Calvin noticed Charlotte's surreptitious glances.
How could he not notice that she was discreetly checking him out? First, they were the only ones awake in this small hut. Grandma Elsa was asleep, and so was Cecilia. Lastly, Charlotte was literally standing in front of him. Even a blind man would see what Charlotte was trying to do.
Calvin let out a sigh.
Charlotte misunderstood his sigh as a sign of helplessness and she imdiately bit her lips in frustration.
"I'm sorry... As I thought, I shouldn't have arbitrarily decided on sothing like this... I'm sorry, Calvin... But I had no choice, I can't just tell Cecilia the truth when she's still so young. But I promise you... When she's able to understand my plight in the future. I will tell her the truth..."
"I won't let you be shackled with a used woman like for so long."
Tears threatened to drop down Charlotte's eyes.
"I..."
Calvin wanted to speak, but Charlotte suddenly unfastened her clothes.
"Stop!"
Calvin stretched his hand out and clutched her wrist on ti before she could fully take her clothes off.
A look of astonishnt appeared on Charlotte's face, "I'm sorry, Calvin... But I would do anything... I would do anything that you want to do. I just want you to be Cecilia's temporary father. This is all that I wish for." Charlotte raised her leg and revealed her snow-white thighs.
Unfortunately, after being deprived of proper nutrition for so many years, Charlotte's thigh may have that attractive white as snow color, but ultimately. Her thigh was too thin. She was so malnourished that Calvin was stunned silly after seeing what's underneath her fluffy pen dress.
"Do you disdain for how I look? Is that it? Am I not attractive anymore? Is that the reason why you're stopping ?"
Charlotte couldn't hold back her tears anymore.
She felt humiliated.
To be able to attract the attention of an ex-Cavalier, Charlotte was a woman of dignity and pride.
Calvin's actions of stopping her from undressing maybe because Calvin was looking out for her, but these actions ultimately hurt Charlotte's pride since she misunderstood it as his display of disdain to her.
"No, you don't understand... It's fine... Everything is for the child's sake. As long as she's happy and will be happy from now on, then it's okay." Calvin finally said these words after deliberating about it for so long.
To be honest, Calvin didn't want any emotional attachnts to anyone until after he had saved the world from the foreign invaders.
But fate played him like this and now Calvin had no idea how he should proceed.
However, after taking into consideration how long he would stay in the city of Ashlion.
Calvin decided to lend a hand.
The upcoming invasion of the foreign invaders was approximately ten years for now. Of course, that was if he hadn't sohow ssed up the tiline. Ten years was a good estimate, and Calvin wasn't willing to increase it.
Calvin couldn't stay in Ashlion for several years, but he could stay here for a year.
In the end, he decided to be Cecilia's temporary father for the remainder of Calvin's stay in Ashlion.
After all, he won't leave this city until he had everything that he needed and wanted from this city.
Calvin let out another sigh and after finally having decided on his next course of action.
He was at peace once more.
Charlotte couldn't decipher what Calvin was thinking.
She bit her lips and asked, "Calvin, can you please do a favor and continue this charade as Cecilia's dad?" There was an uncomfortable look on Charlotte's face as she continued, "She now wholeheartedly believes that you are his father..."
"If we tell her the truth, it would be a big blow to her..."
"That is why I beg you to stay with us and keep this charade up for Cecilia's sake. At the very least, in the near future. I want you to be Cecilia's dad and my... hus...husband..." As Charlotte said these words, she felt embarrassed and her cheeks grew hot.
But she soon mustered her courage to raise her head once more and continue, "O-Of course, there will be a reward..."
Charlotte thought hard on how she could compensate Calvin for keeping up the white lie, but she ultimately couldn't think of anything. She froze where she was standing and stood there, rooted.
Calvin couldn't take it anymore and laughed, "Hahaha... you don't have to try so hard, Miss Charlotte. It's fine, I don't need a reward. Just think of this as being altruistic and treat my actions as a non-profit humanitarian effort, okay?"
Charlotte clenched her fists in frustration, "A-All right..." It was clear that she didn't want to have Calvin keep up this farce without nothing in exchange.
But she had nothing in her na to reward Calvin's efforts.
She had nothing but her body.
However...
It seed that Calvin wasn't at the slightest interested in her body.
But this made sense for Charlotte.
After all, who would crave for the body of a woman who had been malnourished for so long that she now looked like a matchstick with no at nor fat on her body apart from skin and bones? The reason why Calvin stopped her earlier from stripping was painfully obvious.
Calvin observed the changes in Charlotte's expression and he couldn't help but click his tongue.
Back at Mapayapa Street, when Calvin saved her from the hands of those ruffians. He had already noticed Charlotte's unique disposition. In the eyes of the common people and so Predators that were not knowledgeable about history...
They would never discover Charlotte's true identity.
But for Calvin?
Charlotte's disguise was too obvious.
The way Charlotte carried herself and her mannerisms as well as her unusually clear skin despite living for several years inside the Western Borough known as the Capital of Slow Death. What's more, the Joselian Kingdom was located at the equator of the Lagreas continent.
With how frequent the heatwaves were in the Joselian Kingdom, it was close to impossible to find soone that had skin that was as white as snow similar to Charlotte's. In other words, Calvin was now certain that Charlotte belonged to that particular demi-human species.
But Calvin had no intention to reveal this fact to Charlotte.
Part of the reason why Calvin decided to help Charlotte was because of the fact that she probably belonged to that incredibly kind, altruistic, and self-sacrificial species. If not for them, the world would've been conquered in just under a few years after the arrival of those foreign invaders.
Calvin was greatly indebted to Charlotte and her ancestors.
This was why he didn't hesitate to help them back then.
He stared right at Charlotte and let out a sigh.
Every mber of that species was stubborn.
Each and every one of them didn't know when to give up.
As long as they had their sights on sothing, they would do whatever they could do for the sake of that thing.
If Charlotte was indeed a mber of that species then words weren't enough to convince her to stop her from thinking about compensating Calvin for his efforts.
"How troubleso..." Calvin stared at Charlotte and said, "Are you sure that you really want to pay back?"
Charlotte was stunned by the sudden question.
But she nevertheless nodded her head to what he said.
"Yes... I will pay you back... But I have nothing in my na... I have nothing in that I can use to pay you back."
Charlotte said these words in a voice that sounded more like a mosquito's droning.
Soone as prideful as her admitting that she couldn't do anything about an issue was equal to humiliation. She felt embarrassed and ashad.
"You have nothing in your na that you can use to pay back? Are you joking with ? What about your body? A woman so full of pride such as you would never stoop down so low that you'd sell your body on the streets and beco a strumpet all these years..."
"In other words, your body right now must be unused for several years already..."
"I'm sure, it'd feel as if you'd never given birth..." A lascivious expression appeared on Calvin's face.
His personality and attitude made a three-hundred and sixty degrees turn that Charlotte was stunned silly.
"What's up? Are you not going to pay back? What's the lollygagging? Kneel down and serve !" Calvin domineeringly shouted.
Charlotte started crying once again as tears stread down her cheeks.
She slowly lowered her body until she was kneeling on the cold and muddy floors of the hut.
Stretching her hand out towards Calvin's trousers, she was about to remove it when she suddenly coughed a mouthful of blood.
"Cough! Cough! Cough!"
She keeled over and knelt on all fours onto the ground.
Calvin hurriedly assisted her and cald her down.
"Why are you trying to push yourself so far when you know that you can't handle it? Do you know about that saying that if you can't handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen?" Calvin exasperatedly said.
But there was a look of satisfaction on his face.
Although it pained him to see Charlotte cough a mouthful of blood, he was satisfied for surely...
Charlotte should've understood by now that she disliked such a thing in the first place.
Now, Calvin was sure that Charlotte was a woman of integrity.
He was now rest assured that once he was gone in the future, and given enough ability to survive, she and her daughter would be able to live their life in the fullest.
But...
"No... I'm not giving up..."
Charlotte raised her head and stretched her hand towards Calvin's trousers once more, but she was stopped by Calvin.
"It's okay... You don't have to do this..."
"Forgive , but I was just trying to make you listen. I never had the intention to take advantage of you while you're struggling like this. All right, I will stop with the silly tests now, all right? If you really want to pay back, how about you go ahead and find a job?"
Calvin supported Charlotte to a nearby wooden stool.
"If I could... Then, I would've done that already... But sadly, I know nothing about humans! I have no idea how to apply for a job with the exception of those matchstick and textile factories!"
"So, in other words, you have no marketable skills to say at the least..." Calvin deliberately ignored Charlotte's Freudian slip as he pondered for a while and said, "How about I teach you the basics of accounting? Do you know how to do arithtic? At least, the basics?"
Charlotte stared at him in confusion.
"Arithtic?"
"What's that?"
"Can I eat that?"
"Fuck..." Calvin abruptly cursed.
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