As soon as Lady Karen left, Annie threw herself into Charlotte's arms, tears streaming down her face like pearls. She murmured, "I'm a terrible woman, a selfish woman. I struggled for so long, but in the end... I chose to be selfish."
"Mr. Mecklenburg, I know this request is incredibly selfish, but I still want to ask: can you go to the battlefield for me?"
"I, Annie Brittany, swear on the honor of my family that if you don't return, I will never marry."
"Or, you can refuse me."
Charlotte gently patted Annie's back and whispered, "But this is also something I've dreamed of; please allow me not to refuse this request. You know, this is the only chance a poor boy like me has to marry the daughter of a count."
Annie let out a small laugh through her tears but quickly became teary-eyed again.
Charlotte wasn't exactly a "poor boy," but as the son of a merchant, there was naturally a gap between him and the nobility. Without rising through personal achievements, no matter how much wealth he accumulated, he would never gain the approval of a count to marry his daughter.
Charlotte wasn't particularly afraid of going to the battlefield. He had insight, blood flame transformation, and survival skills far superior to ordinary transcendents.
Moreover, he truly needed an opportunity to rapidly increase his strength.
After all, the impending descent of an evil god loomed over him.
This opportunity could only be found on the battlefield.
After Annie left 58 Elysian Garden Street, she wiped away her tears and got into her carriage.
As the carriage turned onto the street, another carriage was waiting. Lady Karen descended gracefully from the carriage and said, "Miss, you have won the bet with the Count."
Annie, however, felt no joy or excitement, only sorrow as she said, "I feel like I'm a bad girl."
"I'm forcing the one I love most to go to war. I feel deep guilt and unease."
Lady Karen chuckled softly and said, "Miss, you need not blame yourself. You haven't done anything wrong."
"Nor should you blame the Count."
"Even the Count has things he cannot achieve. He fears that the most beautiful rose in his household might be plucked by someone unworthy, so he had no choice but to resort to these measures."
Annie whispered, "When he first met me, he risked his life to rush into the Evil God's Corridor to save me. This test was unnecessary."
Lady Karen smiled faintly, thinking to herself, "Without that act of bravery, he wouldn't even have had the chance to be tested now."
"The Count has already sent people to Behemoth Principality to investigate this young man."
"The results were burned by the Count on the same day, without showing them to anyone or mentioning them. He spent the entire day in a fit of anger."
"He reached for his beloved sword nine times and grabbed the Silver Rhino twice..."
"The Count must have wanted to personally kill Mr. Mecklenburg."
"I guess Mr. Mecklenburg is quite an interesting young man, probably with plenty of skeletons in his closet."
Annie whispered, "I have never hoped so much that this war doesn't break out."
Lady Karen replied, "Every empire desires expansion, and smaller countries are dragged along by the empires. This war is inevitable."
"But don't worry too much, miss. Your father won't send him to a dangerous unit. After all, he's not like Mr. Krell, who has grand ambitions."
"The Count used Mr. Krell this time; let's hope he doesn't get too upset."
Annie wanted to argue against this but, thinking carefully about Charlotte's usual behavior, had to admit that he indeed lacked grand ambitions. As the son of a wealthy merchant, he could never truly compare to someone like Krell, a young nobleman with vast resources.
After sending Annie off, Charlotte couldn't help but whistle.
He turned to Lady Nancy and said, "Please go to the Cat and Clover Café to pick up my three little darlings. While you're at it, buy a few pounds of beef, some lamb, and some pork, along with onions, lettuce, and spices. Also, grab two more barrels of beer—we're celebrating today."
Lady Nancy agreed and set off.
Before long, runners from various shops arrived to deliver items, and Charlotte instructed them to take everything to the backyard.
Charlotte had long acquired a set of barbecue tools, essential for any traveler from another world, but even back on Earth, he hadn't been particularly diligent. Now, living in the bustling commercial area of Elysian Garden Street 58, it was too convenient to eat out, and with Lady Nancy providing private chef services, he had even less motivation to cook.
Although the view from the third-floor terrace was better, the hassle of cleaning up after a barbecue and running up and down the stairs made Charlotte reluctant to do it himself. Asking Lady Nancy to do it just didn't feel right.
By the time Lady Nancy returned with the last batch of supplies and the three kittens, Charlotte had already skewered dozens of kebabs, seasoned them with spices and fine salt, and was grilling them over a fire, filling the air with a delicious aroma.
The three kittens, upon seeing their owner, immediately jumped out of the basket Lady Nancy was carrying, meowing loudly as they ran to Charlotte, rubbing against his pants.
Seeing his cats, Charlotte was overjoyed and spent some time communicating with them using a spirit connection. After preparing some food for the kittens, he invited Lady Nancy to join him, saying, "Come, have a bite."
Lady Nancy didn't hesitate, taking over the grilling duties and allowing Charlotte to relax.
Seeing her skillful handling of the grill, Charlotte was a bit surprised and asked, "Lady Nancy, you seem pretty familiar with grilling?"
Lady Nancy, as she grilled, replied, "I had a friend who was a cook, and we worked together in our previous employer's household. She was particularly good at grilling. My last employer loved barbecue, so I often helped her and learned a bit."
Charlotte's interest was piqued, and he asked, "Does she have a new job now?"
Lady Nancy shook her head and said, "She's not like me; she's not from the Old Continent. She's a native of the New Continent, from a distant eastern land. She was captured during the war and brought to Fars, so she's not a free person."
"The master had promised that after five years of service, she would be granted her freedom. But after he lost everything in an investment in the New Continent's gold mines, he went back on his word and sold her."
Charlotte fell silent. He knew that there was a trade in people on the Old Continent—there was even a market on Elysian Garden Street—but he preferred not to dwell on it.
Lady Nancy seemed to realize she had said too much and fell silent as well.
Charlotte raised a skewer of meat, smiling to lighten the mood, and asked, "What's her name?"
Lady Nancy placed a mushroom skewer on the fire and said, "Her name is too long for me to remember, so I only know her by her nickname: Lady Plum Sauce."