“Stop it, Senior Sister, Floleen is right here….” Charlotte interjected. In front of Charlotte, Princess Kresia never showed any awareness of her royal status.
On the contrary, she often behaved ambiguously with him.
Charlotte knew full well that Kresia was trying to use him.
But if she wanted to use him, shouldn’t she at least figure out what he liked?
If Kresia was willing to take out a few Divine Artifacts as bargaining chips, he wouldn’t mind lending a hand.
But tempting and probing him with these ambiguous tricks every day—wasn’t that far too insincere?
“Charlotte, why do you always think I’m joking?” Kresia suddenly put away her teasing look, her tone becoming earnest.
A faint blush appeared on her cheeks as she avoided his gaze, her fingertips absentmindedly tracing the rim of her white porcelain teacup.
“Is my love really not obvious enough? I’ve always been serious—In this world, only you are worthy of me.”
“On the contrary,” Charlotte curled his lips slightly, his tone cool, “It’s precisely because you’re too obvious that it all feels like a joke.”
Kresia, however, was undeterred. When she looked up, there was a hint of slyness in her eyes as her voice softened.
“Charlotte, maybe you should consider it seriously. I wouldn’t mind… serving you together with little sister Floleen. Oh, and now there’s Bella to add as well.”
She deliberately painted a scene that would be irresistibly tempting for any nobleman, her tone brimming with confidence.
“Princess Kresia,” Charlotte cut her off directly, “I have no interest in that sort of thing.”
“Then what are you interested in?” Kresia pressed, curiosity in her gaze.
“Isn’t what nobles seek nothing but power, money, and ultimate pleasure? Or does your Mistmoon Family hide some secret pursuit that no one else knows of?”
Charlotte pursed his lips, his fingertips rubbing the cup’s edge. Some things he couldn’t say, nor did he dare to.
The world already had a fixed image of him—a good-for-nothing scoundrel who, relying on innate talent, lived recklessly and only cared for pleasure.
That mask benefited him, so there was no need to tear it off.
Seeing his silence, Kresia shifted topics again, her tone now probing.
“I’ve always been so curious—what secrets does the Mistmoon Family hide… Can I visit the Wu Yue Territory sometime?”
To Charlotte, this was far too overstepping.
It was clear that Kresia had long been interested in Charlotte Mistmoon, even going so far as to investigate him thoroughly.
Unfortunately, she found nothing; the Mistmoon Family’s history seemed forever shrouded in mist.
“If Your Highness came just for this, then the conversation is over…..”
Charlotte’s refusal was clear—he didn’t want to continue this topic.
Kresia smiled wryly, a flash of disappointment flickering in her eyes before she hid it away.
“I can see it—Charlotte really hates talking about this. But I truly do care for you, that’s all. In any case, if you’re willing to help Senior Sister, the benefits you’d get would be substantial.”
“This matter ends here.” Charlotte set down his teacup, looking up at her with a more serious tone.
“Princess Kresia, could you tell me—have you spoken to anyone else about this?”
He had to figure out just how much political strength Kresia held now.
That Teleportation Magic was far too advanced; if too many interests became involved, he’d have to weigh carefully—would the gains from Teleportation Magic make up for the losses from offending so many people?
“Father must have told a few people—there’s nothing I can do about that. Even if others learn of it, in the end, it’s up to me whether the Teleportation Array gets built. As for myself… right now, I’ve only told you all?”
“………” Charlotte was momentarily stunned.
“So, Kresia, you really have no allies at all?”
“Not a single one.” Kresia’s tone grew a bit self-mocking.
“I’m just a princess. In the eyes of the ministers, I’m nothing but a political pawn for marriage alliances. Besides, I’m still a student at Kalishi Academy’s Magic Department… None of them take me seriously, not even as a threat.”
“Sigh, Charlotte, I heard you’re tutoring the Duke of the North’s daughter lately. Why not bring her in too?” Kresia said to Charlotte.
“…..” Charlotte considered, but he clearly didn’t want to do that.
Duke Ryan and he weren’t particularly close—even with Lilia as a link, it didn’t mean Duke Ryan would align with him on the bigger political stage.
Kresia could see Charlotte’s hesitation. But since her goal had been reached, she was ready to leave.
“Well then, let’s just say Senior Sister slipped her tongue today.” Kresia stood up gracefully, giving the three a slight curtsy, her tone light.
“Charlotte, do think it over a little more. Senior Sister will take her leave first.”
With that, she turned and left. Her skirt brushed across the courtyard stones, leaving only her fading silhouette.
Only Charlotte, Floleen, and Bella remained in the courtyard, and the air grew a little heavy.
Charlotte was lost in thought over Kresia’s words when, behind him, Bella’s worried voice interrupted his thoughts.
“Charlotte, don’t agree to help her. She hasn’t told you the full story at all. Don’t believe a word of her ‘just wants a man to live an ordinary life with’ nonsense. She only wants to use you to achieve her own goals—there’s no heart colder than the imperial family’s.”
Surprised, Charlotte looked up to find Bella’s eyes filled with genuine concern.
Tilting his head slightly, his voice betrayed no emotion. “Are you worried about me?”
“What else?” Bella shot him a glare, her voice tinged with a hint of annoyance.
“How do I know you don’t have your own agenda?” Charlotte’s tone remained flat.
“Maybe the Duke of Storms just doesn’t want me to join forces with the princess, and you’re just trying to sway me behind the scenes.”
“You!” Bella was so angry her chest heaved. She was truly worried for him, yet all she got was suspicion.
She bit her lip in frustration, her voice trembling a little. “You’ve already used a Magic Contract on me—yet you still won’t trust me?”
Bella was genuinely aggrieved. She’d already resolved to offer Charlotte everything, and yet this man still guarded against her.
“You even dared scheme against your own father, even tried to kill him,” Charlotte’s tone remained utterly unmoved, “it’s hard not to be wary of you.”
“……” Bella was instantly at a loss for words. On second thought, he was right.
Charlotte had no reason to trust her—their relationship from the start had been full of plotting and mutual use.
Still, it was heartbreaking. Just yesterday they’d shared such intimacy… Bella had already poured out her heart, but Charlotte still kept every wall up.
Floleen, at the side, let out a soft cough, deliberately breaking the awkward silence to remind them she was still present.
“Miss Bella is right. Charlotte, I really don’t want you to get caught up in all this mess either. Your safety is the most important. The Mistmoon Family can’t do without you….”
As it turned out, the same words sounded completely different depending on who said them.
Charlotte nodded to her, his tone softening a bit.
“I understand. We’ll take it one step at a time—our first priority is still to collect the Divine Artifacts. Besides, even if Teleportation Magic becomes public, it’ll take time before it’s fully built. Once we get the Divine Artifact from Lilia Karen, we can reconsider this issue then.”
“Having more resources is always good, but there’s no need for us to risk both our families on this single venture.”
Charlotte could see it clearly—what Kresia was doing now was no different from dancing on a knife’s edge.
After all, the current Imperial Majesty was still alive. What she was plotting might not bear fruit for years…
If she succeeded, he’d reap the glory of supporting a new ruler; but if she failed, even before the Holy Church made a move, the new emperor’s first target for retribution would be him—the “accomplice.”
However, Princess Kresia seemed somewhat lacking in confidence.
If he cut ties with her completely, it was possible she’d give up.
If that happened and the Holy Church truly took control of the Kalishi Empire, it would be a huge headache for Charlotte.
He had no choice but to remain close to Kresia for now.
In the end, only with enough strength could the Mistmoon Family stand unshaken.
So, getting stronger was the most important task right now.
“So, Charlotte, don’t you think you should explain yourself?”
Floleen suddenly turned, her gaze tinged with a bit of jealousy as she looked at Bella.
“How did you end up together with a woman you just met yesterday—who even tried to kill you?”
She silently cursed “vixen” in her heart.
She should’ve known yesterday that Bella didn’t have good intentions toward Charlotte, always probing for his secrets.
Floleen had wanted Bella to give up and stay away from Charlotte—after all, this woman always moved her chair closer to him without realizing it.
But unexpectedly, not only did Bella not distance herself, she even started chatting with Floleen, acting all familiar.
Floleen couldn’t even find a reason to criticize her.
“Big sister Floleen,” Bella immediately switched to a docile tone, sounding gentle.
“Isn’t this the best result? Charlotte still needs me—so please don’t drive me away. Just think of me as the little maid of the house.”
Floleen truly felt like she’d punched cotton—she couldn’t bring herself to scold the other girl anymore.
She’d considered that Charlotte might end up with a few more companions.
She just didn’t expect it to happen so soon—and with someone he’d just met yesterday.
She’d thought the next would be Lilia Karen, that somewhat airheaded daughter of Duke Ryan.
After a moment of silence, Floleen let out a gentle sigh, looking at Bella as her tone softened.
“Anyway, welcome to the Mistmoon Family.”