SCMBRN Chapter 19

“I’m really sorry, but due to my current situation, I haven’t been able to open an account there. Would it be too much trouble for Your Highness to open one for me?”

 

“Lady Charlotte.”

 

“You know how the Central Bank of Kelmir operates on a strict confidentiality policy. As long as I have the account holder’s name and the password, I can use it without any issue after you’ve set it up…”

 

“Hold on.”

 

Reynard raised his hand, cutting me off mid-sentence.

 

“This is getting out of hand. I should probably write this down.”

 

Only then did I realize I might have gone too far, taking his silent consent as a green light.

 

“Ah, I might have rambled a bit, didn’t I?”

 

“For someone who claimed not to expect compensation, you certainly came prepared. What if I hadn’t asked again?”

 

“Heh…”

 

Just playing the part of the polite one, pretending to decline once out of courtesy.

 

“You seem to have come up with a rather detailed plan.”

 

Reynard quietly stroked his chin. Thankfully, he didn’t appear offended by my very specific requests.

 

“The Central Bank of Kelmir, huh. You sound like a criminal trying to stash away dirty money.”

 

“I’m just overly cautious by nature…”

 

The thought of everything going terribly wrong, ending in the worst possible outcome, made my chest tighten. I wasn’t being dramatic, I was fully prepared to run if things took a turn.

 

In the novel, Charlotte, cast out by the Lyndsey family, ends up in prison.

 

Compared to the world I came from, the prisons here are bleak and brutal. If I had to choose, I’d escape a hundred, no, a thousand times over before letting myself be locked up.

 

Of course, the best outcome would be avoiding any crime that could land me there in the first place, but it doesn’t hurt to be prepared for the worst.

 

You know how some stories just follow the plot no matter what you do, like the narrative itself pushes things forward?

 

I nodded slightly to myself, thinking back to all the reincarnation novels I’d read.

 

“You’re quite unique.”

 

That familiar voice snapped me back to the man lying lazily in my bed.

 

“I mean you, Lady Charlotte. I didn’t notice it when we met before, probably because I was too tired.”

 

His gaze was fixed on me as he slowly ran his tongue over his lower lip.

 

Whoa, that’s, no wait, this is bad!

 

Most people would dismiss it as a simple habit, but I knew what it meant.

 

That was the very gesture that triggered Reynard’s renewed interest in Ayla in the novel!

 

Reynard is a man driven entirely by calculation.

 

To him, Cedric, the powerful Duke of Hicklid, is someone he must both respect and keep under control.

 

So, when he realizes Cedric has feelings for Ayla, Reynard makes his move, thinking she could be a potential weakness.

 

But romance novels don’t usually side with schemers like him.

 

Any male lead or second lead who approaches with ulterior motives always ends up falling for the heroine, no matter what.

 

There was that one moment in the story, when Reynard started losing his grip on the cool and composed Ayla.

 

“Did you know? Your Highness often licks your lower lip when you’re with me. It happens quickly, just in passing.”

 

Ayla, with her usual teasing tone, dropped that bomb during one of their routine exchanges.

 

Reynard, completely unaware of the habit, was thrown off, though he responded without missing a beat.

 

“Is that so? Perhaps it’s because I get nervous around someone I’m fond of.”

 

“Wrong.”

 

“What?”

 

“The emotion I glimpsed in those moments wasn’t affection. It was something else entirely.”

 

“And what was that?”

 

“Suspicion. Cold and sharp, like a blade trying to cut through me.”

 

He fell silent. She had hit the mark.

 

I might not remember every word, but that was the gist of it.

 

Reynard had just licked his lip. In other words, he was starting to view me with suspicion.

 

And honestly, from his perspective, there were plenty of reasons to doubt me.

 

First, there was the curse on the bed. As long as it continued drawing second male leads into my bed, it was obvious I was deeply connected to it.

 

Feeling the weight of Reynard’s gaze, sharp and probing, I broke into a cold sweat.

 

Given how naturally wary he is, it’s no surprise he’s suspicious. It was a miracle he let things slide the first time.

 

Back then, he’d been plagued by severe insomnia for months and wasn’t in his right mind. He hadn’t had the bandwidth to question things.

 

But now, after a week of proper sleep, he was back to being himself.

 

“You’re nothing like the rumors I’ve heard.”

 

Reynard lowered his eyes, his voice quiet.

 

“Charlotte Lyndsey, known for her obsessive love toward the Duke of Hicklid. She caused a major scandal about six months ago and has been lying low ever since.”

 

I stiffened, feeling like the room dropped a few degrees in temperature.

 

“So naturally, I assumed your request for compensation would be something related to the Duke. Maybe arranging a meeting with him.”

 

“I’ve given up on him.”

 

“Strange. I thought you said otherwise when we last met?”

 

That conversation from two weeks ago flashed through my mind.

 

I’d told him that to keep him from thinking I had any interest in him.

 

“Feelings don’t just vanish overnight. But I’ve long let go of the foolish hope that I might be his match.”

 

Ooh. My voice wavered ever so slightly, wistful, almost tragic, even to my own ears.

 

Not a bad excuse on the fly. I’ve read enough romance novels to improvise like a pro.

 

This little crisis? Barely a blip.

 

“I see.”

 

Reynard didn’t look away. His eyes searched mine, trying to read me.

 

But I held his gaze without flinching, staring right back, hopefully with what passed for pure, unclouded innocence.

 

“……”

 

“……”

 

Time ticked by. He said nothing, just kept watching me.

 

Wait… was this not enough to convince him?

 

“Lady Charlotte, did you know?”

 

Just when my baseless confidence began to crumble, Reynard finally spoke.

 

“Someone I trusted completely as a child once betrayed me. It’s something a few people know, perhaps you’ve heard.”

 

That pulled a buried memory to the surface.

 

Right, his backstory.

 

Reynard had once been betrayed by the nanny he trusted most. Since then, he’s struggled to trust anyone.

 

It’s practically a requirement for male leads in romance novels to have a tragic past.

 

And wasn’t it Empress Rosalind who manipulated that nanny?

 

One of Reynard’s biggest political enemies.

 

“Maybe that’s why I’m wary of others. Especially those I haven’t known long.”

 

Despite the softness of his tone, his eyes were cold, fixed squarely on me.

 

Tension spiked, but I tried to stay positive.

 

The crown prince can’t hurt me.

 

As long as the curse existed, he had no choice but to lie in my bed, and that bed required my presence to be effective.

 

Although…

 

It never said I had to be in one piece.

 

A dark thought crept in: Does it just need me alive? My eyes drifted to the sword lying beside the bed, easily within his reach.

 

My brain told me I was overreacting, but my heart pounded all the same.

 

“That’s why I asked so many questions. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable. Please, get some rest.”

 

He smiled, perfectly, like a painting, and patted my shoulder lightly.

 

That same flawless smile Ayla had once described as beautiful but oddly artificial.

 

“I’m fine. Really.”

 

I forced a smile in return.

 

“Feel free to ask me anything, anytime.”

 

“It’s late. Let’s leave it here for tonight. Ah, and about that request, write it down and give it to Joseph.”

 

Joseph. The hawk that had delivered his note to me.

 

“If you have more conditions, go ahead and add them. I’ll do what I can, as long as it’s within reason.”

 

“I’m truly grateful for your generosity.”

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

He gently tilted my chin up, stopping me from bowing too deeply.

 

“You’re important to me, Lady Charlotte. I want to treat you accordingly.”

 

Once again, Reynard ran his tongue over his lower lip with that perfect smile.

 

…I can’t sleep.

 

It felt like at least an hour had passed since I turned off the lights and lay in bed, but my eyes refused to close.

 

I decided to step out for a breath of fresh air. If I stayed away too long, the curse might wake him, so I planned for just five minutes on the terrace.

 

Carefully, I slipped out from under the covers and watched him for any sign of movement.

 

Thankfully, he didn’t stir as I made it to the terrace.

 

“Ahh.”

 

The cool air brushed against me as I stretched, soaking it in.

 

It didn’t really help, though. I still had a mountain of problems in front of me.

 

Starting with that man who clearly doesn’t trust me…

 

Thunk. A small fruit rolled to my feet.

 

I glanced down over the edge of the terrace.

 

“Evening.”

 

A tiny voice greeted me.

 

One of my many problems: Eugen Mont.