LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 16
16
After a brief rest, Charlotte applied light makeup and officially began her courtship meeting for the day.
The meeting took place in the lord’s manor’s back garden, where the sun shone brightly, the air was fresh, and many exotic flowers and plants rarely seen in the capital were growing, lifting Charlotte’s spirits.
This location was a good choice.
Previous suitors liked to invite her to their homes to show off the interior of their castles, their gold and silver treasures, and extraordinary artifacts, all to flaunt their status.
It was almost laughable.
Charlotte herself was the Lionheart Princess, having grown up in the capital’s Lionheart City, tired of the endless castles and mountains of gold and silver. As for extraordinary artifacts, she had played with them since childhood and had lost all interest.
A simple afternoon tea like this was quite nice.
As for the courtship process, it was simple: the man and woman sat together, drinking tea and chatting, getting to know each other. If things went well, they might even have dinner and dance together in the evening.
But not a single man before had caught Charlotte’s eye, and it was an achievement if she could restrain herself from scolding them for ten minutes.
After the maids left of their own accord, only the two of them remained alone.
Seated in the chair, Charlotte gazed at the faint smile on the face of the dark-haired youth before her, feeling an inexplicable surge of nervousness.
“Your Highness, won’t you try the black tea? I’ve prepared it especially for you,” Roy broke the silence first.
“Mm,” Charlotte responded coolly, lifting the teacup with elegance.
Her delicate lips paused at the rim of the cup, lightly touching the orange-red tea.
The next second, Charlotte’s eyes brightened.
“Sun citrus and gemfruit pomelo? And they’re the original strains.”
These were Charlotte’s favorite teas. Mixed together, they were sour, sweet, and refreshingly indescribable.
But these teas’ origins lay in mountains infested with fierce magical beasts, not to mention they only matured in autumn. And the artificially cultivated varieties fell short in aroma.
To procure these precious teas this season was no simple feat.
Even in the royal capital, Charlotte had to drink sparingly.
“I heard Your Highness likes them, so I sent someone to the south to purchase them,” Roy explained.
‘The Angel’s Waltz’ mentioned Charlotte’s preferences, and Roy had prepared accordingly.
Of course, even with money, one couldn’t buy sun citrus and gemfruit pomelo this season.
But who would call Roy out for having a “Favorability Exchange Zone”?
Just 20 favorability points for two large cans of tea, enough for Charlotte to drink for an entire year.
“You’re quite thoughtful, it seems you’ve inquired about my preferences,” Charlotte hummed, her tone complex.
Roy also took a sip of tea, replying, “It’s not so much thoughtful as it is basic respect for a guest. As long as Your Highness is pleased.”
Was this guy always so articulate?
“It’s not that I like it, but I appreciate your sentiment,” Charlotte said, maintaining her royal composure without overcommitting.
But that didn’t stop her from sipping the black tea like a cat, one mouthful after another.
Seeing the little princess protest with her words but not her actions, emptying the cup in no time, Roy chuckled inwardly.
Just like in the original work, this little princess was nothing but a proud tsundere.
Perfect!
Roy’s principle was simple: seek no credit, but avoid mistakes. Maintain distance, keep oneself clean.
Charlotte detested the fawning of bootlickers and the rudeness of naive men. As long as he remembered this principle, he might not win over the little princess, but he wouldn’t offend her either.
If he could just get through this date, for a long time to come, their destinies would run parallel, and he wouldn’t have to worry about becoming enemies with Charlotte and losing his life.
“Your Highness, would you like some more tea?”
“Whatever.”
Whatever meant yes.
Roy understood well, and without another word, he continued to serve the tea.
From noble mtl dot come
Charlotte’s emotions became complex.
This guy, he doesn’t seem like the rumors, does he?
The infamous scion of the Ainsworth family was said to be rude, lecherous, greedy, a notorious scoundrel just like that Raymond, infamous throughout the Lionheart Kingdom.
At the ball five years ago, Roy indeed left such an impression on Charlotte.
But the Roy now is nothing like the rumors!
To be honest, on her way here, Charlotte had thought about how to reject Roy, to expose his vile true nature, and then leave gracefully without a cloud in the sky!
But what’s with this development now?!
“Rumor has it that Your Highness defeated a demon beast all by yourself during a hunt?”
“It was just a few Windshadow Wolves, the rumors always exaggerate the facts.”
“That’s still quite impressive. I’ve never been on a hunt before… Oh, isn’t this strawberry cake good too?”
“Eh? Oh, it is good.” Charlotte realized she had unconsciously finished two pieces while the other had not even finished one, and she awkwardly put down her fork and knife, stiffly explaining, “I didn’t have time to eat on the way here, I’m a bit hungry.”
“If Your Highness likes it, I can have someone send you the recipe later.” Roy paused, suppressing a smile, turned to Charlotte, and pointed at the corner of his own lips.
Charlotte touched her face blankly, only to find cream on the corner of her lips, her cheeks flushing with heat as she hurriedly searched for her handkerchief, then remembered, the handkerchief was with Lisa, and she felt somewhat at a loss.
A clean white handkerchief was timely offered to Charlotte: “Here, I haven’t used it.”
Charlotte hesitated for a moment before accepting the handkerchief, wiping the cream from the corner of her mouth, and returning it.
“Thank you.”
Seeing Roy looking over with a smile, she couldn’t help feeling a bit shy.
“What’s there to look at? Everyone gets their mouth dirty sometimes, right?” The red-haired princess complained.
“But not everyone is as adorable as Your Highness when they do.”
“Ugh!”
Charlotte took a breath to compose herself, retorting, “I wouldn’t have expected a man from the Ironblood Marquis family to be so slick.”
“It’s just the plain truth, Your Highness’s cuteness is genuine, it’s harder for me to speak against my conscience.”
“Hmph.”
Charlotte felt her face grow even hotter.
No.
This is all wrong!
This development…
It’s turned into a proper matchmaking session?!
I’m not ready for this!
Charlotte was truly panicking.
This fellow, there’s not a single flaw to deduct points!
Both looks and background are impeccable, manners and intentions are all well in place.
Most importantly, he’s neither cringingly subservient like a fawning dog nor greasy like a common flatterer.
Such a sense of propriety, polite without being servile or arrogant, Charlotte just couldn’t bring herself to dislike him.
Yet, over the years, negative opinions about Roy had taken root in Charlotte’s heart.
The Roy she knew was crude and rude, ignorant and lecherous, a lowlife who drooled over women at balls and oppressed his own maids in private.
But the Roy before her was completely different!
Were the rumors false, and Roy was wronged… or was Roy just acting, playing her with his exquisite performance?
Even confident in her own judgment, Charlotte found it hard to conclude when recalling so many bad reviews about Roy.
She wanted to know the truth.
Even if it was all a beautiful dream, Charlotte still didn’t want to deceive herself.
She lifted her head, gazing straight at Roy, and said earnestly, “I’ve become rather curious. Roy Ainsworth, why are you so different from the rumors?”
Seeing the once cheerful princess suddenly sober up, Roy’s expression subtly changed.
This topic, after all, was unavoidable.