The Cat and Clover Coffee Shop kept a "plump" adolescent clever cat, much like an Earth leopard cat. It was born with a faint trace of Psionic Energy and had a gentle temperament. It could guard its owner's home and was one of the Empire of Fars' common pets.
Charlotte ordered two coffees: a Seymour, similar in flavor to a mocha, for himself, and a milk-foam coffee, similar to a cappuccino, for Anne.
Coffee in this world tasted much like coffee on Earth, only more acidic. Charlotte did not like it much, so he added extra sugar to cut the sourness.
Although the two had met twice and had nearly lived and died together, they did not actually know much about each other.
With this brief bit of leisure, they drank coffee and chatted about all sorts of things, their relationship quickly growing closer.
With his polished conversational skills—as a mathematics teacher, his logic and eloquence were beyond question—along with knowledge from two worlds and a supply of deadpan jokes, Charlotte made Anne laugh so hard several times that she shook like a flower trembling in the wind.
Anne spoke of things at school, which also interested Charlotte greatly.
The first problem Charlotte had faced after crossing into this world had been—survival.
He had begun integrating into this world and accepting his new identity, and survival had gradually ceased to trouble him.
He was even living quite well.
A need beyond mere survival was—eating and drinking well!
From any perspective, living off a woman was an exceptionally comfortable choice.
Anne Brittany was absolutely a suitable marriage prospect.
Of course, he first had to deal with that fiancée he had never met.
The good news was that his fiancée was dissatisfied with the engagement.
The bad news was that precisely because she disliked him, Charlotte had no way to contact her, leaving him temporarily unable to resolve this headache-inducing problem.
Whether morally or practically, he had to call off the engagement before his relationship with Anne Brittany made any progress.
If their relationship had already reached a certain stage before he canceled the engagement, his reputation would inevitably suffer.
Charlotte decided that he would write to his older brother that very night, stating his willingness to renounce his inheritance and asking his brother to help him contact Miss Fiancée.
What Anne Brittany found in Charlotte was an entirely new experience. A man with the knowledge systems of two worlds was already fresh enough; not even the gods of this world could have done better.
She was now somewhat glad for her rashness that day.
If she had not wanted to "avenge" her aunt, Anne would never have gone to a young man's window in the middle of the night. She would never have met Charlotte. Their social circles were far too different; they would never have had any chance to cross paths.
Anne Brittany secretly thought, Could it be that Aunt's spirit in heaven deliberately guided me to meet Mr. Mecklen?
At that thought, her little face could not help flushing faintly again.
Charlotte did not know why Anne's pretty face had suddenly reddened, but wisely pretended he had seen nothing at all.
Just then, the Brittany family carriage appeared outside the window. Charlotte was about to go out and greet it when Anne said softly, "There's no need to go out. My Mechanical Beetle will show the coachman the way."
Sure enough, a few minutes later, the coachman parked the carriage and entered with a document and a ring of keys.
He placed the document and keys on the coffee table before them, then respectfully withdrew to one side.
Charlotte opened the document.
It was a standard document from the Central Government Real Estate Bureau: a property transfer contract, prepared in triplicate. One copy was for Charlotte, one for the former owner, and one was to be filed in the Real Estate Bureau archives.
All three documents already bore the official seal of the Central Government Real Estate Bureau and the buyer's handwritten signature.
Charlotte skimmed through them, confirmed there were no issues, and signed his name. The coachman took the other two copies and hurried away.
Charlotte put away his copy of the deed and the ring of keys, unable to help feeling a little wistful. Aristocratic life was truly this relaxed and elegant; servants handled everything, while the nobles themselves had little to do and vast amounts of free time.
Such a life would have been a dream on Earth as well, except that it was rooted in a rather politically incorrect social system.
Charlotte glanced at the sky, smiled slightly, and said, "How about I treat Miss Anne to dinner?"
Anne Brittany glanced at the sky, a hint of panic showing on her face. She said softly, "I'm sorry, but I must go home for dinner."
Charlotte understood. In many noble households, everyone had to gather for dinner. It was a solemn ritual.
He did not particularly like it or feel accustomed to it. He could not accept it, but there was nothing he could do.
This was another world.
Charlotte declined Anne's offer to take him home. He watched the young lady board her carriage and hurry away, then called over a coffee shop attendant and asked, "Could you help me find a few maidservants to clean?"
The attendant politely replied, "No problem, sir. When do you need them?"
Charlotte smiled faintly. "Now."
He desperately wanted to sever himself from his former life. If he could move today, he did not want to put it off until tomorrow.
The coffee shop employee hurried off and soon brought over five sturdy middle-aged maidservants. All five women carried the air of people accustomed to years of labor, which made them feel unexpectedly approachable.
Charlotte gave them a few hurried instructions, then led the maidservants in a grand procession back to Number 58.
These maidservants were all skilled workers. They quickly divided up the tasks and began cleaning.
Charlotte made a round of the first floor, then climbed the stairs to the second floor with great curiosity.
By then, evening was approaching, and the rooms had already grown rather dim.
He wandered around the second floor for a while and gained a general understanding of the layout.
The second floor had fifteen rooms. The largest exceeded seventy square meters, while even the smallest was over twenty square meters. Though none was larger than the Savings Society Apartment where he had once lived, they felt far more spacious and bright.
After circling the second floor, Charlotte went up to the third.
The maidservant cleaning that floor hurriedly bowed when she saw him. Charlotte waved a hand to show he did not mind.
There were fewer rooms on this floor, only five, but each was close to a hundred square meters—a lavish suite. There were terraces on both sides. One faced Champs-Élysées Avenue, and because the shops ahead were only one story tall, the view was completely unobstructed. He could see almost the entire streetscape.
The view from the other side surprised Charlotte even more than Champs-Élysées Avenue. It was only when he stood on that terrace that he discovered the other side of the house faced the Lucavaro River, with Lucavaro District on the opposite bank. That side was already part of the outer city.
The imperial capital, Strasbourg, was divided into the Upper Seven Districts and the Outer Fifteen Districts.
The Upper Seven Districts were Val-d'Oise District, Alexander District, Garonne District, Rosay District, Marvensado District, Alcatraz District, and Picardy District.
Charlotte could not remember the names of the Outer Fifteen Districts at all.
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