Representative of the Goddesses 339

## Chapter 339 – Academy Arc (112) – Archmage Scarlet (34)

340. Academy Arc (112) – Archmage Scarlet (34)

The mansion in the capital, Scarlet’s study.

“Hmm……”

She was sitting at her desk alone for the first time in a while, idly twirling a quill over a book. But she couldn’t concentrate, so she put it down.

And quietly fell into contemplation.

Scarlet had begun to notice Charlotte more and more.

She had told her that since her potential was outstanding, she would provide her with intensive education in the capital, but even after saying that, her daughter wouldn’t stay still. Just a few days ago, Raul had refused to make time with a wary expression, saying he had other business that day, and it was obvious that Charlotte had pressured him to refuse.

Such incidents weren’t isolated, but were accumulating.

Of course, she would feel wronged since her pie was being taken away… but regardless, it was extremely irritating.

She thought of her own sweet romance and feelings of love.
But her daughter only prioritized her own desires… her lust.

That’s why Raul would want to stick to her like this.

Of course, even if she was irritated, she shouldn’t misunderstand. Scarlet basically cherished Charlotte. When she met her daughter after a long time, she had hugged her tightly, showing her joy, completely abandoning her usual cold demeanor.

On the contrary, at that time, she had thought of Raul as ‘trash 1 sticking to her daughter,’ and had even used magic to lift him into the air and then slam him into a wall.

But now, if she was bothered by her relationship with her daughter…?

What action should she take?

Confess to Raul that she knows about his sexual relationship with her daughter?
Tell him to stop with her daughter and only love her?
Should she do something like that?

But……

‘……Who am I to say?’

This wasn’t about social status.

What if the love Raul imagined was different from her love?

Frankly, she didn’t want her relationship with Raul to end as a mere fling.

No, it absolutely couldn’t.

Should she kick Amar out of the family head position, or even out of the family entirely, and take the position of Countess? That way, she could always have him by her side and secretly treat him as her husband. And then, as time passed, she could subtly……

No, she had to think about the problem before that.

Even if she did all that, even if she confessed her feelings to Raul……

What if Raul showed a face that said, ‘Uh……’?

What if the keywords ‘marriage’ and ‘husband’ were just her being dramatic, and Raul just saw her as ‘someone he likes a lot but is just enjoying the relationship with’?

He hadn’t actually said anything about getting married yet.
He hadn’t said anything about running away together either.

No, of course, she knew that such imaginings were absurdly greedy, but that was just what she meant.

Even if she had the youthful body and appearance of a 20-year-old… in the end, it was just the exterior, and it wouldn’t change her essence, would it? No matter how much Raul praised her as cute and pretty. After all, if an old woman like her, with such an age gap, talked about marriage…

If he suddenly made even a slightly ambiguous expression, she wouldn’t be able to stand it.

“Haa……”

Scarlet let out a deep sigh.

Paradoxically, being happy at this moment was what she feared.

Scarlet quietly fell into contemplation about what she should do in the future.

…………

Phillips Academy, in front of the fountain in the main building.

Charlotte was surrounded by her followers, chatting with them.

Most of them were fellow mages of her age.

Even after the semester ended, quite a few people didn’t return to their families from Phillips Academy. This was because the system was well-organized, with supplementary credits to fill and additional activity curriculums created for those who were interested. It felt like about 30-40% of the usual bustling academy atmosphere was gone.

Most mages led promiscuous lives. If it were the old Charlotte, she would have been subtly intimidated by that psychological distance, but not anymore. If she had to pick one person who had enjoyed the most promiscuous time here, it would undoubtedly be Charlotte.

Not hardcore, but she had enjoyed the most intense and sticky… that kind of perverted sex.

Charlotte now had a psychological ease as a woman. The mages also felt that her atmosphere had changed quite a bit. They didn’t show it outwardly, but they wondered if she was secretly dating someone? Was it that swordsmanship department boy? Or a third party they didn’t know? It was an interesting topic, but since she didn’t seem to want to talk about it, her followers decided to ignore it.

Charlotte was leading the group’s conversation.

“Come to think of it, that woman hasn’t been seen at the academy lately.”

Charlotte was talking about Ferris.

Silver long hair and a sculpted, beautiful face.
Cold and charismatic eyes.

Ferris of the Bourbon County.

“She moves so quietly. Maybe no one knows where she is.”
“Maybe she went back to her family’s estate, Miss?”

Charlotte snorted at that.

“Hmph…! That’s likely. That ‘Count’ is probably plotting some sinister plan again…. I remember how she openly tried to encroach on our family’s sphere of influence around this time last year. I don’t know where her confidence comes from.”

“Hehe, Miss. Aren’t you giving that woman too much credit? Count, you say. She hasn’t officially inherited the title yet, has she? Oh, maybe not. Maybe her husband will get everything. Though I don’t know who would have the guts to marry that iron woman.”

“……”

Charlotte glanced at the follower who had made the comment. The fact that it was a man who had agreed with her made her feel uneasy for some reason.

“I know what you mean, but… you don’t think it’s right that a woman can’t inherit even a shred of power just because she’s a woman, do you?”

The man was flustered by the sudden glare and tried to fix his words. He had gotten carried away and made a snide remark, and now he wondered if he had upset Charlotte.

“That’s not what I meant. But, as you know, Lady Ferris is from Liapol. That’s the law there in the first place. I think it’s a bit too harsh, but from your perspective, wouldn’t it be beneficial if she lost her power?”
“Hmm. I was just asking in case. Don’t worry about it too much.”

Charlotte quietly fell into thought.

She was a bit softer now, but usually, she had always clashed and confronted Ferris, seeing her as a strong rival.

She had been through a lot of frustrating things, and she had been grinding her teeth quite a bit.

…But to be honest. Okay, if she conceded a lot, that woman might be a little, just a little bit smarter than her. Of course, she couldn’t use magic properly, and she didn’t have the swordsmanship skills to become a Sword Master… but that woman had other abilities.

That would be her drive, her initiative… wouldn’t it?

Well, she just had to focus on her family’s affairs. The Allton family, with an Archmage, was a huge wall, so if they didn’t get sucked into the pace of Ferris’s actions and kept their own pace, they could definitely handle her. They could emphasize political harmony and be fully prepared for any schemes.

She knew that woman was in a pitiful situation… but she could never allow her to sink her teeth into her family.

“Well, anyway… ah.”

That was the end of the conversation about Ferris.

Charlotte, who had just remembered something she had forgotten, looked around at the mages and opened her lips.

“By the way, has a new mage academic exchange meeting been created in the capital? Or has the location changed?”

“An academic exchange meeting… I haven’t heard of anything like that.”
“Same here. I usually keep up with news from the capital, but I’ve never heard of it.”
“Miss, did you hear something?”

“No, I think I heard it as a rumor somewhere. Think about it carefully. Like, for example, Bellingham… you know, that outer area of the capital? It’s a large area, so it’s good for magic experiments, and there might be an exchange meeting there, right?”
“Hmm, I don’t think I’ve heard of it.”

‘Is it a place used for another purpose?’

There was no reason to ask her mother about this. Her mother was never one to do things carelessly. It was highly likely that something political was involved and they were keeping it quiet.

As she was organizing her thoughts, her followers were giggling and whispering among themselves.

“What are you talking about?”
“Oh, it’s just that when you mentioned Bellingham, Miss… isn’t that a paradise for the wealthy?”
“Was it? I’m not interested in such things…”
“Really? Really?”
“Really. So, it’s a paradise for the wealthy?”

“Yes. Because the scenery is beautiful. They spend huge sums of money to build luxurious mansions or villas and live lavishly there. They basically forbid outsiders from approaching, so we don’t know what they do… hehe, it’s probably beyond our imagination?”
“Bellingham is so large that even the wealthy don’t come into contact with each other. So, there’s no one nearby. That means there’s no need to worry about people’s eyes, so if it were me…”
“Oh my, you need to shut your mouth.”

Her followers were giggling and chatting.

‘Ah…?’

Hearing the story, Charlotte felt like lightning had struck her head.

Her mother, who said she would intensively educate Raul after seeing his potential.

Was she really going to the capital to visit the magic library?

Bellingham… a paradise for the wealthy? No one watching?

‘No way. What ridiculous thoughts… even so, my mother would never……’

She couldn’t imagine it at all.

The situation of something happening between her cold-hearted mother and Raul. She still remembered how her mother had been furious at Raul when they first met. And even recently, when the three of them were studying together at her mansion, she felt that her mother was definitely keeping a certain distance from Raul.

No, it’s impossible.

“…………………”

It was impossible, but…

Charlotte began to feel a sense of unease in her heart.