Chapter 17
‘That can’t be possible. Charlotte Daphsine Afros, get a grip.’
Charlotte doused herself in cold water mentally. There was no way that duke was her husband.
Of course, this world was a novel-based reality, where miracles could happen at any moment.
But miracles didn’t come easily for Charlotte. If she wished and wished for him to truly be Noctem, then fate would surely grant her the exact opposite outcome.
Just as it always had. Every time.
Besides, when she arrived here, she had immediately regained all her memories.
But Noctem here… was different.
He had lived a completely different life, and when he saw her, he hadn’t even batted an eye.
So… it couldn’t be him.
‘No. Even if it is, nothing changes.’
Charlotte reminded herself—she wasn’t someone who could dream of Noctem Afros.
If their fates intertwined, one of them would have to die. That was the tragedy of their destiny.
Either she would die, or he would.
In her past life, he had died in her place. Charlotte never wanted to relive that moment again.
Nor did she want to die this time. Her life now was practically borrowed from her dead husband.
She didn’t want to throw it away on a foregone conclusion.
The best choice here was to avoid him entirely and retreat to a quiet life in the countryside.
Until the novel ended—or maybe even forever.
If she could live her days without seeing him, only longing for him from afar until the day she closed her eyes, that would be the best possible ending for her.
She took a step back from Noctem’s embrace and lowered her gaze.
The chaotic storm in her heart settled with that thought.
Meanwhile, Noctem, unaware of Charlotte’s inner turmoil, glanced at her as she pulled away from his grasp and let out a silent sigh.
It seemed he had reacted too strongly.
To smooth out the awkwardness between them, he decided to speak.
Luckily, he had the perfect excuse. He reached into his pocket and pulled out Charlotte’s handkerchief.
“This. You dropped it last time.”
“Huh? Ah…”
Charlotte turned her head at the familiar fabric and let out a small gasp.
She had been wondering where it was—it seemed she had dropped it without noticing.
She hesitated for a moment before taking it from him.
Their hands brushed ever so slightly.
“……”
“……”
Neither of them spoke, but Noctem’s neck and Charlotte’s ears turned a soft shade of red.
Charlotte quickly pulled her hand back and tucked the handkerchief into her sleeve pocket.
Noctem watched her for a moment before muttering under his breath.
“…No words of gratitude?”
“Oh! Um… thank you, Your Grace. I appreciate it.”
“Hmph. You sure have a lot to be thankful for today. You’re not just going to settle this with words, are you?”
“Huh?”
What was he even saying now?
Charlotte, confused by his unexpected remark, finally lifted her gaze from the ground.
And at that moment, her eyes met his directly.
A deep, beautiful shade of violet—far more brilliant than even the finest amethyst.
The discomfort she had felt the first time they met was now completely gone.
That sparkling gaze made Charlotte’s green eyes waver.
For some reason, she felt like she couldn’t breathe.
“Uh…”
She really shouldn’t get involved with this man anymore.
She was about to say that she would send him a gift as thanks.
But before she could, Noctem cut her off.
“I heard a restaurant sponsored by the ducal house is quite famous in the capital. You can repay me with that.”
“…Excuse me?”
And why was the duke deciding that for her?
His high-handed manner left Charlotte bewildered.
But Noctem remained utterly shameless, staring at her as if daring her to object.
He even raised a brow as if to say, What, is that too much?
“It’s not that I can’t, but I’ll make the arrangements. You should take your fiancée with you.”
“…The repayment should come from you, not someone else.”
Here is the translation of the Korean text into English:
“However, it seems that I won’t be going with you. Please don’t worry about that. I’ll arrange the entire reservation. Your Excellency and Miss Goldstein can simply enjoy yourselves.”
Although Noctem could already guess the Duke’s reaction, Charlotte firmly drew the line first.
‘Really, this far is enough.’
As soon as Noctem brought up the topic of reciprocation, a red warning light turned on in Charlotte’s mind. She knew that getting any closer to the Duke at this point would lead to an irreversible disaster.
“No, Your Highness—”
“Look, I can see my carriage. Thank you for escorting me this far. I hope you will accept my reciprocation satisfactorily. I’ll send a letter to the Duke soon regarding this matter. Goodbye.”
Noctem tried to say something else, but Charlotte cut her off first. Without another word, she stepped out from under the umbrella and ran toward the carriage. The rain was still pouring heavily, but her robe, now dry, protected her from the downpour at this distance.
The coachman didn’t start the carriage until he had carefully watched Noctem under the umbrella for a few seconds.
Noctem stood still, lost in thought, until the carriage disappeared into the distance.
“…Damn engagement.”
She muttered a few incomprehensible curses under her breath.
Meanwhile, upon arriving at the Duke’s residence, Charlotte headed straight to his office instead of her own room. It was a place she had never visited first in her past life, but this time was different.
She had gone to the Duke’s office whenever she wanted to cause trouble.
Perhaps that’s why, when Charlotte announced her intention to go to the Duke’s office, all the servants around her turned pale.
She had always been on edge after talking with the Duke.
The knight guarding the office was so startled to see her that he gasped.
Charlotte had no intention of correcting any misunderstandings, so despite the concerned looks from those around her, she walked directly into the office.
“Tch, what now?”
The Duke didn’t even look at her as he spoke, but his face was filled with displeasure. Charlotte, already accustomed to this level of coldness, calmly spoke.
“I need to reciprocate. I’d like to reserve the entire Amor Restaurant for one day.”
Clack!
The Duke slammed his pen down sharply at Charlotte’s statement, his gaze lifting with a look of anger.
“Crazy. I told you not to go too far, but now you’re reaching for that? Do you know how much a day’s revenue there is? If you did, you wouldn’t be doing this!”
“You didn’t listen to the context. Calm down.”
“Calm down? What, are you going to reciprocate to the Emperor? Or maybe the Duke?”
“Exactly. Duke Afros. I need to reciprocate to the Duke, Your Excellency.”
Despite the Duke’s harsh words, Charlotte replied in a dry, detached tone, without batting an eye. It felt strangely like her reckless days, but at the same time, it was different.
The Duke glanced at her composed face and swallowed nervously.
‘Has she changed her strategy? Seriously… I don’t like it.’
He couldn’t think of her as his daughter anymore. Now, she looked more like a living doll to him.
Yeah, that’s why it’s unsettling.
The Duke clicked his tongue and spoke in a voice far calmer than before.
“Well then, what exactly does this mean? You’re going to reciprocate to the Duke?”
“Today, on the road, the Duke helped me a little and found my handkerchief. So, I’m requesting a meal at the restaurant in return. Is there anything else I can offer? I’ve told him to visit with his fiancé.”
“Ha… You fool.”
The Duke immediately began scolding her, but Charlotte had anticipated this. No, she had known this would happen.
‘Maybe next, you’ll try to seduce him with some flirtation?’
“You should have seduced him with some charm, not foolishly handing it over to his fiancé! I’ve never seen someone so thoughtless as you!”
Exactly, this is what I wanted.
The Duke hadn’t changed one bit. Was there really anyone this transparent?
Charlotte suppressed a sneer that was about to escape.
“Is that so? But Your Excellency, isn’t it time for me to leave? What’s the point of seducing him now?”
“That…!”
For a moment, the Duke was speechless. Charlotte’s words were right. Besides, at this point, leaving was probably the better choice for the Duke.
The Duke would never fall for Charlotte, and if he did, he’d need to get rid of her as soon as possible.
‘I can never give my title to her.’
“…Yeah. After all, you’re engaged, so it must be the right thing to do. Well done. If you had gone with her, all sorts of rumors would have spread.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It was a sudden shift in attitude, but Charlotte silently nodded. The embarrassment was entirely on the Duke. After clearing his throat a few times, he finally issued the order to dismiss her.
“Alright. I’ll inform the restaurant, so let me know once the date is set. If you have nothing more to say, you may leave.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
After slightly bowing her head, Charlotte turned and exited the office. The day she had visited before had been filled with harsh words in the office, but today, it was eerily quiet.
The Duke, pondering whether this was a good or bad sign, suddenly realized something.
“When did she start calling me ‘Your Excellency’?”
Charlotte, who had always used the title “Father” no matter how displeased he was, had never addressed him that way before. This fact, for some reason, pricked at the Duke’s conscience.
However, the discomfort was quickly erased by a knock on the office door.
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