, if you gathered all the beauties of the Empire together, it would be difficult to say who would come out on top.
After all, everyone had different tastes regarding figures—some people simply preferred the petite and cute type that stirred a strong desire for conquest. Roy was one of those people.
Furthermore, Roy had always viewed Bella as his fiancée. The Duke of Ennis had a good relationship with him and often sent him gifts; it was natural to assume the Duke intended to match-make them.
As for Bella, she didn’t want to see Roy at all. She was still sulking over Charlotte. Still, it was fine; having someone to toy with for a bit was actually quite nice.
“Prince Roy, if there’s nothing wrong with your brain, you’d better not say such things,” Bella said, pointing toward the couple on the stage. “Can’t you tell?”
Roy was stunned by the sudden insult.
Bella sighed helplessly. “Why do you think everyone around us isn’t dancing? They’re just standing here watching.”
Roy scratched his head. “Why?”
Bella shook her head, thinking the man before her was incredibly stupid. “If you go up there now, you’ll be ruining the mood. Do you understand? Can’t you see even the First Prince, Gelis, is just watching?”
Seeing this, Roy awkwardly retracted his hand. “True. Since my brother has given Charlotte this stage, I should show some respect.”
Roy didn’t give up, however, and continued to ask, “Then after they finish their dance, will Miss Bella do me the honor?”
“We’ll see…” Bella replied perfunctorily.
Her eyes never left Charlotte. Wearing formal attire, Charlotte looked even more handsome; she wanted to look at him more.
Roy followed Bella’s gaze to the two on stage, feeling extremely frustrated. He leaned closer to Bella, but she immediately shifted away.
Bella refused to let Roy get anywhere near her.
Treated this way, Roy felt a bit disgruntled, but he still didn’t dare lose his temper in front of her. “By the way, the Duke mentioned our marriage last time. Do you have anything you’d like to say about it, Miss Bella?”
“Nothing…”
Bella didn’t take this so-called marriage seriously. She knew her cold-blooded father all too well; he was 100,000% doing this to string this fool along.
It didn’t matter, though. If her father dared to sign a marriage contract, Bella wouldn’t let Roy live to see the next day.
Marry her? Was the Second Prince of the Kalic Empire even worthy?
Even standing 2 meters away from him, Bella felt somewhat sickened by his stupidity aura. After meeting Charlotte, she had lost all interest in anyone whose IQ was lower than a stray dog on the street.
Roy had no redeeming qualities; if he hadn’t been born into the royal family, he would have been kicked to death long ago.
Recalling everything that had happened that night, Bella even felt a bit fortunate. She was lucky that Charlotte at least hadn’t killed her.
Although she had become Charlotte’s hard-working slave, it wasn’t too bad, was it?
Her master was currently at the center of the stage, dancing with Princess Clecia in front of all the talented youths of the Kalic Empire.
How could such a man be anything but exceptional?
“Miss Bella, look at the alliance between the Duke of Ennis and me. It seems we’ve encountered another rival now.”
Roy was indeed on good terms with the Duke of Ennis in private and believed himself to be highly valued by him. In reality, Bella knew her old man was betting on both sides.
“What did you say?” Bella was clearly unhappy with the word “alliance.” She had picked up some of Charlotte’s bad habits.
“Ah… cooperation…”
“Cooperation? Prince Roy, you’d better think carefully about what cooperation means.” Bella knew Roy’s current predicament.
Although his faction seemed large and powerful, they were actually just a bunch of rabble.
“In any case… if Sharlo Fogmoon sides with Clecia or Gelis, what should we do?”
Bella had nothing to say to that. “What to do? Just deal with it. Right now, I only hope the Second Prince stops stirring up trouble. Otherwise, can you guess why Charlotte would never stand on our side?”
Roy could only laugh awkwardly. After all, he was the one who had initiated the conflict with Charlotte.
As the song ended, bright lights shone on the stage. Charlotte didn’t linger at all; he whispered a single sentence into Clecia’s ear and left the stage.
The remaining time belonged to the young nobles.
Roy invited Bella once more. “Miss Bella, would you be willing to dance with me?”
Bella frowned. She looked at her fair, delicate hand. How could she possibly place it in the hand of this lecherous-looking prince?
Just as she was about to refuse, another person stood in front of Roy and extended his hand to her.
“Miss Bella, I’ve been waiting for you for a long time…”
The familiar voice made Bella’s body tremble involuntarily. Only this morning, she had been tormented by this man until she was half-dead.
She looked at Charlotte’s face with deep admiration and slowly placed her fair hand into his.
“All right.”
Roy: “……?”