HPCM 08

‘I want to see Alfonso.’

Within the vanished time she had left behind after returning to the past, it was not only Alfonso’s death that had disappeared.

Charlotte’s living hell—where longing and regret had driven her insane—had also remained there with it.

The time after Alfonso’s death, when she wandered across the entire country searching for a way to save him.

Charlotte frequently saw illusions and heard hallucinations.

She would bolt upright from sleep and wander barefoot through the corridors, and on some days, she would cry endlessly.

Yet even amidst that madness, there were words she could never bring herself to say.

‘I miss you, Alfonso.’

She simply had no right to say them.

You became unhappy because of me, and in the end, you died.

So what right did I possibly have to miss you?

And even now, after returning through time, that thought had not changed.

‘If you think about it, there were many chances for me to meet Alfonso.’

But Charlotte had deliberately avoided him.

Because she could not even begin to imagine what kind of expression she should wear when facing him.

For the first time in her life, she felt as though she would fail to control her expression.

‘But this time, I can’t avoid it.’

If she handled this one properly, everything would be over.

Charlotte’s goal was to bring Adeline Laberouge and Alfonso together.

And Adeline Laberouge was the woman who would enter marriage talks with Alfonso fourth.

‘So all I have to do is break off Vivian Mavel and Alfonso’s marriage negotiation.’

After that, according to the proper sequence, Adeline and Alfonso would begin marriage talks, and they would naturally marry.

But how was she supposed to destroy this third marriage?

Vivian had neither ambition to exploit, nor a lover.

‘There is one thing I can at least guess at, but…’

This really had to work.

And if possible…

‘…I’d rather not have to face Alfonso.’

That night, at the Marquis Mavel estate.

“You seem to be in a foul mood, Your Grace.”

At the voice from beside him, Alfonso turned his gaze.

Unlike usual, Ludvik—the knight of Eduard, dressed formally in ceremonial attire—was wearing an awkward smile.

“You’ve touched your cufflinks five times already.”

“…I have? I must be out of my mind.”

Only then, a beat late, Alfonso’s brow furrowed.

His habit of obsessively checking his condition at all times was something he had acquired through long years of military life.

Fortunately, his ingrained noble etiquette usually concealed it, but whenever he became irritated, it occasionally surfaced.

Thankfully, it was not a habit most people noticed, but Ludvik—who had spent so long beside Alfonso on the battlefield—seemed to have caught it immediately.

“There were no major issues in front of Marquis Mavel earlier, so there’s no need to worry. I understand that marriage negotiations would make you sensitive. After all, there really isn’t much time left now.”

Ludvik wore a worried expression, as though he fully understood Alfonso’s circumstances.

‘Marriage among noble families is no trivial matter. Since he has to marry in such haste, he must obviously be displeased.’

The reason Alfonso had suddenly begun seeking a marriage partner—

Was none other than the weakening of Eduard’s authority.

By order of the current Emperor, Benoit III, Alfonso had spent years continuously on the battlefield.

For nearly ten years, there had not been a single time Alfonso remained in the capital for over a hundred days.

‘As a result, imperial authority has strengthened like never before.’

But in exchange, Eduard’s influence over its vassals had weakened.

The problem had surfaced not long ago.

—The Behonic family has sent word that they cannot comply with the knight conscription order, Your Grace. They claim that mobilizing troops before Eduard’s internal stability is secured would be excessively wasteful…

—Because of Behonic’s refusal, the other vassal families are also hesitating to respond.

Behonic was the territory Alfonso’s late mother, the former Duchess of Eduard, had brought with her as dowry.

That meant their loyalty to Eduard was naturally shallow, matching their brief period of affiliation.

If another family had acted that way, Alfonso could have simply crushed them by force.

But Behonic was deeply connected to his late mother’s natal family.

Because of that, Alfonso could not act rashly, and Behonic frequently ignored the young duke at every turn.

Worse still, other vassals had begun following their example.

—It seems your vassals do not look kindly upon Your Grace focusing too much on external affairs while remaining unmarried.

—They really do nitpick in every possible way. Before I completed military service, they doubted my qualifications as Duke of Eduard. Now that I’ve returned, they say they cannot follow me because I’m unmarried.

—What will you do, Your Grace?

—…What else can I do? I’ll marry. Submit the premarital oath to the temple, and inform the vassals as well.

Submitting a premarital oath to the temple meant he intended to swear marriage vows within three months.

If he missed that period, he would need to wait at least one full year before submitting another oath.

That meant Alfonso had been given only three months.

‘The other knights aren’t nobles, so they probably don’t understand how troublesome this situation really is.’

Ludvik, the third son of the prestigious Barthelemy family, believed he understood Alfonso’s feelings better than anyone.

‘As expected, only I can truly stand by Your Grace’s side…!’

Unfortunately for Ludvik, whose heart trembled with a swelling sense of mission, Alfonso’s true irritation was entirely unrelated.

Fixing his gaze toward the inner hall of the banquet, Alfonso muttered:

“…Time. Yes, there really isn’t much time.”

“Still, this time it seems everything will proceed safely, so I don’t think you need to worry too much. Isn’t everything going smoothly?”

“Yes. Smoothly.”

Far too suspiciously smoothly.

From the moment he arrived, Alfonso’s gaze had been fixed on only one person.

A woman draped conspicuously in white sable fur despite the warming weather, dazzling from her red hair to the tips of her toes.

Charlotte Noha.

‘What on earth is she thinking?’

As Ludvik had said, this marriage negotiation was proceeding flawlessly, without a single hitch.

Unlike the previous two occasions, where the talks had ended before the topic could even properly be raised, now all that remained for Alfonso were the formal procedures.

Marquis Mavel was extremely enthusiastic.

—I raised my precious daughter with utmost care. Please treat her well. Since she has grown up mostly within the household, her etiquette may be lacking… Even if she behaves too casually, please do not scold her.

Of course, he often appeared excessively worried, but that was understandable for a father with a daughter.

Above all, Marquis Mavel had lost his spouse early and raised his only daughter with obsessive devotion, so his anxious behavior was hardly strange.

‘Though it is odd that he wants the wedding held as quickly as possible.’

Still, this was hardly disadvantageous for Alfonso, and so everything was proceeding at lightning speed according to both families’ wishes.

Once the banquet reached its peak, Marquis Mavel would announce his daughter’s marriage to Alfonso.

Rumors had already quietly spread, which was why the banquet hall was crowded with guests who had come specifically to hear the marriage news.

So Charlotte undoubtedly knew as well.

‘If she wants to ruin this marriage negotiation, now is her only remaining chance.’

When Alfonso first saw Charlotte appear at the banquet hall, he had been certain.

That woman would absolutely cause some kind of trouble tonight.

‘I intended to watch and see exactly what method she’d use to ruin my path to marriage.’

But Charlotte shattered Alfonso’s expectations.

She did absolutely nothing.

As though to say that Alfonso’s suspicion—that she had interfered in his marriage negotiations—had merely been his own delusion.

No, as though even the proposal letter she had once thrown at him had never existed at all.

‘She hasn’t even looked at me once.’

Charlotte merely mingled warmly among groups of young ladies, chatting cheerfully.

At this very moment, she was even conversing with Vivian Mavel herself—the very woman rumored to be Alfonso’s future bride.

As a result, Alfonso became deeply confused.

‘Was it really all just my misunderstanding?’

Was it truly mere coincidence that Charlotte’s name had become entangled every single time a marriage negotiation collapsed?

Objectively speaking, Charlotte herself had not actually done much.

She had merely suddenly visited Count Olivier’s estate, and happened to use Devona Obini’s perfume.

‘…Perhaps I really was too trapped by my own prejudice.’

Maybe because of Noha’s infamous reputation as a villainess, he had judged Charlotte too harshly.

Yes… perhaps that was it.

‘At this point, there shouldn’t be anything Charlotte Noha can even do.’

Perhaps I was simply being overly sensitive.

Just as Alfonso, inwardly embarrassed, was about to pull his gaze away from Charlotte—

“……!”

Charlotte and Vivian seemed to whisper something to one another—

Then suddenly, they both left their seats.