DSMBL Chapter 42

Chapter 042

Luna marched forward like a warrior, holding a piece of paper with the details of the Duchess’s budget.

Charlotte had changed.

In the past, she would have stormed off and grabbed the nanny by the hair. But now, she just laughed it off like everything was fine.

And before, Luna wouldn’t have cared what happened to Charlotte. She might have even thought she deserved it.

But things were different now. Just as Charlotte had changed, so had Luna.

Luna was now willing to fight for Charlotte.

That’s why she stormed into Cassius’s office, full of anger. 

After hearing her out, Cassius asked in a low voice,

“Charlotte said she’s fine with this?”

“Yes! She said that if we wait a little longer, Your Grace will take care of it. She said you must have a reason for allowing this! But I came to ask if this is really what you wanted!”

Luna was sure it wasn’t. 

Lately, Cassius and Charlotte had been getting along better than ever.

They didn’t fight, and they didn’t hate each other anymore. 

There was finally a warm atmosphere in Isteria.

And yet, that nanny dared to cross the line?

Luna trembled with rage. This wasn’t something to overlook.

“The nanny has overstepped,” Cassius said.

“Exactly, Your Grace!” Luna raised her voice.

“And so have you.”

Luna flinched at his words. Cassius sighed.

“If Charlotte said she was fine and wanted to let it go, then you should have respected that.”

Luna swallowed hard.

“…Yes, Your Grace.”

“But you ignored her wishes and acted on your own. Why?”

“Because I felt like the Duchess was being treated unfairly…”

“When did you start caring so much about Charlotte?”

Luna had no response to that. She pressed her lips together.

Cassius rubbed his temples. He was speaking to Luna, but in truth, he was questioning himself.

When did he start caring about Charlotte so much? Why did this make him so angry?

“Was it a mistake to give the nanny so much power?”

He had done it to keep an eye on her, but maybe it had hurt Charlotte more than he realized.

Cassius let out a deep sigh.

Things that never used to bother him were now weighing on his mind.

“…I apologize, Your Grace,” Luna said.

“It’s fine. Leave now. I’ll take care of this.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Luna bowed and left the room.

Cassius clicked his tongue.

He should be pleased. Now, he could track where the nanny was diverting the money.

But instead, he felt irritated.

His thoughts and emotions were harder to control than ever before.

“Damn it,” Cassius muttered, closing his eyes.

He had always thought of himself as a rational person, but lately, he felt like he was becoming more emotional.

Especially when it came to Charlotte.

He sighed again.

Maybe going to the training grounds would clear his head.

***

Cassius blinked.

Had he been thinking about Charlotte too much?

Because even in the training grounds—she was everywhere.

Maybe he was seeing things. He rubbed his eyes.

But no, Charlotte was still standing there.

“Charlotte?”

This was not a place she belonged.

Before, she wouldn’t have stepped into the training grounds for fear of getting dust on her shoes.

Hearing her name, Charlotte turned toward him.

Her face lit up with a bright smile.

“Cassius!”

Lately, he had noticed something new about Charlotte.

She smiled a lot.

As Cassius stood there, dazed, Charlotte walked up to him.

“I was just talking about Theo,” she said.

“Theo?”

Charlotte nodded.

“He suddenly decided he wanted to learn sword fighting today. Who knows what’s gotten into him.”

She shrugged, her face full of amusement.

“He keeps wanting to try new things. Were you like that when you were young?”

“I don’t remember,” Cassius replied flatly.

But Charlotte didn’t seem to notice his cold tone.

She just kept talking cheerfully.

“Then maybe you can start remembering now.”

“What?”

“Theo said he wants to learn from you. If you have time, could you train him?”

Cassius let out a small laugh.

Charlotte didn’t even consider that he might say no.

“Good luck, Cassius,” she said, tilting her chin up proudly. “Theo said he wants to be a knight like you. You should feel honored.”

Cassius couldn’t help but smile.

Why did she make him feel this way?

She made him laugh, made him do things he wouldn’t have done before, and made him think about her all the time.

He had noticed these feelings growing over the past few days, but he never expected them to get this strong.

“I see,” he said.

“So I can tell Theo you’ll teach him?”

“Of course.”

After all, Charlotte would be there.

And if she was there, Cassius would make time—no matter what.

***

At the training grounds

“Theo. That’s not how you hold the sword. Your stance must never waver. How many times do I have to tell you?” Cassius said sternly.

Theo froze under Cassius’s sharp gaze.

Cassius sighed, watching him struggle.

There was no doubt that Cassius was an excellent knight.

He had become a Swordmaster at a young age and was now the strongest warrior in the land.

With the power of a romance novel’s male lead, he was overpowered in every way.

But teaching? That was another matter.

Theo’s eyes started welling up with tears, but Cassius only kept pushing him harder.

“Sigh…“

So talent and teaching really were different skills.

“Alright, that’s enough,” Charlotte interrupted, stepping between them.

Stephanie was napping in her room, which meant she was the only one who could stop this.

Theo ran straight into her arms, sniffling.

Cassius tilted his head.

“Charlotte, what exactly are you doing?”

“I was teaching Theo just as he wanted.”

“From what I saw, you were just yelling at him.”

“That’s how everyone learns, Charlotte. I don’t understand why Theo can’t grasp something this simple.”

Seriously? So arrogant.

I could feel Theo flinch.

“Theo is different from you. You might have the perfect brain and muscles for sword fighting, but he doesn’t. He needs to be taught more gently.”

“I was gentle. I corrected his stance multiple times with patience.”

“Not like that! I mean emotionally!”

Frustration crept into my voice.

Theo sniffled.

I patted his back as he clung to my dress.

How could someone be so logical and cold? I should’ve known from the way he only cared about practicality when discussing birthday gifts.

“You can’t coddle him like this. He won’t grow strong that way.”

“Yelling at him won’t make him strong either. I believe he needs a teaching style that suits him.”

As I argued with Cassius, a sudden realization hit me.

What am I even doing?

This feels like parents fighting over how to raise their child!

Ridiculous.

I shook my head. Instead of arguing, I needed to make a rational decision.

“You’re fired, Cassius. I’ll hire another sword instructor for Theo!”