In the distance, the horns sounded again. Compared to the previous days, a much rger force of the South Seraph army appeared on the horizon. Hughes' reinforcements had finally arrived, and he initiated the "fourth" siege.

  Belinna and her three guards had spent the past few days tirelessly persuading Charlot Mecklenburg to rescue Duke Joseph, even subtly threatening him with his parents and older brother. Yet, Charlot remained unmoved, cleverly "leaking" this information instead.

  As a result, every time Charlot appeared on the battlements with a "pained" expression while preparing for battle, he earned the admiration of the people of Silver Dove Castle. Many gazed at him with pity, believing that "Charlot had sacrificed his future, even his family, for their sake."

  The most remarkable aspect was that Charlot "never spoke of it," silently swallowing his bitter drink. This only made his image more noble and towering.

  Consequently, whenever the beautiful Belinna and her three guards appeared on the battlements, they were met with unanimous hostility from the people of Silver Dove Castle. Everyone saw them as a "pgue of disaster." Were it not for Belinna being the Duchess’ envoy, someone might have already knocked her out and delivered her to the South Seraph forces.

  No one could tolerate being abandoned during a war to face sughter from the enemy.

  Only someone as naive about the world as Belinna could think that everyone would be willing to sacrifice themselves for the Duke.

  Belinna grew increasingly anxious as she watched Charlot stand on the battlements. The West Wind Knight Order was the only force left in the Behemoth Principality, and if it was wasted defending Silver Dove Castle, there would be no chance of rescuing Duke Joseph. Remembering the Duchess’ parting words, Belinna hesitated. But as she looked towards the distant direction of Interken, she suddenly made up her mind. Approaching Charlot, she tried several times to speak, but hesitated as memories of intelligence gathered by the Duchess surfaced. This man before her had once been hunted down by the Duke himself, forced to streak naked through the streets—a notorious libertine. She could not bring herself to make the final decision.

  Biting her lip, sadness filled her heart as Belinna thought, "The Duchess said that if threatening him with his family won’t work, then the st resort is for me to sacrifice myself..."

  "Such a man..."

  "I really cannot accept this."

  "But the Duke is still waiting for reinforcements in Interken."

  Belinna wrestled with her thoughts. When she saw Charlot issuing commands and preparing for the battle, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and decred loudly, "Mr. Mecklenburg, if you are willing to abandon Silver Dove Castle and go to Interken to rescue the Duke, I am willing to go on a date with you."

  Charlot looked as though he had just heard the funniest thing in the world. He couldn’t help but gnce at this most beautiful maid of the Duchess with an expression that clearly said, "Are you out of your mind?"

  He had to admit that Belinna was a pretty girl, comparable to his ex-fiancée, Sylvie Martin. Sylvie was vibrant and lively, while Belinna was refined and elegant, having cultivated a calm and aristocratic demeanor from her long service to the Duchess.

  But... he already had a far superior and legitimate girlfriend!

  For a moment, Charlot didn’t even know how to respond. He was utterly speechless.

  The soldiers of the West Wind Knight Order erupted into ughter. Many of them frequented No. 1 Falcon Street, and most of the veteran patrol guards from the Lukavaro District were well aware that Charlot’s current girlfriend was the daughter of a Count, a dy of the Bretagne family.

  Belinna heard the ughter of the West Wind Knight Order but assumed they were cheering for Charlot's happiness. After all, as his subordinates, they should be delighted for him to gain the affection of such a beautiful young woman.

  Her three guards, however, wore expressions of grief and indignation. They had known about this matter before their departure. As Belinna’s admirers, they couldn’t accept it, but they also had no choice. Duke Joseph's safety took precedence over everything.

  They waited quietly for Charlot to accept the offer.

  They believed no one could refuse Belinna.

  They were heartbroken...

  Charlot gestured and finally said to Dolores Soumet, "You expin this."

  Dolores lowered her hand, which had been covering her mouth to stifle ughter, and suppressed the urge to burst out ughing. She asked in a low voice, "Miss Belinna, have you attended university?"

  Belinna’s face flushed, and she replied softly, "I’ve self-studied some courses from Gorgias University."

  As a maid, it was impossible for her to have attended university.

  Although she believed that, if given the chance, she would definitely have been admitted to one.

  Dolores said, "Do you know about the Twelve Goddesses of Gorgias University?"

  Mossa stepped forward and decred loudly, "If Miss Belinna had the opportunity to attend Gorgias University, she would surely become one of the Twelve Goddesses."

  Dolores smiled faintly. "I believe so too."

  Though she said so, Dolores didn’t actually believe it. The Twelve Goddesses of Gorgias University were always the most outstanding female students. As the Laurel Goddess herself, Dolores didn’t think this Miss Belinna, apart from barely qualifying in appearance, could compare in family background, elegance, schorship, achievements, or the extraordinary path required to match the Goddesses of Gorgias University.

  The Laurel Goddess added, "Charlot has a girlfriend—Miss Annie Bretagne, the West Wind Goddess of Gorgias University. That’s why his knight order is called the West Wind Knight Order."

  Belinna’s face turned deathly pale. After a long while, she muttered, "How could he win the favor of the Bretagne family’s dy?"

  "That’s impossible!"

  Charlot shrugged helplessly and answered, "You know, sometimes the Serpent of Fate pys tricks on mortals."

  "Those who endure its jokes sometimes receive rewards."

  "I don’t know why, but it bestowed Annie upon me."

  "Praise the Nine Just Gods, praise the Lady of the Bck Moon, and praise the Serpent of Fate!"

  Belinna’s face grew even paler. She said, "I don’t believe it!"

  Charlot took out his Firequell Silver Rhino pistol, turned the grip towards her, and said, "This is a gift from Annie before I departed for the front lines. It’s from the Bretagne Count’s private collection and cannot be faked."

  Belinna covered her face with her hands and fled in despair, her three guards quickly following to comfort the distraught maid.

  A maid of the Duchess indeed had a status above that of an ordinary noble, but she could never compare to an official Count’s daughter.

  Belinna simply couldn’t understand why someone like Charlot, a notorious rogue, could win the favor of Miss Bretagne. Nor could she understand why the "trump card" she and the Duchess had devised turned into self-humiliation.

  How could Charlot, who had a Count’s daughter as his girlfriend, accept the affections of a mere maid? Even if she served Duke Joseph’s wife!

  Dolores watched them vanish from sight and asked, "Does boasting about having a Count’s daughter as your girlfriend feel particurly satisfying?"

  Charlot responded solemnly, "A man with a grand vision would only use such a retionship to motivate himself, not to show off."

  "If Miss Belinna’s proposal weren’t so... outrageous, I wouldn’t have sought your help in refusing her."

  "My loyalty to Miss Annie Bretagne will surely be acknowledged by the Lady of the Bck Moon."

  Charlot spoke with righteous conviction, though even he wasn’t entirely convinced by his lofty words. Suddenly, crisp appuse rang out, and for a moment, he thought someone was mocking him.

  The next second, his expression changed drastically.

  An enemy?