“What about the noble families? They all want to meet Lady Charlotte, but…”

“Handle that appropriately. Isn’t that why I hired you?”

Ignoring the numerous voices calling her from behind, Charlotte left the mansion.

Including subordinates, housemaids, and numerous followers.

Among them, there weren’t many people she could trust with tasks. No, to be precise, there were none. The only subordinate she completely trusted was sent to Rose Palace, and she lost her life.

“Gallio, you wicked child. Spreading lies as if his own assassin guild is mine? How far does he intend to falsely accuse me?”

While not comparable to the Turner or Fernan families, Charlotte, in her own way, was building an information network.
She had hoped to have the upper hand in negotiations with Gallio. As a result, she conducted a separate investigation into the Turner family, discovering that Turner had a close relationship with the underworld.

Finding out that he was the master overseeing the Assassin’s Guild was a recent development. However, she had never dreamt that she would be the one to take on such a vile and unpleasant title.

Arriving at the Turner family mansion in no time, she boldly announced her visit with a loud voice. She hoped that if Gallio were to experience even a fraction of the confusion she had endured, it would be worthwhile.

“Oh my, I never knew Lady Charlotte had such a wonderful voice. It was so loud that it could be heard clearly even in my study.”

“That’s fortunate. Today, I felt like meeting Gallio as soon as possible.”

“A charming woman like Lady Charlotte making such remarks in public might lead to misunderstandings. Now, please come this way. It seems a suitable tea has just arrived to welcome our distinguished guest.”

Suppressing the urge to shout that she had no interest in the likes of him, she bit her lip.

Although there was a significant age difference, Gallio, being a single man, had a point in what he said.

“What’s the matter today? Charlotte. Even if you didn’t come through the main gate, there are various ways to meet me.”

When only the two of them remained in the reception room, Gallio’s voice quickly turned cold.

Charlotte, clenching her fist, looked at him with narrowed eyes and spoke.

“I’m sure you’re not pretending not to know why I’m here, Gallio.”

“Well, I can’t really guess as me.”

“Don’t make completely transparent lies. I already know what you’ve been doing in the underworld. How do you plan to turn such dishonorable actions against me?”

Bang!

Enraged, she slammed the table down, and Gallio chuckled softly.

“So, you already knew. It’s a bit awkward. In fact, besides Charlotte, there are a few more people trying to figure out my true identity.”

“That’s your business, not mine. I don’t know your reasons for causing this incident. What do you want from me?”

Charlotte was ready to strike Gallio’s cheek at any moment.

Taking a deep breath, Gallio brought a steaming cup of tea to his lips and said, “This rumor has nothing to do with me. It may be unreasonable to ask you to believe it, but I also didn’t anticipate such an event. Repel must continue to maintain its reputation because of my plans.”

“…You’ve already dragged my half-brother into a despicable path, tarnishing the honor of our family. Why on earth should you be on the side of Repel?”
“Oh, Charlotte. I swear I had no intention of diminishing the status of your family. It’s true that I used some means to involve you in my plan, but I didn’t plan to degrade your family.”

“Gallio, I’d like to know what your clever plan is. What kind of scheme are you orchestrating?”

“William taking the position of the next lord and you becoming the focal point of the pureblood nobility. That’s about it for now. I plan to retire and focus on my main job.”

His mentioned main job was none other than his involvement in the underworld. Originally, Gallio had been one of the key figures in organizing the underworld long before Vladiga became king, and the Council was nothing more than a means to conceal his true identity.

Above all, Gallio had an important task. A very crucial mission entrusted to him by a distinguished guest from the empire.

“Supporting Prince William is something Charlotte is well aware of. To achieve that, protecting the honor of your mother is also an important task. Why would I involve myself with the Assassin’s Guild and you with such thoughts? It could jeopardize my identity.”

“It’s not completely unreasonable. However, I still can’t trust you. You are someone who may engage in dirty deeds behind my back.”

Gallio, putting the teacup on the table, chuckled softly and tapped his fingers. Then, as if provoking her, he spoke.

“But why are you so uncomfortable? Charlotte. After all, the Assassin’s Guild and you have nothing to do with each other. It could just be passed off as baseless rumors.”

“You can say it so easily, but from my perspective, it’s not. It feels like slowly having a knife at my throat.”

“Let me tell you why Charlotte is like that. You’re uneasy. Perhaps you’re afraid that the fact you sent assassins to the Rose Palace twice will be revealed. Am I right?”

Pierced to the core, Charlotte shuddered. Until now, she wondered why she felt so uneasy, but it seemed she was afraid of being exposed for the mistakes she had made.

“If you’re so worried, how about meeting Princess Bella in person? There are rumors among the courtiers that Charlotte sent assassins to the Princess twice. If Charlotte calmly meets the princess, such rumors will quickly fade away, won’t they?”

“Why would I meet the princess with a guilty conscience? I’ve already done wicked things several times.”

“You take everything too seriously, Charlotte. Just think of it as a family having a meal together. The princess has grown a lot recently, so it wouldn’t hurt to meet her briefly to check on her well-being, right?”
In the end, Charlotte succumbed to Gallio’s persuasion. There were various reasons, but her strongest desire was to genuinely sense Bella’s feelings for once.

If there were no strange signs, her severe insomnia, which had plagued her for the past few months, would likely improve neatly.

After returning to the Repel family mansion, Charlotte began writing letters by hand to Bella.