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Chapter 199: The Final Night

Whether Roel was injured or not was an extremely important issue for all three of them. The answer to that could easily affect the current situation, and it was also Charlotte’s greatest weakness.

Roel’s current condition couldn’t just be described as ‘injured’ anymore. A far more fitting term would be ‘crippled’, and this worked to her disadvantage.

Her initial plan was to get Roel treated in Rosa, and when the Ascarts and the Xeclydes finally caught up with them, she would be able to face them with a healthy Roel by her side. Bruce would then try his best to mediate the standoff by highlighting the friendly ties between the two countries and minimize the consequences.

However, she didn’t expect Roel’s condition to be more troublesome than she initially envisioned. Even someone of Andrew’s experience and insight was utterly helpless before it.

One thing of note though was that ever since Andrew shared his analysis with the two of them, Roel, despite being the patient, suddenly didn’t seem as anxious anymore. He had been having leisurely afternoon teas and walks over the last few days, and there were even several occasions where he reassured her, saying that he had already found a way to resolve his condition.

Charlotte was moved by how Roel was concerned about her feelings despite being in a disastrous state himself, but she knew that it was impossible for what he had said to be true.

As Andrew had said, the Lifetree had already disappeared from the world since the Second Epoch. As for finding a bloodline possessor with unlimited life force, that was an even more unlikely possibility. Roel had been with Charlotte everyday, and he had never taken the initiative to contact anyone. Unless he was anticipating for this incredibly rare bloodline possessor to coincidentally knock on their door, it was hard to imagine he had any plans regarding that.

Darling must be worried about me, that’s why he said those words.

Touched by Roel’s concern, Charlotte treated him much better over the last few days. At the same time, she placed a priority request on the procurement of items related to the Lifetree on the Sorofyas’ request list, but unfortunately, there hadn’t been any progress on that thus far.

...

“Roel has already recovered from his injuries, but the side effects of his spells still continue to plague him.”

Back at the banquet hall, Charlotte pondered for a long while before finally answering with a misleading remark. Nora frowned upon hearing those words. Instinctively, she attributed the matter to Grandar.

If it’s Grandar’s undead reanimation, it shouldn’t be a huge matter.

Alicia was also in the midst of walking over when she heard that remark. She, too, came to the same conclusion as Nora and exhaled deeply in relief.

With the confirmation of the safety of their target, the three ladies commenced war once more.

“Miss Charlotte, I was quite intrigued by the earlier discussion the two of you had. It sounds almost as if you believe that you have a strong bond with Roel?”

“It’s not my personal belief but the truth, Your Highness.”

Thinking about all of the experiences they had been through in the Witness State brought a contented smile to Charlotte’s face.

“Roel and I have been through life-and-death encounters in a treacherous environment. It’s only through mutual support that we managed to tide through the crisis together. After everything we have been through, our relationship is stronger than ever.”

“Is that so? I must say, it’s rather perplexing that you had to resort to kidnapping to bring him here. Is Roel unwilling to accompany you back to your homeland despite your stronger-than-ever relationship?”

“Naturally, it’s out of concern that those with ulterior motives would try to hinder our relationship. Darling was afraid that others would misunderstand me due to the incident, so he chose to accompany me to Rosa in order to protect me.”

Charlotte stared intently at Nora as she spouted lies with utmost composure. Then, her lips curled into a smile.

“These days, I’ve been thinking that it was a huge relief that someone tried to stir a misunderstanding between the two of us on our very first meeting, compelling me to make those three divinations. That event marked the beginning of our relationship, the foundation of our feelings. Now that I look back on it, it feels like our relationship has been blessed by fate. It’s almost as if it was all meant to be.”

“Miss Charlotte, you seem to be—how should I put this—delusional. Does the fate you speak of involve manipulation through money?”

Alicia unhesitatingly ripped through Charlotte’s ludicrous words.

As for Nora, she eyed the auburn beauty with a cold glint in her eyes. Instead of bickering over this, she chose to make a soft but powerful declaration instead.

“Miss Charlotte, this is enough of you. I understand what you’re trying to do, but I won’t be misled by your words. I’ll be bringing Roel back with me.

“You mentioned that the two of you are meant to be? Ha. I’ve known Roel since we were nine, and from a few years ago, our story has already been spreading throughout the Holy Capital. I believe that you hadn’t even heard his name, while the two of us were already braving dangers together.

“He’s mine. It has been that way in the past, and it’ll remain that way in the future.”

Nora’s aura grew more powerful with each word she spoke. Charlotte’s words had triggered her, sending the rage that she had been suppressing in her heart all this while to rise to the surface. It was almost as if the final moments of calm before the storm.

“What if I refuse?”

Charlotte refused to stand down even before the angel’s declaration. Her body arched upward proudly as she took a step forward to confront Nora. In response to her emotions, her mana began to race through her veins.

She might not have been a match for Nora in the past, but the short trip to the past had brought her rewards far greater than what Roel had gained. She managed to overcome her bottleneck and advance to Origin Level 4. Aside from accompanying Roel, she had been working hard all this while too. She couldn’t allow herself to cower in the face of her love rivals just because of her lacking strength.

The realization of Charlotte’s unexpectedly great strength brought a sharp glint to Nora’s eyes.

“Miss Charlotte, has no one ever told you that you’re a peculiar person?”

“Pardon me?”

“The words you speak seem to suggest that your entire world is composed of nothing but Roel. You’re making it hard for me to take you seriously,” said Nora.

Charlotte narrowed her emerald eyes as she calmly returned the favor.

“I can understand the need for rulers to keep their subordinates under their thumb, but Your Highness Nora, surely you aren’t intending to do the same when it comes to love?”

“... I don’t understand what you’re driving at.”

“I just think that you’re an extremely dangerous individual.”

“Dangerous? I’ve never forced Roel to do anything for me. It’s ironic to be hearing such words from a kidnapper.”

“I’ve done nothing more than bring my darling on an excursion to my homeland. I respected his opinions and views throughout the process. However, Your Highness Nora, that doesn’t seem to be the case for you. Aren’t you forcing Roel to accept your everything?”

“!”

It was just a speculation Charlotte was making based off Nora and Roel’s characters, but it accurately struck a thorn in Nora’s heart. Darkness clouded her exquisite face, and the unease that had been welling up in her heart began to magnify under Charlotte’s accusations.

As someone born with an abnormal interest, Nora was aware of how different she was from others. The bond between her and Roel was built on his ability to understand her needs and tendencies. However, it was one thing to understand something but another to accept it. Over the years, Roel had hardly shown any willingness to play along with her interests at all.

Of course, part of the reason was because the two of them hardly had time for one another, but there was no denying that she was the dominant one in their relationship, and this was not something she could change.

As someone who had been doing the pushing all this while, she couldn’t help but have looming doubts with how Roel viewed her. She was painfully aware that her personality didn’t fit into the stereotype which noblemen tended to fancy, so she viewed her greatest edge to be her identity and standing. However, before Charlotte who shared the same lofty standing as she did, it was starting to dawn on her that her advantages in this race weren’t unique anymore.

“Charlotte, keep your empty speculations to yourself. You don’t understand the relationship between me and Roel. Our actions are built on mutual acceptance.”

“Mutual acceptance? Your Highness, even if you say or do nothing at all, the disparity in both of your standings will bring pressure upon him. Are you certain that Roel is truly happy with you? Do you honestly believe that he won’t be burdened by your position?”

“What did you say?”

Charlotte’s probing ignited Nora’s rage. The atmosphere between the two of them immediately turned tense. Alicia, on the other hand, sipped on a drink by the side with a leisurely smile, content to watch their brawl.

Regardless of whether it was Nora or Charlotte, they were all Alicia’s enemies. She would be more than delighted to see a conflict arising between them, and it would be even better that they started fighting on the spot. If they could knock each other into an amnesic state and forget about Roel, that would be truly ideal.

Alicia waited expectantly for a catfight to occur, but the surrounding crowd had begun to stir upon realizing the unnatural atmosphere over here. Looking at the three women standing in proximity with one another, their vivid imaginations cooked up a completely different but equally intense story.

Under the gazes of the crowd, both Charlotte and Nora finally regained their composure.

“... It looks like it’s impossible for us to be on amicable terms.”

“Indeed. Your Highness, if you’re willing to give up on Roel, we can...”

“I’ve no interest in entertaining your sleep talk. You should head back to your room if you’re exhausted.”

“...”

“I’ll take him away with me soon enough.”

“Give it a try then.”

After trading affronts, the two women finally concluded the battle and parted with one another. Charlotte headed over to the upper echelons of the Sorofyas to secure their support, whereas Nora walked over to a balcony to gaze down on the city spread out below.

Despite it already being in the middle of the night, Rosa City still remained vibrant as ever. Under the influence of the festivities, the Rosaians had no intention of retiring for the night at all. The streets remained well-lit, and bonfires were blazing in all the major squares. Ceaseless laughter and music intermixed with one another in the background, echoing loudly even beyond the tall city walls.

Today was a joyous day of celebration for Rosa, marking not just the day of their liberation but the first official meeting between the Ascarts and the Sorofyas in many years. It was due to this that Carter, Alicia, and even Nora chose not to mention Roel in public. However, this was as far as their tolerance would go.

Soon enough, Nora would be bringing her squad into Rosa to formally commence investigation into Roel’s disappearance. She would not be the visiting princess of the neighboring country anymore but Roel’s protector. As for Carter, he hadn’t traveled so far just to hype up Rosa’s celebrations either.

Tomorrow... it shall all begin tomorrow.

“This will be your final night. Enjoy it while it lasts.”

Nora glanced at Charlotte’s profile as she murmured under her breath. Then, she downed her wine in a single mouthful.