Wh-wha...?

"...!"

Charlotte jumped up, opened her eyes wide, and stood upright, drenched in cold sweat.

"!!!"

Her eyes darted all around until she calmed down, recognizing the ceiling, chandelier, walls, floor, carpet, and furniture of the room of the first princess.

"Haaa..."

She breathed out in relief and lay back down on her queen-sized bed, with a black-haired young man sitting calmly in a chair next to it.

"?!?!??!?!"

As the realization of what exactly entered her field of vision settled in, Charlotte flailed her limbs in panic, throwing herself to the opposite corner of the bed, trembling like a last autumn leaf in the middle of a blizzard.

"..."

"..."

His serious gaze met her terrified one, and they continued watching each other without saying a single word.

While Medea remained as cold and unbothered as a monolith, Charlotte's heart was about to burst from sheer panic.

In the silence surrounding them, the teenage girl could hear her heartbeat, loud enough to be mistaken for the drumbeat of a musician testing their limits.

"..."

"!!!"

And then Medea stood up, causing Charlotte's stagnant brain to kickstart - she rushed to him, desperately clinging to his waist horrified about the lack of reaction.

"It wasn't me! I swear! I swear I have nothing to do with the invitation! I would never try to put Young Lady Zorivia in the same room as the Crown Prince! I swear! I beg you! Please believe me!"

She pleaded while unable to hold back the tears of desperation as images of the black-haired man killing with a bright smile flashed through her mind.

|Don't be smiling! Don't be smiling! Don't be smiling!|

She chanted in her head like a prayer, too scared to actually raise her head and look up at his face to check.

*rustle*

"...?!"

As she was clinging to him, crying with her face against his stomach, she felt a soft touch that made her freeze up.

...someone was patting her head...

...but... who could it be...?

She was pretty sure that only she and Medea were in the room at the moment...

"...?"

The thought of Medea being the one doing that felt so outrageously wrong, that Charlotte simply had no other choice than to look up and confirm it for herself.

"..."

"...!"

And as she did, her eyes widened as she met the calm gaze of the serious-faced black-haired man.

"If you ever tried to go against me, you would not wake up in he first place."

"..."

Medea said indifferently while continuing to pat stunned Charlotte's head.

It wasn't a threat or a warning.

It was a statement. Simply one of the unchangeable truths of the world and an unbreakable rule.

...at least, that was what Charlotte felt...

And despite any common sense, it was exactly what ended up calming her down.

Medea stopped his hand and took out a handkerchief. Then, with his other hand, he lifted up Charlotte's chin and began gently wiping her face from all the tears she cried, never changing his expression.

"Your acting skill is commendable, but sometimes it is simply better for the character you play to be surprised than to act surprised. Stay in your role. If I need for you to do something specific or go out of your way ever arises, you will be notified with enough time to prepare."

Medea breathed out softly – not enough to make it a full-fledged sigh – going out of his usual way to explain something that he believed should be obvious from the start.

Medea then stuffed the handkerchief back into his pocket and kneeled on one knee, getting his face on the same level as Charlotte's and coupling it with both hands.

"Understood?"

"..."

As he traced her lower eyelids with his thumbs, getting rid of all the leftover tears from the corners of her eyes, he asked as she could only stare at him wide-eyed.

"...mm-hmm..."

After a few more moments, Charlotte ended up gulping her saliva and murmuring while lightly nodding her head, unable to take her eyes off Medea – just like a tiny mouse entranced by the vile serpent's gaze.

"That's my princess. Keep up the good work~"

"...!"

Medea hummed, and the looks in his eyes softened, causing Charlotte to take a sharp breath.

After that, Medea simply stood up and left the room without another word leaving Charlotte's head and heart in dissaray.