“Hehehe, Charlotte, you’re quite something. Not only did you dare to invite me directly, but you also dared to drag me out here to do this.”
Bella and Charlotte were beginning a competitive “chess match” in a small gazebo. At this moment, Bella was pinned against a pillar of the gazebo.
Her face was pressed against the cold stone, leaving her able to see the board only with her peripheral vision, while Charlotte was able to admire the smooth skin of her back.
Charlotte’s hand moved across her back, interfering with Bella’s judgment of the situation on the chessboard.
“You’re my woman. What is there for me to be afraid of? On the contrary, you actually accepted my invitation. I thought you would refuse me.”
Bella took one of Charlotte’s fingers that was resting on her shoulder into her mouth.
“Do I dare refuse? My Master, your orders are everything to Bella. It is impossible for Bella to refuse any of Master’s requests…”
“And what does your father say about it?”
“I’ll just say I failed. He doesn’t care if I succeed anyway; he has plenty of other plans in motion. In any case, you must be careful.”
“Is that including the two 4th-Tier Mages outside?”
“Of course… and there is also a death-sworn guard from a Count’s house. I’m not sure of their exact strength.”
“Is it that Simon family?”
“Yes.”
Just as Bella was about to respond to Charlotte, she was broken again by his new round of “attacks.”
“I see.”
“So, your best option now is to have Princess Kresia escort you out,” Bella said, enduring the shame.
Charlotte, however, remained dismissive. “You should have a little more confidence in your Master, Bella. Since you’ve chosen me, I’ll show you just how correct that choice was. Just wait and see the show. I’ll let you know exactly why I’m called a genius.”
Charlotte tilted Bella’s chin up and pecked the corner of her mouth.
Bella gradually lost herself in the moment. Sensitive as she was, it was difficult to suppress the longing in her heart. Now, Bella actually wanted to turn things around and push Charlotte down—this man was becoming more and more fascinating to her.
She turned her head, asking in a shy, strained voice, “Master, can Bella come to see you tomorrow, the day after, and the day after that…?”
Bella’s tone was sweet and carried a hint of wine, leaving Charlotte quite intoxicated.
“Of course you can… I’ll give you that privilege.” After saying that, he planted a deep strawberry mark on her neck.
Bella’s words energized Charlotte even more. He intended to wipe out every one of Bella’s chess pieces now.
However, he could also tell that Bella was very insecure. That was why she constantly sought his attention like this. Charlotte didn’t know how to comfort her with words, so he could only prove it through his actions.
—
5 minutes later, Bella straightened her clothes slightly.
“Why are you so nervous?”
Bella rolled her eyes at him, then looped her arms around Charlotte’s neck and pressed her lips to his. Mwah.
“I’m afraid of getting the clothes you gave me dirty…”
Charlotte smiled. He was truly starting to like Bella more and more.
“Alright, you head back first. I’m going out for a bit.”
Bella grabbed his hand. “What are you going to do?!”
Charlotte placed his broad hand over Bella’s small one to reassure her. “Don’t worry. If I’m actually about to die, I’ll dissolve the Magic Contract with you.”
Bella grew frantic. “No! You absolutely cannot go! Didn’t I just tell you? Go find Princess Kresia. With her there, they won’t dare to make a move.”
Because the previous movements had been quite vigorous, Bella shook her body slightly, tensing up again.
“Trust me. If your man can’t even handle this, it only proves your taste is poor.”
Before his voice had even faded, Charlotte’s figure took to the sky using Wind Magic.
How could Bella possibly stop him once he had decided on a course of action?
“Charlotte! Be safe!” she shouted.
Then, she threw a Magic Tool to Charlotte in the air. Charlotte turned and caught it.
He examined the small glass bead—it was transparent and crystalline, as if it held a pure drop of water from a glacier.
Bella explained to him, “It can block one 4th-Tier attack spell. Keep it to save your life!”
Charlotte smiled. “Thanks, but it’ll most likely be returned to its original owner.”
Charlotte didn’t need it, but he accepted the sentiment.
She knew what Charlotte was going to do. He was going to face those two 4th-Tier Mages head-on, along with the forces hidden in the shadows…
A 3rd-Tier Mage might luckily defeat a 4th-Rank Swordsman, but even with the magic of the Gods, it should be impossible to defeat two entities nearing the Transcendent rank.
Facing multiple opponents was exponentially more difficult than facing one.
Yet, Bella felt… Charlotte might actually pull it off.
—
When Bella returned to the banquet hall, she saw three beautiful girls.
She gave a soft laugh. How could she not be present where beautiful girls gathered? If she didn’t go, she would be inferior to them.
“Hello, ladies.”
Bella greeted them gracefully.
Floleen explained to a confused Lilia, “Her name is Bella Ennis. She’s the daughter of the Duke of the East Territory. Generally speaking, we’re on the same side.”
Lilia nodded. Simply put, she had some connection to Charlotte; otherwise, Floleen wouldn’t be so polite to her.
Just as Floleen was about to introduce Lilia, Bella spoke up. “No need. I’ve heard of Miss Lilia Karen’s great name.”
“Where is Charlotte?” Kresia asked Bella. “I lent him to you; you didn’t lose him, did you?”
Hearing this, Floleen was a bit displeased. What did she mean, ‘lent’ him to Bella? Charlotte clearly belonged to her.
She scrutinized Bella with her crimson eyes. She seemed to catch a scent she could never forget—Charlotte had sneakily given Bella some candy behind her back again!
“How could I know what that man is up to?” Bella simply replied.
“What did you eat? There’s a strange scent in your mouth,” Lilia Karen asked, puzzled. “It even smells a bit like stars.”
Upon hearing this, Bella immediately stiffened. She covered her mouth with one hand and said, “It’s nothing. Anyway, I don’t know where he went. He just said he’d be back soon.”
Floleen frowned, feeling a bit sad. Charlotte had run off again. She had been waiting for him to invite her to dance.
Princess Kresia, suspecting what had happened, was surprisingly calm. “Did Charlotte go by himself?”
Bella nodded. Lilia, on the other hand, was confused while eating. Why were these three so worried? Had something happened to Charlotte?
But since it was Charlotte, she wasn’t too worried. After all, Charlotte had defeated her father head-on, and her father used to be a general who fought on the battlefield. Charlotte would definitely be fine.
Kresia took a sip of red wine. “If he went by himself, there’s no need to worry.”
Floleen didn’t say anything. She only hoped Charlotte would finish quickly and return to dance with her before the ball ended.
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