Everything was going smoothly, and despite leaving after making a comment that made me anxious, Charlotte remained quiet. The fabricated information we spread was starting to reach the nobles and the public. I could tell that the forces against the Eight Seats of the Empire were increasing, but in the end, the Dawan members decided to work with us, so the situation wasn’t all that bad.

Of course, there were a few uncertain variables, and the reason was that Charlotte’s faction was a lot bigger than I thought. The speed at which they gathered was faster and more meticulous than I thought and supporting Charlia, who was basically a fool, meant that I had a lot more to lose.

‘It’s bound to be that way.’

Charlotte’s faction wasn’t just big. There was a strange bond among them, and they also seemed as if they were heading toward one goal. In addition, the members themselves weren’t bad either. I was sure there were people in her faction who were only there because they thought it was more beneficial to support her, but the majority of their faction’s key members were respected by the citizens.

‘Noblesse oblige.’

They were practicing it, and the power they possessed wasn’t small.

I had been trying to win over the people beneath us, but of course, it wasn’t easy. Even meeting the nobles I was close to was starting to get difficult. Even though we talked at social events, the key nobles avoided meeting alone with me. They had unknowingly started neglecting me.

Charlotte’s connections were a lot bigger than mine, and naturally, I thought I had to have more power. At the least, I had to be on the same level as her so that I could easily convince the indecisive ones.

Obviously, we continued to promote Charlia’s legitimacy by saying, “Charlia inherited the emperor’s blood.” 

We exaggerated when promoting the first princess and spread negative rumors in places the second princess couldn’t see. As a result, the situation I wanted was made. People gathered, and I became influential. The problem was that the majority of the nobles on Charlia’s side were scummy. The power they possessed wasn’t small, but the majority of the nobles in Charlia’s party were old orders.

‘They’re old gramps like Lee Seol-Ho.’

It was a geriatric sleazy party, which was unsuitable for young and innovative people. Those were the kind of people in Charlia’s faction.

Lady Caitlyn and Lady Elise, who were close to me, kept sending me positive signals along with Count Castlerock and Lady Marilyn, who were grateful to me, but as the head of their own families, they were having a hard time deciding.

The only thing I could do in this situation was to create an image for Charlia. Showing that she had changed was the only way to convince the indecisive nobles. I understood very well that my life depended on this, so I put all my heart and soul into it as if I was playing a game about raising a princess. Of course, Lee Ji-Hye was working hard, but I was certain that I was more tired than her. After all, unlike her who didn’t have to see the first princess, I had to keep staying close to Charlia.

‘Shit…’

Basically, I had to clean up after her. Not only did I have to comfort, compliment, and cheer up this grown adult, but I also had to check her outfit, so I was naturally exhausted. However, this wasn’t the end of it. Aside from work, personal activities, and conversations with questions that were getting longer, I could feel her trying to invade my space from time to time as time went on. She even asked about my relationship with Cha Hee-Ra and Jung Ha-Yan. All she had done was ask about what I thought about her, but because of my unique habit, I was worried about getting involved in another crazy situation.

One thing I was relieved about was our difference in status, and that could be a hindrance to Charlia who was proud about inheriting the emperor’s blood. If she really didn’t care about her bloodline, then she really did inherit the emperor’s blood.

Anyway, Charlia was following the schedule I had given her without any complaints. The idea of being recognized by those around her was the driving force behind her actions, and the public’s opinion of her had completely changed. It hadn’t been that long since we started, but the first princess’s reputation was slowly improving. And even though she was at the center of a geriatric sleazy party, she was starting to build her own power.

‘It’s the most important moment…’

No matter how many times its importance was emphasized, it would never be enough. Charlia was still lacking, but this incompetent first princess was now standing at the same starting line along with Charlotte.

Unlike Charlotte’s faction whose power was well organized, there was an ongoing turf war among the scummy old gramps within the geriatric sleazy party. It was a good thing Charlia trusted me the most. Otherwise, I would have also participated in their bickering.

It was a long conversation, but the result was good enough for me to nod my head. However, I was kind of worried about how Charlia would accept this situation. This change might feel too fast to Charlia since she still hadn’t done anything yet, but if she knew her place, she shouldn’t make a fuss. Even if power made her arrogant, I thought that she would at least understand the situation, as she was now standing at the starting line. However, that was my mistake.

‘Shit, shit!’

The confidence I had in this dumb woman was my mistake.

As usual, Charlia was having tea with Lady Caitlyn, Lady Elise, and Lady Marilyn. However, while I was in the bathroom, something ridiculously absurd happened.

‘Dumb bitch. Dumb bitch!’

I couldn’t help but realize what Charlotte meant when she said, “People don’t change easily.”

The peaceful atmosphere from earlier had long disappeared, and the situation before me was really chaotic.

“Kyaaaaah!”

“Ahhhhh!”

Lady Marilyn was holding her face while rolling on the ground, and Lady Caitlyn was trying to help her. It was just absurd. Charlia looked kind of annoyed, and something must have triggered her as she looked down at Lady Marilyn while huffing and puffing. Meanwhile, Lady Elise was just standing there with a stupefied look. I was expecting a scene of four ladies giggling and strengthening their friendship once I came out of the bathroom, but who knew something like this would happen?

I had no idea why this happened, but I knew why Lady Marilyn was rolling on the ground while holding her face. Dumb Charlia was holding a small teapot, and there was no liquid inside the teapot. Charlia must have thrown its contents at Lady Marilyn.

I was so shocked that I stood still, but when I heard Lady Marilyn’s pained cries, my body reacted first.

“Ahhhhhh!!”

“L-Lady Marilyn!”

“B-Brother Lee Ki-Young! S-She… How dare she!” Charlia stuttered.

During all this, Charlia spoke to me as if she had been waiting for me to arrive, but right now, she wasn’t important. After ignoring her, I immediately went to Lady Marilyn and carried her after checking her condition.

“Lady Aris, a priest…” I requested.

“I-I already called for one,” Aris replied.

“Thank you.”

‘Charlia’s more incompetent than a maid.’

When she saw how desperate how I looked, Charlia had to have finally realized her mistake because her face slowly distorted. If she were making that expression because she disliked the current situation, then I would probably crack her head open with a Dragon Breath Potion.

M-Mr. Lee Ki-Young… it hurts. It hurts! Heuuuuk… it hurts,” Marilyn cried.

“Hang in there, Lady Marilyn. Wait, Lady Aris! There’s a potion in my bag. Let’s use that for now!” I ordered.

“Ah, okay!” the maid answered.

“Lady Caitlyn and Lady Elise, if you could take care of Lady Marilyn for a moment…” I asked.

“Of course, Brother Lee Ki-Young.”

This wasn’t the time to be picky. Since her face was covered in hot tea, I was sure she was in pain. I could treat her wounds, but it could be a problem if her eyes got injured. No, if she ended up with a scar, then it would be even more difficult to fix this issue.

Aris ran over with my bag. This kind of situation must have been their first time because Lady Elise was crying and Lady Caitlyn was doing her best to calm Marilyn down while biting her lips.

“It hurts, Mr. Lee Ki-Young… Heuk… I can’t see. Waaaaah…” Marilyn cried.

“Please hang in just a little longer, Lady Marilyn. I’ll treat you right now. A priest is coming, so it’ll be okay,” I reassured her.

In contrast to Charlia who was watching us in a daze, Aris handed me the potion as if she was a nurse assisting me. I immediately opened the bottle and poured the high-quality potion over Marilyn’s face. I had always been carrying a potion around in case of an emergency, and it was a good thing I had developed that habit.

“I’m going to pour one bottle over your wounds, and you’ll drink the other bottle. It has a pain-killing effect, so I’m sure you’ll feel better,” I instructed her.

‘She must get better.’

“Okay… okay… okay…”

“Slowly… Open your eyes slowly,” I told her.

“Okay, Mr. Lee Ki-Young…”

‘Shit.’

I wasn’t a doctor, but anyone could tell that Lady Marilyn’s eyes right now weren’t normal, but since it hadn’t been that long since the incident, I was sure she would recover.

“It’s going to sting a bit,” I warned her.

“P-Please hold me tight, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. Heuk…” Marilyn requested.

“Sure, I’ll do that.”

When I grabbed her hand, it was trembling. It was natural for her to be scared.

When I slowly poured the potion into her eyes, I felt her body tense up as she screamed.

“Aaaahhh!”

“It’ll be fine, m’lady. Just hang in there. It’s healing,” I told her.

“Okay… Kghhhhh…”

After lifting Lady Marilyn again, I immediately kicked the door open. Lady Caitlyn followed me and Lady Elise’s face was covered in tears. During all this, Aris was in the middle of bringing a priest over.

Lady Marilyn had to have gotten exhausted after constantly screaming because her body became weak.

The most urgent matter had been taken care of, and now it felt like the situation had calmed down a bit. When I spoke as if I was talking to myself, I immediately heard an answer.

“We need to move Lady Marilyn to a place where she can rest comfortably. I think it’s best to do the remaining treatment there,” I suggested.

“The emperor granted me a room that’s not too far from here, so I suggest we go there, Brother Lee Ki-Young,” Lady Caitlyn offered.

“Thank you, Lady Caitlyn.”

“It’s nothing. I’m only doing what’s right. Is Lady Marilyn okay?” she asked.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine. I don’t think it’ll leave a scar, and her eyes will recover as well. By the way, how did this…” I stopped.

“It’s a long story, but… While that crazy woman, Charlia—no, the first princess was talking to Lady Marilyn, Her Highness suddenly threw a teapot filled with hot water at Lady Marilyn. Lady Marilyn hadn’t done anything rude to Princess Charlia, Lady Marilyn was just talking about how close she was to you…” she explained.

“Ah…”

“Princess Charlia acted up so suddenly that I couldn’t understand what was going on. I’m trying to remember if Lady Marilyn had done something rude toward the first princess, but I can’t think of anything,” she added.

‘Shit.’

I had expected it, but it seemed that Lady Marilyn really hadn’t done anything wrong.

Even as I placed her on the bed and the priest was using their holy magic, my thoughts started to become complicated. Lady Caitlyn and Lady Elise worriedly looked at Lady Marilyn, and it was only natural since I was sure they were horrified. The hot water must have splashed onto their faces as well because when I looked at them closely, I saw burn marks. It seems like they didn’t have the luxury to take care of themselves because the situation had simply been that intense.

‘It’s over.’

All my hard work had gone down the drain.

I finally knew why Charlotte hadn’t actively shown any response all this time. It was all because as someone who had observed her older sister for the longest time, she already knew—she knew that Charlia was a hopeless idiot who would destroy herself if left alone.

‘Shit! It’s all over. We’re really screwed!’