Chapter 17

In particular, Charlotte Lannia must take good care of Carcel Heinst’s brother, Theodor Heinst, so that he does not get sick.

After seeing the third condition, Charlotte brushed Theo’s forehead hair with mixed feelings.

‘I don’t want children to suffer.’

It was painful to see Theo suffer from a fever. Charlotte placed her ear carefully on Theo’s left chest.

Thump, thump, thump

His heart is beating.

It’s proof that Theo is alive.

It is evidence that hot blood is flowing through his body.

Hot tears welled up in her eyes just Listening to Theo’s heart.

Charlotte remembered the face she had seen over the past few days.

Theo’s attempt to escape the shower, his clothes, the bath…

Theo, whose head and arms were stuck in his clothes…

And that time…

“Theo will protect sister…”

I smiled.

“Theo doesn’t need to protect me, all Theo has to do is to be healthy and safe, okay?”

He even promised that holding out his little finger that wasn’t even the size of half my hand.

The promise I made with Theo wasn’t just a word to escape the guilt I’m feeling right now.

Charlotte genuinely wanted to protect Theo even then and now.

Theo with the children of the land.

If I make up my mind, everyone will be healthy and happy.

Charlotte rose from her seat, remembering all those scenes.

The answer may have been already decided upon since Carcel’s pleading.

*****

“I will do that contract”

It wasn’t Carcel who responded to Charlotte’s declaration without introduction or major point, but it was Chase who handed her the documents.

Then he led her to the sofa with a happy face.

It was such a natural action that it was difficult to tell who was the owner of this mansion and who the guest was.

Charlotte sat in her house, well accompanied, as if she were being treated like a guest.

Chase was about to order refreshments, but realized that this was not the Heinst family’s mansion, so he quietly sat facing Charlotte.

“Good choice “

“However, there are some conditions.”

Chase didn’t show any disapproval of the word “conditions”.

Instead, he just nodded as if he knew that was going to happen.

“Yeah, no matter what the contract is, you’re getting married, so there’s a lot to consider. We know it’s not an easy decision. The Heinst family is ready to meet your requirements as much as possible. What conditions do you have?”

Charlotte announced laying the contract documents she had brought on the table.

“I don’t want to get married now.”

Chase’s face, who was smiling sweetly, had a slight headache

After he coughed in vain, he glanced at Carcel, scratched the back of his head, and stopped speaking.

His eyes shook so intensely that I could hear the sound of his eyes turning.

“Well, that’s understandable, we will prepare a very grand wedding “

She quickly continued before Chase felt embarrassed.

“Let’s begin with the engagement, not the marriage,”

“You mean an engagement?”

“Yes, if I only need an escort, you don’t have to only be a Duchess. I think so. Moreover, the engagement aspect would be less suspicious than directly a marriage.”

“Ok…”

Chase stroke his chin with a serious face.

But he did not have the authority to decide all this.

Charlotte looked away from Chase and continued to look at Carcel.

“No matter how long the Duke’s family lacked a mistress, the Lannia family had no connection at all. So I thought it was better to declare it as a love marriage rather than a political one. If you insist that there is a political marriage between Heinst and Lannia, no one would believe it.”

“……….”

“But wouldn’t it be strange for people who didn’t have contact until recently to get married?”

Chase nodded as if he understood what Charlotte meant.

“You’re asking for a grace period.”

“Yes”

“But grace period, Right now, even if it’s an engagement, there would be a wedding in the end. I don’t know if it’s a year or two, but it won’t last five years. “

“ Yes I know. I think it would be great if we could schedule a one-year engagement period, and have a wedding sometime next fall. “

Chase who, heard Charlotte’s suggestion, turned his head towards Carcel.

“Understood. I’ll do it.”-Carcel

“I would like to revise the contract a little bit.”– Charlotte.

“What do you mean?”

Charlotte pointed her finger at the top of the paper on the table.

It was the part containing the first condition.

1. Charlotte Lannia and Carcel Heinst’s contract runs for five years.

“I would add the phrase: If we do not have to continue the contract, we can terminate the contract early under mutual agreement even if the contract period has not expired. “

“·············”

Charlotte stopped talking for a while.

‘There might be other candidates, or something like that.’

Like Penelope.

Charlotte laughed, after uttering her last words.

Penelope was the reason she asked for the engagement, not a marriage, and she set those conditions.

Half a year, after half a year, when Penelope will appear, The contract with mutual agreement will be over, and Charlotte will be able to break off the engagement before she can marry Carcel.

‘An Annulment of engagement is better than divorce.’

The conclusion came after serious thinking while watching Theo sleeping.

Chase, who had no idea what she was thinking, asserted lightly.

“Oh, you are great, so you are sure that you will be able to deal with the mana issue faster?. Are you okay with that, my lord?”

Charlotte watched Carcel, who was still silent.

Carcel, observing the situation with his back to the chair, grabbed the quill and added the clause that Charlotte had said in the latter part of the contract.

Then he signed in the end. It was a curvy and edgy style that matched his look.

Charlotte also signed next to Carcel’s name with a quill pen provided by Chase.

[

Carcel Heinst , Charlotte Lannia.

]

The two names are placed side by side.

‘I can’t believe I’m really engaged to Carcel!’

However, Charlotte did not have time to be affected by her personal feelings.

There was another problem left for the two of them to solve.

“Then I will think about how to convince my father. I think my dad will be back sometime today.”

She sighed and turned her head.

Carcel had no problem even if she suddenly arranged a meeting with her parent because his parents were dead, and she was the owner of the house.

There might be resistance from his vassals, but it was Carcel who had the last word anyway.

If he establishes his engagement, who will oppose him?

But Charlotte is different. She was a marriageable adult though.

In principle, the lord of a noble family had the final say in the marriage.

No matter how much Charlotte wanted to marry Carcel, she wouldn’t be able to unless her father, Baron Lannia, gave her permission.

“But I can’t be honest with him.”

The contract marriage should be kept a secret.

Charlotte believes in her family, but Carcel does not.

Besides, it’s better that way.

Once the truth is known, her father will definitely oppose this contract.

‘It was easier to convince my father if he had a desire for power or ambition.’

If that was the case, he would have made Charlotte the Duchess and take advantage of it.

But Baron Lannia is more affectionate than anyone else.

He is a father who wants his daughter’s happiness.

Even if it was just an engagement, he would not give her permission unless they were really in love.

“Honestly, I need to convince my father.”

There was Theo, who almost died, and his brother, who would be betrothed to Charlotte, and did not see Lannia’s family as a murderer.

‘It would be more reasonable to believe that I was threatened’

So I had to give a plausible reason from now on.

Charlotte folded her arms and began to think seriously.

However, there was no plausible story at all.

No matter how hard she tries to make up something, Charlotte, who has been stuck in the Lannia estate, has nothing to do with Carcel, who is in the capital, that even the aristocrats can’t see them.

“Ah!”

“What is wrong?”

Charlotte looked at Carcel and asked him instead of Chase, who seemed to be puzzled.

“Duke, what did you do two years ago when you were at the academy?”

“You mean the founding day…?”

“Yes, I went to the capital two years ago. When I was an adult, I went to see my brothers, and then I went to see the festival during the foundation day, Why don’t we say you met me then?? “