I Accidentally Saved The Male Lead’s Brother

As soon as they entered the office, Carcel handed Charlotte a document without even offering her a seat.

It was the contract they had drawn up when they first met.

Charlotte took the contract but didn’t read it immediately. Instead, she asked in a puzzled tone:

“Why are you bringing this up now?”

Carcel said nothing. He flipped to a specific section and pointed to it with his finger.

Charlotte’s gaze followed his finger, and she began to read.

It was Clause 1, specifically the special condition Charlotte had added herself.

“If the contract is no longer deemed necessary, either party may terminate it prematurely by mutual agreement, even before the specified term ends.”

Back when she had added this clause, her reasoning had been simple: she had anticipated the arrival of the story’s original heroine, Penelope, that spring.

When Carcel inevitably fell in love with Penelope, Charlotte thought it would only be natural for the extra character she had embodied to step aside.

Now, however, the clause felt irrelevant. In fact, Charlotte had nearly forgotten about it.

‘It’s not like I’d terminate the contract, even if Penelope showed up,’she thought.

She had grown attached to Carcel—not just as a partner in the contract, but as something more.

She even dared to hope that Carcel might feel the same way about her.

But now, of all times, why was Carcel bringing up this clause?

Her stomach churned with unease.

And then, Carcel spoke.

“Starting today, I plan to find Theo a new Compatible.”

His voice was calm, almost dispassionate, but the words struck her like a lightning bolt.

“What… what are you saying?”

“Exactly what I said. I’ll be actively searching for a new Compatible for Theo.”

The words were simple, but Charlotte couldn’t comprehend them.

Carcel’s tone had reverted to the stiff and formal manner he’d used when they first met.

“But the contract lasts for five years. You can’t just—”

Carcel interrupted her, tapping on the clause with his finger.

“It’s written here, isn’t it? If we find a new Compatible, the contract can be terminated early. Once we bring in the new Compatible…”

He locked eyes with Charlotte, his tone firm and resolute.

“…this contract will end.”

Charlotte’s voice rose in disbelief.

“This is ridiculous!”

Her hands slammed onto the desk as she stood up, holding the contract up to his face.

“It says here the contract can only end by mutual agreement! Even if a new Compatible is found, I won’t agree to termination!”

Carcel’s gaze softened for a moment, but his voice remained steady.

“You know why I’m doing this.”

“No, I don’t! How could I, when you won’t explain?”

It wasn’t true—Charlotte knew exactly why Carcel was acting this way.

‘This is because of me,’ she thought bitterly.

Carcel’s memories of Edgar had brought with them a storm of guilt. He blamed himself for the deaths of Edgar and Heather, who had died simply because they were Compatibles.

Now, he feared that Charlotte would suffer the same fate.

It was clear he was trying to protect her by finding someone else to take her place and cutting her out of the equation entirely.

She understood his reasoning, but that didn’t mean she could accept it.

“I won’t let this happen.”

Charlotte clenched her fists, her voice trembling with emotion.

“Is this contract so meaningless to you that you can just discard it like this?”

Carcel flinched as if struck.

“That’s not what I meant—”

“If you were really afraid of the danger, I would’ve ended the contract myself! But I stayed! I stayed with you, knowing the risks! How could you say this to me now?”

Carcel tried to calm her down, reaching out to take her arm.

“Please, listen to me—”

But Charlotte shook off his hand, her voice firm and resolute.

“No. And if you mention ending this contract one more time, I swear, I’ll pack my things and leave for Lannia’s Manor!”

She spun on her heel and stormed out of the office, leaving Carcel standing there, frozen in place.

He reached a hand out toward her retreating figure but ultimately let it fall.

The next morning, Theo sat at the breakfast table, chewing on his toast while sneaking glances at Charlotte.

Normally, she would be all smiles, encouraging him to eat. But today, her face was drawn and somber. Even a child like Theo could tell that something was wrong.

Seeing Charlotte sad made Theo sad too. His chewing slowed, and his little shoulders slumped.

“Nunna…”

Theo’s eyes flicked toward Charlotte again. Why was she upset?

After swallowing the last bite of his toast, he sucked on his fingers, deep in thought.

In the short time he had spent with her, Theo had noticed a pattern. Whenever Charlotte looked sad, it usually had something to do with…

“Brother!”

Theo’s eyes widened in realization. It had to be his older brother’s fault!

His little fists clenched as he banged the table with all his might, startling Charlotte.

“Theo? What’s wrong?”

“Brother is bad!”

“Huh?”

Charlotte stared at him, bewildered.

“Why would you say that? Brother isn’t bad. He’s a good person.”

“But you’re sad because of Brother!”

Charlotte’s heart sank. Was her unhappiness really that obvious?

She reached out to Theo, handing him a piece of toast skewered on a small fork.

“I’m fine, Theo. See? I’m smiling.”

Theo hesitated but took the toast, chewing thoughtfully.

Charlotte smiled gently and patted his head.

“Brother isn’t bad. He loves you very much. So, no more calling him bad, okay?”

Theo nodded reluctantly, though his lips still puckered in a pout.

But four hours later, despite Charlotte’s reassurances, Theo had made up his mind.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he stomped determinedly toward Carcel’s office.

Charlotte, exhausted from a restless night, was still asleep and had no idea what Theo was up to.

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