Chapter 4

"Stay still, I warned you. ...Why did you use divine power?"

(Maybe the light that came out of the diary is divine power?)

Ozvalt still held Charlotte's arm, which was bound by ice.

I realize that depending on my answer, I might really be killed.

But maybe that can't be helped.

What comes to mind is the scene I saw in the vision just now.

"Lord Ozvalt, have I been using the power of the Holy Maiden to behave wickedly all this time?"

"…What are you talking about now?"

Ozvalt's voice was laced with quiet, deep disgust.

(Then... the scene I saw just now is a record of something that actually happened?)

And the past Charlotte confronted him.

(No doubt, Lord Ozvalt must be a powerful magician...)

The room was instantly frozen, which was undoubtedly Ozvalt's power.

Moreover, he used remote magic from a distance.

(If I am a 'rare Holy Maiden' and the scene I saw is true, then I must be a very dangerous being. Lord Ozvalt might be the only one who can deal with someone like me...)

That's why I was made to marry him as a monitor, perhaps.

(Holy Maidens are of high status. The only one who can manage such a marriage... could it be the king or someone close to him?)

"...Hey?"

(If that's the case, Lord Ozvalt must be a magician serving the country, or a noble close to the royal family... Ah, ahh!!)

Just as my thoughts began to coalesce, Charlotte reached her limit.

"L-Lord Ozvalt's face is so handsome...!!"

"---Huh?"

With his well-shaped eyebrows, narrow eyes, and long lashes, the stern look he gave Charlotte could also be described as melancholic and sexy.

Looking at his perfectly chiseled face up close made her head spin.

"I'm sorry, Lord Ozvalt, please step back a little...! If that's not possible, then just come a little closer! Closer, closer, closer, closer!"

"Stop it, what are you saying...!?"

While saying this, he released Charlotte's hand and took a step back. I sighed in relief, but it was also a bit lonely.

Ozvalt, after staring at Charlotte for a while, said with a wary tone.

"...You seem to have pretended to repent and acted like a meek girl before."

(The past me... seems to have been involved in all sorts of wicked deeds.)

I must have done some truly terrible things.

Even just the scene I saw earlier, many people were crying. They feared and hated Charlotte, but had no choice but to cling to her to save their loved ones.

"..."

Charlotte laughed while enjoying their pain.

(Lord Ozvalt doesn't know that I have no memory of the past...)

If I told him, would he believe me and stop looking at me with those cold eyes?

I chuckled at the thought.

Ozvalt frowned in disgust but said nothing.

"I'm sorry, Lord Ozvalt."

Charlotte apologized politely.

"I'm still not used to living without using divine power."

"…?"

In truth, no matter where I searched in my memory, I couldn't remember how to use divine power.

But I decided not to say that.

(Even with amnesia, I am the one who committed those evil deeds. I can't excuse myself by saying 'I don't remember' and avoid responsibility.)

She closed her eyes and crossed her index fingers in front of her lips.

(Creating secrets from my husband might make me a bad wife, but...)

She decided and looked at Ozvalt with a faint smile.

(I'll be a bad wife. I'll keep the fact that I lost my memory a secret.)

At that moment, it seemed Ozvalt's eyes widened slightly.

Only Charlotte can bear the burden of her sins.

Whether she remembers or not, that should never waver. If Ozvalt, who promised to fulfill his duties as a husband, can take responsibility, then Charlotte should also take responsibility.

"Are you going to work after this, Lord Ozvalt?"

"…Even if you try to escape my surveillance by knowing my schedule, it's useless. The king has ordered me to prioritize dealing with you."

As expected, this marriage seems to be the king's will.

But I nodded as if to say, "Of course I knew that."

"Then, I'll be good while you're at work. I'll be a very good girl. As a good wife. I promise to be the best housewife!"

"Your emphasis makes me more suspicious."

"Then, please give me any tasks you think I can help with while you're away."

As she said this, Ozvalt gave her a sharp look.

"What are you planning?"

"Ugh...!! Your angry face is so handsome...!"

"Hey, listen to me."

As she trembled, moved by his beauty, she also started to feel really cold.

"Ah-choo!!"

When Charlotte sneezed, Ozvalt frowned. She felt embarrassed for showing such an unladylike moment.

Why was she so cold? Of course, the room was frozen, her wrists were bound by ice, and she was only wearing a thin nightgown.

Ozvalt seemed to notice this at the same time.

"...Damn."

After a hateful sigh, he took off his coat.

Then, he draped the blue coat over Charlotte's shoulders.

While she was still wide-eyed, he chanted a small spell, and the ice disappeared.

"...It's warm..."

She pulled the coat closer, smiling happily.

"Thank you, Lord Ozvalt."

"If your physical strength decreases, your divine power might go out of control, and who knows what might happen."

"Ah...!! Your reasonable thinking is also so handsome...!!"

As she whispered, he gave her a look of disbelief. But that was also good.

"I'm leaving. ---Understand? Be very, very still."

(He said it so emphatically...)

It felt like he was drilling it into me, which made my heart flutter. This time, instead of using the door, Ozvalt stepped into a magic circle that appeared.

"Have a good day, my lord."

She waved at his disappearing back.

"...Ah, 'my lord'! What a troublesome sound...!!"

Hugging the hem of the coat, she danced around the room in joy. She remembered the diary after circling the room three times.

She picked up the diary that had fallen on the floor and dusted it off.

The pages after the first page were still stuck and wouldn't move.

And on the first page, there was a portrait of Ozvalt, with a single word written in small letters:

---'Enemy.'

"..."

Charlotte started looking for a pen in the room to confirm if this was her handwriting.

***

Other stories by the same author are also being serialized.

◆ 'The Villainess in the 7th Loop Enjoys a Free and Easy Bride Life in the Former Enemy Country'

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n1784ga/

◆ 'The Persecuted Exiled Princess Was Reincarnated as the Legendary Witch'

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n6393gw/