"Charlize!"
The hard, calculating look vanished from my grandfather’s face. A wide smile took its place, and then he burst into a fit of booming laughter.
"Hahaha! You really have grown up, haven't you? Yes, with that level of cunning..." He stroked his beard, looking genuinely impressed. "Combined with that bastard's status, the Altsbeit authority will last forever. It seems blood doesn't lie. You really do have my blood in your veins."
Seeing him so proud of my supposed "scam" was nauseating, but I just smiled and nodded. I wanted to get out of there as fast as humanly possible.
As I reached for the doorknob to leave, his voice drifted from behind me.
"When that interest money starts coming in, make sure you show it to me."
Those words felt like a death sentence. I broke into a cold sweat as I stepped out and pulled the door shut.
* * *
'I’m dead. I’m actually dead!'
I stumbled back to my room, collapsing onto the sofa and covering my face before the maids could even open their mouths.
"Everyone out. Now!"
They scrambled away, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I lay down on the sofa, staring at the ceiling.
'What was I supposed to do?'
I remembered the faces of the people in the Lemut territory. The groans of the injured, the children covered in bandages... I couldn't just stand by and do nothing. But helping them meant spending money—money that my grandfather expected to see a return on.
The moment he realized I was spending our resources for free, it would all be over. He’d break the engagement, and I’d be dead within the hour.
'Does Charlize have any secret stashes? Any hidden bank accounts?'
Not likely. The original Charlize was a spendthrift. She used her wealth to buy status and fame, acting like a celebrity in the social circles. None of that helped me now.
I was in the middle of a full-blown panic when the space in front of me suddenly shimmered. I’d seen this once before.
A figure stepped out of the black void.
"Princess!"
It was Noah. The secondary male lead and the assistant to my older brother, the Emperor. He knelt before me, his expression more urgent than I’d ever seen it.
"I am terribly sorry for intruding like this, but it’s an emergency. I had to find you."
"Wait, how did you just... appear?" I muttered, still stunned.
"I’ll explain later. Please, you have to come with me."
"Why? What's happened?"
Noah bit his lip, his dark eyes flashing with concern. "His Majesty... he’s running wild again."
The words were enough to make me move.
* * *
"Please, just bear with me for a moment. This is faster."
I was currently being carried through the Imperial Palace in Noah’s arms. He was right—it was much faster than walking. We arrived at the audience hall in record time.
'Why am I even doing this? I have my own problems to deal with!' I thought. But Noah had said people were going to die, and apparently, I was the only one who could stop it.
"I really didn't think you’d come," Noah whispered. "Thank you. Truly."
I barely heard him. I was too busy staring at the disaster inside the hall. The massive meeting table was split down the middle, and the floor was covered in shattered glass.
And in the center of the mess was my brother, Loxdian.
He was holding a sword, and it was pointed directly at one of his own subordinates.
'Oh god, not again!'
I grabbed the necklace around my neck. "Mama!"
A soft, golden light pulsed from the gem. It stretched out like a thread, connecting me to Loxdian. He turned, his eyes wild and predatory, and looked straight at me.
"..."
I held my breath, my heart pounding against my ribs.
*Clang.*
The sword hit the floor.
"Sister?"
I blinked, and in the next second, Loxdian was standing right in front of me. The terrifying tyrant with the red eyes was gone, replaced by a man with a soft, adoring expression.
"Liz! Did you come to see your brother?"
"Ugh... that gave me actual goosebumps," I muttered.
"Goosebumps? Oh, Liz, that makes me so sad."
It was a jarring transformation. One second he was ready to commit murder, and the next he was acting like a doting older brother from a children's story. I knew I was the one who had caused the change, but I still wasn't used to it.
"Thank you for coming. Are you here to help?"
"Is that man... is he alive?" I asked, pointing to the subordinate on the floor.
"Hmm? Oh, yes. He’s fine. He didn't die." He said it so casually it made my skin crawl. "I wouldn't do anything my Liz doesn't like. Unless... do you want me to kill him for you?"
"No! No, definitely not!"
Loxdian’s expression was incredibly soft, full of an affection that felt entirely out of place on his fierce face. "I'll do anything my Liz wants."
He gave me a smile that, for a split second, reminded me of my real brother from my past life. My heart ached.
Then, just as quickly, his expression soured. "Ugh... god. I feel like I'm going to puke."
The spell had broken. Loxdian was back to his original, grumpy self. He wiped his face and let out a long, disgusted sigh.
"I want to die. Seriously."
"You want to die? I'm the one who had to watch that!"
"You? You have no idea." He fixed his ponytail, his gaze returning to its usual wild state. "Is this really the only way?"
"How should I know?" I asked. I was genuinely curious why I was the only one who could calm his madness, and why it resulted in him becoming a doting fanboy every time.
I looked past him to the subordinate, who had luckily fainted.
"Your Majesty! Are you alright?" Noah stepped forward.
Loxdian gave him a murderous look. "You. Why did you bring her here?"
"Well... there was no other way..." Noah stammered.
"Ugh... fine. Whatever." Loxdian ruffled his hair and muttered a string of insults under his breath.
Noah turned to me. "Princess, are you okay?"
"As you can see," I said. I wasn't in any danger. As long as I had the necklace and could shout "Mama," I was safe from him.
I’d seen it twice now. It was like he had a split personality, and the "affectionate brother" side would never dream of hurting me.
"Can't you... stay a little longer?" Noah asked.
"What?"
"I mean—never mind."
I quickly looked away. The subordinate on the floor began to stir. I wondered if he’d remember his Emperor turning into a "charming person," but he looked too terrified to remember anything.
"I-I remember the Princess! You... you saved me!" he gasped, looking at me with pure gratitude.
He was one of Loxdian’s elite knights. I gave him a small, mysterious smile. 'Yes, I did save you. Make sure you remember that when I need a favor later.'
The knight’s face turned bright red. Even in a crisis, Charlize’s beauty was a powerful weapon.
"Fine, get out of here," Loxdian growled.
"Yes! Yes, Your Majesty!" The knight scrambled away, his loyalty seemingly doubled despite the near-death experience.