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Chapter 192: It’s Only Natural You Can’t Compare to Her
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 03:33:46 +0000 UTCHigh Priest Auguslatin noticed that Charlot Mecklenburg seemed puzzled by the connections he was explaining, so he patted Charlot on the shoulder and patiently said, “You know, the relationship between our Fars Empire and the Ingrima Empire is quite unique. Many nobles from Fars originate from the Three Islands of Ingrima. For instance, Saroses Robin, the founding Grand Duke of Fars, hailed from there. Similarly, many nobles of Ingrima have their roots in Fars. Even the founding emperor of Ingrima, Duke Guillaume, was one of Fars’ founding grand dukes. Today, he holds the title of the Red Dragon Duke in Fars.”
“The Soumet family shares a similar story. Part of their lineage stayed in Fars, while another branch followed Duke Guillaume to the Three Islands of Ingrima, becoming prominent nobles in the Ingrima Empire.”
“The position of Minister of Foreign Affairs in Fars has always been held by successive Counts of D'Artagnan, while in the Ingrima Empire, it has always been the Counts of Soumet.”
“The branch of the Soumet family in the Ingrima Empire is even more prestigious and illustrious than their counterparts in Fars.”
Charlot was astonished. He hadn’t known any of this before. None of it was mentioned in his university textbooks. Almost instinctively, he asked, “Then, what about Miss Aurora Soumet?”
High Priest Auguslatin smiled faintly and said, “Exactly, just like you, she is a diplomat!”
“However, her position is far superior to yours. She holds the rank of Ministerial Level 19 and serves as the Cultural Specialist at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs!”
“Don’t feel disheartened, my child.”
“It’s only natural you can’t compare to her.”
Charlot wanted to say, “I’m not disheartened.” But then he suddenly recalled that Anne Bretagne was also the daughter of a count. Following the trajectory of someone like Aurora Soumet, Anne would likely climb the career ladder quickly after graduation, achieving high-level positions that would remain out of reach no matter how hard Charlot tried.
Every empire harbored some degree of gender discrimination in employment, but this bias rarely extended to the children of high-ranking nobles.
In truth, even mid-level elites could arrange promising futures for their relatives.
For instance, Charlot had just placed Anastasia and Belisa in the Lukavaro District Administrative Bureau, assigning them fairly senior positions.
If his former fiancée, Miss Sylvie Martin, hadn’t broken off their engagement, Charlot would have had to find her a position as a Level 43 Grade 3 Assistant Clerk. Anything higher would have been beyond the capabilities of Charlot, merely a district chief of Lukavaro.
Charlot suddenly felt a sense of crisis.
This crisis came inexplicably, sparked by a woman who was completely unrelated to him—Miss Aurora Soumet.
High Priest Auguslatin had other matters to attend to and left after chatting with Charlot for a while. Watching the priest's retreating figure, Charlot suddenly wondered if he had misjudged him. High Priest Auguslatin seemed far more dedicated than the other members of the diplomatic delegation.
But just then, Charlot noticed the supposedly dignified Radiant High Priest of Ingrima walking away with a group of beautiful young men, laughing and chatting as they headed toward the depths of the Champagne Palace.
Charlot covered his eyes, questioning his sanity.
How could he have seen such a thing?
Charlot had initially held some expectations for this ball—perhaps to ask High Priest Auguslatin what he should do next or to observe the lifestyles of true nobles. But now, his interest had completely vanished. Without waiting for Julian Arsilo, Charlot quietly left the Champagne Palace.
While Charlot was considered an “outsider” in Fars, this feeling of estrangement was even more pronounced in Britain. He didn’t want to return to the Embassy Street either. Instead, he wandered aimlessly through the streets of Britain. As he approached a river cutting through the city, he suddenly found himself followed by seven or eight men. One of them shouted, “Hand over all your cash!” and they lunged at him.
Charlot was well aware that while the Upper Seven Districts had decent security, the Outer Fifteen Districts were notorious for their poor law enforcement. As the head of the Lukavaro District city patrol guards, he also knew how dreadful the security in his own district could be.
He had faced multiple assassination attempts in Fars, but to encounter a mere mugging in Britain was unexpected.
Well, in most cases, assassination was far worse than robbery.
Charlot unsheathed his magical rapier, the Unicorn Griffon. With a flash of light, the blade pierced through the left knees of all the assailants. Giving the weapon a slight shake, he sternly commanded, “Hand over all your valuables, or I’ll toss you into the river and let the Rosé River current carry you to Byron.”
The men, clutching their knees and howling in pain, reluctantly surrendered their belongings under Charlot’s threats. Their collective haul amounted to just a few shillings, along with some short daggers and walking sticks—clearly, they were impoverished criminals.
Charlot, devoid of patience for pitying robbers, pocketed the shillings, tossed their weapons into the river, and continued his leisurely stroll along the stone-paved riverside.
The moonlight was breathtaking that evening. After dealing with the muggers, Charlot found himself in high spirits. He strolled for another half-hour before feeling satisfied. Then, he summoned his enchanted carriage, Dark Luxury, and let the eight phantom horses pull him back to Embassy Street.
Upon returning, Charlot followed the diplomatic protocol of registering the weapons he had confiscated earlier. After completing the formalities, he returned to his room. Sticking to his routine, he practiced Blood Glory for a while before undressing and going to bed.
...
The next morning, Charlot rose early and enjoyed breakfast provided by the embassy. Diplomats often had erratic schedules, making it impractical to adhere to strict mealtime conventions. As such, the embassy offered food throughout the day, unlike the fixed lunch and dinner routines customary in Fars.
Remembering the events of the previous day, Charlot called for Dolores Soumet and informed her that Miss Aurora Soumet would be visiting.
Dolores was stunned to hear of Aurora’s impending visit. “I’ve heard of her even back in Fars,” she said. “Though she’s not as famous as our cousin Menielman Soumet, she’s still a renowned beauty in the Ingrima Empire. How did you come to know her?”
Charlot explained the incident in detail and shrugged. “I thought something had happened to you.”
Dolores scoffed at this and said, “If you told me it was for Anne, I might believe you. If you said it was for another Soumet woman, I’d also believe you.”
“But if someone were to fight a duel for me? You’d probably just watch for the fun of it, just as I’ve always watched you get into trouble.”
Charlot was momentarily speechless. Dolores Soumet’s personality was remarkably “mischievous.” Even during their first meeting, she had tried to provoke him just to see his reaction.
By midday, a small diplomatic team arrived on Embassy Street and entered the Fars Embassy. Aurora Soumet had exchanged her ball gown for a military uniform, appearing even more radiant and elegant than the night before. She exuded an air of aloofness and allure that ordinary women could never hope to emulate.
Charlot brought Dolores, Anastasia, and Belisa to greet her. Aurora Soumet paused for a moment, her expression betraying a flicker of surprise as her thoughts churned silently.
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