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Chapter : 12
How could he be suffering that much from just this?
How badly did they want to torment Charlotte for it to look like they were on the verge of dying?
Still… at least it ended without anyone dying…
“Good job.”
“Good job?”
“You did well.”
“Then you should be grateful to me.”
“Yes, yes.”
Charlotte answered lazily and peeked outside again like a wary fox.
Watching her, Rakhal’s lips curved into a meaningful smile.
“A red fox indeed… quite cunning.”
While the three of them had gone down to the first floor, Laila had already replaced everything with hot tea and a fresh tea set.
Good girl, Laila. Very attentive.
But this wasn’t the time to sip tea gracefully like a refined noble lady.
After dealing with Count Abel’s harassment, she felt mentally and physically drained.
She wanted to resolve the Pierce problem quickly and finally rest properly.
Charlotte asked Rakhal, who had followed them in.
“The study… what do you think?”
“Why are we going to the study?”
Pierce, who had come up to the seventh floor last, asked instead.
“We need to finish what we didn’t finish earlier.”
That matter, Pierce.
Pierce protested like someone who had been cheated.
“After I dealt with those noisy bastards, you’re just going to leave me here alone?”
“Your Grace said it yourself earlier—no one negotiates strategy with an enemy.”
“Wow. I’m being used.”
“That’s not true. You helped because you were annoyed by the noise too. So you weren’t used.”
“Tch.”
Pierce clicked his tongue, realizing she had seen through him.
Charlotte quickly grabbed Rakhal’s hand.
“Let’s go!”
As Rakhal was dragged toward the study, he glanced at the hand holding his.
Charlotte abruptly stopped as she opened the study door.
Startled, Laila was standing stiffly beside the sofa.
“H-huh.”
Laila, you were hiding here?
Her wide eyes asked, “What do we do, young lady?”
Charlotte quickly signaled back, “Hide behind the sofa!”
Whoosh.
Like a penguin turning into a swallow, Laila slid behind the sofa.
At the same time, Charlotte turned sharply toward Rakhal.
She collided directly with him, who had been focused on the hand she was holding.
“Ah!”
“Lady Charlotte!”
Rakhal caught her waist as she began to fall backward.
Her back arched like a bow, and the ceiling came into view.
My waist is really flexible…
For some reason, that thought crossed her mind as she lifted her head.
Rakhal’s startled eyes came into view.
“Are you alright?”
Charlotte forced an awkward smile.
“Of course. Very, very alright.”
“You seem startled. I should have gone in first and handled it—”
“No!”
Charlotte grabbed his coat as he tried to look inside and raised her voice.
Rakhal’s eyes widened at her sudden reaction.
Worried Laila might be spotted, Charlotte quickly added,
“Could you help me stand up? I think my waist is going to snap like a shrimp.”
“Ah!”
Like a properly educated noble, Rakhal helped her stand and apologized.
“I seem to have startled you, Lady Charlotte.”
In truth, she had been the one who startled herself, but Charlotte let it pass.
“It’s fine.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It was just… I got surprised by a bug.”
“A bug?”
“Yes… about this big.”
To make her lie more convincing, Charlotte stretched her thumb and index finger as wide as possible.
“A completely black one. Very frightening-looking.”
“That is quite large. We should deal with the bug first.”
“Huh?”
“So Lady Charlotte won’t feel uneasy and can focus on our conversation.”
Uh… that’s not what I meant.
But then again, this was a kind, proper duke. Maybe this reaction was normal.
Before her lie collapsed, Charlotte quickly pointed toward the window.
“It already escaped outside.”
“The window is closed.”
“…Ah.”
The atmosphere turned cold.
The refined noble lady image she had carefully built cracked apart instantly.
Ugh, embarrassing. I shouldn’t have used the bug excuse.
Her expression soured with regret.
Rakhal, as if finding her amusing, let out a small laugh.
“Since the bug seems to have taken care of itself, shall we sit and continue our conversation?”
Seeing Charlotte’s round eyes, Rakhal smiled gently.
As expected, Rakhal Statua was a kind duke.
Charlotte sat facing Rakhal.
Laila was nowhere to be seen—she had hidden extremely well.
“You said earlier you were looking for the lease documents of the Countess Norback because of a troublesome tenant.”
“Yes. Pierce—you saw him, right? He said he would kill people.”
Charlotte lowered her voice like a child tattling on a neighbor.
“Honestly, as long as it doesn’t involve me, I don’t care if Pierce kills people or not. But the constant explosions are a problem. I’m afraid the building will collapse on me while I’m sleeping.”
Rakhal raised his brows slightly at “kill people or not,” then smiled at “building collapsing on me.”
“Are you not afraid of Pierce, Lady Charlotte?”
“I am. That’s why I’m trying to evict him legally.”
If she weren’t afraid, she would have thrown him out already.
“The mage Pierce doesn’t seem like someone who would easily listen.”
“No, he said he would leave. He just set a condition.”
“A condition?”
“He said I must burn the tenant contract documents of Grandma right in front of him.”
“Ah. So that’s why you’re looking for the Countess Norback’s documents.”
“Yes. But not just Pierce’s—none of the mansion’s lease documents can be found.”
“So you thought I might have them.”
Rakhal immediately understood why he had been invited.
Charlotte nodded enthusiastically like Laila.
“It’s best to remove dangerous people quickly.”
“That is true… however, I do not have Countess Norback’s documents.”
“Huh?”
“I only handled the inheritance matters. I was not involved in her business affairs.”
Charlotte, who had been excited at the thought of obtaining the lease documents, went blank.
No way.
Rakhal didn’t have them?
Then where were the documents?
In the grand estate where the will reading had taken place?
No—there was no way those greedy people would leave important mansion documents there.
Then had they been hidden elsewhere?
More importantly… without the documents, evicting Pierce was impossible?
She asked urgently, as if searching for an escape route.
“Can I force an eviction?”
Even without the lease documents, this building is mine.
So if the owner tells him to leave, Pierce has to go, right?
Rakhal delivered a second blow of reality.
“The legal process is not yet complete, so the building is not officially yours yet.”
Right.
She had forgotten in her urgency.
“Then… does that mean I have to keep living with that awful Pierce forever?”
“I’m afraid so… since we don’t know his contract duration.”
Her spirit deflated like air escaping.
She had wanted to put that arrogant mage in his place as the owner of the building—but that was impossible now.
Until ownership was finalized, she had to coexist peacefully with Pierce.
And endure explosions too.
And choke on her food whenever Pierce mocked her.
And beg for her life if he ever said, “I want to kill you.”
Rakhal looked at her fading expression and spoke.
“There is one method.”
“A method?”
Rakhal, as a lawyer, stated it professionally.
“Negotiation and adjustment.”
“So you came to me. Guess you’ve already planned your attack strategy?”
Pierce asked lazily while whisking meringue.
Charlotte glanced at the bowl where the whisk moved on its own.
“What are you doing?”
“Seeing you acting so wicked made me think of your nice grandmother. I’m making cookies she liked.”
“She might accept bribes like that, but I don’t.”
“Who said it was for you?”
“You’re using ingredients from my house.”
“Don’t get hung up on small money. You sound obsessed with cash. Ugly.”
“I am obsessed with money.”
“What kind of kid admits that so easily?”
“I learned early that reality isn’t kind.”
Charlotte pointed downward with her index finger.
Toward the first floor where the chaos had happened earlier.
Rakhal stood upright, glancing between both sides.
“If you’re going to keep arguing meaninglessly, I will leave.”
“Oh, it’s over.”
Charlotte answered quickly.
Pierce also shut his mouth, smirking faintly.
Rakhal pointed at Laila’s footstool.
“Would you like to sit?”
“I’ll stand. Sitting there feels like I’ll get a cramp.”
“Same.”
So Charlotte and Pierce stood facing each other like duelists at distance.
Rakhal transformed into a cold, sharp lawyer.
“Shall we begin negotiations?”
“Negotiations? I only care about my condition being met.”
“As you have conditions, Lady Charlotte as the incoming landlord also has conditions.”
Pierce looked offended that she dared set terms.
“What condition do you want?”
“Rent.”
“Even though your grandmother didn’t collect it?”
“Lies. What landlord doesn’t collect rent?”
“Your grandmother didn’t.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“She did.”
While they bickered, Rakhal intervened.
“Then Mr. Pierce, please produce the lease contract.”
“Why should I?”
“You know Lady Charlotte does not have the documents. That is why you demanded she burn Countess Norback’s contract in front of you.”
Rakhal’s polite but firm logic.
Charlotte glared at Pierce.
So he did know I didn’t have the documents.
