New World, New Life: I Became A Bigshot In The Ancient World
Chapter 156: CHARLOTTE & GEORGE (5)

Chapter 156: CHARLOTTE & GEORGE (5)

"Leave."

Duchess Winston uttered one word to the servants in the room. They all scurried away quickly, leaving only her lady-in-waiting.

Crash!

The porcelain tea set on the table smashed into pieces as it met the floor.

The lady-in-waiting standing at the side flinched.

"Please, calm down, your grace." She tried to calm her mistress.

"How dare that lowly woman?!" Duchess Winston yelled. Her chest heaved up and down in anger. She couldn’t believe that Marchioness Charlotte had actually refused her even though it was clear that she wanted her to leave the matter.

’She ruined my tea party.’ In all the tea parties that she had hosted, they hadn’t ever ended unsatisfactorily. ’And it happened now, all because of that lowly woman.’

The lady-in-waiting bent down and began to carefully pick up the shards of glass from the floor. "Your grace should not be angered by someone like the Marchioness."

"That is true," Listening to the words of her lady-in-waiting, Duchess Winston calmed down. "She’s about to divorce the Marquis. Then, she will regret disrespecting me." She smiled wickedly and her expression twisted as a cruel glint passed through her eyes.

If someone came in at that moment, they would not be able to recognize this woman as the same Duchess with a benevolent smile that had attended the tea party.

The lady-in-waiting shivered on seeing the expression on her lady’s face. Her lady was very scary.

***

In one of the carriages leaving the Winston mansion, Charlotte and Wade sat in silence yet again. The only difference was that the atmosphere between the two of them was a lot less awkward.

Wade was still surprised at how Charlotte had defended him. Even if she had done it to protect their reputation and her dignity, he still felt touched. It was the second time someone had done so for him.

After a few seconds of thinking, he mustered up courage and opened his mouth, "T-thank you, marchioness."

Charlotte didn’t reply. She didn’t even turn away from looking out the window just as she did earlier that day.

Just when Wade thought she wouldn’t reply, she suddenly turned to look at him.

"I was just protecting our reputation. You need to be strong. You cannot be weak, or you will be trampled on and thrown about by others."

’Like me’. She refrained from saying the words. It sounded like she was scolding him, but she was actually advising him. Not to endure what she had silently endured.

Wade nodded seriously.

After that, silence once again took over once again, but the awkwardness had ceased considerably.

The carriage finally arrived at the mansion of Marquis Oswalt. Charlotte stepped out of the carriage with Wade in tow.

"Marchioness Charlotte."

Charlotte began to head inside the mansion when Wade called her. She turned around with a questioning look, curious about what Wade wanted to say to her.

Wade hesitated, but still asked.

"C-can I join you for dinner?" He twiddled his fingers nervously, anticipating her answer.

"..."

Charlotte was surprised. But she nodded after some thought. "Alright." He had looked quite pitiful and she had agreed instinctively.

’It is just this once’. She thought as she turned back around and continued her steps to the mansion.

For some reason, Wade making that request reminded her of herself, eagerly asking George to join her for a walk in the garden with hopeful anticipation. So she agreed because she couldn’t forget her disappointment on occasions when George refused.

Wade, who was left behind, was stunned. He had been prepared to be rejected and eat dinner alone as he usually did on most times when his father was not around, and his father had travelled to their Fief. He didn’t expect the answer he got.

He remembered Aristia’s words to him once. She had said,

’Marchioness Charlotte is just hurt, but deep down, she’s still as kind as ever. If you can just ask her...’

A smile formed on his face as he also entered the mansion.

"Young Master, what are you so happy about?" His maid asked when she saw him, looking surprised.

"What?!" She exclaimed in shock when he told her why.

Dinner was silent but not awkward. The servants were surprised. The madam was finally having her food in the dining table after a year. And with the young master?! Didn’t she hate him? They discussed in hush voices.

News travelled fast between servants of noble households.

The servants gossiped about how she had helped Wade in the Winston mansion and her warning. It was the first time they had heard that she did something like that.

Since she got married to the master, she had been mostly quiet except when she wanted to convince him to join her for dinner, or to have tea with her or stroll in the garden.

When the young master was brought into the mansion, she reverted back into being quiet, but she also became cold.

They couldn’t tell whether she hated the young master, as she didn’t even bother to speak to him and only ignored him. That was why they were surprised when they heard the two would be having dinner together.

Was the madam beginning to accept the young master?

"Thank you for letting me join you for dinner, marchioness." Wade bowed after dinner.

Charlotte nodded in acceptance of his thanks.

Sometime after they had dinner, George returned home from his trip. Charlotte had returned to her room and Wade had gone to bed.

George heard about what happened from the servants. He was surprised. He had never seen his wife speak to the child even once on her own initiative except when it was about formal matters, and even then, it was rare.

He headed to his room to take a bath first. Later, he headed to her room which was on the same corridor as his, but at the far end.

It was the room he had arranged for her to stay in when they first got married. Charlotte had requested that they stay in the same room so she had never stayed in this room for the seven years of their marriage, and now, she had used the room for a year. He felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

He stopped in front of the room and knocked on the door.

Charlotte answered, thinking it was Natalia. "You may enter."

She turned to see the person and was surprised to see that it wasn’t her maid, then her expression returned to normal.

George closed the door behind him.

Charlotte stood up and curtsied, "Greetings, my lord." Her voice was cold. "How can I be of help to you, my lord?"She was speaking formally.

George was silent for a while. She kept calling him ’my lord’. It was the proper way for a wife to address her husband, but for some reason, he did not like her to address him that way. She had always called him George or ’husband’, but ever since that day...

"Which child is to be introduced to me now?" Charlotte muttered under her breath, forgetting that he had a daemon. What she meant was that her husband could have brought a child back from his trip just like the last time.

George’s expression changed. He had heard her. It was easy because of his daemon. "Is that what you think of me?" He asked.

Charlotte refrained from nodding her head. "Pardon me, my lord, but I do not understand what you mean." She acted ignorant. Though she said that, the expression on her face was unapologetic.

George’s jaw tensed. Was she just going to pretend she didn’t say that? The atmosphere between them was tense.

George sighed, deciding to talk about the reason he was here. "I heard about what happened at the tea party hosted by Duchess Winston. I appreciate you helping Wade and—"

"I only did what I should to protect our reputation." Charlotte interrupted, "While I am still the Marchioness, I am responsible for making sure our reputation is intact, my lord." Her response was curt, but polite.

George didn’t know why her words sounded strange to him. He also hated how her words about reputation reminded him of some old memories. He shrugged off the feeling.

"Charlotte, I did not—" he began when he was once again interrupted.

"Pardon me, my lord, but I am quite tired from what happened at the tea party. I would like to be left alone." Charlotte didn’t want to listen to whatever he wanted to say.

George stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "Very well," he turned around to leave, his hand resting on the door handle. "Rest well."

She didn’t reply.

George sighed and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Left alone in the room, Charlotte felt the strength leave her legs as her legs gave away and she fell on the bed.

She stared at the door George had just closed with resentment. He still had that effect on her. She sighed with frustration and irritation.

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