The Heroine's Evil Daughter

Chapter 7: Unexpected News

"Lottie... Comfort your mother when she's awake. I have matters to attend to." Lucas sighed and rubbed the space between his brows.

"Dad... I'm scared... Is mom unwell?" Charlotte held the corner of Lucas's sleeve and acted frightened.

His heart ached seeing his daughter's delicate eyes filled with tears. He knelt down and rubbed the top of her head gently. "Don't worry Lottie. Your mom is merely tired... She just needs rest." His words were full of doting.

Heaven knows how much Charlotte struggled to stop herself from wrinkling her face with disgust. His words truly made her sick. But Charlotte didn't show her true thoughts in her expression.

She smiled and nodded obediently, looking like a sweet and caring daughter.

Lucas stood up and strode out of the room. Charlotte turned back to look at the unconscious Sasha and smirked.

"Oh please Sasha... You had the ability to sit on the Empress's throne and yet you can't even handle criticism? Perhaps I overestimated you in the past." Charlotte laughed with no trace of pity or softness in her eyes.

She will never forgive these two. If it weren't for them, her family would still be alive and perhaps she wouldn't have died.

Charlotte knew. She knew better than anyone about her father. He was a kind father and a smart duke. He barely possessed any flaw. The only thing she could think of was her father's weak tolerance of alcohol. Her father was well aware of it as well. But they said he got drunk and did such a thing... It's ridiculous.

Her father disliked alcohol and he also couldn't drink too much of it even if he wanted to. The only reason he even went to the bar was... To accompany Lucas. Lucas was the one who invited him. Charlotte suspected that Lucas was the one who kept forcing her father to drink...

Back then he was the crown prince. Even if Eleonora's father didn't want to drink, if the crown prince offered... How could he dare to reject?

She tried to tell, but no one was even willing to listen to her. Only her mother. The duchess tried her best to persuade the nobles, but all she was met with was ridicule and mockery. After duke Vandelle was arrested, the duchess fell into despair. She felt that everything was coming to an end.

Charlotte stared at her mother with hatred and left the Empress's chambers.

**************

While strolling in the imperial garden nearby, Charlotte took a moment to revel in the pleasure of her first victory.

Not only that, this was one of the rare times where Charlotte's attendants weren't trailing behind her. She finally had time just for herself...

But she was wrong. It turns out that someone else was present.

"Your highness, this one greets you." A charming voice of a young boy sounded behind her.

Charlotte stiffened before putting on a sweet expression and turning to face the young boy. It was Felix, the playmate she met before.

Charlotte didn't receive much of an impression of him except for him being a quiet child.

"Oh, it's you. What are you doing here?" Charlotte smiles innocently.

"Waiting for my father. The princess seems to be in a good mood. I wonder how your highness could be smiling when her majesty had fainted earlier." He spoke in a gentle tone.

"...well something funny came to mind." For the first time in a while, Charlotte felt lost for words. This handsome young boy turned out to have quite the sharp tongue...

"Ahem! I'll be going now. It was nice seeing you, young master Felix. I hope we can meet again!" Charlotte cutely waved her hand and ran away.

Staring at her back, Felix slowly formed a smile. Perhaps the princess isn't as simple as he thought...

When he first met her, he merely thought she was a cute little girl. She was kind and approachable. He was relieved. it was fortunate that he didn't have to be the playmate to a dumb and bratty child.

Charlotte made a good first impression but nothing special. In Felix's eyes, she was a smart and kind girl. So it caught him off guard when such an innocent looking princess could smile so wickedly when her own mother is being criticized publicly.

*************

Charlotte tried to focus on reading but her mind kept coming back to what Felix said. He definetly saw through her act... He really is much smarter than other kids his age...

He wouldn't tell anyone, would he? Charlotte wasn't sure. It would be very troublesome if rumors that the princess was laughing and smiling happily during her mother's dilemma. The image of her being a kind and sweet princess would be ruined!

' How do I make sure he keeps his mouth shut...? Well I could kill him. The dead tell no tales after all... But that wouldn't be right. It's extremely unwise to do such a thing to a duke's son.' Charlotte paced back and forth in her room,

' I could befriend him... If I'm able to get him on my side, he surely wouldn't try to expose me... He's also the duke Quinton's heir. If he's on my side, it would be equivalent to the Quinton family on my side... Which will be very useful!'

*************

When Sasha finally woke up, she sent someone to summon Charlotte immediately.

"Lottie! Why would you trick me...?" Sasha grabbed both of Charlotte's shoulders and confronted her with sadness and distress in her eyes.

"Hic... hic... Mom, you're so scary today! I-i didn't know! I'm sorry!" Charlotte forced tears to come out while her body was trembling in fear.

Seeing this, Lucas felt both confused. "Why are you blaming Lottie?" He asked, concerned.

"It's because..."

"It's okay dad. It's my fault. I shouldn't have helped mom... Now mom is in such a state. It's all my fault!" Charlotte cried in Lucas's arms. Anyone who saw this scene wouldn't be able to blame her. She looked scared and wronged.

"Helping? You've been helping your mom?" Lucas was completely dumbfounded. Everything Sasha wrote in the past few days... She didn't even do!?

"Yeah... Sob... Mom said she was tired so I kept helping her. Don't blame mom, this was my fault..." Charlotte wailed but her heart was filled with joy and excitement.

"No.. wait! It's not..." Sasha panicked.

Lucas was angry and terribly disappointed. Charlotte wanted to see Sasha try to explain herself, but in the end Lucas told her to leave the room. Charlotte couldn't help but sigh. She wasn't able to witness the shoe after all...

Lucas and Sasha fought. It ended with Lucas leaving the Empress's chambers in frustration. Both Sasha and Lucas stubbornly refused to see each other. They were in the middle of a cold war for, until...

Charlotte peacefully sat and read in the imperial garden, surrounded by her attendants. She had quite the fun time during the three days Sasha and Lucas gave each other the cold shoulder. It's such a shame that it would end so soon...

As she was reading with a peace of mind, someone rushed in and announced something that changed everything. 

"Her Majesty the Empress is pregnant!"