LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 17
17
“You’re nothing like the rumors, are they all just lies?”
Charlotte’s gaze was direct, filled with puzzlement.
It was clearly a scrutinizing look!
Roy sighed inwardly, temporary preparations couldn’t stand against the ‘decades’ of bad rumors about the notorious Roy.
Different from the pure Alice and his affectionate father, without the filter of ownership or the bonus of kinship, Charlotte couldn’t possibly accept his new persona so quickly.
To the little princess, his current demeanor was too contradictory to the rumors she was familiar with.
It was impossible to win the little princess’s favor with just a matchmaking meeting—
But Roy’s goal was merely not to offend her!
Not to seek merit, but to avoid fault, to minimize the damage.
As long as the little princess held no hostility towards him, it was a success!
Thus, Roy straightened up, facing Charlotte’s scrutinizing gaze head-on, responding with a touch of self-deprecation.
“All those rumors are true.”
“!”
Charlotte trembled, recalling various bad reviews, feeling a surreal mix of emotions.
She murmured in disbelief, “All of it is true?”
Roy nodded, sighing deeply, “That’s right, I’ve never been a gentleman.”
“I’m despicable, ignorant, utterly and completely, a worthless scoundrel from start to finish!”
“But you clearly…” Charlotte’s delicate palms clenched, her words trailing off.
The more Roy admitted, the more discordant it felt to her, impossible to accept!
Charlotte became emotionally charged, raising her tone, glaring at Roy: “Mr. Ainsworth, if you really are the scoundrel the rumors speak of, then what is all this today? Are you merely toying with me on a whim?!”
“Of course not.”
“I’m well aware that I’m not worthy of you.”
Roy looked back at the girl glaring at him, a wistful, lonely smile on his face.
Seeing the young man’s eyes filled with melancholy and sorrow, Charlotte’s heart inexplicably clenched, her resolve softening for a moment.
“I know, my talents are mediocre, my character despicable, even my status far inferior. Such a lowly me, I’m not worthy of your highness.”
“But even so, I don’t want to give up the chance to be alone with your highness. Like a tiny moth, knowing it will be consumed by the brilliant flames, yet instinctively wanting to chase—perhaps this is the only time in my life, I can sit face to face with your highness as equals.”
Roy’s heartfelt words brought an unprecedented shock to Charlotte.
There had never been a shortage of people confessing their love and admiration to Charlotte.
But only Roy, boldly admitted he was unworthy.
Just like the heroes in knight novels.
Deeply in love with the princess, yet willing to step aside for the happiness of their beloved, silently blessing the princess and prince from a corner.
Charlotte had always loved such stories, secretly shedding tears for the knight countless times, moved by the knight’s true feelings.
However, at this moment, she realized she had never considered how painful it truly was for the knight.
“So, let’s end it here, your highness. I’m content with the opportunity you’ve given me.”
As his words fell, Roy stood up, silently turning away to leave.
“Wait…”
Charlotte reached out in vain, but it was like a fishbone stuck in her throat, she could only watch helplessly as Roy’s figure dissolved into the dim twilight.
Charlotte, who always left first, had never thought that it would be the man who would take the initiative to leave.
Nor had she imagined that this moment would feel so empty and lonely.
————————————
While Charlotte and Roy were having their rendezvous, the maids were also busy with their own affairs.
The maids inquiring about their masters was also part of the matchmaking process.
Compared to the exaggerated praises of parents and relatives, often the evaluations of these servants were a bit more truthful.
In a corner of the courtyard, Lisa encountered Roy’s personal maid, Alice.
“Good afternoon, if you have any questions about the master, please feel free to ask.”
With hair like dawn’s soft glow, platinum and short, tied in twin tails,
Eyes clear as mountain lakes, a pale blue so frail,
Her curtsy, flawless grace, without a single fail,
Save for her delicate beauty, her expression does not avail,
Almost a perfect maid, in every detail!
Lisa understood, why some would spend fortunes without bail.
“Little Alice, I do have some questions, if you may,”
Lisa began, with an elder sister’s sway.
Of course, she couldn’t outright ask about Roy, that wouldn’t be okay.
It had to be indirect, to keep the etiquette in play.
For a servant’s demeanor could reflect back to their master’s bay,
And Lisa wouldn’t want to bring Charlotte any dismay.
“Is working at the Marquis’ estate hard in any way?”
“Not at all.”
Lisa looked kindly at the golden-haired lass,
Waiting for her to describe her daily task.
But Alice, like a doll with a broken spring, was still,
Staring blankly, without a blink, a silent chill.
An awkward silence fell between the two maids, a quiet spill.
“Uh, I mean, what sort of things do you do for the young master, if you will?”
What to do — those four words carry much skill.
The subtext was about the daily life of a maid close and still.
Some maids as knights would fight by their master’s side, a thrill,
Others would handle paperwork, a different kind of drill.
A personal maid is like kin, their duties reveal,
The master’s values and life, a personal seal.
Yet Alice’s response left Lisa in a daze, a cold feel.
“Maid’s work.”
Lisa’s smile twitched, a sign of her inner reel.
This child seemed not too bright, a simple keel.
It seemed she had to ask more directly, to peel.
“Little Alice, what I mean is, what kind of person is your master, real?”
“Good person!” Alice blurted with zeal.
Lisa nearly stumbled, a comedic reel.
But the blonde maid blinked, unaware of the deal.
Roy had told her to answer truthfully, a simple appeal,
And what she said was the truth, her honesty’s seal.
“Oh dear, I mean, your master, um…” Lisa felt an ordeal.
Would your master hit you, scold you, or at night, make you feel!
But even without the noble etiquette’s shield,
She couldn’t bear to ask a child such questions, to wield.
Gently, gently!
Lisa fumbled for words, her lips sealed.
Finally, she found the right thread to unspool and reveal.
“That is, how do you feel about your master, what’s his appeal?
To you, what kind of presence does your master reveal?”
Lisa immediately regretted her question as soon as it was asked. Such an ambiguous query, how could one possibly answer it?
Yet, at that moment, Alice was taken aback.
She suddenly realized that her response could very well determine the marital fate of Roy and Charlotte.
She must answer truthfully.
She remembered that day, the troubled look on Roy’s face over his marriage.
‘Master must really wish to marry the princess,’ she thought.
As a maid, now was the time to repay her master.
“Master has been very kind to me.”
Facing Lisa’s surprised gaze, Alice clutched her chest and said softly, “To me, Master is someone special.”
“Everyone says Master is a bad person, a good-for-nothing.”
“But Master has given me delicious food, provided me with warm shelter, and never asked for anything in return.”
“He even said he wants to become a better person for me, to reform his ways, so…”
“Master is a good person!”
In the girl’s clear gaze, there was single-mindedness, without a hint of confusion.