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Chapter 263 [Illustration]

While that had been happening, someone had died in the princess’s palace.

Since Sarkegar had learned this during his intelligence-gathering activities, he speculated that most people within the Imperial Palace and among the nobility were likely unaware of this fact.

‘Does Vertus know about this?’

I didn’t have any classes with Vertus except for the common subjects, but I did have superpower classes with Charlotte.

However, even though we were in the same class, Charlotte was completely isolated, so I didn’t know what she did during the lesson.

‘What is this issue all about? Was it an assassination attempt on Charlotte? Or is it an entirely different problem?’

I didn’t know what was going on during the lessons, but I did see Charlotte before class began and when it ended.

I couldn’t read anything from Charlotte’s expression.

If I hadn’t heard the news from Sarkegar, I would have thought there was no problem with Charlotte at all.

Maintaining a composed expression was as natural as breathing for both Vertus and Charlotte. I couldn’t sense any worry, concern, or anxiety from Charlotte’s calm demeanor.

It was Wednesday, and the Supernatural Power class had just ended.

I stopped Charlotte as she was about to return to the Imperial Palace.

If I’d known nothing, I wouldn’t have bothered, but having learned something, I couldn’t just let Charlotte go off like this.

“Yes, Reinhart. What is it?”

When I sidled up to her naturally, Charlotte tilted her head in curiosity.

‘Is something going on with you? Are you in danger? Do you have anything to say to me?’

I didn’t know how to broach the subject. If she knew she was in danger, she’d ask how I knew, and I wouldn’t have an answer.

Looking at Charlotte’s ordinary expression, which showed no signs of anything, I didn’t know how to start the conversation.

So, I ended up just staring blankly at Charlotte’s face, unable to say anything.

Eventually...

“Are you busy?”

Somehow, I ended up saying something that made me sound like I was up to no good. Charlotte, who had been staring at me for a while, looked puzzled by my sudden question.

“... What?”

“I asked if you’re busy.”

‘I don’t even know at this point. I’m just gonna go for it! Let’s just pretend I’m hitting on her!’

Charlotte smiled faintly at my completely random question.

“What if I’m not busy?”

“Hang out with me.”

“... Huh?”

As if my random question wasn’t enough, my even more random request left Charlotte looking bewildered, her lips twitching in disbelief.

“Uh... Um...”

Charlotte, flustered, rolled her eyes and sighed briefly.

Then, she gave a gentle smile.

“... I can spare a little time. Anytime,” she said.

It was a smile that seemed even more fragile than usual.

***

I could share the information about the Revolutionary Forces with her, but while that was urgent, Charlotte’s safety was more pressing.

I didn’t know the details, but it seemed highly likely that Charlotte’s life was in danger. Although I knew that, I didn’t know what I could do, but I didn’t want to remain as though I was totally ignorant about it.

At the very least, I could talk to her.

Charlotte might think of me as a friend, but to me, Charlotte’s existence was a bit more special than that.

She was the person who had made me realize that I could risk my life for something, and her survival was the result of that.

So, I wanted to protect her.

The imperial family was in turmoil due to internal issues, and Charlotte was at the center of it.

Because of this, they hadn’t noticed that the issues surrounding the Orbis Class were actually related to something else very dangerous, something that could potentially overthrow the imperial family.

Of course, this could all be a misjudgment, and whatever internal situation might still be under control.

The story Sarkegar heard about someone dying in the princess’s palace might ultimately turn out to be just a rumor. Yet, somehow, I felt a strange certainty about it. Something was indeed happening.

The determined look on Charlotte’s face, as if she had made a significant decision in response to my odd request to hang out, gave me that certainty.

I couldn’t bring up the main issue that was troubling me, even if I desperately wanted to.

Charlotte led me out of the Temple. I had asked her to hang out, and she was leading me somewhere. But where exactly was she planning to go?

I didn’t know about Vertus, but Charlotte didn’t seem to have any fear of leaving the Temple without an escort.

I wondered if having the First Princess walking along the main streets would cause any sort of trouble. Unlike our previous trip outside, where she wore a hood, Charlotte didn’t do so this time.

“Aren’t you worried people will recognize you?”

It wasn’t as if nobody knew what Charlotte looked like.

She shrugged and showed me a bracelet.

“I recently got a new artifact.”

“What is it?”

“It has a ‘Cognitive Dissonance’ spell on it. It doesn’t make me invisible, but it makes my presence less noticeable. Something like that. Unless someone is deliberately trying to approach me, I won’t stand out.”

If too many people recognized her, she could activate the spell on the bracelet. Of course, since I was accompanying her, I wouldn’t be affected by the Cognitive Dissonance.

It seemed like a magical item only a celebrity would need.

“So, let’s go,” she said.

After activating the Cognitive Dissonance, Charlotte took the lead again. Perhaps she felt she could spare some time for a walk with a classmate before returning to the Imperial Palace.

When we arrived at our destination, I was at a loss for words.

“...”

“... What?”

“Oh, nothing!”

Charlotte had brought me to the banks of the Irine River.

‘I was just here a few days ago with the others!’

But I didn’t say that, fearing it would disappoint Charlotte. She had taken precious time to be with me, despite whatever was going on with her, and I didn’t want to dampen her mood.

I couldn’t just trample on the consideration that the princess was showing me.

Charlotte tilted her head and looked at me. “Don’t you like flowers?”

“I do! Yes! I love them!”

Charlotte chuckled. “You’re lying. You, liking flowers? Even a passing dog would laugh.”

“What, I can like them too! Come on!”

‘Why did she have to point that out?’

Charlotte, seeing my forced enthusiasm, tapped me lightly on my arm.

“Why are you trying so hard to please me?” she asked.

“...”

“We’re friends, right? Just be comfortable,” Charlotte said as she walked on ahead.

I didn’t know what situation she was in, but I knew it was serious.

Charlotte’s ability to maintain her composure was astonishingly thorough.

***

I was troubled in my own way, and Charlotte, hers.

But neither of us showed any signs of being troubled.

We acted as if we were just out for a normal flower-viewing trip, and in reality, it wasn’t much different from just that.

Charlotte’s reactions weren’t much different from the others. She was astonished when I recognized and named a few flowers.

“What do you guys think of me, really...”

“You guys?”

“Oh, nothing.”

It was amusing that she was so shocked that I knew something that was common knowledge to most people.

However, in some ways, Charlotte was different from the others.

Charlotte knew the names of all the flowers blooming around us. I was slightly taken aback as she rattled off the names of flowers I had never heard of before.

“That’s a dahlia.”

.

.

“That one’s a geranium.”

.

.

“That’s a petunia. Isn’t it pretty? I like perennial flowers.”

.

.

“That’s a heliotrope.”

“That’s quite a grand name.”

“It has a wonderful scent. Want to smell it?”

“Uh, no.”

I suddenly remembered that flowers were the reproductive organs of plants and stepped back, feeling a bit awkward.

‘Am I crazy? Why am I thinking about that at a time like this? Charlotte was just smelling the flowers!’

The last time I was at the Irine River, no one had really paid attention to the flowers. But Charlotte would stop to admire a pretty flower, take in its scent, and then walk on slowly.

“How do you know all these?” I asked.

“Because I like them,” Charlotte said as she smiled at me. “When you like something, you naturally get to know it better. You want to learn more.”

“So, did you study them?”

Charlotte tilted her head. “Well, no. You just naturally get to know them.”

Because she liked flowers, she naturally came to know many varieties without having to study them. It felt a little unfamiliar to hear Charlotte say that.

Even seeing her smile like that... I could tell that Charlotte was genuinely enjoying herself. Even if she hadn’t come with a joyful heart, she was certainly enjoying this moment.

Although Charlotte wore a perfect mask, I couldn’t tell what expression was hidden beneath it.

However, I could tell that the bright smile she had on at that moment was not a mask.

Charlotte liked flowers. I could understand why she liked them, but watching her enjoying them left me feeling strange.

It was a side of her I had never seen before.

“Uh... this one is really pretty. What’s it called...? Oh, it’s not labeled.”

Of course, there were some flowers she didn’t know.

I suddenly wondered what the garden within the palace where Charlotte lived looked like.

It had to be a well-maintained garden, with countless flowers blooming in every season.

Where one goes is important, but who one goes with is just as important.

Even though I had been in this exact place just a few days ago, watching Charlotte occasionally pause to look at the flowers quietly made it feel like I had never been there before.

I found myself looking at the flowers Charlotte was observing.

I began to closely examine the scenery that I had just passed by on my previous visit while naming the flowers I knew.

‘So, this is what this place is like.’

As I walked next to Charlotte while she enjoyed the flowers, I could only make a few comments, since I didn’t know how to appreciate them.

Just not being a nuisance was enough.

“Hmm... the pansies are already blooming.”

Charlotte squatted down quietly in front of a flower I also recognized.

Charlotte knew a lot about flowers, and I wondered if she knew other things as well.

This was a flower I recognized as well.

Judging by what Charlotte had said, the meanings of flowers didn’t seem to differ much from my original world.

“Do you know the language of flowers?” I asked.

“The language of flowers?”

“Yeah, like the meanings assigned to each flower.”

“Oh. Yes, I do.”

But, despite her answer, Charlotte shook her head. “But I don’t really like it.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’s a label someone else put on them.”

Charlotte gently tapped the broad petals of the pansy with her fingertips.

“Even though the rose is supposed to represent love, for someone else, it could mean sorrow.”

Flowers should have personal meanings for everyone.

That seemed to be Charlotte’s belief, and why she didn’t like the language of flowers.

She stared at the pansy for a while, seemingly lost in thought, then picked up a fallen flower. It looked like someone had plucked it and then discarded it.

“Do you know what the pansy represents?” Charlotte asked me.

“How would I know that?”

“Well, you’ve already impressed me enough with what you do know. If you knew this too, I’d be really surprised.”

Charlotte looked up at me, holding the flower. “Do you want it? Or do you think it’s just trash?”

“Even trash becomes a gift if it’s from you.”

“You have a talent for saying such sentimental things in a way that doesn’t touch the listener at all. That’s a skill too,” Charlotte said as she handed me the pansy.

I didn’t know what label Charlotte had put on the pansy in her heart.

If I had known what the pansy represented in the language of flowers, she wouldn’t have given it to me.

I had lied to Charlotte.

Once, there was a time when I had memorized flowers and their meanings for no particular reason. I didn’t remember all of them, but there were some that stuck.

Pansy...

In the language of flowers, it meant, “Please think of me.”