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Chapter 106: Charlotte’s Great Defeat

He hated the girl’s gloomy demeanor.

Charlotte should be a blazing flame, always burning proudly instead of bowing her head in confusion and apologizing for a mistake that wasn’t even hers.

Even a tantrum would be a hundred times better than this.

“But rest assured, once I get back… meow!”

She was pinched hard on the inner thigh, causing Charlotte to lose her composure on the spot.

The girl gathered her skirt, furious: “Hey! I’m trying to talk seriously here!”

“Being emo doesn’t count as serious.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s not your fault regarding Leo. Others’ sins shouldn’t be borne by the innocent, not even if they’re family.” Roy looked intently at Charlotte, emphasizing his point word by word.

How often does Charlotte even see Leo in a year?

Not even the Lionheart King Robert could perceive Leo’s scheme; there’s no way this responsibility could fall on Charlotte.

The boy’s eyes were as sincere as clear water, devoid of any hypocrisy or misplaced anger.

Looking into Roy’s eyes that were as soothing as a calm night, a hint of her usual smile returned to Charlotte’s lips.

His gentleness was genuine.

But the more Roy acted like this, the guiltier Charlotte felt.

“If I’m not apologizing, I should at least be thanking you, right?”

As a princess, Charlotte’s pride didn’t stem from her title, but from her strength.

Gifted as she was, she had never slacked off in training. Since childhood, she participated in slaying magical beasts and practiced archery. Even if we set aside her background, she was always the best among her peers.

Yet throughout this journey, she needed Roy’s care. He was the first to react when they were attacked, the first to detect traps, the one who identified the griffon’s weak point during their flight and created an opening, and even retrieved the healing potions.

Charlotte sighed again, a bitter smile forming: “You’ve been taking care of me this whole way. Here I am, rank 8 but…”

“Meow!”

Caught off guard, she was pinched again on the inner thigh, making her let out a helplessly cute squeal.

“What are you doing now!?” The little princess felt a bit wronged.

Her soft and smooth thigh felt like top-quality silk, leaving Roy a bit reluctant to stop pinching.

Roy sighed in exasperation: “Stop being so dramatic.”

Charlotte was baffled: “What’s ‘being dramatic’?”

“To put it simply, without you, I wouldn’t have been able to deal with that dragon-man monster.” While he massaged the red spot on her thigh, he couldn’t help but chuckle: “So stop belittling yourself, great contributor.”

Rank 8, renowned for explosive power—Roy was actually envious.

Without Charlotte’s tremendous burst of strength, Roy would have no means to defeat the dragon-man creature and would have needed to rely on items from the affection store to buy time for escape.

Furthermore, Charlotte has never complained or cried during their journey, nor has she fallen into a martyr complex when facing knights. She was much more reliable than a typical clueless damsel.

Charlotte froze for a moment, a soft smile gracing her lips, and a hint of concealed affection shimmered in her ruby-like eyes.

Wasn’t her victory over the dragon-man monster also thanks to Roy’s encouragement?

But she refused to dwell on it further.

The boy was already gentle enough, lighting a warm campfire in her heart that drove away her unease and guilt.

Indeed, my knight can only be you.

Unfortunately, this heartfelt scene went unseen by Roy, who was blushing uncontrollably just a second later.

“Meow~!”

“Are you done yet!!!”

Charlotte was about to lose it, kicking her bare, beautiful legs in frustration.

In the end, Roy, satisfied with his pinching, retracted his hand just in time to evade her nearly incoming kick.

Should one even say that as a princess, her skin was just impeccably delicate?

The girl, rubbing her bruised thigh, didn’t notice the fleeting darkness in Roy’s eyes.

Roy wouldn’t tell her the harsh truth.

If it weren’t for himself, Charlotte wouldn’t have to go through such dangers. She could have peacefully enjoyed beautiful, carefree days at the Academy of Magic. Even if she hadn’t met Alice, she would have become the revered Lionheart Princess, proudly dominating the world, relishing life on easy street.

And this silly cat actually felt sorry for him.

The one who truly should be apologizing isn’t you at all.

“Ugh, this is annoying…” the girl grumbled, rubbing her reddened skin.

When Charlotte looked back again, Roy’s face had already resumed that calm yet dignified smile.

Seeing her rub her bruised skin, preparing to rise, Roy instinctively asked: “Are you still wearing socks?”

The two locked eyes in silence.

To be honest, Roy had been curious about this matter since his previous life.

Girls in torn stockings were rarely seen, yet film and TV often had storylines where female characters had damaged tights.

Roy had always wondered whether girls would still wear torn stockings in reality.

Unexpectedly, Charlotte, being a girl herself, began pondering seriously upon hearing the question.

“Uh, I was just asking randomly.”

Ignoring his comment, Charlotte was deep in thought about whether to wear these already tattered knee-high socks.

To be specific, does Roy like her in knee-highs?

With Charlotte being as bashful as she was, she couldn’t directly ask.

So she casually countered, “What do you think?”

“Uh, this…”

Roy hadn’t anticipated that his long-standing dilemma would be thrown back at him.

Torn black stockings or bare legs? Tough choice!

No, what was he even thinking about?!

“Just put them on. At least they provide some protection.”

Roy gave his answer.

“Oh, I see.” Charlotte quietly nodded, noting what the other person liked.

Just as Roy was about to stand, a small foot pressed against his leg, preventing him from getting up.

“Wait, you’re responsible until the end!” Charlotte insisted, pointing to the knee-high socks beside her angrily.

Trying to escape now?

Originally, she wanted Roy to apply the ointment just to tease him, but instead, she ended up pinched several times! Stopping here would make her seem useless!

No matter what, she needed to score a point back!

Besides, since Roy seemed to like her in knee-highs, then surely he would enjoy this too…

Of course, getting a point back was the priority! It wasn’t about making him like her!

Charlotte didn’t genuinely want to make him serve her by putting on socks; she planned to mock his embarrassment once his expression turned awkward.

Unexpectedly, his movements showed no hesitation, far more skilled than she anticipated!

After all, having massaged Alice every day while practicing dance, this process was already ingrained in Roy.

“Got it, got it.” Roy nonchalantly replied while executing the task with painstaking attention.

He picked up one knee-high sock, held her delicate bare foot, and awkwardly yet carefully slipped it on.

Then smoothing the fabric against her skin, he gently pulled it up to perfectly fit the damaged knee-high sock.

“Raise your leg.”

After saying this, realizing she hadn’t moved, he gently pinched her again, puzzled: “Your Highness?”

“Huh?” Charlotte was taken aback, finally reacting, and obediently raised her leg.

The sight of the boy serving her made her momentarily lose focus.

Once both socks were on, even the ankle boots that had been carelessly kicked aside were fitted back.

Roy remained as relaxed and at ease as ever, without a hint of resentment, even feeling a bit reluctant to finish: “Are you satisfied now?”

“Well, I guess it’s okay.” Remembering Roy’s lingering warmth on her skin, her little face flushed red, shyly looking elsewhere.

Charlotte, great defeat.

 

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