Annie couldn’t help but grasp Charlot Mecklenburg's hand tightly, her mind unwavering.
Grandma Saint Karen loved a good show; Annie, however, only loved Charlot.
Annie whispered softly, “Grandma Saint Karen’s dream realm was my favorite place to be as a child. It’s so relaxing and warm here. Whenever I couldn’t sleep, she would bring me here.”
“Antonio also liked this place, but he only liked training in Grandma’s dream realm. He’d practice swordsmanship and spearmanship repeatedly, again and again, without ever accompanying me. I know he wanted to protect me, and for him, having the power to protect me was far more important than playing with me.”
“Sometimes, Grandma would take us to peek into other people’s dreams. The Earl’s manor often had some shady characters sneaking in…”
Charlot casually remarked, “Occasionally, the Emperor’s spies, too, I presume?”
Annie blinked in surprise but quickly whispered, “So you knew as well, Mr. Mecklenburg.”
Charlot thought to himself, “Knew what, exactly?”
However, he quickly considered ancient imperial spy networks like the Jinyiwei (The Embroidered Uniform Guard ) and sighed. Even the Emperor of the Fars Empire enjoyed such tactics, it seemed.
Annie tightened her grip on Charlot’s hand slightly and asked softly, “If one day, would you leave the Fars Empire for me, Mr. Mecklenburg?”
Charlot smiled faintly and replied, “To the ends of the earth, I will follow you.”
Annie’s eyes suddenly grew misty. Grandma Saint Karen nodded slightly, her trust in Charlot evident. Charlot had once saved Annie and had since proven himself remarkably capable. Not long ago, he even commanded a group of Saint-rank individuals to slay Amisfida, the King of The Ten Thousand Lions, a nearly unrivaled opponent second only to the Earl himself.
Although Antonio had been the main force, Charlot’s planning had been indispensable.
Charlot patted Annie on the shoulder and said, “Don’t worry so much. Leave all the troubles to us men. You only need to cheer for me.”
Annie lowered her voice and said, “I want to help you, Mr. Mecklenburg. I don’t want to be just a pretty face.”
Charlot hastily reassured her, “Annie, if you’re a flower vase, then there would be no flowers left in this world.”
He knew what Annie was worried about, but such concerns couldn’t be resolved through mere words. To shift the topic, he said, “Grandma Saint Karen has prepared something fun for us. Shall we take a look?”
“What nonsense are those scoundrels babbling about?”
Annie broke into a radiant smile and leaned her head against Charlot’s shoulder. For the first time, she felt a profound sense of peace.
Ever since starting work at the Central Government Office, Annie had slowly learned many secrets. She was no longer the pure, carefree girl from school. She understood the hardships of the nation, the instability of society, the horrors of the frontline, and the grim realities behind many proclaimed victories, often achieved through devastating losses. She even knew of humiliating defeats that were kept hidden.
The Fars Empire faced far greater challenges than the public realized.
Of course, the Byron Empire wasn’t faring much better.
The Ingrima Empire seemed to be holding on, but the Black Phoenix Dynasty was faltering.
The Old Continent had thirty-three nations, among which five were considered empires.
However, even empires varied in strength. The Black Phoenix Dynasty, weaker in national power, might crumble before Fars or Byron.
Annie was indeed troubled by these concerns.
Yet, Charlot gave her a sense of reliability surpassing her father or brother—a sense that he could overcome any difficulty, solve any problem, and reverse any dire situation…
And everyone around her told her the same thing: Charlot Mecklenburg accomplished all this for Annie Bretagne.
Even she knew that when they first met, Charlot wasn’t as remarkable. Although an outstanding young man—better than most noble scions she’d encountered—he hadn’t been on par with her brother Antonio or her cousin Clair Bretagne.
Back then, Annie hadn’t thought about seeking an exceptional suitor. She wasn’t the type of woman with unrealistic expectations.
She had always felt Charlot was good enough.
But Annie had never imagined that her Mr. Charlot Mecklenburg seemed to ignite his entire potential and brilliance for her, showcasing unparalleled talent.
Even her biggest concern—her family’s acceptance—was effortlessly managed by Charlot.
He had earned the Earl’s and Antonio’s praise time and again.
Annie knew her father and brother’s temperaments well.
Her father, the Empire’s strongest warrior, had praised fewer than ten people in his lifetime. Regardless of the strength of an opponent, the Earl would dismissively remark, “A future loser under my sword.”
Occasionally, he would awkwardly admit, “Oh, I already defeated that one. Forgot—it wasn’t memorable.”
Antonio, recognized throughout the Empire as the Fars Empire’s future strongest warrior, was rumored to surpass his father’s strength in a few years, even before the Earl retired.
Since returning from the Red Dragon Strait, Antonio had tested Charlot more than a dozen times. While handling Charlot’s black, weighty sword, Antonio would grin and say, “Charlot’s character is truly impressive.”
“Annie, never believe any rumors about Charlot—they’re all lies.”
Annie genuinely hadn’t heard any rumors about Charlot.
Except for that one incident with Aunt Sophia, but that was definitely false!
In the breeze, faint voices drifted over:
“Rembrandt, how many times has the Bretagne girl turned you down?”
“Oh, oh, oh! The unbeatable Rembrandt, who conquered all of Strasbourg, got shut down by Annie Bretagne?”
“Keep at it, Rembrandt! I’d love to see Annie unable to climb onto the Pumpkin Carriage.”
“Have you heard about Charlot Mecklenburg? That merchant’s son?”
“Don’t mention that lowborn man!”
“He just got lucky, stumbling into once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. The Bretagne family practically handed him everything on a silver platter, even assigning Clair Bretagne to lead him in two major campaigns.”
“Even a pig could earn merits working with Clair Bretagne.”
“Did you hear? This time, they even sent Antonio Bretagne…”
“Has the Earl gone mad? All those resources could have made any of us barons. But they wasted it on a commoner? What a travesty.”
“The Earl must be senile…”
“I heard the Emperor doesn’t like the Earl much. One day, he might just sacrifice that old fool for the Empire.”
Hearing the mention of “Pumpkin Carriage,” Charlot couldn’t suppress himself any longer. He turned to Grandma Saint Karen and said, “Excuse me, Grandma, I need to step out for a moment.”