# 71
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Slap-!
A voice rang out much stronger than before.
Alexis's other cheek flushed.
Charlotte exhaled sharply, exasperated.
“Know your limits.”
“Originally, I wouldn't have glanced at someone like you. You wouldn't even have a chance to touch my fingertips. How dare you, insult me? You…!”
Charlotte couldn't hold back her anger, so she kicked Alexis' legs violently.
It was a far cry from her outward beauty.
However, because she was not physically strong, she soon became panting.
Charlotte breathed hard.
“Huh, huh.”
Her face was red and her hair was messy.
Alexis looked at her calmly.
A passionate and impulsive woman who speaks strange things that he cannot understand.
'She's been like this since the first meeting.'
Alexis remembered the first day he met Charlotte at the temple.
Although the temple preached equality, the internal structure was not horizontal.
Even among the priests, and even among the Holy Knights, there were classes.
Alexis was from the lower class.
Despite his noble origin, he was a noble in name only, and as the second son, he did not inherit a title.
But he was skilled and humble, which earned him respect among the priests.
There were Alawite knights who resented this.
“Did you know that your brother, Baron Aubyn, borrowed from my father to set up a business? If you don’t want to ruin your family’s business, stay low.”
If Alexis was someone who was good at appeasing others, his life as a Holy Knight wouldn't be so difficult.
But he was cruel and not good at flattery.
“What is this insolence in your eyes?”
The bullying started as a joke, but gradually turned serious.
Alexis endured it silently.
The day he first met Charlotte was a day he was beaten up pretty badly.
"Alexis Open, right? You're getting beaten up here too."
He shouldn't have responded to her curiosity from the beginning.
To Alexis, Charlotte was a wondrous being.
The princes of the empire, including the Crown Prince, showed their admiration for her.
But Charlotte herf, instead of caring for them, shows interest in him, which is nothing.
From then on, his boring and meaningless life began to get complicated.
“Ha, you bastard. How dare you, how dare you...”
But could he have rejected Charlotte?
Her stunning beauty, her status as a future saint, and the many men who covet her.
Despite having everything, she acted as if she had nothing.
Alexis was the only one who saw her unstable side.
Her broken side was only for him to see.
When he thought about it, a strange feeling of satisfaction lifted him.
then.
Alexis knelt in front of Charlotte.
“You made a mistake, Charles.”
Charlotte stared at him angrily.
“Forgive me. You are very dear to me, and I wanted to have you to myf.”
“Aren't you the one I'm taking with me now?”
Charlotte hit Alexis' shoulder.
“You're the one who stays by my side.”
"Know."
“However, how could you not be grateful and say such things...”
"I'm sorry, Charles. I really made a mistake."
Alexis leaned down and kissed the tips of her feet.
“I will never act so arrogant again.”
Charlotte's anger gradually subsided as he pleaded.
I exhaled a long breath.
“Just once.”
"Yes."
"I will only forgive you once. There will be no second time."
“I will remember that.”
Charlotte sat on the bed.
There was a cold dead man next to her, but she didn't care.
Alexis approached, holding the dress she had taken off.
“You're worried about your sister, aren't you?”
"Yes."
“So, instead of returning to Hilliard directly, how about we visit Winston Palace first?”
"my house?"
Charlotte frowned.
For her, Winston Mansion was a place she never wanted to return to.
When she didn't answer, Alexis gently soothed her.
“It will take a long time to return to Hilliard now. Since we are in the capital, why don’t we check the news at the palace first?”
“But...”
“Since you have the sacred piece, no one will notice.”
Alexis whispered seductively.
“If Elinor and the Duke are really in a relationship, they must have exchanged letters with Count Winston and his wife. Let us go quietly and check.”
“Charles?”
"…Good."
Charlotte nodded reluctantly, pursing her lips.
“But we will leave quickly.”
"naturally."
Alexis smiled.
“I also don't want you to meet other people.”
If a situation like today happened again, he might really go crazy.
Alexis has to be the only one Charlotte can depend on.
Even if it was destroyed, it should only be destroyed in front of him.
Alexis kissed the back of her hand, his eyes sinking into a malicious darkness.
* * *
After three days of short rest.
Elinor visited the border with Matthias again.
In the original story, Hilliard's territory was not cleared.
Because the villain, the Duke, should have met a worthy end.
Therefore, although Elinor knew that holy power could purify black magic, she did not know the limits of that ability.
But as she saw the scene before her, she felt as if she understood how much the world loved Charlotte, the saint.
“Whoa!”
The knights wearing protective gear cheered loudly.
Under the place where the golden bird flew scattering light.
The traces of black magic that stained the soil black had completely disappeared.
It wasn't like holy water destroying existence itf.
It was returning time to the original state before pollution.
Perfect cleansing.
When she first arrived at the border, Elinor did not think about completely solving the problem of black magic contamination.
That was beyond her capabilities.
But when the golden bird lent her his power, her thoughts changed.
'If this is something I can solve, I want to solve it as best I can.'
She had already revealed to Matthias that the child possessed holy power.
She no longer believed he would take advantage of the child.
'However, I want to eliminate any potential worrying factors from the beginning.'
If the Golden Bird was able to cleanse the pollution, there would be no need to involve Charlotte in this matter.
If the problem of territory pollution here was ended, she and the child could be free.
“Let us advance in this direction first...”
“We checked this road earlier, and it was blocked. We'd better get out of here...”
Elinor looked at Matthias, who was talking with Logan at the front of the group.
Perhaps because the moment he had longed for was approaching.
He seemed very excited.
In fact, Matthias wasn't the only one who showed this response.
Logan and the knights couldn't hide their clear expectations on their faces.
If the black magic that threatened the safety of the territory was removed, they would also be able to leave this barren place and return to the embrace of their families.
The hope that the end is near is what keeps them going.
“Okay. Then, let’s go in from the west first-”
Mathias suddenly raised his head as he gave instructions to Logan.
As a result, his gaze met directly with Elinor, who was staring at him.