“You’re right, Nelia. I’ve also been feeling something is off……”

Oh……?

That she accepted Nelia’s words so easily was quite surprising.

Given her earlier expression, it seemed she was quite shocked, yet she accepted it so readily.

“Perhaps I didn’t want to believe it…… I don’t want to suspect those around me.”

Yes, Charlotte was that kind of person.

Recalling Charlotte’s nature, Nelia understood her words.

She may be naive in some ways, but that doesn’t mean she’s unintelligent.

She must have realized something was amiss with the missing money…… but felt guilty about suspecting the priest she was sharing the room with.

Yet hearing Nelia’s words, denial became difficult.

“I’ll ask the priest I share the room with, as you suggested.”

Nelia, who was lost in thought, snapped back to reality.

“Charlotte…… You’re not going to directly ask if he stole it, are you?”

Charlotte slowly tilted her head.

“Yes, I was planning to……”

“You can’t do that!”

Startled by Nelia’s loud voice, Charlotte blinked blankly.

“Why……?”

“Because if you ask that way, he’ll surely deny it. Worse yet, he’ll be alerted that you suspect him!”

Finally, Charlotte’s expression became grave.

“Then…… what should I do?”

Phew. Nelia exhaled a short breath.

“Listen carefully, Charlotte.”

Charlotte nodded slightly and focused on Nelia.

“Today, tell the priest you share the room with that even though the thief wasn’t caught, you still have plenty of money left, so it’s okay.”

Nodding repeatedly, Charlotte’s head moved up and down.

“If the priest is the thief, he’ll wonder where you hid the extra money. Say you hid it under the bed.”

“Yes…….”

“Then, for a while, secretly watch the priest every time you leave the room.”

Finally catching on to Nelia’s plan, Charlotte exclaimed, ‘Ah……!’

“If he’s indeed the thief, he’ll certainly try to steal again……!”

Excitement seeped into Charlotte’s eyes. Nelia nodded.

“Exactly. The moment he attempts to steal, he won’t be able to deny it.”

Charlotte clasped Nelia’s hand with both of hers.

“How are you so smart, Nelia……? Coming up with this, you’re amazing……”

It’s not that big of a deal. Nelia felt slightly awkward at Charlotte’s awed response to her minor advice.

Yet Charlotte, whose eyes had been sparkling, suddenly wore a darker look.

“But I’m worried whether I can do as you’ve advised, Nelia……”

Nelia gently patted Charlotte’s shoulder.
“Be confident. Otherwise, who knows what else you might lose.”

“……I suppose.”

Charlotte lightly grasped the pendant hanging around her neck.

Nelia’s gaze shifted to Charlotte’s pendant.

In the original work, that pendant was given to Charlotte by the priest who looked after her.

That priest was like a mother to Charlotte, and had put the pendant on her before dying.

So, it was a very important item to Charlotte.

Soon, a firm voice flowed from Charlotte’s red lips.

“Nelia… I will be strong.”

“Good.”

When Nelia smiled, Charlotte also slightly smiled back.

For a moment, they looked at each other and smiled, then Charlotte withdrew her smile and spoke in a serious tone.

“Lastly… before I go, there’s something I want to say to you, Nelia…”

“What is it?”

Charlotte looked around once, approached Nelia, and whispered quietly.

“I can sense people’s energy, and the Duke you serve is different from ordinary people.”

“Yes?”

“A ferocious energy overflows. Like an angry snake…”

For a moment, Nelia blushed.

In the original work, Charlotte had not thought this way upon first impression of the Duke.

Though the atmosphere had been slightly tense during their conversation, the Duke had otherwise behaved courteously and kindly towards Charlotte. Who would have thought she would feel this way based on his energy alone.

“On the contrary, Nelia, you’re like a herbivore living in a peaceful world… as if you could be preyed upon.”

Preyed upon… Maybe in another sense, she had already been.

Charlotte, not knowing such a secret, spoke in a worried voice.

“So, I’m worried about you, Nelia.”

Nelia, suppressing her bewildered emotions, tried hard to comfort Charlotte.

“The Duke is not a bad person. He treats me very well.”

Overdoing it is the problem.

Finally, Charlotte’s serious expression eased.

“That’s a relief then…”

“Yes, don’t worry and go back soon.”

In the brief time they talked, the sun had set further.

“I’ll go now, Nelia. See you again…!”

Charlotte left with a regretful face.

After sending Charlotte off, a sigh of relief escaped from the lone Nelia.

The reason for the relief was complex.

Because it seemed like Charlotte could find the money she lost, because the tense meeting had ended.

Also… because it looked like Charlotte had no great interest in the Duke.

Yet, on one hand, she felt guilty. Why did she get tense on her own, and why did she feel relieved on her own?

Beating her own drum, as they say.

“You must have had a long conversation.”

As Nelia entered the mansion, the Duke, who had been sitting on the living room sofa, immediately spoke. Quite a bit of time had passed while talking with Charlotte.

“She was lost and didn’t know the way.”

Nelia, not feeling like explaining her long conversation with Charlotte, gave a vague answer.

Seeing the Duke, the earlier peculiar feeling of relief once again surfaced, making her feel strange.