“I’m Charlotte Sorofya. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“I’m Roel Ascart. It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”
The following morning, by the entrance of the Ascarts’ manor, a well-dressed Roel stood face-to-face with an auburn-haired girl as the two of them introduced themselves to one another. Staring at the girl standing before him, he fell into a momentary daze.
She sure is good-looking.
Roel thought as he watched the girl curtseying politely before him.
As someone who had plenty of intimate interactions with Alicia, he felt that he was already largely immune to beautiful women. However, when he finally met his fiancée in name, he realized that he was still far too naive.
If Alicia’s beauty was a powerful artwork that dazzled those who laid their eyes on her, Charlotte’s would be a delicate piece that wasn’t impactful at first sight, but its appeal gradually grew upon one, until one was finally completely enraptured with it.
Be it her exquisitely sculpted facial features, her slender body, her silky hair, or the indescribable air of nobility she commanded, all of these were basically screaming one fact at Roel,
2D—no! 3D—yes!
This was the moment that it dawned on Roel that there were limitations to a 2D figure. In the end, there was simply no way for a 2D figure to defeat a 3D person—or at the very least, these female capture targets.
Charlotte’s high elf lineage caused her to exude a strong aura of nobility that could influence those around her, such that many of the servants of the Ascart House were astonished to discover that a person like her existed in this world.
Even the manager of the Roel X Alicia fanclub, Anna, found her eyes narrowing.
Oblivious to Roel, he wasn’t the only one shocked in this first greeting. He, too, had brought an equivalent level of shock to Charlotte as well…
How in the world is it that he looks so poor?
Charlotte stared at the aura of a pauper lingering around Roel before turning her gaze toward the interior of the Ascarts’ manor, and she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes in confusion.
This is weird. The manor itself carries a strong scent of fortune, but why is it the opposite for him?
Charlotte couldn’t make sense of the contradiction, but it mattered not to her. Her spouse’s financial condition was not something on her list of considerations—she had money anyway. Any problem relating to money was not a problem for her.
With such thoughts in mind, she turned her attention away from the aura of a pauper to focus on Roel’s other qualities. Even though Grace had previously described her fiancé’s appearance to her, she still couldn’t stop her heart from skipping a beat when she finally took a good look at him.
He was indeed very handsome and suave. He had a well-proportioned body, and those golden eyes of his seemed to carry a mysterious charm that drew people in.
This mysterious charm actually came from the unique aura of the Crown Origin Attribute. Charlotte felt inexplicably drawn toward him, but as someone who had quite a bit of social experience, she was still able to conceal her feelings well.
Her retainers, on the other hand, didn’t have as much self-control.
Grace looked at the ‘depraved’ man standing before her, and her eyes widened a little.
She had to admit that Roel did look a lot better than he did yesterday, when he had only just arisen from his bed. He gave off a gentle yet firm impression, reminiscent of a refined scholar.
Unfortunately, this positive image did little to change the preconceived impression of him.
Charlotte took a short glance at Roel before lowering her gaze. It was no wonder why her fiancé was able to become the pet of the Theocracy’s princess. His looks had far surpassed her expectations; there was no fault to be picked with it. If not for all of the bad rumors surrounding him, she might have actually fallen in love with him at first sight.
It was just a pity that what he had inside didn’t match up with what he showed on the outside…
“Miss Charlotte, you must have exhausted yourself traveling all the way here. May I interest you in a cup of tea?”
“Of course. It would be my honor, Mister Roel.”
Charlotte politely accepted Roel’s invitation before the two of them headed over to the lounge, following the procedure they had previously agreed on.
Meanwhile, the servants by the doorway began settling the carriages in the Ascarts’ manor. There was quite some work to do because the Sorofyas’ Diamond Rivière Convoy was enormous; even Roel jolted in astonishment when he first laid his eyes on it.
However, the tables were going to be turned now that they were entering the Ascarts’ homeground.
Charlotte looked at the massive collection of antiques positioned at every nook and cranny of the manor, and she couldn’t help her astonishment. She had indeed heard about it from Grace previously, but it was another thing to witness it in person.
One must know that it had only been a hundred years since Rosa split from the Austine Empire and became the Rosa Merchant Confederacy. While it had managed to amass a huge fortune within this short period of time, in the view of most major countries on the Sia Continent, it was no more than a nouveau riche.
Rosa lacked the history and culture that other countries had, and most of its local antiques only dated a hundred years back. Those that were over a hundred years old tended to be imported from other countries.
In this aspect, it was the complete victory of the Ascarts.
And as if to highlight that, Charlotte noticed that there was a small card placed beneath every single one of the antiques, labeling the date and origin of the antique.
「 Year 79, March. Gift from the Lucerne Duke during his birthday celebration.」
「 Year 828, February. Gift from Empress Victoria during a royal banquet.」
All of these flaunted the glory enjoyed by the Ascarts over its thousand years of history, as well as the formidable network of connections it boasted. Watching as Charlotte swiftly browsed through each of these cards, Roel felt a little gleeful inside.
This was actually an idea that he came up with at the last moment.
Yesterday, while he was bringing Nora on a tour to browse through the collection of items they had in the manor, he suddenly thought of the Austine Empire’s Millennia Glory Repository.
“I think we could do something like that too.”
After Nora’s avatar vanished, Roel stroked his lower jaw in contemplation as he proposed the idea to Anna.
In the circle of nobility, antiques had the practical purpose of showcasing a noble house’s heritage and class. However, antiques could only awe those who could discern their origin, and not many people had the keen eyes to do so.
Even Roel would struggle to identify the items placed around his own manor, let alone a stranger!
So, he decided to lower the level of difficulty here by emulating what the museums in his previous world did.
You don’t recognize the antiques? Ah, that’s not a problem. You can at least read, right?
To create an even better viewing experience, he took the trouble to line up the antiques based on their age, so as to craft out a chronological story for the guest. These details were minor, but they were effective in improving the impression guests would have of the Ascart House.
After the subtle round of bragging, Roel and Charlotte finally arrived at the lounge and began a proper chat with one another. The two of them were aware of the engagement, so there was no need to skirt around the topic. But, at the same time, it would be abrupt to speak of it all of a sudden.
Thus, Roel felt that it would be better to first build some rapport with Charlotte, and the best way to do so was through compliments.
“Even from Rosa, I have heard a lot about Uncle Carter’s reputation. If I recall correctly, he’s serving as the Theocracy’s chief of logistics for the war at the eastern border? That’s truly the blessing of the soldiers. They would be able to devote their attention to dealing with the crisis on hand without having to worry about rations.”
“Uncle Bruce has also contributed greatly to the war. I have heard that Rosa has generously provided financial support for the countries fighting on the frontlines. The people of all countries have been singing praises of his compassion.”
The boy and the girl sitting on both sides of the table had brilliant smiles on their faces as they offered compliments toward one another. It was clear that they were both skilled at maneuvering in social settings. They buttered one another up so well that they were able to establish rapport swiftly with one another, building the foundation for them to move the conversation on to talking about themselves and their interests.
Roel was interested in books and Charlotte in making money.
Roel worked part-time as the military commander and proxy fief lord of the Ascart Fiefdom, whereas Charlotte dabbled in fashion design, musical instruments, and the arts.
“…”
The divergence was made rather clear here.
There was hardly any overlap in their interests, so they simply shallowly touched on the topic before quickly moving on to talk about their own lives.
“Oh? Miss Charlotte has been participating in the executive branch of the Sorofyas for four years now? That’s impressive. I have only been the proxy fief lord of the Ascart Fiefdom for less than three years myself.”
“You’re too humble, Mister Roel. I have heard of your wisdom from Rosa. Despite having no kin by your side to support you, you single-handedly propped the Ascart Fiefdom up, spurring its development. My accomplishments are nothing much compared to yours.”
“Miss Charlotte, you’re flattering me. Besides, it’s not like I don’t have any kin by my side either. You may have heard that I have an adopted sister who goes by the name of Alicia.”
As soon as the siscon Roel raised the topic of Alicia, it was almost as if the flood gates had been opened, unleashing a massive torrent. He began showering compliments on Alicia as if he was a forty-year-old father bragging about his own daughter.
On the other hand, Charlotte’s face visibly froze up a little upon hearing Alicia’s name. She recalled the report she had received from Grace, and a slight feeling of aversion rose from her heart.
However, as she listened quietly to Roel’s bragging, a hint of confusion surfaced in her eyes. It didn’t seem likely for Roel to talk about another woman whom he had an illicit relationship with in front of his fiancée, especially given how tactful he had been throughout the conversation. It wasn’t like him to make such a faux pas.
On top of that, Roel’s attitude felt more like a parent flaunting his own child than anything else.
In view of all this, Charlotte began to reconsider the situation.
Putting aside her prejudice from prior intelligence, she actually had quite a high evaluation of him based on his performance thus far. In fact, it surpassed her highest expectations.
Could it be a misunderstanding?
As this thought sparked in her mind, her eyes gradually regained their glow. Her heartbeat began pounding faster and faster.
Her reactions, however, were all captured by Anna, who was standing behind Roel, and her forehead furrowed slightly.
As I thought, those little tricks can only do so much, Anna thought with a sigh.
She had to admit that the young master was charming enough to shatter all of the bad reputation they had built up with the Sorofyas. Fortunately, they had prepared a trump card.
The maid secretly gestured toward the doorway, and not too long later, the servants walked in and reported that lunch was in order. So, Roel and Charlotte parted temporarily to head to their respective rooms and prepare for the meal.
The brief respite made Roel heave a sigh of relief. Earning Affection Points was indeed a tough job.
The maids made use of this opportunity to touch up Roel’s makeup with the cosmetics they had prepared beforehand. At the same time, he also switched to more casual clothes.
“Where’s Alicia? She had a class this morning, but she should be joining us for lunch, right?”
“Miss Alicia has headed out to purchase some books. She’ll only be back at night.”
“I see.”
Roel nodded in response as he quickly finished changing up.
Perhaps, it was a good thing that Alicia was not around. He could sense the reservations she carried toward Charlotte from their previous conversations, and he wasn’t too surprised by it.
It felt a little too ridiculous to suddenly fulfill a hundred-year-old engagement contract, and he believed that Charlotte felt the same way too. If the latter found it hard to raise the matter, he would just have to be the one to do it. It would be a good opportunity for him to earn some Affection Points.
Roel quickly ran through the procedures once more in his head. He couldn’t have imagined that someone had already arranged an extra show for him.
“Ah right, I shouldn’t forget about this letter too.”
Roel took an envelope from the table and slipped it into his front chest pocket. He was planning to ask Charlotte about the letter to see if it had anything to do with the Sorofyas. It could be a conversation topic between them over the meal.
Once he was ready, he walked out of the room and met up with Charlotte, who had changed her clothes as well, in the dining room.
“Miss Charlotte, you look gorgeous.”
“Thank you, Mister Roel. You are…”
Halfway through Charlotte’s words, her voice suddenly stopped short. Her bizarre reaction made Roel blink in confusion, but Charlotte was too shocked by the thing near his neck to pay any heed.
It was located slightly below his neck, near his chest. There, his fair skin had a pink bruise reminiscent of a butterfly—it was Alicia’s love mark.
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