The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist novel Chapter 313

Chapter 313: Chapter 313 : Payback (1)

Inside the royal palace of the Avaloria Empire...

In a luxurious room draped with fine curtains and soft light, Charlotte lay on her bed, blankets tangled around her. Her eyelashes fluttered, and slowly, her eyes opened.

A dull ache throbbed in her head.

She glanced around in confusion. She was in her room.

"What am I doing here...?" she murmured. "I remember going to the meeting room with Alex and the others..."

Fragments began to surface—voices, pressure, emotions spiraling out of control.

She pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, sitting up. "So I lost control, huh..." she whispered.

The door to her room burst open with a bang.

Queen Regina stormed in.

Her face twisted the moment she saw Charlotte awake. "You," Regina hissed. "You whore. Because of you and that bitch mother of yours, this is the second time I’ve lost my rightful place."

She strode forward, grabbed Charlotte by the collar, and yanked her closer. "How many times, huh? How many times must your mother and you do this to me?"

Her eyes burned with hatred. "First your mother stole my husband from me. And now that damn boyfriend of yours has taken what rightfully belonged to my children and me."

Charlotte just smiled at her.

"Wow," she said softly. "That expression on your face... it’s been a really long time since I’ve seen it. And you know what? No matter how many times I see it... it’ll never be enough."

Then she started laughing.

Loud, unrestrained, almost delighted laughter poured out of her.

Regina’s face went beet red.

She raised her left hand—

The slap cracked across Charlotte’s cheek, snapping her head to the side. A bright red mark bloomed on her skin.

But Charlotte kept laughing.

"How dare you laugh in my face!" Regina screamed. "How dare you, filthy blood!"

She slapped her again.

And again.

Palm after palm, the sound echoed around the room, but the smile on Charlotte’s face refused to disappear. The laughter eventually faded, but her smirk remained—mocking, uncowed.

Finally, Regina stopped, chest heaving, teeth grinding.

A strange, unhinged smile twisted her lips. "Do you know," she said, voice dripping with venom, "that your mother also used to smile like that?"

Charlotte’s laughter cut off.

Her smile vanished.

Regina’s own smile widened in satisfaction.

"That woman," Regina continued, "pretending to help others. Pretending to care about Edward. All she was really doing was trying to take my place away from me."

She paced slowly, words growing sharper. "Because of her, Edward started ignoring me. Because of her fake kindness, everyone thought she was better than me. But they didn’t see the truth like I did."

Her eyes gleamed with madness. "All she ever wanted was to push me and my children out of the way. No one else saw it. But I did."

She pointed a finger at Charlotte. "And then she gave birth to another one just like her. You."

Regina’s voice turned cold. "But the gods saw it too. When the Pope of the Holy Empire first saw you, he told Edward on the spot that you were a bad omen for the royal family. A disaster in the making."

Charlotte stared at her silently, eyes darkening.

"So," Regina said, "to protect my family, I did what was necessary."

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