Chapter 19
The promise made between her father, the late Emperor, and her mother, the successor of Altzveit, who was the Duke’s Daughter. The firstborn would be the successor to the Imperial Family, and the secondborn would be the successor to Altzveit.
It was a promise between Altzveit and the Imperial Family.
That was why Charlize, who had become Altzveit’s successor, could not become a member of the imperial family.
Unless she herself abandoned Altzveit.
‘But I’m not the real Charlize right now anyway.’
She had no obligation or loyalty to uphold toward Altzveit.
Even so, this condition was a ridiculous situation to accept.
It was laughable, really. She was borrowing money to avoid breaking off her engagement with her fiancé, but if she changed her household registry, what would happen to the engagement?
“Let me ask just one thing. If I become a member of the imperial family, what are you going to make me do?”
“I haven’t thought about that.”
Roxidian pondered for a moment before speaking firmly.
“Ah, for now, break off your engagement with that guy you don’t like. I’ll find you a better husband candidate who’s even more impressive—”
“I’ll pass.”
At her firm refusal, Roxidian scowled deeply.
“Why are you still chasing after that sleazy guy? What do you even like about him?”
“Sorry, but whether I chase after a sleaze or a snowman, you haven’t helped me with a single thing, have you, oppa?”
“Why should I help? I don’t like the guy.”
Did the tyrant in the book hate Askin?
He was the upright type of man who could easily earn enmity.
In the book, the two of them didn’t clash until after Charlize died, so she wasn’t sure. It seemed he had gone against the tyrant’s mood at some point.
Just as she was about to neatly give up, thinking borrowing money from this brother was a lost cause—
“Fine. If you don’t like that condition, how about this one? But this is the last.”
A knotted rope dropped right in front of her eyes.
“……What’s that?”
Instead of grabbing the rope, she looked at it with eyes full of suspicion.
“The news of your return from your trip has spread throughout the capital. Soon, you’ll be invited to all sorts of events. Ah, have you already been invited?”
“So?”
She tilted her head, recalling the gatherings of the ne’er-do-wells.
Wariness crept into her eyes. What ridiculous condition was he going to propose this time?
“At every event you attend from now on, cause even more of a scene than you usually do. I’m telling you to rampage.”
The first condition had been bewildering, but this new one wasn’t quite as shocking.
What kind of scheme was behind this condition?
“Of course, now that you’re back, you were probably planning to do whatever you wanted like always. I’m just saying to make it even bigger.”
Thinking about it rationally, this wasn’t a difficult condition.
She just had to act a little more outrageously than Charlize usually did, right?
In the dilemma of either breaking off the engagement and dying right away or enduring for a year, this level of acting wasn’t hard.
But why on earth?
“What’s your angle?”
“No angle.”
“……Really?”
She gripped the necklace tightly.
For a fleeting moment, surprise flashed across Roxidian’s face at her action.
Hm? She hadn’t intended to use it, but did it look like a threat?
The tyrant explained with a slightly relaxed expression.
“You need to gain even more notoriety. That way, what I did will be buried.”
“Huh?”
“Even today’s incident— no matter how much we seal people’s mouths, it’s bound to leak out.”
Roxidian gestured around the space. It wasn’t wrong.
They couldn’t hide it forever. And yet, the proposal he made to her was still absurd.
She was in a situation where she couldn’t let anyone find out she wasn’t the real Charlize anyway.
‘……I was planning to subtly improve Charlize’s reputation without drawing attention.’
She had thought she’d try to fix things before karma made her drop dead early!
Did this mean she had to give up on her reputation? She frantically calculated in her head.
Accepting her brother’s condition was the winning option.
She needed money first. That way, her lie wouldn’t be exposed, she could stop the broken engagement right away, and she wouldn’t die.
“Fine, I accept.”
At that, the tyrant broke into a mischievous smile.
“Good.”
Somehow, that smile seemed full of hidden intentions, making her feel like she was walking into a tiger’s den of her own accord, which left her uneasy.
* * *
Charlize left.
Just as Noah had brought her here, he personally escorted her back to her room in the Altzveit mansion.
“I sincerely apologize for my rudeness upon your departure.”
As he saw her off, Noah meekly apologized for his impropriety.
On one hand, he half-expected that with Charlize’s temper, she might slap him, but he was prepared to accept it willingly.
However, Charlize just shrugged with an impassive expression.
“It’s fine.”
Noah looked at her in surprise.
“You brought me because of oppa, right? Oppa’s lucky to have a loyal retainer like you.”
Their eyes met briefly.
Charlize possessed beauty so stunning it could be called a gift from the gods themselves—one that had been overshadowed only by her viciousness.
“……Still, I must apologize for my rudeness.”
“I said it’s fine.”
Charlize suddenly smiled faintly.
“If you really feel bad, help me out next time.”
As he watched her long eyes crinkle, Noah slowly lowered his gaze.
For a very brief moment, he felt a chill, as if this Duke’s Daughter, who had been in his arms, had clutched his heart.
He had nearly promised to help her with anything without thinking.
It was the first time Noah had seen Charlize smile normally.
The smile, stripped of her usual vicious aura, left him flustered.
After seeing Charlize off, Noah returned to his lord Roxidian’s side.
Roxidian was lounging languidly in the chair of his neatly organized office, lost in thought.
For some reason, a satisfied smile—like that of a beast that had successfully hunted—graced his fiercely handsome face.
“Your Majesty.”
“You’re back?”
Roxidian replied without even looking.
He had already sensed Noah’s arrival, yet his voice remained calm.
“Why did you make that proposal to the Duke’s Daughter?”
Noah asked the question that had been nagging him since the meeting room.
He had hesitated, but his curiosity and doubts won out.
“Hah, what’s this? What’s gotten into you, prying into others’ business?”
“……Isn’t she Your Majesty’s family?”
Even as Noah said it, he thought it wasn’t quite the right answer.
Because just two weeks ago, he had been relieved that Charlize was out of the capital.
“My aide tells me to answer, and he spouts nonsense.”
“……”
“Then she is my family. Who’s my family?”
“……”
“What, you want her?”
Roxidian’s tone was flippant and crude for an emperor of a nation, but his voice and face carried an undeniable dignity and pressure that couldn’t be ignored.
Noah slowly raised his gaze.
Roxidian scanned Noah’s face thoroughly before flashing his usual mischievous grin.
“She is pretty, isn’t she?”
“……”
“Of course, she’s my little sister.”
Affection seeped through his light tone.
Soon, Roxidian’s smiling eyes sharpened like those of a beast.
“I can’t leave her in the filthy hands of Altzveit forever.”
Thud. Roxidian tapped the armrest.
Though he bore the name of tyrant due to his madness that he couldn’t control himself, in truth, he was a very wise and intelligent emperor.
“You remember the incident last time that got her temporarily kicked out of the country, right?”
“Yes.”
“With that incident, Altzveit tried to abandon her once.”
His lovable, foolish little sister seemed to think her grandfather cherished her and wouldn’t let her go.
But Roxidian knew well how greedy and inhuman his grandfather was.
“They’ll be watching. If she causes even bigger villainy or rampages here, the Duke will eventually give up on her. He’ll discard her. Somewhere useful.”
Roxidian had greatly misunderstood. In the situation where Charlize had come to borrow money, he thought the Altzveit Duke’s patience had run out.
If he had known where Charlize was spending the money, the situation might have been different, but he didn’t.
“She’ll cause an even bigger rampage and get into an accident she can’t fix.”
“Then, when the Duke’s Daughter causes that accident, what do you plan to do?”
“Pick her up, of course. She’s my sister.”
Roxidian leaned his face on his hand, smiling mischievously and languidly.
“Here’s hoping my foolish little sister reclaims the imperial name one day.”
Roxidian’s smile faded into a slight frown.
“And peel off that sleazy Remute guy too.”
Noah, who had been watching, let out a small sigh.
“Duke Remute has done nothing wrong. Your Majesty is just annoyed because he won’t accept the Duke’s Daughter, right?”
“No? I just don’t like him. He doesn’t suit my foolish little sister.”
“Yes. Yes.”
Roxidian’s frown deepened.
“Can’t that sleazy Remute bastard stop chasing her around? What does he think is so great about himself that he rejects her every time? It’s annoying.”
