[Nightmare]

—24 hours later—

"It's already spreading that quickly?" Helix sighed, "Everything went well just yesterday."

"Yes. This movement is absurd. We need to do something about it before it gets out of hand." Marie warned.

"Even the Queen won't be influenced to stand up to it if we let it grow at this rate."

"It's a tumor. I suggest chemo." Charlotte said seriously.

Marie gave Charlotte a savage gaze.

Charlotte shrugged in response.

"What should we do?" Marie asked with a serious gaze.

Helix stared at the table with a serious expression.

"We need to take an unorthodox gamble two days from now.

Please inform Macron I need an audience to discuss it.

I'm going to get Master Tilo and Elsa.

Riley, please find Atlas.

Charlotte, please come with me. You'll be my guard detail."

Helix turned to Mira.

"Mira. Please follow me; I'm taking you somewhere safe."

"W-What is going on, Mas-Sir Helix?" The young woman stuttered.

Her green eyes were trembling in fear.

"Mira, do you trust me?" Helix asked while looking her in the eyes.

"Y-Yes. I trust you with my life." She whimpered.

"You've saved me once before, and I've trusted you since."

"Then please trust me now." Helix replied in a gentle tone.

"I need to keep you safe at all costs.

I cannot explain what's happening in a way you will understand.

So I ask you to trust me."

Mira nodded with tears welling in his eyes.

Helix walked out of his room and looked at his four Knights.

"Ripply, Tok, please inform her Majesty that I'm leaving the Capital for now.

Please give her this note. I'm trusting you completely."

The two men's eyes widened in shock.

"We will follow your orders as always, Sir Helix." Ripply replied.

"But forgive me for prying. What is going on?

We cannot abandon you without just cause."

Helix nodded with a serious expression.

"I'm currently under political attack."

The four guards' eyes widened in shock.

"If the Capital rules me to be unwanted here, you will be relieved of your service to me." Helix continued.

"So doing this is in everyone's best favor for the time being.

I'm protecting you and also protecting myself.

I'm taking Catalina and Rudus for protection, so you needn't worry about foregoing your responsibilities."

Ripply nodded with a serious expression.

"We haven't known each other long." Helix continued.

"However, if things calm down, we'll have a strong relationship moving into the future.

So please trust me, and I'll do the same.

I have to go now; please take care."

"Yes, sir!" Ripply replied with a stoic expression.

"Yes, sir!" Tok followed.

The two left.

"Catalina, Rudus, you're coming with me, and we'll discuss the next steps when we get there."

"Yes, sir!" The two replied in unison.

Helix held Mira's hand, and they walked down the hall at a hurried pace.

While he wasn't concerned about himself, he [refused] to let another servant be wrapped up in an enemy attack.

If he did, he'd have to resort to violence, which would cause problems.

"Hellie. Will everything be okay?" Charlotte asked with a serious tone.

"Of course." Helix replied with a breathless chuckle.

"The second that the Capital sees a third-order beast on the horizon, let alone a Colossus, they'll beg for our help."

Charlotte listened with a serious expression.

Her gaze was sharp, scanning her surroundings.

She had a finger on the trigger.

"The only reason I'm panicked is because we need to get Mira to safety." Helix continued with a bitter expression.

Charlotte's heart felt a stabbing pain.

While Helix had spoken about Emelia's death multiple times in heart-to-heart conversations, he never talked about the [experience].

It was the hardest part he was never able to address with them.

Helix needed to be strong and protect them.

So while he was candid with Tyrene and Tilo during the beginning of their training, he hadn't spoken about it to them directly.

Now she could see the full effect of his troubles.

The way he was holding Mira's hand was heartbreaking to her.

He had known Mira for less than 24-hours, but now he was protecting her with her life.

Moreover, her story was tragic, so it weighed down on him harder than usual.

"Don't worry, Hellie. Worst case scenario, we can take her with us." Charlotte said with a serious expression.

Helix looked at her with a complicated expression.

"I'm not playing around as usual." She clarified with a serious gaze.

"The kingdom may force us to leave, but they aren't stupid enough to attack us."

Helix thought about it for a moment with a serious expression.

"That's true. Thanks, Charlotte. I'll see what Tilo has come up with and we'll make that decision when the time comes."

He was honestly considering it.

The political problems of kidnapping a servant [sent to him] weren't devastating.

His partners were walking calamities far more dangerous to the kingdom than monsters were.

So they wouldn't be pleased if he took her, but they wouldn't even consider it a major slight.

That was especially true when it came to Mira.

They sent Mira to him for emotional connection reasons, and she was [ironically] the perfect candidate for a servant.

The kingdom wouldn't miss her, and they would certainly understand the consequences of harming her.

Those that didn't understand the consequences posed the problem.

They, like Walter, would attack her without understanding the ramifications of doing so.

"Hellie. We're here to support you always." Charlotte said with a gentle voice.

"I know. When we get to safety, let's talk about my experience with Emelia." Helix chuckled breathlessly.

"Honestly. It's not just because I know what you're thinking.

I need to talk about it so that I don't snap during the next two days and act irrationally.

I should've done it long before now, but it's a hard topic."

Charlotte nodded with a serious expression.

"I'll look forward to it." She replied.

"Hellie…."

Helix stopped for a moment and turned to her.

Charlotte was rarely indecisive.

Her eyes trembled for a moment.

"What is it, Charlotte?" He asked with a tender voice.

"I… love you." She whispered.

Helix walked up and held Charlotte close.

If people showed up to attack them during their moment, he would kill them.

His partners came first—always.

"I love you too, Charlotte." He whispered.

"You don't have to worry about anything.

We're strong together."

Charlotte nodded with a breathless chuckle.

"Can we murder people if we need to?" She asked.

Helix chuckled with a warm smile.

Charlotte said murder because it was her natural personality.

"Yes, Charlotte. You come first. Always." He replied with a warm smile.

Her eyes lit up with shock.

She wasn't expecting that answer.

"Charlotte. We're not cultivators.

However, we're good people with good intentions.

If people try to kill us, I won't bat an eyelid to save you from them." Helix clarified.

"I won't blame you either. We have a pact to protect each other at all costs.

We'll live our entire lives hoping we never have to kill another person.

We'll fight for that in any situation we must.

However, I will not sacrifice my life nor any of yours for ill-meaning people."

Helix squeezed her tight, and she laughed with joy.

Charlotte was so happy that he confirmed his acceptance of killing.

She wasn't someone who thought of hurting anything.

Hitting people was never an option in her mind unless completely necessary.

But she knew she would kill [anyone or anything] that seriously threatened Helix's life again.

She didn't understand how she felt about Helix until he fought for his life during his trip to Kozen.

After that, she didn't question her feelings.

Charlotte was terrified Helix would leave her if she killed someone to save him.

Now that she had his blessing, she felt far safer and more secure than in the last two months.

Right now, she needs that.

Seeing Helix's panicked expression was a massive shock to her system, and she genuinely needed comfort.

"Let's keep moving, Charlotte." Helix requested with a gentle smile.

"The sooner we determine what we'll do with Mira, the sooner we'll get to safety."

Charlotte nodded with a joy-filled expression.

—

[A/N: The time gap provides general mystery, but there isn't another skip ahead and work backward scenario.

He successfully charmed thousands, and only 24 hours later, he's already in hot water.

Also! Charlotte showed vulnerability [once], so make sure to write your [death flag] FUD comments!

Spoiler! She won't die unless it's like... the end of the novel. I don't want to stress anyone out.

Emelia's death sucked writing, and the backlash was far more extreme than I thought it would be.

Like 70% drop rate for one scene. Like, it's a compliment that I made a character so loved that her death was an instant drop point, but it's still depressing XD

So fear not! I'm letting everyone know that I love Charlotte! She's the best ever. <3

I love these characters. Thank you so much for joining me on this incredible journey.

Happy reading, everyone!]