Chapter 41
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Chapter 41
Charlotte felt as though a crimson curtain had descended before her eyes, suffocating her with its oppressive weight.
'I must see Leopold. Where am I?'
The information she had gathered from Philip today, combined with the summary of the investigation she had spent the entire afternoon organizing, would give Leopold the hope he needed to endure their current circumstances.
'And I must tell His Highness that we should meet at tomorrow's Ball at Count Oslo's Estate. Since the Ball will continue past midnight, I should arrange with Leopold beforehand to meet in the Gallery or the Garden where there are no people.'
Then, from behind the crimson curtain, she felt a scarlet warmth. Simultaneously, a gentle breeze caressed her face.
"Leopold... Your Highness?"
The moment Charlotte moved her unusually heavy lips to call Leopold's name, the crimson curtain suddenly parted.
"Oh no!"
Before Charlotte's eyes stretched sharp, piercing rays of sunlight, like the tips of spears. The light stabbed painfully at her face, still unaccustomed to its brilliance.
"Charlotte?"
A delicate voice reached Charlotte's ears as she shielded her eyes.
"It's me. Katie."
Through the gaps between her fingers, Charlotte could make out her small bedroom and Katie's adorable, bright face.
"You were sleeping in, so I came to fetch you. Today's the Ball at Oslo Manor, after all."
Katie smiled brightly and held a breakfast tray before Charlotte's eyes.
"But 'Your Highness'? Were you dreaming about a prince, Charlotte? Really, you're not a child like me."
"Katie, when did you come into my bedroom? I was clearly..."
Charlotte slowly lowered her hand from her face and murmured softly. The sunlight streaming through the high windows still pierced insistently between her brows.
Katie answered as she poured tea into a cup.
"Oh, yesterday Charlotte fell asleep in the Drawing Room, and Helena and Jane told me not to wake you. Instead, they planned to wake you if you hadn't gotten up by the time dinner finished."
Katie spoke with her eyes wide and round. True to her resemblance with Charlotte among the Augusta Sisters, her face shone with endearing charm.
"But I completely forgot about it... hehe. When I came down this morning and you weren't there, I was relieved. I naturally assumed you'd woken up at some point and gone upstairs to your bedroom... wasn't that what happened?"
"Ah..."
Only then did Charlotte remember the soft touch she had felt in her drowsy state. That unmistakably refreshing and gentle fragrance, and the low voice that suited the warm darkness, whispering "sleep well, Charlotte."
'I should have told him about the new search situation. I wanted to arrange to meet him at the Count Oslo's House party today.'
Charlotte realized that Leopold had carried her sleeping form to her bedroom, and her expression grew forlorn. She had felt his warmth, yet perhaps because it had been so long since she'd slept in the middle of the night, she had succumbed to sleep's sweetness and missed him entirely.
"Sigh..."
Charlotte exhaled a pitiful sigh. Katie, bewildered by it all, tilted her head as she watched her sister.
Why hadn't Leopold woken her? Unknowingly, she felt a pang of resentment toward him, yet Charlotte already knew the answer. Leopold would have wanted her to enjoy this rare moment of rest while she slept peacefully.
'His Highness must have found me forgotten by my family in the Drawing Room. Perhaps he even brushed back the brown hair that had fallen across my forehead and called my name softly, "Charlotte"...'
And then he would have lifted her into his arms and climbed the stairs to her bedroom. How careful his hands must have been as he laid her sleeping form upon the bed, ensuring she would not wake.
Even knowing he would not be there, Charlotte turned her head and surveyed her entire room once more. Deep sorrow flickered in her eyes, while the warm sunlight only harshly illuminated the emptiness of her chamber.
'Just one night. Since His Highness appeared in my life at summer's end, this was merely the first night without him...'
Like a ship sinking in the middle of a dark river, Charlotte felt an unfamiliar emotion gradually rising through her entire being.
"...I wanted to see you."
Soon after, Charlotte whispered in a faint voice, realizing that the emotion welling up within her was an aching longing. At that very moment, an unseasonably warm autumn breeze slowly circled through Charlotte's room.
***
"Why do you look so glum at a proper ball after so long, Charlotte? Especially when you have the host himself as a suitor."
Bianca grumbled while squeezing herself into a beautiful new dress that rivaled the adornments of the other ladies present.
Charlotte had ultimately attended the party at Count Oslo's Mansion without meeting Leopold the previous night. Contrary to the claim that it was merely a small social gathering, the estate's staircases and halls were adorned with golden fabrics and flowers befitting autumn, and the people filling the space were dressed as flamboyantly as peacocks displaying their finest plumage.
"...."
Yet Charlotte, for some reason, wore a melancholy expression without responding much to Bianca's petulance.
Helena pushed Bianca toward the ballroom and spoke.
"Bianca, stop your needless sulking and go inside to show your face. You know your first social season is coming to an end, don't you? It's time for you to be serious now."
Helena admonished Bianca with the practiced ease of a mother like Lydia Augusta, then turned toward Charlotte.
"I heard Mother scolded you because Bianca said something absurd about bringing the maid Collin to the Count's ball... Anyway, Charlotte, you don't seem to be in good spirits today. Are you all right?"
Helena examined Charlotte's face as she spoke.
"Oh, no, Helena. I was simply lost in thought for a moment...."
Charlotte answered listlessly. She was still disappointed about not meeting Leopold the previous night. Moreover, since she had failed to convey the message about meeting secretly in Count Oslo's Gallery around midnight, it was certain she would not see Leopold today either.
'Even for just one night, I hate to lose a moment with His Highness.'
Charlotte surveyed the ballroom of the Oslo Estate. It was a grand ball where red naval officer uniforms were particularly conspicuous. Until a month and a half ago, Charlotte would have been unable to conceal her excitement at attending such a party filled with prospective suitors.
"You're not ill, are you, Charlotte? There's been much talk of concern about you lately. Now that I think about it, you really do look pale, just as Bianca said."
Helena examined Charlotte's complexion with a worried expression.
"Charlotte, from now on, don't just sleep during the day. You should take walks and get more sunlight. Winter will be here soon, and you should get some sun before the days grow shorter."
Charlotte nodded silently. She understood Helena's words, but she did not particularly long for sunlight or the warmth of midday. When walking through unfamiliar forests with Leopold and conversing with him, despite the cold autumn night air, her heart was warmed by a gentle breeze, and in his presence, her spirit was always spring.
Then, from behind Charlotte, a voice came that could barely contain its joy.
"Miss Charlotte, I've found you!"
As Charlotte turned her head, a dazzling blonde man in formal evening attire came into view. Despite his rank as an officer, Philip wore not the crimson dress uniform of his station, but rather a striking blue formal coat adorned with a ribbon denoting him as the Ball's host. The undulating sea-like depths of his eyes complemented the elegant blue coat draped across his tall frame quite remarkably.
"Ah, good evening. Philip Oslo...."
Charlotte offered a graceful curtsy as Philip approached from across the room, then straightened to greet him. In that moment, she noticed a red-haired man following behind Philip, moving toward her as well.
'Could that be....'
The red-haired man stood nearly a head shorter than Philip, his height more comparable to Charlotte's own. His thick, somewhat unkempt dark eyebrows gave him an unusual appearance. Dressed in the crimson officer's uniform with polished gold buttons, his strikingly vivid orange-red hair created an almost comical effect—yet simultaneously conveyed the fierce intensity of roaring flames.
"Miss Charlotte, Miss Helena Augusta, thank you for gracing the Ball with your presence."
Philip had drawn near and offered his greeting. Perhaps because of what he had said yesterday, Charlotte found the shy smile playing across his features oddly significant.
As Philip extended his courteous salutation, the red-haired man's eyes met Charlotte's. Noticing the curiosity gleaming in her gaze, Philip's bashful smile faded, and he stepped closer to her side before speaking.
"This friend here is Harrison, the true star of this evening's Ball. He trained as an officer alongside me, and now he resides in London to manage his family's...estate."
Philip placed subtle emphasis on the word "estate." Yet even without that telling inflection, Charlotte would have recognized this man as Harrison—the very person who owned the manor where Leopold had been staying, whom they had discussed yesterday.
In that precise moment.
'What on earth is....'
Charlotte stared at Harrison with a pale expression. The moment Harrison approached her, a damp and fishy smell of blood wafted to the tip of her nose from somewhere. When Philip led Harrison only a few steps away to introduce him to her, an indescribable smell pierced her nose. It resembled the smell of animal blood that had emanated from the Butcher Shop, which she had visited once following Sydney.
"Why didn't the other people notice this smell?"
Charlotte looked around with a flustered expression. However, Helena, who was politely greeting Harrison, and Philip, who was sending Charlotte a meaningful glance, were all acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Am I the only one who can smell this?"
With a flash of insight, Charlotte blinked her round brown eyes.
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