~6~ When the Villainess Meets Her Butler

Once Charlotte found the yellow rose, she never thought she could smile from the dark mind she had. She never thought she could feel light just holding the Duke's favorite rose that had been behind the tree where she had lived before.

Unaware of her actions, she kept the yellow rose in the pocket of her dress while heaving a sigh afterwards

"So that's what it feels like to be able to talk to someone about what was deep inside my soul."

Realizing more deeply that Charlotte was thinking what she had experienced before, it made her more enlightened - as if a piece of her heart had been freed from all the secrets and burdens she had been carrying for the longest time.

One of the reasons for the maid was that someone important to her was leaving her. This is the beginning of her change.

'Enough with such thoughts. What I heard as far as I can remember was just a form of my wild imagination. So pull yourself together, Charlotte! Better go back now or someone you never expected might show up!'

With that she averted her gaze from the place and went back to the household - without hesitation. Only then did she feel like she'd reverted back to her old self - the one that portrays the same villainess she always portrays to everyone.

She was about to go to her room when Oliver suddenly spotted her and - without hesitation - walked towards her when he said something that made Charlotte's eyes widen

"Dad calling me at his office again, Oliver?"

"Yes, my lady. The Duke wanted you to come to his office."

However, after saying those words - Charlotte had the feeling that Oliver wasn't saying something - she just sighed and rested her eyebrows as she looked at the old man, and immediately shook her head as she looked at Oliver seriously

"Okay, I'll head."

"Milady, I will be right next to you until you enter the Duke's office."

'Wait, is Oliver doubting what I'm saying right now? For heaven's sake! When will people choose to know the deeper truth instead of what they see?! No! Calm down Charlotte, you will be going to the Duke's office, so you must be able to act like the normal self you are trying so hard to portray!'

With that - she let out one last sigh and nodded gravely to Oliver

"Then we must continue."

Once the two led the way, Charlotte never knew why - but she had the same feeling when she'd heard that voice in the garden before.

She felt that every step she took was every beat of her heart, beating louder and louder until they were already near the place. However, as she was about to enter the room - her feet stopped - her heart beat even faster and her eyes widened with a sudden emotion she had never felt before

'What is that? Why do I feel like this, have I contracted diseases? Is it then when I have that sunflower perfume? But if so, shouldn't I have felt this way sooner? Also, this type of perfume made my mission for the day successful! So why do I feel this -----'

Whatever had happened to her before - she wasn't able to finish what she was thinking when Oliver interrupted her thoughts

"Milady? Is something wrong?"

"O-Oh! No! Just go on! I'm fine!"

With her answer she immediately followed Oliver from behind. There he opened the door and Charlotte stepped in, ignoring the same nostalgic feeling she'd felt before.

But after entering her father's office, she saw someone for the first time, and her eyes widened for a moment. Someone who suddenly made his heart, which was trying to calm down, start racing again.

With that kind of expression Charlotte had made – Fred, her father, who was sitting in his seat, suddenly giggled, making Charlotte aware of where she was now and taking her eyes off the silent boy who was sitting in one of the seats for guests

"Seems like you saw a ghost, Charlotte."

She ignored what her father had said and greeted him while bowing without emotion. That was just her facade, however, as her heart couldn't even be stopped from beating as if racing to her ears, making it the only thing she thought she could hear

"Greetings father, why did you call me in this case?"

She heard a chuckle that made her aware of the different sounds she needed to hear and not just from her heart.

In this way, she breathed slowly, as if meditating in her position, contemplating every move she would make just to divert her attention to what she was feeling

"Well, as you can see from the guest seat, we have a very important person. More specifically, a little young man who was a year older than you, Charlotte."

'Yes? So what-----'

When she looked at the boy again, her thoughts were interrupted when their eyes met. There, for a second, it felt like she was drawn to his hazel eyes and silver hair that carried the kind of light that the calm moon represented. She wasn't even aware that her mouth was already wide open when the duke called her again this time

"Charlotte, fix your posture, okay? So, like I said, this boy's name is Louis Crest and..."

Charlotte couldn't make out the rest of what the Duke was saying as her attention shifted from her father to the little boy sitting in the guest seat, who was looking at her gravely - intently, as if he were piercing her soul.

But even though that was the sort of move the little boy made, for once Charlotte never seemed to mind. It only made her heart beat louder than before as his name kept echoing in her head that she had nowhere to look but at the boy her father had introduced her to

"...okay, I guess that's settled!"

When her father's cheerful voice suddenly distracted her from her thoughts about the boy she had already known Louis Crest, her eyes widened, never knowing what her father had told her.

There she looked at her father, who was smiling at her as if he didn't even realize that his daughter had never given any meaning to what he had said before.

It was only when she was about to speak and ask her father what he had said earlier that the boy got up from his seat and walked over to the young lady, whom he henceforth knew as his mistress, since he was the one who officially introduced him had herself to him

'Seems like she used to think of something she couldn't have known about what I'm doing here. Okay, I guess I have no choice but to introduce myself to her now.'

With that, he looked at the lady seriously until he was so close that he had changed his expression from a serious to a smiling face

"Greetings Lady Charlotte Carlile, I am honored and pleased to meet you as my master from now on. I, Louis Crest, will devote my time and service as your butler, my lady."

"Wait what?!"

Hearing what Louis had said, he even knelt in front of the lady and took her hand and kissed it immediately, which widened the duke's eyes.

However, what the Duke never expected was - Charlotte was unaffected by her position. This made him raise an eyebrow as he tried to watch her until Charlotte pushed a few words from her mind that made the young butler - Louis - laugh at the lady's reply.

At that moment - it's the first time Louis has seen a lady with such red cheeks while trying to avert her gaze, and for Fred it's the first time Charlotte has acted like this when she should have hit the boy instead

'Like I thought, Livia - you're far from us, but you still managed to bring someone who will change our daughter's life for the better. I hope that he is already the key to their attitude towards change. Right now I see such a great development in her. Supposedly she had hit the boy just then - that didn't even seem to have happened. Now I know what she needed most and I think it's only right that she has her own butler.'

Those thoughts made the duke sigh for a moment, then giggled afterwards

"Yes, Charlotte - didn't you hear what I said earlier? Louis Crest, the little boy kneeling before you, is your butler from now on."

"Wait, have I heard that voice before?"

Then, remembering what had happened earlier in the garden, her face seemed to get even more red as she tried to take her eyes off the little boy already standing in front of her

"My lady, don't worry - your secret is safe with me. I will be your faithful servant from now on."

'Gosh, so the voice I heard earlier wasn't even part of my imagination?! Quality! I have to shut up that little boy or else!'