Chapter 427: There Is Moonlight in the Sky, Starlight as Well, and She Is the Third Light of the World!

Charlot Mecklenburg and Antonio reunited with Annie in Rachma and hurriedly made their way back to Strasbourg, arriving several days before the imperial coronation ceremony.

Upon returning to Strasbourg, Antonio, newly appointed as the Count of Bretagne, was immediately summoned by the court protocol officer for training in royal etiquette.

Charlot and Annie, on the other hand, were surrounded by another group of attendants who began preparing their formal attire for the grand ceremony.

The coronation of the new emperor of the Fars Empire, the first emperor of the Bretagne dynasty, was a matter of great significance, and no mistakes could be tolerated.

Charlot did not even visit his two residences. Instead, he stayed directly in the imperial palace, residing only a few hundred steps away from Annie's quarters. The proximity allowed them to meet daily—a rare and significant privilege.

Charlot, in his past life, had been an ordinary mathematics teacher, and in this life, he was merely the son of a merchant family. During the division of family assets, his older brother had been exceedingly generous, yet Charlot had received no more than a few hundred gold écus, enough only to purchase a modest property in Strasbourg.

Compared to the established noble Bretagne family, now ascending to imperial royalty, Charlot’s background remained remarkably humble.

He did not even own a proper formal suit; his usual attire was decidedly common. At the last funeral of Nannie Bretagne Axel, the formal wear he donned had been borrowed from Annie’s father’s wardrobe, complete with the Bretagne family crest embroidered on it.

For the emperor’s coronation, bespoke formal attire was an absolute necessity, and not just any ordinary design would suffice. As the Count of Mecklenburg and a rising noble of the empire, Charlot required particularly intricate designs.

Beyond the attire, Charlot also needed a newly designed family crest. The Mecklenburg family, originally merchants, had never possessed a noble crest. Even if there had been one, it would no longer be appropriate, necessitating a complete redesign.

However, creating a crest was a monumental task. With such limited time, starting from scratch was impossible. With Emperor Bretagne’s tacit approval, Charlot adopted the crest of Prince Redmir Axel as a blueprint, incorporating elements of the Bretagne family’s insignia. This symbolized the Mecklenburg family’s connection to two imperial bloodlines.

Indeed, Annie would bring the bloodlines of both the Axel and Bretagne families into the Mecklenburg lineage.

Thus, the Mecklenburg family crest became adorned with golden pheasant flowers encircled by a delicate silver serpent—one of the hallmarks of the Bretagne insignia.

The Bretagne family, devoted followers of the Serpent of Fate, even had their family mausoleum housed within the deity’s temple.

In addition to tailoring, Charlot endured exhaustive training in royal etiquette. Though irritated by the complexities, his experience as a mathematics teacher allowed him to calculate with precision: enduring the nuisance obediently now was the optimal strategy.

...

The day before the ceremony, Charlot finally met Emperor Bretagne.

The old count’s mood remained somber as he called his son, daughter, and Charlot to share a simple dinner—his last ordinary family meal before ascending the throne.

The old count gazed at Antonio with pride. He had not expected that his son’s mission to suppress a rebellion would elevate him to the 24th rank, reaching the pinnacle of the Saint rank and earning the blessing of the Lady of the Black Moon, along with the Saint-ranked weapon, Darkmoon.

When his eyes turned to Annie, he was momentarily speechless, though his expression softened.

The old count could still recall his previous bouts of rage when he repeatedly polished his Firequell Silver Rhino, fantasizing about shooting a certain scoundrel. That scoundrel, however, had pried open his fingers one by one, taking his beloved daughter with an audacious dominance—and without even a word of gratitude.

Looking again at Charlot, the old count felt a mix of irritation and reluctant fondness.

After all, who could refuse a prodigal son who had found his way back?

The meal was a quiet and heavy affair. When the final course—a champagne toast—was served, the old count spoke lightly, “Antonio, take good care of your sister in the future.”

He cast a complicated look at Annie before adding in a low voice, “Annie, Madam Karen will accompany you to care for you.”

Annie was momentarily surprised but then smiled with joy. She had been raised by Grandma Saint Karen since childhood, and the thought of leaving her home at 58 Elysée Avenue filled her with unease. Knowing that her beloved caretaker would stay by her side brought her great comfort.

Finally, the old count turned to Charlot and asked, “Can you tell me why you’ve undergone such a transformation since meeting Annie?”

Charlot answered in a low voice, “Perhaps you won’t understand. I was born into a merchant family, and my talents are quite ordinary. Even during my university years, I failed to advance to the Transcendent rank. After graduation, I obtained a position as a first-class civil servant in the Central Government Office, but I was merely a junior clerk.”

“According to the empire’s promotion system, under ideal circumstances, I might have reached second or third-class clerk by the age of fifty. No higher.”

“My background simply couldn’t support further advancement.”

“And then, I became entangled in a murder case.”

“As everyone knows, my superior, Miss Menielman Soumet, is notorious for her hatred of certain types of men.”

“At the time, I was anxious, worried I might lose my job.”

“When Annie appeared, there was moonlight and starlight in the sky. She was the third light of the world.”

“She illuminated every shadow in my heart.”

“I thought we would pass each other by as mere strangers, never to meet again.”

“So, I swore upon the Serpent of Fate: if I could see Miss Annie again…”

“I would pluck the brightest star from the heavens for her.”

Antonio’s eyes sparkled as he murmured, “What beautiful words.”

The old count sneered, his long-dormant killing intent nearly resurfacing. He was seventy to eighty percent certain that Charlot Mecklenburg, the bastard, was lying. But he had no proof.

Had Charlot known the old count’s thoughts, he would have replied, “Such divisive notions should not be entertained!”

At that moment, Charlot was lamenting why it hadn’t snowed the night he first met Annie. He sighed inwardly, “If it had snowed, Master Yu Guangzhong’s words could have been used. Compared to his lines, my changes are indeed crude and lacking elegance.”

Annie reached out her small hand to hold Charlot’s quietly. In her heart, she silently thanked her Aunt Sophie.

“She truly is the best aunt in the world.”

“If it weren’t for her, I would never have known what a treasure I almost missed.”

“If it weren’t for her, my life would have been completely different.”

“If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have seen such a brilliant world.”

“From now on, I’ll take Mr. Mecklenburg to visit her grave every year.”

Yes, that was just like Annie.

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