Reborn After Betrayal: The Frail True Princess Decides to Give Up-Chapter 28 : Charlotte Finally Apologizes

Charlotte hadn't expected that Sophia would actually abandon her, a friend, and instead help that recently acquainted fallen noble.
"Sophia! Are you really going to help her against me?!"
Charlotte felt extremely wronged.
She had only been well-intentioned, knowing that Sophia was greatly troubled about her coming-of-age ceremony, specifically recommending a gemstone to decorate her crown.
"Haven't I helped you?" Sophia was also angry now. "I repeatedly advised you earlier not to escalate the situation, but you yourself brought things to this point!"
"I—" Charlotte was speechless.
Indeed, it was Charlotte herself who had been aggressive, wanting to step on Celitia and make a spectacle of her, to find some entertainment. Unexpectedly, she had lifted a stone only to drop it on her own foot.
But she was Charlotte Williams. No matter what trouble she caused, at home, her parents and relatives would clean up after her; outside, followers would pamper and flatter her. When had she ever received such treatment?
Even Sophia should favor kinship over principle!
Charlotte couldn't accept that Sophia was actually helping others pressure her.
"Charlotte, you must face the consequences of your own actions."
Sophia took a deep breath, calming her tone. "Not just me, but Master Meilan and Mr. Colton heard it too. There are also many people outside who heard—so, according to the agreement, apologize to them."
Charlotte bit her lip, looking at Celitia. Her eyes gradually reddened, with crystalline tears welling up at the corners. Her arrogant demeanor disappeared, and she suddenly looked somewhat pitiful.
Unfortunately, Celitia didn't have the slightest bit of chivalry in her heart. She just moved half a step to the side and gestured toward Shanie: "Don't look at me, the agreement was to apologize to Shanie."
"Oh my, I remember it was supposed to be a public apology?"
Colton, never one to miss stirring up trouble, said, "This dark, small workshop isn't suitable. Let's go outside; there are many people waiting!"
Celitia glanced sideways at Colton: This old man really knows how to add fuel to the fire...
Colton adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and gave Celitia a smile, as if saying, "Doing you a favor, no need to thank me!"
Sure enough, hearing the dean say this, Charlotte broke down in tears, unable to control herself any longer as tears slid down her cheeks.
Celitia didn't feel pity, only worried that things might have gone too far, causing Charlotte to hold a grudge against Shanie, which would ultimately harm Shanie.
"That's not necessary. My bet with Charlotte only specified that she should apologize to Shanie. As for where and whether it's public, that doesn't matter."
"Oh? Alright..." With less spectacle to watch, Colton was visibly disappointed.
Meilan kindly comforted: "Learning some lessons in youth is not necessarily a bad thing."
Seeing that Charlotte still appeared resistant, Sophia urged:
"Just in the workshop, apologize to Shanie according to the agreement, Charlotte."
Being stared at by six pairs of eyes, no matter how resistant or unwilling Charlotte was, she could only choose to submit.
Her chest heaving rapidly, Charlotte fiercely wiped away the tears on her face and turned to glare at Shanie:
"Shanie!"
"Yes!"
Charlotte's gaze looked not like she was apologizing but rather like she wanted to kill someone, frightening Shanie into standing at attention with a start.
"I-I-I-I'm sorry—!!"
Her tone turning into a sob at the end, feeling that everyone was ganging up to bully her, Charlotte pushed past Shanie, covered her face, and ran out the door, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Shanie staggered from the push, but fortunately, Celitia reached out to steady her, preventing her from falling.
"Charlotte!"
Sophia started to chase after her, running to the door, but then stopped, sighing and shaking her head.
"Never mind... let her calm down on her own first."
To be honest, Sophia was very disappointed in Charlotte.
In fact, regarding the whole incident—Charlotte being deceived by a fake gemstone, rashly making a bet with Celitia in a moment of anger, and even escalating the matter—Sophia hadn't been angry with Charlotte.
What truly angered her was when Charlotte, after losing, refused to accept it and instead tried to implicate the jewelry store owner in framing Shanie.
Sophia knew Charlotte had always been willful, but in her presence, that arrogance might have been cleverly concealed, preventing Sophia from noticing.
If Charlotte still didn't think she was wrong, Sophia felt there was nothing more she could say to her.
So, Sophia didn't immediately chase after her.
"And you, owner."
Sophia looked at the dumbfounded jewelry store owner and sighed deeply.
"Honesty is the foundation of business. If you didn't do something, you shouldn't claim responsibility for it, okay? We didn't intend to use our power to pressure anyone."
Though she was just a girl not yet sixteen, when Sophia spoke calmly, there was a convincing and austere dignity about her.
Being lectured by a girl less than half his age, the owner was extremely ashamed:
"Yes... thank you, Your Highness."
He had been worried that he had messed things up and might incur Sophia's resentment, so now his heart was greatly relieved.
"The princess is truly merciful!" the owner couldn't help but exclaim.
His praise would have been better left unsaid; as soon as the words left his mouth, Sophia, who had been maintaining her dignified presence, blushed: "Stop flattering me!"
"Pfft."
To make matters worse, someone laughed.
Sophia turned to glare angrily at Celitia, her cheeks turning even redder, like a ripe red apple: "What are you laughing at?!"
Celitia tried hard to keep a straight face, feigning nonchalance as she shrugged: "Nothing."
She just hadn't expected that the high and mighty princess would be unaccustomed to such minor flattery.
To become a prominent figure of public attention, she would probably need to develop a thicker skin.
Her brow gradually softened, and a hint of amusement rose in her typically misty purple eyes as Celitia said to Sophia: "Thank you."
At the beginning of the incident, Sophia had vouched for her; at the end, if not for Sophia's pressure, Charlotte might have been even harder to deal with.
Celitia had originally thought that this imperious princess in her impression was cut from the same cloth as Charlotte, someone who abused her privileges and acted willfully.
But perhaps it was true—Sophia, who was willing to take her to the hospital and even held her while she slept through the night out of concern that she might be cold, might not be a bad person after all.
Recalling the intimacy of nose-to-nose, their breaths intertwining, and the lavender scent she had smelled when she fell against her chest earlier, Celitia's face actually turned slightly red.
"There's nothing to thank me for; at most I just upheld justice... Come to think of it, I should thank you for stopping me from buying a fake gemstone. Otherwise, I might have been embarrassed at the ceremony..."
As Sophia spoke, her voice grew increasingly soft, her gaze fixed firmly on Celitia, almost unable to look away.
Celitia's skin was very fair, fair to the point of appearing unhealthy, but when a light blush colored her cheeks, her sharp edges softened, and a gentle warmth rippled from her like water, she resembled a gemstone with internal luster, suddenly radiating all its brilliance.
In this moment, Sophia's heart skipped half a beat, though she herself didn't notice.
She only thought...
So, she's this beautiful.