Chapter 98

Unable to compose herself, Charlotte gazed at her trembling eyes and thought.

"Prince Nicolai must be the one who wants to marry me to Oswald."

He completely disregarded the power disparity when Charlotte married Oswald. In fact, he believed it was for the good of the country.

"Which means, Clyde's behavior, which seems to want to separate me from Oswald, has nothing to do with Prince Nicolai. And the fact that Clyde is my husband is probably a lie..."

"......"

"Why am I, who am not married to anyone until I marry Oswald, being rejected from the blessing of marriage?"

Feeling that Oswald was listening, Charlotte verbalized her thoughts and organized them.

"Also, who is Clyde, and who gave him his orders..."

As her thoughts circled, Oswald murmured.

"I think we should delve deeper into the discomfort I felt earlier."

"Oswald-sama"

"I was wondering... Why did you call me 'Oswald'?"

"???"

Asked a natural question, Charlotte blinked.

"Oswald-sama is Oswald-sama!"

"Charlotte, in many countries, men who are not well acquainted are addressed by their family name... that is, their surname, as long as it is known."

"!"

Surprised by the unexpected information, Charlotte recalled.

(Come to think of it...)

Hedemarie, who taught Charlotte etiquette, called Oswald by his surname, 'Langheim.'

The young ladies who were her friends also called Oswald 'Lord Langheim.'

Of course, at the ball, only Ignatz called Oswald by his first name, while everyone else called him 'Duke Langheim.'

"Are only men called by their family names?"

"Yes. Men who can inherit the family name are called by their family name, while women, who have a high possibility of changing their surname, are called by their first names."

"So that's why Mr. Hedemarie is called Mr. Hedemarie, and I am called Charlotte by everyone!?"

Despite her memory loss, Charlotte retained the necessary information and knowledge to live, such as language.

However, her memories and the traditions of her country were gone, leaving her in a state of disarray.

To such a Charlotte, Oswald always explained things politely.

"When you woke up with your memory loss, you asked me my name. I answered with my first name, not my surname, because I thought you were asking to decide how to address me. I didn't realize you had lost your memory."

"Ah, I see... It seems that calling each other by surnames in a marriage is not common!"

"But, I hesitated for a moment. It's a habit to use surnames."

Charlotte remembered. The memory of clinging to Oswald and asking for his beautiful name was vivid.

"Please, at least tell me your name!!"

"Oswald...!"

"Lord Oswald!!"

Oswald's slight hesitation might have been not only due to being overwhelmed by Charlotte's enthusiasm but also due to his hesitation.

"Even though you lost your memory and didn't know about my surname, you didn't feel any discomfort calling me 'Oswald.' But..."

"?"

"Do you remember? At the first ball, you called Ignatz by his first name from the start, even though it was the first time you met him."

Charlotte's eyes widened at Oswald's words.

"Ignatz gave you his full name at the time, but you called him Ignatz without hesitation."

"Was that... a breach of etiquette!?"

"It's not a problem if the person being called doesn't mind. Most importantly, you needed to act like a villainess in that situation."

Charlotte sighed in relief and her eyes sparkled at Oswald's wonderfulness.

"You remember so well, Lord Oswald! I have confidence that I won't forget you, but I was nervous at that ball!"

"...I remember you well too."

"Huh?"

"I was jealous of Ignatz when I saw you get close to him and start calling him by his first name."

"!?"

Surprised by the unexpected confession, Charlotte stiffened. Oswald, perhaps embarrassed, cleared his throat to cover it up.

"Anyway... Charlotte, you said that even though you lost your memory, the habits you had before remained, right?"

"Ah!"

Confirmed by Oswald, she realized what he was getting at.

"In the video earlier, I called you 'Lord Oswald' instead of 'Lord Langheim'..."

"In this country, such a way of addressing someone is not used. Your country of origin is a secret, even to me, but it's likely that in your homeland, it's customary to call people by their first names, even on first meeting."

What came to Charlotte's mind was the conversation when Clyde and Oswald first met.

"‘My wife’ is my line, Lord Oswald."

"I never intended to allow you to call either Charlotte or me in such a way."

"Ah, my apologies, should I call you Lord Langheim?"

Charlotte swallowed hard.

"Lord Clyde is from the same homeland as me...?"

"Yes. And as the prince mentioned in the video earlier, the possibility is..."

The video was temporarily paused by Oswald's magic.

Charlotte recalled the words Nicolai had spoken.

"Eventually, other countries will launch a major war to take you. Your existence itself is a reason for war."

She swallowed hard again.

Then Oswald muttered with a sense of disgust.

"---Your homeland has come to reclaim the 'Holy Maiden' Charlotte."