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Chapter : 3
Creak.
After respectfully bowing, the gate guard opened the iron gates for Charlotte and her companions.
A wide, empty boulevard stretched before them.
Charlotte let out a long sigh.
“Haa… To think I’d make such a beginner’s mistake. It’s been a while.”
Because of the shock of the poisoning and the uproar over the building auction, she had forgotten something extremely important.
Finding out where the person she had transmigrated into actually lived.
“Hmmm… What do I do now?”
If she was going to live as Charlotte Able, she needed to learn about the real Charlotte Able.
But without even knowing where Charlotte’s home was, gathering even the smallest piece of information had become difficult.
Clop. Clop.
An ornately decorated carriage approached the thoroughly discouraged Charlotte.
As a precaution born from her memories of dying in a traffic accident, Charlotte took a step backward.
The carriage, which she assumed would simply pass by, came to a complete stop in front of her.
Charlotte immediately moved the two adorable creatures behind her and eyed the carriage warily.
Who is it?
Who’s this now?
Don’t tell me that right after leaving the scene of a poisoning, someone’s already trying to kidnap me?
A coachman dressed in a pitch-black coat jumped down from the driver’s seat.
Charlotte gripped the hem of her skirt tightly.
If he comes any closer, I’ll turn around and run—
Creak.
Without even glancing at Charlotte, the coachman opened the carriage door.
Ah.
I misunderstood.
“Miss Charlotte.”
The voice was a familiar, gentle baritone.
Charlotte peeked into the dim carriage interior.
Whew.
She had thought the assassin or poisoner had come back.
Instead, she was greeted by the sight of the handsome lawyer whose face alone could brighten a room.
The same alluring man whom not only the ladies of the Able family but even the maids of the estate had sighed over with cries of, “Ah, Sir Lacal!”
“Mr. Lawyer, I thought you had already left.”
Lacal smiled warmly, effortlessly lowering her guard.
“No. I still had some business to attend to.”
“Business?”
Lacal himself had announced that everything related to the will and inheritance had already concluded.
Yet he still had unfinished business?
“The late Dowager Countess left a separate message specifically for Miss Charlotte.”
That explained why the devastatingly handsome lawyer had waited for Charlotte to come outside.
“Were you on your way home?”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
“In that case, how about riding with me? I’ll personally escort you back.”
“Well…”
Since she currently had no idea where Charlotte Able’s home was, Lacal’s offer was extremely tempting.
But could she trust him?
Lacal had also been present at the scene where the real Charlotte was poisoned.
When discussing the inheritance dispute, he had subtly pressured her to avoid a trial.
Aside from being absurdly handsome, she knew nothing about him.
Suddenly, the penguin planted one tiny foot on the carriage step and climbed aboard.
“Hey! Wait a second—”
The sparrow immediately fluttered inside as well.
People always said animals had excellent instincts when it came to danger.
If those two weren’t cautious around him…
Then perhaps the handsome lawyer wasn’t dangerous after all.
“Fine. I’ll trust your animal instincts. But if I die, I won’t transmigrate into another novel this time. I’ll become a ghost and haunt both of you forever.”
The penguin and sparrow visibly flinched, as though they understood the threat.
After giving the two creatures a meaningful smile, Charlotte gracefully bowed toward Lacal.
“Thank you for your kindness. I’ll leave myself in your care.”
The grand Able estate gradually receded into the distance behind the carriage.
Sitting across from Charlotte, Lacal alternated glances between the penguin and the sparrow.
“You keep rather unusual pets. I assumed young noble ladies preferred cats or dogs.”
“They’re quite adorable once you get to know them. And they’re both very sweet.”
Even as she spoke, Charlotte felt awkward.
She had no idea what their actual personalities were like.
Still, they were cute and kind, so she figured the real Charlotte must have cared for them.
“You’re quite different from the rumors I’ve heard, Miss Charlotte Able.”
“Rumors?”
“Yes. I’d heard that you were somewhat slow and prone to tears.”
After meeting the Able family, Charlotte could easily imagine what kind of rumors those were.
The family had openly mocked her and called her an idiot during the reading of the will.
They had probably spent years tearing her apart in noble gatherings.
For entertainment.
To pass the time.
“That’s why the late Dowager Countess often worried that you were as fragile as a wildflower with no protection.”
“Grandmother… said that?”
“Yes. But after seeing how boldly you handled yourself today, I believe she can rest in peace.”
Charlotte politely lowered her head.
“Thank you for thinking so highly of me.”
“No, I mean it sincerely. Besides, you performed very well on today’s test.”
There was something meaningful in Lacal’s amused tone.
Charlotte’s back stiffened.
A test?
What test had she supposedly taken?
Could he be referring to surviving the poison?
Come to think of it, when Charlotte regained consciousness, Lacal had simply watched from the sidelines.
The only advice he’d offered was that a lawsuit would drag on for years.
Could it be…
Was Lacal the poisoner who killed the real Charlotte Able?
The chilling thought sent a shiver down her spine.
Perhaps, after the poisoning failed, he had waited to finish the job himself.
A moving carriage was certainly a perfect place to murder someone.
And she had climbed aboard willingly because she thought it would conveniently take her home.
I should never have trusted animal instincts.
Charlotte discreetly glanced outside.
The carriage wasn’t moving very fast.
Could she jump out before Lacal attacked?
“Since you’ve successfully passed the test, it’s only fair that you receive your reward.”
Unaware of Charlotte’s growing suspicions, Lacal reached into his frock coat.
“W-Wait!”
Startled, Charlotte thrust out her hand.
Lacal blinked his silver eyes as he withdrew a small pouch.
“Is something wrong?”
“N-No.”
Charlotte abruptly changed direction and grabbed the sparrow instead.
“I thought the sparrow was falling.”
The sparrow, which had been lounging comfortably, flailed its tiny legs in protest.
Charlotte secretly sighed in relief.
Wow, that scared me.
I thought he was pulling out a gun or a knife.
“Here. Please take it.”
Lacal extended the small pouch.
The royal-blue velvet shimmered under the summer sunlight, deep and vivid like the sea.
“What is it?”
“The Dowager Countess instructed me to give this to you if you passed the test.”
Still not fully trusting him, Charlotte didn’t accept it immediately.
Instead, she cautiously asked,
“You keep mentioning a test, but I don’t understand. I don’t remember taking any test today.”
Maybe the poisoning really had been some sort of bizarre poison-resistance examination.
“The auction in the hall was the test.”
“The auction where everyone was fighting to buy my building?”
Lacal nodded.
“In truth, the Dowager Countess’s will included one final condition—a family dinner.”
“Ah.”
“At that dinner, I was supposed to observe whether Miss Charlotte Able would hand over the building to her relatives or not.”
“Grandmother worried about me a lot, didn’t she?”
“She did.”
Charlotte felt warmth and affection from a grandmother she had never even met.
“Instead, an unexpected auction broke out. Even when the price reached 8.7 million gold, you refused to sell. And you left them unable to argue against you.”
It was praise.
Praise for successfully protecting the building.
Charlotte smiled awkwardly.
“I’m glad you don’t think I was being arrogant.”
“Anyone has the right to protect their own property.”
“Perhaps because Grandmother was so determined to leave it to me, the building felt special from the moment the will was read.”
And it truly was special.
It represented her future.
The future that would finally allow her to live comfortably.
“Would you like to go see it?”
“Right now?”
Charlotte nearly answered yes immediately.
She desperately wanted to see what kind of building had driven everyone into such a frenzy.
But then she hesitated.
If Lacal dropped her off there and left, she’d be hopelessly lost in this enormous city.
That would be a problem.
“It’s on the way to your home. You’ll be able to see it from the carriage.”
The perfect answer.
Lacal really was surprisingly considerate.
“If that’s the case, then I’d be grateful. But are you sure it’s alright?”
“Hm?”
“If you help me, Count Able will probably be angry with you.”
Leaning back comfortably, Lacal chuckled.
“No, he won’t.”
He smiled lazily.
“I’m not the Able family’s lawyer. I’m the Dowager Countess’s personal lawyer. And as of today, that relationship has officially ended.”
“There it is.”
Lacal pointed through the carriage window after it came to a stop.
Charlotte immediately scooted closer and looked outside.
Across the street stood a seven-story marble mansion.
It looked like a building that had once enjoyed great glory, though its exterior had become noticeably worn with age.
Its location sat between the royal palace and a bustling commercial district crowded with people.
Based on its size and location alone…
“No wonder the Able family wants it so badly.”
“Would you like to go inside?”
“Can I?”
Lacal once again offered her the velvet pouch.
“Here. Take it. The Dowager Countess left you the building key.”
So this was the reward for passing the test?
Calling the key to her own inheritance a reward felt a little ridiculous.
Charlotte accepted the pouch.
It feels more like a ring than a key.
Opening it, she found a beautiful gold bracelet.
The bracelet was intricately crafted with delicate openwork patterns and carried an aura of elegance and subtle power.
“This isn’t a key.”
“I’ve heard the building is protected by a special security enchantment.”
“Ah. So the bracelet works like an access pass?”
Like a magical key card.
Impressed by how quickly she understood, Lacal nodded.
“Anyone without authorization is unable to enter the building.”
“Ooh.”
Charlotte was genuinely impressed.
This was high-level magical security.
And at the same time, it was exactly what she wanted.
A building perfectly suited for someone who absolutely did not want to die.
She wanted to rush inside immediately.
She wanted to explore every room and see what secrets it contained.
But Charlotte forcibly suppressed her excitement.
“I’ll tour the inside another time.”
She carefully closed the pouch around the bracelet.
“For now, I think I should go home first.”
