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Chapter 2
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I am Charlotte La Bravant, a determined woman who never gives up. Thanks to the betrayal of Johan, I was scolded by my master, but still, the dinner prepared by the Marchioness was delicious. Despite being exhausted, my mind was burning with desire to infiltrate the Grand Duke’s mansion.

“Whoa, what’s that?”

Neigh…

As Charlotte was hurrying back home with a horse, she suddenly pulled the reins. In front of Count Bravant’s mansion, a group of people stood. Judging by the carriage and the knights accompanying them, they seemed to be a very important visitors.

“When would be a good time to announce the engagement?”

“I will follow Your Excellency’s wishes.”

When someone came out of the mansion, Charlotte unconsciously hid her body behind the fence.

The person who came out was Grace and a certain nobleman. The shadow from the sunset made it impossible to see their faces, but the luxurious clothes and accessories wrapped around his robust body seemed very expensive.

“However, if I may express my opinion, I suggest after the autumn harvest.”

“Was it because of Charlotte’s coming-of-age ceremony?”

“…Yes, I apologize.”

When Grace lowered her head, the man reassured her and grab her shoulders.

“Your sister is now like my family.”

“Your Excellency.”

“I promised to take care of Lady Charlotte as if she was my own daughter. Besides, I’m not someone who is so greedy as to ruin a once-in-a-lifetime day for a young lady.”

“I didn’t mean to imply such intentions.”

“I know, my dear. Don’t worry and focus on your bride training. I will take care of the rest.”

Satisfied, the nobleman leaned in closer to Grace.

As he lowered his gaze and head, the man slowly kissed Grace’s cheek.

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary greeting, but the fact that Grace’s clenched fist trembling behind her back was seen only to Charlotte.

Chuckling, Herman climbed onto the carriage as the heavily armed knights surrounded them from all sides.

Until the carriage disappeared into the distance, Grace kept her head lowered, but soon she staggered weakly.

“Lady Grace, are you alright?!”

“Yes, I’m okay.”

“But…”

“I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

Grace grabbed her temple as if she had a headache, staggered, and suddenly added with a resolute expression, “Don’t tell Shasha this for now.”

“Yes.”

“Now, go inside.”

After letting out a sigh, Grace moved her body toward the door of the mansion.

Only after all the servants who followed her had entered did Charlotte cautiously revealed herself.

Her eyes, gazing at the empty street, flickered with a tinge of sorrow.

‘Sister…’

Grace doesn’t reveal anything to her. Not the private conversations with Duke Herman, or even about Ethan, whom she loved like her own life.

‘I don’t know a lot of things about her.’

She doesn’t even know trivial things like where she went, who she spent time with, or what she ate. It was frustrating and disheartening, but Charlotte couldn’t bring herself to confront her.

‘She has already sacrificed so much for me and our family.’

She understood Grace’s sincerity. She was trying to protect herself, her only remaining blood relative, in her own way. Even if it meant hurting her in the process.

‘You’re such a fool. Sister, you’re a fool…’

Grace’s happiness was Charlotte’s happiness, and her unhappiness was Charlotte’s unhappiness. Why did her always wise and smart sister not know this?

Charlotte absentmindedly caressed her scrunched eyebrows with the palm of her hand. She fanned herself diligently until the heat subsided, took hold of the reins and moved briskly toward the entrance of the mansion with the horse.

She turned around and playfully shouted, “I’m back!”

“Shasha, why are you so late?!”

“Hello, nanny! I had dinner with Johan again today. Hmm, do you know what the Marchioness made?”

A small flame ignited in Charlotte’s heart as she chirped on like a bird. If Grace wanted to protect her in her own way, then Charlotte will also protect her in her own way.

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The next morning, Charlotte left the mansion earlier than usual, using the excuse of having special training. With a sword strapped to her waist in her training attire, she smiled brightly to ensure that her sister and her nanny wouldn’t suspect anything suspicious.

“I’ll be back! I might be a bit late today.”

“Yes, have fun and let me know if you have any problem.”

“Really, sis? Am I still a kid?”

“Of course not.”

Grace gave a soft smile, neatly tidied up her younger sister’s pink hair, and stepped back.

Stepping on the stirrup attached to the saddle, Charlotte smoothly mounted her horse and pretended to gallop in the direction of Marquess Albrecht’s residence. But as soon as she passed the alley, she immediately moved the reins and headed toward the town.

She had brought a substantial sum of money as an advance payment for the infiltration into the Grand Duke’s mansion.

“I am a genius. I can do it!”

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“I’m truly sorry, Lady Charlotte. It’s because the Marquess warned us.”

“I can’t do it. I’m a failure…”

The first obstacle was to find a dealer who can take her inside Grand Duke Ludovica’s mansion. However, Marquess Albrecht had already spread Charlotte’s wanted posters throughout the town.

[Only Alive
Charlotte La Bravant
$1,000,000]

Charlotte splashed her face with water while looking at the tiny bounty posted beneath her portrait. Never had her master’s teachings to be determination felt so cruel as they did today.

“That damn Johan!”

It was all his fault. He was like a treacherous betrayer who took advantage of their friendship!

Charlotte gritted her teeth in frustration, but there was nothing she could do at the moment. For now, her best option was to run away and avoid the dealer who would gleam with excitement upon spotting her.

After running far away from the town into the outskirts, Charlotte finally looked down at her own hands.

‘By some stroke of luck, I managed to grab a wig and mustache…’

While fleeing from the wanted posters, she quickly grabbed these items when the shopkeeper briefly left his post. But even so, these props didn’t seem like they would be sufficient for a proper disguise.

“Hmm.”

Without hesitating for a moment, Charlotte tucked her long and voluminous hair into the short wig and added thin strands of mustache to her chin to add a peculiar charm (?).

Charlotte looked at her completed appearance reflected in the sword.

“Now that I look at it, it’s not too bad, is it?”

It seemed somewhat cute.

Proudly nodding her head, she put the sword back into its scabbard.

She ran away for a while, thinking that it would be over if she were caught by her master, so the surroundings now seemed unfamiliar to Charlotte.

Without much thought, she decided to start walking.

‘Sister, just wait a little longer. I’ll catch you, Ethan.’

She had left the mansion in the early morning, and now the sun was already high in the sky. As Charlotte tried to estimate the time based on the length of the shadow cast on the ground, she suddenly stopped in her tracks. Her own shadow had been completely swallowed by another enormous shadow.

When she looked up, she saw a mansion so large that its end was not visible.

“Everyone, form a line!”

“To enter the Grand Duke’s mansion, you must pass the inspection. Form a line!”

‘The Grand Duke’s mansion?’

The entrance of the mansion was no different from the bustling market square. The surroundings were filled with large and burly men, creating an intimidating atmosphere. Wide-eyed, Charlotte managed to squeeze through the crowd and read the inscription on the mansion’s gate.

‘Black dragon and red eyes.’

It was the symbol of Grand Duke Ludovica, who was known as the strongest knight on the continent!

Although she was quite flustered, she could grasp the situation.

“I think the inspector is coming out over there.”

“Inspector? How arrogant do they have to be to make people stand on the street for inspection? Should we take a look at his face?”

“Hehe, if he’s a small fry, let’s attack him.”

“Ugh, wait a minute!”

Amidst the crowd, Charlotte found herself standing in a particular line. As she craned her neck through the bustling people, she saw the knights who had come out of the mansion splitting up, and a man walking in the middle.

“Attention!”

“….”

His overwhelming physique was so impressive that it could be seen from afar. His height, shoulders, and even his perfectly sculpted muscles was like a warrior’s body that had been trained to the extreme, capable of overpowering all the men gathered around him.

“As expected, we have to wait.”

“Yes, I used to dream of being one of those people standing there when I was young.”

“Me too.”

The rowdy men who had been filled with swagger suddenly lowered their heads without any spirit after seeing that. Meanwhile, Charlotte raised her heel and continued to observe the situation ahead.

‘Wow, he looks terrifying.’

Black hair slipped through the fingers of the man, who swept his bangs back lazily.

His exposed eyes were vivid red like blood.

‘He looks just like a Duke from a novel.’

However, it was highly unlikely that the Grand Duke himself would personally conduct the inspection, so Charlotte shrugged her shoulders and dismissed the thought.

Not long after, the entrance inspection began.

“Extend your hand.”

“Pardon?”

However, the way the inspection was conducted was unusual.

The man began inspecting the hands of the people who wished to enter one by one. Not just any part, but the ‘palm’ of the hand.

“Ludovica strictly prohibits the entry of outsiders.”

At that moment, the voice of the traitor who had used their friendship flashed through Charlotte’s mind.

It was a place where even servants were not allowed to enter, and even the heirs of other noble houses had to visit personally. So, it wasn’t surprising to have such an unheard-of entry inspection. Well, after all, the owner of this mansion is the strongest knight on the continent…

“Rejected!”

“Rejected!”

“Rejected!”

However, no one was allowed inside. At this point, it seemed like they were just making fun of people. But as Charlotte was starting to think that, the inspector, who had been repeatedly announcing rejections, suddenly fell silent in front of a certain person.

“….”

“Um, did I pass?”

“Well…”

The inspector put his hand into the thick beard on that person’s face. When his hands entered, it was empty, but when it came out, there was a terrifying needle. The shiny tip seemed to have been poisoned.

The inspector’s gaze turned cold.

“Shave off this guy’s beard and plant it in the backyard!”

“Yes!”

“This is ridiculous! Let go of me! I said let go!”

As his arms were held, the man suddenly started cursing the inspector.

The assassin was taken away, and the temporarily halted inspections resumed. Now, the inspector checked the men’s beards first, both front and back, before inspecting their palms. Although there were a few rare cases of passing, the rejection rate was still overwhelmingly high.

‘It’s clear that having beards are definitely a disadvantage.’

Charlotte’s turn was approaching. Without much thought, she grabbed her beard and pulled it off.

“Hehe…”

The onlooker behind her widened in astonishment seeing that, but she paid them no attention. She had already wiped her palm clean on her clothes and put on a gentle smile to emphasize her innocence.

Finally, her turn came. Just as she was about to extend her palm, the inspector’s face contorted.

“Smiling annoys me. Rejected.”

What?!

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