I’m Really Not Trying to Be Chased by the Heroine as the Villainous Playboy! – Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Charlotte’s Troubles

In the Duke Raymond’s tea room, a passionate exclamation shattered the morning silence.

“Please believe me! Princess Charlotte, my love for you burns as bright as the sun igniting the sky! If you will marry me, I will give you everything!”

The kneeling noble young man was Leon Raymond, the only son of the Grand Duke of the Lionheart Kingdom.

For a man of his status to kneel sincerely and fervently plead, there was only one woman in the entire Lionheart Kingdom who could inspire such devotion.

Charlotte Reinhardt.

The little princess of Lionheart Kingdom, the most beautiful ruby in the West.

Her long red hair shone like a flame, complementing her equally stunning scarlet eyes. At just 17 years old, her figure was still blossoming, but her luxurious deep red military skirt showcased her regal air to perfection.

The only regret was her somewhat flat chest.

With her legs boldly crossed beneath silky black stockings, she rested one hand on her cheek, looking down at the pleading young man with a slight frown, and finally let out a disappointed sigh.

“Raymond, you won’t even call me ‘Your Highness.’”

Leon Raymond raised his head and smiled nonchalantly, “Charlotte, with our relationship, we don’t need to be so formal…”

Before he could finish, Charlotte’s expression darkened.

An invisible pressure swirled in the air, making it feel almost ablaze.

Leon’s smug smile froze instantly.

Charlotte sighed again, slightly massaging her temple.

Here we go again.

“Raymond, we’ve only just met for a day, am I that close to you?”

“……But, Your Highness, our engagement…”

Charlotte could finally take no more.

Did this guy not know what ‘emotional intelligence’ was? How dare he even ask?!

Who gets engaged to a girl right after meeting her?!

Charlotte slowly exhaled, finally dropping her polite smile to reveal her true self, coldly declaring:

“I’ll be blunt.”

“Raymond, you’re not worthy.”

No man would be pleased to hear such straightforwardness.

Raymond’s once-smarmy smile twisted grotesquely.

“Your Highness, even if you are a princess, you cannot humiliate me like this!”

“What makes you think you’re worthy? Strength, lineage, looks, character…”

Charlotte almost laughed: “You even dare to talk about character? Raymond, do you really think I don’t know about your sordid deeds?”

“Bullying the underlings, oppressing the commoners, even attempting to harm maidens—please, you honestly think someone like you deserves me?”

“And as for your so-called strength, lineage, and looks…”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow, a mocking curve appearing on her lips: “Don’t make me laugh.”

Confronted directly with his misdeeds, Raymond’s face turned various shades of anger, and for a moment, he truly wanted to discard his status and shout at her, ‘Woman, you’re playing with fire!’

Unfortunately, he didn’t dare.

What made Charlotte famous throughout the continent wasn’t her noble status or her beauty, comparable to the finest jewels.

It was her exceptional talent.

Upon birth, she awakened the royal bloodline of the “Lionheart” with an astonishing natural gift that awed the world.

In the future, she was destined to stand as the queen of beasts, towering over her subjects.

Faced with the princess’s lion-like haughty gaze, Raymond felt like he was staring directly into the fiery eyes of a lion king and instantly lost his courage.

Even if he exploded with rage, he would probably end up easily subdued by Charlotte.

Ultimately, Raymond didn’t dare do anything and could only slump back down in defeat.

Charlotte averted her gaze.

With a disdainful huff, she left as if she were tired of the air here.

————————————

“Your Highness, that was the 37th time you rejected him to his face, and the 5th time you sent him into a sulk!”

In the princess’s chamber, Charlotte’s close maid, Lisa, donned a face of misery.

“Please, can’t you be a bit gentler with those young men?!”

Charlotte, only 16, wasn’t of marrying age in Veszyra, but she should at least start socializing with young men.

At first, Lisa was optimistic.

Given Charlotte’s qualifications, wasn’t it easy to pick a quality guy from the entire kingdom?

But she never expected that Charlotte would have such high standards.

And such a sharp tongue.

Sure, you might not fancy the guy, but did you really have to tear him apart so brutally?

After a series of blind dates, the royal family hadn’t made any connections, but a lot of enemies were undoubtedly formed.

With the proud little princess facing her maid’s reprimands, she lost her temper and buried her face in a large pillow, muffling her complaint, “So annoying…”

“But Lisa, this time it’s really not my fault!” Charlotte raised her head to defend herself.

“What kind of scum is that Raymond?! So frivolous and rude, and I’ve heard he even tortured his maids privately and beat children under ten…”

Charlotte’s mouth twitched: “I should hang such a scumbag.”

“I don’t ask for my partner to be noble, but can’t he at least not be scum?!” The little princess swung her fist, expressing her strong discontent.

Hearing this, Charlotte’s demands seemed reasonable.

However, Lisa, having served her for many years, knew her master’s temperament all too well.

The reason they ended up with a scoundrel like Raymond was that Charlotte had turned down all the previous suitors!

“So, what kind of man do you hope to find?”

“Well~ he must be very strong, good-looking, and most importantly, he should be like the main character from a knight’s story—noble, respectful to women, kind and brave, standing firm for justice…”

Charlotte had always loved knight-themed romance stories.

One might say people want what they lack.

What’s so special about a prince? Only that he’s of a better family status. As a legitimate princess, Charlotte didn’t care for that.

“You just said, ‘like the main character from a knight’s story,’ how could such a person even exist?!” Lisa couldn’t help but interject.

It’s hard enough to find someone possessing either status or strength, and yet this little princess had such unrealistic demands regarding character!

In today’s world, which noble young master isn’t steeped in bad habits? Even disregarding status and strength, there was no man who met Charlotte’s requirements!

“Uh…”

Charlotte knew she was being unreasonable, her momentum dwindling.

But she quickly emphasized, “At least he should be a normal person!”

“The men in our Lionheart Kingdom are simply…”

Charlotte’s face scrunched up in genuine distaste.

Based on her experience from blind dates, men could be divided into three categories.

One type was the sycophant, ingratiating and insincere, willing to flatter others while being self-righteous, but reluctant to improve himself. Pathetic.

Another type was the plain average guy. These men were greasy to the extreme, spouting crude jokes, utterly clueless about boundaries, their attitude seeming to suggest that every woman must naturally like them. Ridiculous.

The last type was the pure scoundrel who bullies the weak; such a person wasn’t even worthy of being called a human. Despicable!

Leon Raymond somehow combined all three contradicting types into one, and that was just sad.

“But, Your Highness, there’s no time for you to procrastinate.” Lisa reminded.

“Next month is your 18th birthday; you must have a dance partner by then.”

Hearing this, Charlotte’s eyes dimmed, and she glanced wearily out the window.

In the distance, on the bustling streets, she could see young men and women hand in hand, strolling in the sun, immersed in laughter and joy.

That was a scene she had long known but could never touch.

“I know.”