Even as he stepped down from the steps that raised the throne area above the hall, stepping down from Garon's side, Leo's eyes scanned the ballroom, trying to check if Charlotte was alright.
"Are you alright, brother?" Xander asked, sensing something was wrong, that Leo was a bit absent.
"I'm fine," Leo said. "Just... I left Charlotte alone, and I can't help but worry."
You don't even know if this is what Lord Leo really feels. Leo hears Charlotte's words again in his head, words he heard when he'd been behind the curtain, listening to their exchange. He didn't expect Charlotte to get a word in, to even say anything, to speak up for him...
But she did, and it felt so... good. So impressive.
"We both know she's not a delicate flower," Xander said. "There's nothing to worry about. Whether it's a few questions or an armed assassin, I doubt she'd have a hard time with either."
"Well, of course I have faith in her capabilities, it's just that..."
He was a little too impressed, maybe, that he ended up kissing her.
What the hell did I just do?
Xander had seen all the emotion that crossed Leo's face-the look of worry, self-loathing, and regret. "...Did something happen?"
"O-Of course not. Nothing of the sort," Leo said, fidgeting with his vest.
Xander crossed his arms. "Clearly, something did-"
But before Xander could ask him, there was a noise from the castle kitchen, a shriek so loud that it carried all the way to the ballroom. "That... would likely be Peri," Xander said, shaking his head. "I'll need to keep her in check. Tell me about this later, alright?"
They finished with their fancy cheers, Charlotte noted, when she'd heard the noise from the ballroom die down a bit. She knew by then that maybe Leo would be done from having to appear beside his father, probably scrambling to find her again, while being blocked by guests time and time again as he tried.
A prince, scrambling to look for me? Oh, I've really come so far.
She chuckled in amusement, to herself. And then she quickly turned around, sensing a presence approaching her. Her hand flew to her side out of instinct, reaching for a weapon that was not there.
To her surprise, it was the king's advisor, Iago. He stared at Charlotte critically, impressed at how she sensed him. This was no ordinary woman, and he was starting to see it now. "At peace, milady," he said, almost cooing at her. "I don't mean any harm."
The tension in Charlotte's face melted away, slowly replaced by a big, warm smile. "Of course. I apologize-I was just a bit startled, that's all!"
"No, no, it's me who should apologize for startling you," Iago said, trying to sound like the gentleman. "What are you doing here, milady, all by yourself? Such a shame that Lord Leo would leave you on your own." Iago said.
"He had a few things he had to take care of, that's all," Charlotte said. "I'd rather not get in the way of his duties."
"Is that so? Isn't it a bit uncanny he wouldn't go so far as to introduce you to His Majesty?"
The kind facade was completely off now-there was a snark in Iago's tone and grin as he asked that, and Charlotte sensed it.
"Hmm?" Charlotte smiled back sweetly. "Uncanny, how? I don't find anything uncanny about that."
But Charlotte knew exactly what he was trying to say: You don't matter enough to introduce to the king.
"Let's not beat around the bush," Iago said, stepping closer to Charlotte, and then whispering to her, almost conspiratorially, "How much does Prince Leo pay to keep you, hmm?"
"...Excuse me?" Charlotte backs away from him, from his unwanted invasion of her space. She pouted her lips dangerously, already guessing where this conversation was going at.
"Come now, don't be coy," he said. "A woman like you... and you came out of nowhere, too. Prince Leo is young and has close to no experience or interest in women. Absolutely no one here knows were you come from or about your background. It's all starting to make sense."
He put a hand onto her shoulder, laid bare by her dress, and Charlotte almost felt his nails scratch against her skin. She smiled-a smile trying to hide her snarl-as she stepped back, brushing his hand away.
"Please don't touch me," she said.
"I can give you money," he offered.
Ah, I knew it was going to go this way, Charlotte thought. She'd been hit on by countless men, she almost always already knew their next move. So easy. She smiled up at him, her eyes almost sparkling with interest. "How much money?"
"Much more than however much the prince gives you," he said. "While I'm no royalty, I'm connected directly to His Majesty..."
"That's hardly an answer," Charlotte said. "How much money?" she asked again.
Leo stood behind a column, frozen to the spot as he watched his old mentor make advances on Charlotte. He heard her demand money-even he didn't expect her to be that forward. There was a playful grin on her face as Iago offered her a small money pouch, and she'd graciously accepted it.
...Of course, Leo thought. No matter what else she did tonight, her personal goals were always there-to marry a rich man and get her sweet, sweet money. It only made sense for her to keep her options open. All he did was invite her to a party-that was all. No money was even ever exchanged. She was her own woman, with her own goals to further apart from his. To be seeing it as plain as day, like this...
It hurts.
She took the purse, opening it to examine the contents inside. She looked back up at Iago sweetly-that same look and bat of her eyelashes that she gave Leo when she flattered and flirtered with him. It felt like such a betrayal, seeing her look at someone else that way.
"Oh, I can have this? How generous of you!" Charlotte giggled, playfully shoving the man on his shoulder.
From his location, Leo winced and closed his eyes, the sight getting a bit too unbearable to watch. Well, I certainly didn't expect her to be won over that easily-
Until he heard her heels stomping on the floor, towards the balcony window, and in one quick motion threw all of Iago's money out of it.
Iago was stunned. "You...What?!"
"You pig!" Charlotte yelled at him, now not bothering to conceal her annoyance. "You really think I'll accept such a crude offer? Go fuck yourself, and to hell with your gold!"
Leo blinked a few times, stunned. Iago looked completely aghast-he must have handed her quite the sum-and there was Charlotte, looking not like the sweet little thing she liked to act as, but more like the maiden in the battlefield, ready to destroy everything that crossed her path.
Leo put a hand to his mouth, trying to stop himself from laughing.
"Did you just...?! You're mad! Do you think you can get away with doing this to me?!"
Iago grabbed her by the shoulders, and Charlotte looked up at him sharply. "I told you not to touch me," she said. "If you stop this now and walk away, I'll be gracious and not tell Lord Leo what you've done..."
"Hah, you really think Prince Leo will keep you? He'll toss you away like a dirty rag once he's through, the way King Garon does all his whores. You'll end up a washed up old hag like they all do."
Charlotte was taken a back, gleaning a morsel of truth from what the man said. Leo simply wanted a one-time arrangement with a singular goal in mind-a goal she'd already somewhat fulfilled. After this, there was nothing, she'd return to being a soldier in his army-nothing more. What was the point of displaying loyalty to him, then?
The Charlotte she knew would take the chance to find other options-Leo was unattainable, too high a goal to reach.
But standing up for him-a prince she thought most misunderstood by everyone around him-seemed like the most natural thing to do.
...That and Lord Leo is like, definitely more handsome than this scumbag here, oh, most definitely.
She broke into a grin, one that set Iago back. "Oh my!" she exclaimed, as if in complete shock, "Advisor Iago, how could you say such a thing about our beloved King? Tsk, tsk, I'm pretty sure that's slanderous..."
"Tch. You have no witness," he said, trying to brush off her threat. "There's no way anyone would believe the words of a whore who turned up out of nowhere."
"Is there anything going on here?" Leo finally broke their conversation, finding a good time to come out of hiding and reveal himself. He paused in his step, pointedly staring at Iago's hands, holding tightly onto Charlotte's shoulders.
"P-Prince Leo," Iago quickly scrambled away from Charlotte. "How long have you..."
"Lord Leo!" Charlotte rushed to Leo's side, quickly clinging to him. "He... that creep!" She was sobbing now, breaking into tears. "The rude things he's said to me..."
...That was quick, Leo noted, impressed, feeling his sleeve get wet with tears as Charlotte proceeded to hide behind him, pressing her crying face against his arm. He worried for a moment that Iago may have gotten under her skin and truly frightened her-but this was Charlotte, and those tears were most likely fake.
He gently patted her hair, as if trying to comfort her. Those damned acting skills were solid. Iago was shocked. A crying woman certainly made him look far worse.
Leo looked at Iago expectantly. "Do you have any explanation for this?"
"Well, I..."
"He—He made indecent assumptions about me!" Charlotte cut in beefore Iago could get a word out, knowing that getting the first word in was always an advantage. "He asked if Lord Leo was giving me money or anything of the sort and offered me some... sniff... What kind of woman does Lord Iago take me for?"
...Exactly the type of woman everyone else thinks you are, most likely, Leo thought to himself. "Is this true?" he asked Iago, wondering if the older man would deny this or not.
"I can explain!" Iago said, "I simply had my hesitations about her as I've never seen her before, and you're not known to invite women... I was only testing her to see if she would reveal her true colors-!"
...A perfectly good excuse, Leo thought. It could be real, and could be not. There were plenty reasons to doubt Charlotte after all, and anyone who bothered to take a closer look would likely be able to notice that she wasn't a noblewoman at all, and wasn't born into all this pomp and finery. Even Xander doubted her, and tried to test her. Though with Xander, Leo was sure the gesture was out of concern for him as a brother. But with Iago...
"And there was nothing to reveal, was there?" Leo asked.
Iago was speechless. Even if he went on and tried to paint himself as a concerned senior for Leo's well being, there was no justification for it, given that Charlotte did not act in any way against Leo, even making a big show out of refusing his money.
"...No, there was nothing," Iago finally said. "Much to my relief, of course. It seems that she is... an exemplary young woman. Maybe just… not as soft spoken as I first thought she was-"
"He... sniff... he called me a whore!" Charlotte cried out, pointing a finger at Iago, not about to let him off easily or go down the route he was taking. "How could he... how could he doubt my purity?"
Leo choked a bit when Charlotte mentioned "purity"-yes, the way she dressed in battle with almost everything showing. An unquestionably pure woman, indeed.
"Like I said, I did not mean to say that, it was all part of me only trying to make sure she's a suitable companion for Prince Leo..."
"Thank you for the concern, I suppose," Leo said, though he felt as if Iago was lying. He was a selfish man, not one to look out for the interests of others. That much Leo knew. "But look at where that's gotten us. How do you intend to make amends to Charlotte, now?"
"I'll have a proper apology gift sent to her first thing in the morning-"
Haha, jackpot! Charlotte hid her face behind Leo's sleeve, trying to hide an excitement that came to her at the mention of the gift.
"Is that alright with you, Charlotte?" Leo asked,
"W-Well... if Lord Iago is considerate enough to apologize... it's only fitting that I forgive him..." Charlotte pulled away from Leo for a bit, trying to make a show out of wiping away her tears.
"...You're most kind," Iago said, bowing a little, however staring at Charlotte, as if trying to judge if her tears were ever real or not. But he knew trying to go against her with Leo backing her was a losing fight, so he soon sensibly bowed out, and excused himself.
Leo reached into his pocket, offering Charlotte a handkerchief. Charlotte took it, muttering her thanks, taking it and patting her cheeks. "God, that creep. If you came any later I'd have punched him, I swear... did I ruin my makeup?"
He looked down at Charlotte's face, and shook his head. And then he chuckled. It was funny to think the girl that has just been crying her eyes out a second ago, clinging to him helplessly.
The real Charlotte was far from helpless, and he knew that now more than ever.
"W-What are you laughing at?" Charlotte asked, surprised to see the prince breaking into a chuckle. "I-I totally messed up my make-up, huh?! How bad is it?"
"N-No, you look fine," Leo assured her again, "It's just that... I'm impressed. Your acting skills are superb."
There was a bit of a silence, and then Charlotte said:
"...And so are yours."
"Hmm?" Leo asked, as if he didn't hear her.
I'm in love with Charlotte. He could say such a bare-faced lie without even a blink of hesitation. Lord Leo is a good actor, or just a very good liar.
a/n: They may have been a bit OOC, my apologies. Thank you SO much to Cel, ShipAlltheOTPS, and anon reviewer last chapter. omg other charleo shippers exist T.T i thought I was alone for the longest time.
A bit of a tidbit, the idea for this fanfic came from, (apart from Leo's background revealed in his supports) the hint in the Charlotte x Leo S-Support that for a period of time, there was something between Charlotte and Leo, but no clarification as to what it was. Charlotte basically cries and begs Leo to confirm if they were an item and if they had a future. It's amusing to see Charlotte out of her element and not controlling a guy, but instead finding herself 'outsmarted' by one.
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