Chapter 275: Those Who Have Limits Are Bound To Reveal the Rock-Bottom (1)
Everything had been going smoothly.
Charlotte, who left after making me feel uneasy, was quieter than I thought.
Actually, it was the timing when the disinformation that I had spread to the nobles and the public had begun spreading everywhere.
I could confirm that the Eight Seats of the Empire were growing in check, but in the end, this resulted in Dawan’s Eight Seats coming to our side.
It wasn’t only bad. Of course, there were some anxiety factors. The reason was that Charlotte’s camp was even bigger than I thought.
In fact, they were gathering faster and more cautiously than I had initially expected.
They weren’t really doing anything, but the problem was that I had a feeling that we were definitely under political pressure. This was because supporting Charlia, a bad egg, meant there was more to lose than expected.
‘Of course, it would be like that.’
Charlotte’s camp was not just about its size.
There was a strange bond between them, and in reality, they seemed to be running towards one goal. Obviously, the members themselves weren’t bad, either.
Of course, some members remained in the camp because they thought it was advantageous to simply be in Charlotte’s arms, but at least the core members were mostly respected by the imperial people.
‘Noblesse Oblige.’
They were those who practiced it, and their individual power was, by no means, small.
I tried to get those who were at the bottom, but of course, the process had not been easy.
In fact, it became hard to see the nobles that I was close to. We would talk at the social gatherings, but the core nobles avoided one-on-one meetings with me, and I was often isolated without knowing it.
Charlotte’s people network was much wider than mine.
Naturally, I thought my side also needed power. At least I had to grow to a similar size. That way, I could surely attract those who stood on the edge of uncertainty.
The legitimacy Charlia had.
It was natural to keep pushing the idea: ‘She properly inherited the Emperor’s blood.’
I had to push exaggerated publicity for the First Princess and a negative invisible rumor for the Second Princess.
As a result, the picture I wanted was made. People gathered, and power was formed. The problem was that most of the gathered nobles were garbage.
Their power was by no means small, but… most of the people in Charlia’s camp were old.
‘Old people like Lee Seolho.’
A deep-rooted evil festival of grandpas that doesn’t fit with the young blood or innovation—that was the current Charlia’s camp.
Of course, Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise, which had a strong relationship with me, and Count of Castlerock and Marlin Young-ae, who had a debt to pay me, had been sending positive signals. Still, they were also in a position to lead their families to their future, so it was hard for them to decide.
In this situation, all I could do was to make Charlia look good.
To the nobles who were indecisive, I had no choice but to show that she had changed.
As I understood well that my destiny depended on this matter, I put all my devotion and effort into playing a game of raising a princess.
Of course, Lee Jihye was also working hard, but I could be sure that I was more exhausted than her.
Still, unlike her, who didn’t have to see Charlia’s face, I had to keep sticking to her side.
‘Fuck…’
In other words, I was the one who needed to clean up every mess she’d make.
It was natural that I was tired because I had to check her clothes, as well as cheer her up and praise a grown-up adult like a child.
It wasn’t just that. Besides work, conversations like personal actions and questions were getting longer, and as time passed, I often felt that she was trying to invade my personal space.
For example, she had been asking me what kind of relationship I had with Cha Hee-ra or Jung Hayan.
The most she did was ask me what I thought of her, but with the unique characteristic I have, what kind of crazy situation would happen?
It was natural for me to worry.
One good thing was that there was a difference in our positions. Maybe that was an obstacle for Charlia. She was proud to be the blood of the Imperial family.
If she thought that even that didn’t matter, then it meant that she’d really taken over the emperor’s blood.
Anyway, Charlia was following my schedule firmly without complaints. The idea of being recognized by her surrounding environment seemed to give momentum to her behavior.
In fact, Charlia’s external evaluation had been completely reversed.
It wasn’t a long time, but the First Princess built up her profile, and although she was in the middle of a deep-rooted evil festival, she had developed her own strength.
‘It was the most important period.’
The importance was insufficient to emphasize.
Although she still lacked a lot in many aspects, now this incompetent First Princess was on the same starting line as Charlotte.
Unlike their well-organized forces, Charlia’s side had a fight going on of deep-rooted evils for food. I was lucky that Charlia trusted me the most.
The story was long, but for now, it was a result that I could be satisfied with.
The only thing that was a little worrying was how she would take this situation.
Charlia, who didn’t do anything, might have felt a radical change, but she wouldn’t be acting up if she knew her place.
No matter how much she created her power and was becoming snobby, she would at least know her limits as she was just standing at the starting point.
That was my mistake.
‘Shit! Shit!’
It was my mistake to see a little bit of hope for this stupid woman.
The First Princess Charlia was having a little tea time with Duchess Catherine, Countess Elise, and Marlin Young-ae, that I’d always met.
What happened while I was in the bathroom was so unrealistic that it was disconcerting.
‘Stupid bitch. Stupid bitch!’
I had no choice but to realize the meaning of ‘People do not change’ that Charlotte had said.
The peaceful atmosphere until now had long since disappeared. The scene in front of me was filled with confusion.
Nothing more or less.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Seeing Marlin lying on the ground and grasping her face with Duchess Catherine taking care of her was truly unrealistic.
Charlia looked down at Marlin Young-ae, huffing angry and annoyed, and Countess Elise was also clearly embarrassed.
After opening the door, I expected to see the four women laughing and getting close to each other, but who would have imagined that it would be such a mess?
I don’t know how this happened, but I could tell why Marlin Young-ae was rolling over the floor, grabbing her face.
Somehow, Charlia had thrown tea onto Marlin Young-ae. I was so embarrassed that I had to pause for a moment.
However, my body responded first to the painful scream of Marlin’s young-ae.
“Ahhhhhh!!”
“M-Marlin Youngae!”
“L-Lee Ki-young Honorary Bishop! That… That one! She dared to!”
In the meantime, Charlia spoke to me as if I had arrived at the right time, but she wasn’t important.
After ignoring her, I went straight to Marlin and her footsteps and seeing her condition. I immediately lifted her up.
“Maid Alice, the priest…”
“I have already called for him.”
“Thank you.”
Charlia was literally more incompetent than a maid.
Seeing me very desperate, it seemed that she realized what mistake she had just made. I really wanted to crush her myself.
“L-Lee Kiyoung… it hurts. It hurts! Sniff… it hurts.”
“Just hold tight, Marlin Young-ae. No, Maid Alice! I have a potion in my bag. For now, get that!”
“Oh! Okay!”
“Duchess Catherine and Countess Elise, take care of Marlin Young-ae for a moment …”
“Ah… Yes. Okay, Honorary Bishop.”
I am not in a position to be picky.
Naturally, it hurts because the hot tea is all over her face.
It was possible to treat wounds, but if her eyes were to get injured, it’d be a problem. No, it would be harder to fix the situation if there would be a scar left on her.
The maid was already bringing my bag. Countess Elise was crying as if she was in this kind of situation for the first time, and Duchess Catherine was biting her lips, trying to somehow calm Marlin.
“It hurts. Lee Kiyoung… Sniff… I can’t see. Waaahh…”
“Marlin Young-ae, please, hold tight. I will treat you now. The priest will also be coming soon, and everything will be fine.”
Unlike Charlia, who was blankly watching all these situations, Alice handed a potion to me, like a nurse handing a scalpel, and I immediately opened the lid and began pouring a high-quality potion on Marlin’s face.
It was good that I carried potions all the time, just in case.
“One bottle will be sprayed on the wound, and you will drink one bottle slowly. It will also have pain relief, so it will surely be okay.”
‘She must get better.’
“Yes… Yes… Yes…”
“Open your eyes slowly.”
“Yes. Lee Kiyoung-nim…”
‘Shit.’
I wasn’t a doctor, but anyone can see that Marlin Young-ae’s eyes were not fine now.
Since it hasn’t passed much time, she would definitely be able to recover.
“This is going to sting a little bit.”
“H-Hug me tight, Lee Ki-young. Sniff…”
“Yes. Yes. I will.”
As I held her hand tight, I felt Marlin Young-ae’s hand shaking.
It would be natural for her to be scared. As I slowly put the potion into her eye, her body suddenly became stiff, and she began screaming.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
“You will get better, Young-ae. Please, hold tight. It’s recovering.”
“Okay… Haaa…”
After lifting Marlin Young-ae’s body again, I immediately kicked the door and left.
Duchess Catherine followed me, and Count Elise’s face was already filled with tears.
Meanwhile, the priest Alice had called for had arrived. Marlin Young-ae had already exhausted herself. Only then did I feel the situation had been cleared up a little.
“First, we must move Marlin Young-ae somewhere she can rest. I think it would be better to do the rest of the treatment there.”
“There is a room I received from His Majesty not far away, so it would be better to go there, Honorary Bishop.”
“Thank you, Duchess Catherine.”
“It’s nothing. I am doing what I have to do. Honorary Bishop, is Marlin Young-ae okay?”
“She will probably get better. I don’t think there will be any scars left, and her eyes will recover. But why did this happen so suddenly…?”
“It’s long to explain, but… Charlia, that crazy… No, while her Majesty was talking with Young-ae, she suddenly threw a kettle of hot water at Marlin Young-ae. Marlin Young-ae did not commit any disrespect to Her Majesty Princess Charlia. She was simply talking about her friendship with Honorary Bishop Lee Kiyoung…”
“Ah…”
“She did that so suddenly that… I didn’t know what the hell was going on. I’ve been thinking about if Marlin Young-ae had conduct that would be troublesome to Her Majesty, but… I don’t remember anything.”
‘Fuck.’
As expected, Marlin Young-ae hadn’t done anything wrong.
The two who followed were also looking at Marlin Young-ae nervously.
Perhaps they were the most surprised. When I looked closely, I started to see marks as if they were burnt by hot water.
It was such an urgent situation that they couldn’t afford to take care of themselves.
Immediately after asking for their consent, I began to look after the wounds.
Everything had gotten completely ruined. All the hard work I’d done so far has become a waste of time.
I feel like I knew why Charlotte hadn’t been active. She knew what her sister was capable of doing in order to destroy herself.
‘Shit! It’s fucking ruined. All fucking ruined!’