Chapter 140: Damn You, Charlotte!

On the walls of the eastern border of the human territories, Tark Stronghold, Carter was chatting joyously with a golden-haired girl.

“Uncle Carter, I’m very grateful for your help on this matter.”

“It’s nothing much, Your Highness. I merely instructed Anna to cooperate with you.”

Carter heaved a deep sigh of relief. With this, the engagement should be annulled, and his son would be safe. His worries were finally alleviated, and he would finally be able to get a good night’s sleep tonight.

Indeed, Carter had been losing sleep over Roel’s engagement. As minor as it appeared to be at first glance, there were too many complications at play here. The engagement had come at a bad time.

Had it been three years earlier, Carter would have raised both hands in agreement to this century-old engagement promise. The Sorofyas indeed had many things to offer, and Charlotte had a fairly good reputation.

However, over the past three years, Alicia had entered the Ascart House and become an inseparable ‘sister’ to Roel, and Nora, for whatever reason, was fixated on Roel and even became his protector. 

The two of them possessed great talents as transcendents, and what they had to offer didn’t pale in comparison to the Sorofyas.

Alicia’s power would become an invaluable aid to the Ascart House, and the fact that she was unconditionally supportive of Roel meant that she would be a stalwart ally. On the other hand, Nora possessed the power of the Theocracy behind her, and she could tap into that power to ensure Roel’s safety.

One could reinforce the foundation of the Ascart House, and the other could reinforce the position of the Ascart House in the Theocracy. No matter who Roel chose in the end, he would still benefit greatly from it.

However, the same couldn’t necessarily be said about Charlotte. The Sorofya House was indeed rich, but it was ultimately an external power. Its influence in the Theocracy was limited, which meant that they wouldn’t be able to support the Ascarts directly if anything happened. On top of that, there was the risk of the Sorofyas attempting to subvert Roel in order to gain control over the Ascart House.

Ultimately, what the Sorofyas could truly offer the Ascarts was just money, but did the Ascarts lack money?

Well, the answer was, technically, yes, since Roel would need a ton of money in order to properly develop the Ascart Fiefdom. Carter, however, had adopted a very different set of logic with regards to this question.

Is there enough money to sustain our military? There is? Well, then there’s no problem here.

Carter had never thought that the Ascart Fiefdom lacked money, especially since Roel was developing the fiefdom pretty well in recent years, which further reduced their need for financial aid.

It was honestly quite a simplistic view that was heavily influenced by his military mindset. He believed that the stability of the fiefdom took precedence over everything else, so as long as there was enough money to finance the army and no one was starving, everything else was of secondary importance.

Besides, Carter was a believer in the freedom to love. Alicia was the first one to start pursuing Roel, and it would be ridiculous to ask her to back down just because of some century-old promise.

Most importantly of all, just having two prodigies fighting over Roel was enough of a headache. If another one were to join the fray, it would really be cataclysmic. At this rate, his son might really get assassinated in his room one day!

You know what? I take back those words about you marrying more wives. Just stop messing with those girls, alright? Your father is really scared right now!

That said, there was one thing that had continued to mystify Carter all this while. Based on what he knew, Roel had done practically nothing at all, so how in the world did Alicia and Nora end up becoming so obsessed with him?

He had racked his brain over this question but still couldn’t find an answer, so he eventually chose not to think about it anymore.

In order to avoid the worst from happening, he instructed Anna to cooperate with Alicia and Nora. Hopefully, this would ensure that the child from the Sorofyas wouldn’t fall in love with Roel. Otherwise, it would truly be a shitshow.

Of course, there was also the risk of Roel succumbing to Charlotte’s beauty and attempting to court her, but he would like to think that his son wasn’t that kind of scumbag.

Son, womanizers never end up well. Don’t stray down the wrong path.

Of course, the plan did come at a cost, or more specifically, Roel’s reputation would be soiled. However, Carter didn’t think that that was a problem either. All he had to do was step forward and clarify the matter once it was all over.

The kiss mark could be passed off as a prank from the young Alicia, and Nora and her dog leash could be easily explained as her bringing her dog over to the Ascarts’ manor to bring it on a walk together with her good friend Roel. It was not their fault if the Sorofyas chose to think too much into these matters. 

Once the Sorofyas backed out of the engagement, they wouldn’t be in a position to invoke the contract once more.

As for Roel’s side, Carter had already written a letter to explain and apologize about the matter. As soon as the engagement was broken, he would send the letter over. Alicia and Nora also seemed to have discussed how they should make it up to Roel too.

After hearing Nora’s report on the matter, Carter heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that it was finally all over. 

If there was a fortune teller here, he would have surely told Carter that it was impossible to truly control what happens in life. Once the winds of fate start blowing, it would be impossible to quell them anymore.

… 

Charlotte’s head was feeling vexatiously heavy right now. 

As the successor of a prominent noble house, no matter how strong his desires were, he should have never done that sort of thing before his first meeting with his fiancée!

Is it that princess or that adopted sister of his? Or could it be that he has even more women out there?

Charlotte quickly shook her head. She didn’t want to know about it or interfere in this.

However, the very least Roel could have done was to not leave this kind of mark prior to their meeting. Even if he was just keeping up appearances, he should have made sure to maintain it from the start to the end. 

Charlotte was not oblivious to the debauchery that happened within the circle of nobility, but this was the first time she was seeing someone doing it so openly.

“I was still thinking of continuing our negotiations, but it looks like there isn’t any need to do that anymore…”

“Hm? Miss Charlotte?”

Charlotte’s sudden sharp glare and her mocking smile finally clued Roel in that events had taken a turn for the worse. He realized that she was staring at his neck. However, before he could react, Charlotte had already tossed out yet another question.

“Mister Roel, when were you made aware of our engagement?”

“Hm? Not too long ago, around half a month back.”

Charlotte nodded her head slightly in response. She fully understood just how much of a stranger she was to him.

“We are two strangers brought together by a mere piece of paper. I don’t think that I’m qualified to criticize how you live your life, but at the very least, I’d like to think that I have the right to reject you.”

“What?”

“Mister Roel, I know that it’s a little abrupt, but I believe that we aren’t suited for one another. What are your thoughts on this?”

“…”

Roel widened his eyes in astonishment. Charlotte’s sudden decision was a little overwhelming to him, leaving him feeling as if a game he was playing had suddenly fast forwarded to the end. 

But I haven’t gotten my Affection Points yet! Why are you jumping to the endpoint all of a sudden?

“Miss Charlotte, it hasn’t been long since we met one another. I think we still don’t know each other well yet.”

“No, I believe that I already have a good understanding of what kind of person you are.”

Charlotte’s emerald eyes were fixated on the love mark at the base of Roel’s neck. Fury was raging in her mind, but out of consideration of the latter’s standing, she suppressed her anger and gave an explanation.

“Everyone has a different understanding of what marriage means. Some think of it as a formality; some think of it as a trade. However, I believe that a marriage is something sacred. It’s the foundation to creating a family, a means to pursue happiness. What are your views on this matter?”

“Your words make perfect sense, Miss Charlotte.”

“Is that so? Then this problem can be easily resolved.”

Charlotte’s lips curled up. The provocation of Alicia’s love mark had riled her up, leading her to do something that she would have never done normally. Strong pulsations of mana began swirling around her body, and her bloodline, which she had inherited from her high elf ancestors, started gushing.

Specks of starlight began forming behind her, forming a constellation of an ancient god behind her. This ancient god held onto a staff in one hand and a scale in the other, seemingly looking over her.

The ancient spell immediately caught the attention of all of the transcendents nearby. Even Grandar turned his gaze over from another world. 

A crimson swirl of mana arose from Roel’s body and enveloped him, protecting him from harm. For a moment, the mana formed the shape of a massive skeleton, but it vanished in an instant, leaving one wondering if it had just been a coincidence.

“The Goddess of Fate? How interesting.”

A hoarse voice echoing in Roel’s ears gave him a clue as to what was going on. 

Under the powerful pulsation of mana, Charlotte’s noble disposition was cloaked in a mysterious, dreamlike layer, spurring one’s curiosity about her. 

“‘Arbiter of Fate’, that’s my bloodline ability. It’s also the proof that our house originates from the ancient high elves.”

Standing beneath the starry sky she had summoned, she turned around to look at the mysterious constellation as she began to explain calmly.

“Since ancient times, the high elves have served as the envoys of the Goddess of Fate. They were the progenitors of divination and prophetic spells. Due to their ability to discern the flow of wealth, they eventually got involved in commerce and financial management.

“The condensation of a person’s entire life is what we term as fate. Fate is something fluid; it’s often moving and changing. Life, death, and marriage are important turning points of fate. Do you understand what I’m getting at?”

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Charlotte turned to face the astonished Roel. The latter seemed to have already connected the dots together, and to which, she nodded her head.

“Whether fate is sided toward us or not; whether our union will bring about happiness or misery, all this can be made known by a simple binary divination by the Arbiter of Fate.”

“This… Isn’t this oversimplifying the matter?”

“Do you think that the conclusion received through an ancient transcendent ability is less credible than any evaluation we make through a short moment of interaction? What we see with our eyes is often untrustworthy.”

With Charlotte going this far to insist on it, Roel could only sigh deeply.

What else could he do in this situation? Question the credibility of divination and whatnot and forcefully stop her from carrying it out? 

Charlotte had already led Roel into voicing his support for the view that marriage should be built on the foundation of happiness, so he had no grounds to stop her from divining the outcome of their marriage. In fact, if he attempted to do so, it would only cast doubt on his sincerity.

If I were to say that I’m only interested in your Affection Points, would you believe me?

Roel pondered this question, and he felt that no one in Charlotte’s position would believe those words. They would only suspect that he was out for the Sorofyas’ money.

Given the circumstances, it would appear that it was impossible for him to earn her Affection Points anymore. Fortunately, the two of them would just be strangers once the engagement was annulled, so there shouldn’t be any reason for Charlotte to harm him.

The best he could do right now was to at least maintain a friendly relationship with her. That way, it would be possible to pursue a partnership together with the Sorofyas in the future.

To be honest, it was quite tiring to tread carefully around this woman too. He also felt that it was somewhat good for them to skip all of the formalities and get straight to the main point. 

Having thought things over, Roel waved his hand grandly and said.

“Miss Charlotte, since you have already put it out like this, let’s do it then. Go ahead and do what you must. I’ll be awaiting the results.”

“Very well. I’ll be using this gold coin as the medium for the divination,” replied Charlotte with a nod.

She took out a gold coin that was slightly dull in color and displayed it clearly to Roel.

“This is the Moira Gold Coin of the Ancient Austine Empire. With heads representing bliss and tails representing misery, we shall allow fate to determine the outcome of our marriage. What do you think?”

“I have no qualms about it.”

“Arbiter of Fate.”

“… Understood.”

Charlotte closed her eyes and began mumbling under her breath. The blurred silhouette formed within the constellation began emanating a faint radiance as a hoarse voice sounded from it, responding to its master’s will.

It was almost as if an invisible hand was holding onto the gold coin in Charlotte’s hand. With a resounding ‘ding’, the coin was flicked into the air.

The revolving coin swiftly ascended up, and the starlight behind Charlotte also intensified in proportion as well. The coin reached the peak of its arc before it began falling back down. All of the stars reverted back to normal, and the gold coin fell down to where it was flicked up from, spinning a few rounds in the air before finally landing on one side.

“Heads.”

A hoarse voice calmly announced the results of the divination, causing shock in both the auburn-haired girl and the black-haired boy. They stared at the human imprint on the coin of fate with widened eyes as they struggled to come to terms with the unexpected results.

W-what is going on here? Is the script supposed to go like this?

Roel was utterly stunned here, not knowing what Charlotte was up to. However, the latter’s mind was just as much of a mess as his.

Heads? How could it be heads? Could it be that the divination result has been affected by Roel’s mana?

This was the first thought that came to Charlotte’s mind as soon as she saw the coin landing on heads. However, when she checked on it right after, she noticed that Roel’s mana was condensed around him, showing no hints of extending outward at all.

The result wasn’t tampered with? How could this be possible? This philandering man… 

Charlotte got more and more agitated just thinking about it.

“T-there must be a mistake somewhere! We’ll do it again!”

“Ah? Again?”

Is there such a thing as ‘doing it again’ when it comes to divination?

Roel frowned in skepticism. He suddenly noticed the crowd around him, which left him feeling a little embarrassed that they were actually divining about their love life in front of so many people. However, Charlotte was too agitated to pay any heed to it. She turned to the silhouette behind her and emphasized once more.

“Arbiter of Fate! With heads representing bliss and tails representing misery, verify the outcome of a marriage between Charlotte Sorofya and Roel Ascart!”

“… Understood.”

Ding!

The coin was tossed once more. The eyes of Roel and Charlotte were fixated on the coin from start to end, and the result… 

“Heads.”

“H-how can this be? How could I possibly…”

The result of the second toss felt like a hammer smashing into Charlotte’s heart. She glanced at her confused would-be fiancée in front of her, and her eyes narrowed a little.

Wait a moment, could it be that the condition I set has some problems?

That’s right, the bliss might not necessarily be the result of our relationship. I need to be more exact with my words… 

“Arbiter of Fate! With heads representing a marriage of mutual love and tails representing a marriage of acrimony, verify!”

“… Understood.” 

Ding!

“Heads.”

“…”

With the third result of the divination ending up like that as well, Charlotte was utterly bewildered. At the same time, the overly embarrassing conditions she was using for the divinations cracked even Roel’s thick skin.

He looked at the unnaturally fidgety servants and retainers watching the scene by the side, and he quickly walked over to Charlotte’s side and nudged her.

“Charlotte, let’s stop for now.”

“Don’t interrupt me, it isn’t over yet! T-there must be some mistake here. I have to do it again…”

You still want to do it again? What kind of new humiliation play is this?!

The furiously blushing Roel grabbed Charlotte’s hand, causing her to recoil in shock. She immediately snapped out of her agitated state. Her first reaction was to berate Roel for his sudden act of physical contact, but when she turned her head toward him, the first thing she saw was his completely flushed cheeks and ears.

“Look at the surroundings. Don’t toss the coin anymore… I’m begging you.”

“Ah?”

Roel pleaded with a quivering voice as he lowered his head to conceal his blushing face. At the same time, Charlotte also finally returned to her senses.

She slowly scanned her surroundings, only to realize that the servants, butlers, guards, musicians, and even chefs in the room were all staring at the duo standing at the center of the scene. There was a warm, knowing smile on their faces, which brought a blazing heat to her face.

“No, t-this is a misunderstanding! We aren’t…”

Faced with so many eyes on her, it took only two seconds for her to reach maximum embarrassment. Flustered, she struggled to explain the event to the crowd, but a slight chuckle that sounded then completely crushed her courage.

“Mister Roel, I-I-I-I-I… I’m not feeling well! Farewell!”

“What? Hey, it’s unfair for you to run off just like that! Char…”

Bam!

A panicked girl abandoned the flabbergasted Roel and bolted right out of the room.

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