My Charlotte Hates Me

Chapter 26: Winner Woes

I could see the goal in my sights.

"That was a dirty trick, Court Lady Castile," a familiar voice said from behind.

It was Captain Agile Fueler following me closely behind.

"You caught up faster than I thought," I said shamelessly.

"To think you threw my flag up in a tree, I spent quite some time looking for it," Captain Agile Fueler said.

I hid it near the location that was semi-visible but also quite difficult to find since I threw it in a tree.

I saw that one of his flags had been covered in paint.

As expected, he shot it down with his arrows instead of climbing...

He soon pulled out an arrow from his pack and began shooting at me with frightening accuracy to which I could barely dodge from the. I managed to catch one of the arrows and managed to find the secret behind his accuracy.

"Hah! You whittled down the length of the arrows of where they were originally broken and covered them back up with the blunt edges to give yourself better aim!" I said.

Shaving down the length of the arrows and covering them back up must have taken a lot of time.

"The downside is that my range is greatly reduced," Captain Agile said as he shot an arrow past my cheek. "It is enough to reach you, Court Lady Castile."

This devil is playing with me...Two can play at it!

I grabbed two arrows and shot them both at the same time. I admit that I am a bit rusty since the last time I shot an arrow, but I am a genius when I put my mind to it!

The first arrow missed, but the second arrow knocked off Captain Agile Fueler's helmet off.

"...I am a bit surprised that Court Ladies have archery as part of their education," Captain Agile Fueler said as he smirked.

I intended to knock him off his balance with those hits...

He just won't fall down. What a stubborn man!

I decided to focus on riding my horse instead. We were soon neck and neck. I managed to pull ahead and pull myself to victory with just a hair.

After that was all said and done, I climbed down from my horse and just laid in the grass.

"Good work!" Arielle said as she hovered above me.

"Was it exciting enough for you?" I asked with a calm smile.

She kneeled by my head and clasped my cheeks together.

"It was exciting because you tried your best," Arielle said.

"...It is because I tried so hard that I am now very tired," I said as I closed my eyes.

The next time I woke up, I found myself back in my room fully bathed and dressed in my nightgown.

My hands that were covered in cuts and scratches were now bandaged and smelt of antiseptic products.

I gave out a tired sigh.

I expended more effort than I would have liked...probably because I faced a monster rather than a regular soldier.

I got myself out of bed and looked outside to see a bright sunshine.

I swear that I slept at least four hours, but why is it so bright and early?!

"Good morning, Lady Charlotte," Stella said as she entered my room with a bucket of water.

"...I was out for a whole day," I said in realization.

"You were fantastic yesterday, Lady Charlotte! Riding and running around with dirt and paint all over you. It was absolutely amazing compared to your usual aloofness," Stella said.

I felt incredibly embarrassed.

"Please forget the image of me running around in dirt," I begged.

I quickly got dressed before heading towards the Knight Quarters to meet with Captain Agile Fueler. On the way there, I got many looks of awe from everyone who had watched me march into Captain Agile Fueler's office.

"If it is not the Victorious Court Lady Stained in Blood," Captain Agile Fueler said teasingly.

I do not remember being covered in blood.

"...If only Arielle did not choose red paint for your arrows," I said dismally.

"It helped make your reputation even more reputable since you fought against the Undefeated Knight," Captain Agile Fueler said.

Who would be happy with such embarrassing titles?

"...The weak must obey the strong, yes?" I asked.

"It is your right since I lost," Captain Agile Fueler said.

"As the winner of our challenge, I order you to confess your true feelings to Her Majesty!" I ordered.

Captain Agile Fueler placed his hand over his face and staggered slightly on his feet.

"I almost thought that you were going to ask me out on a date, instead you gave me an even higher toll of an order," Captain Agile Fueler said as he removed his hand from his face and gave me an uncomfortable look on his face.

"I have impeccable taste. There is no way that I would have done all of this to get a date with a shrewd Knight like you," I said immediately.

"My question is how did you figure me out, Court Lady Castile?" Captain Agile Fueler asked.

It is not hard to see when two people share the same feelings across their face.

"You were too obvious," I said.

"I do not think that you will get the results you are looking for," Captain Agile Fueler said with with a serious expression.

"...Why is that?" I asked.

"She is not only my master but also a Queen and the ruler of our kingdom. She is not someone I nor anyone for that matter can easily approach," Captain Agile Fueler said. "On top of that, my blood is not nearly respectable enough for her to even think of me. Even so, I will be her Knight, her sword, and whatever she will want me to be."

"What if the person she wants you to be is her lover?" I asked.

"...I would not even dare to dream of it," Captain Agile Fueler answered truthfully.

"Against her wishes, she has already fallen in love and currently suffers from feeling guilty for having feelings for you. It is not you who fears rejection the most...It is most definitely her who has faced rejection and loss the most. I could care less about you," I asked as my voice became shaky. "Of course she thinks that her feelings for you are troublesome if she thinks that they conflict with her ideals of being the perfect wife and Queen to her dead husband. Part of her ideals include her suffering as a lonely widow for eternity even if it means that she has to suffer for her ideals. Over and over again...she thinks that it is wrong for her to grasp what she wants most in life. Why is it that she has to suffer so much? It is up to Arielle whether or not she is willing to accept you, so go out there and get rejected for all I care!"

"...You are oddly cruel to everyone besides Her Highness," Captain Agile Fueler said.

"There is no one more important than her," I said before turning to leave.

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