The Extra Who Shouldn't Exist novel Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Chapter 119 : Charlotte Evans Avaloria

The name Charlotte Evans Avaloria carried weight—first princess of the Human Empire, daughter of Emperor Edward Evans Avaloria and his second wife, Isabella.

Her father, one of the few Monarch-rank beings in the world, stood at the pinnacle of strength and authority. But even in a palace filled with power, kindness often proved the most fragile trait.

Charlotte remembered her mother vividly. Isabella Evans Avaloria was not just a concubine—she was a beacon of compassion.

Always helping the poor, always mediating disputes with grace. The people loved her, and so did the Emperor—dearly, fiercely. Yet in the cold game of politics, kindness was a dangerous currency.

And that danger had a name: Regina Evans Avaloria.

The reigning queen and Charlotte’s stepmother, Regina saw Isabella’s growing influence like a weed choking her ambitions.

When Charlotte was born, Regina’s first reaction wasn’t fear—but relief. It wasn’t a boy. No threat to her own sons’ future claims to the throne.

For the first decade of Charlotte’s life, she was surrounded by love. Her half-brothers—Regina’s sons—doted on her, spoiled her even. Despite palace tensions, it felt like a family.

Until it didn’t.

One day, without warning, Isabella fell gravely ill. And with her descent into sickness came a strange transformation—her brothers, once so warm and protective, began to grow distant. Cold. As if someone had turned a key and locked away their affection.

Charlotte remembered the evening clearly. The flickering candlelight, the heavy silence in her mother’s chamber, and her pale mother propped up weakly on silken pillows.

Isabella’s voice was barely a whisper, but each word burned into her soul.

"Charlotte, my dear... you have to become stronger for what’s about to come, or you won’t survive in this place."

The ten-year-old princess blinked back tears, trying to hold her mother’s fragile hand.

"Things are changing... and now you’re on your own. Your father’s hands are tied. Promises—he’s bound by them. He can’t protect you for long."

Charlotte’s lips trembled. "M-Mother, what are you saying...?"

"Gather allies. Build your own forces. And if needed... become the queen of this empire. Even if you must walk the path of blood."

"Power is important, my child, but never forget—your true strength is your mind. Think before you act. Always."

Then, just before her eyelids fell shut for what would be years, Isabella whispered one final truth:

"The time of the prophecy is drawing near. I don’t want you to become a disaster as the prophecy said, Charlotte... so, please... survive.

I wish I could change your future, but now I can only that you yourself can manage to do that."

And then... nothing. No farewell smile. No final breath.

Her mother never opened her eyes again and went into a coma from that day onward.

No matter what treatment they tried, she never woke up—only slept.

---

From that day forward, the soft-hearted Charlotte began to vanish. In her place, a sharper, more calculating girl was born. One who cried silently into her pillow, then rose each morning to learn how to twist words like daggers.

She studied the court. Learned names. Favors. Weaknesses. She spoke softly, smiled often—but always with purpose.

Slowly, she began to draw nobles to her side, gathering influence piece by piece.

But Regina wasn’t blind. The queen saw Charlotte’s growing web and did everything she could to trip her up. Meetings were disrupted. Rumors planted. Yet Charlotte endured.

Without her mother, she found warmth elsewhere—Serina von Crestvale, her aunt and the mother of Alden and Alicia. The Crestvales became more of a family to her than her own blood. Even Alden and Alicia treated her like a true sister.

As years passed, Charlotte extended her reach. She befriended Seraphina Starlight, and Ethan Williams—the prophesied hero of humanity.

At first, those friendships were strategic. But eventually... she found herself smiling genuinely. Laughing, even.

’This... this feels real. More real than the palace ever did.’

But then came the Zenith Academy entrance exam—and the arrival of a silver-haired nobody.

Charlotte had noticed him immediately. Striking blue eyes, silver hair like starlight, and a smirk that reminded her of someone who knew more than he let on.

She thought he was just another skilled commoner who’d somehow caught Alden’s attention.

’Pretty face. Useful, perhaps.’

That was her first mistake.

He manipulated her—her!—into a direct confrontation with vampires, turning her plans into a spectacle. And when the dust settled, the commoner had stood toe-to-toe with geniuses like Alden and Ethan.

Charlotte felt her grip slipping.

’How? How did I let this slip past me?’

Before the exam, she’d already spoken to Ethan, who had no interest in the Apex title. He agreed to hand it to her after the exam, a gesture of goodwill and strategy. Everything was going perfectly.

Until the unknown commoner flipped the entire board.

He didn’t just win—he shattered precedent. The first commoner in history to become Apex of Zenith Academy.

Charlotte could only grit her teeth as the announcement rang through the arena. Even with all her preparation, all her supporters, she’d been checkmated.

’Damn it... Damn him...’

But even in that crushing moment, her mind didn’t break—it calculated.

’He’s a wildcard. Wildcards are dangerous... but also useful.’

So she extended a hand in friendship. Beneath the smile, she formed a new strategy.

’If I can’t hold the Apex title myself... I’ll make someone else hold it for me. Someone loyal. Someone grateful.’

Then came the orientation—and Alex Dragonheart’s bold, arrogant speech. Half of the nobles scoffed. The commoners cheered. And Charlotte saw an opportunity.

’Perfect. Let him make enemies.’

She whispered to her followers—let Lorenzo’s arrogance grow. She didn’t give direct orders, of course. She simply nudged, suggested. Manipulated.

Lorenzo, the proud noble, took the bait. He began targeting Alex. A campaign of noble pride and petty spite—and Charlotte knew:

’Alex... he’s too stubborn to ask for help. He’ll endure until he breaks.’

At the cafeteria incident, when her friends suggested stepping in, Charlotte stopped them.

’No. Let him handle it. And when he’s at his lowest, I’ll reach out... I’ll save him.’

’He’ll owe me. He’ll trust me.’

’And then... controlling him would be easier. Even taking the Apex title.’

She didn’t need to be the strongest. She didn’t need to be loved.

She just needed to win.

But boy, she was wrong.

On the very first day Lorenzo tried to humiliate Alex, Charlotte had watched everything in the cafeteria. Lorenzo, puffed up by ego and her carefully planted words, had ordered a trembling first-year to throw a bowl of food onto Alex’s head.

The food splashed down—thick, oily broth sliding down Alex’s silver hair and onto his uniform. The entire room hushed. Gasps, stifled laughter, nervous shifting. Charlotte leaned forward slightly, curious.

But Alex didn’t flinch. He didn’t shout, didn’t react with wounded pride or embarrassment. He merely looked at the trembling boy who had done it.

’Why isn’t he reacting?’ Charlotte thought, her brows furrowing. ’Is he trying to save face?’

After talking to the first-year who threw food on him, Alex dragged Draven with him and disappeared somewhere.

In the next moment, chairs scraped, tables flipped, people started throwing food at each other—and the atmosphere in the cafeteria turned from playful to hostile. The next thing anyone knew, Lorenzo was eating floor tiles and was beaten half to death by Carl Dimitri.

And since then, Carl started bullying Lorenzo.

That was not in her plan. Not even close.

Strangely enough, every time her eyes met Alex’s after that, a chill ran down her spine. His blue eyes didn’t glare at her. They didn’t even carry resentment.

They understood.

’Does he know?’ she wondered again and again. ’Does he know it was me behind it all?’

But he never confronted her. Never showed any hostility. Just that calm, unreadable gaze, like a mirror reflecting her own schemes back at her.

And that unsettled her more than anything.

Because the only people who ever made her feel this... exposed were her father and her mother.

’It’s like he can see through me. I hate that. I absolutely hate that.’

Then came the duels. And everything shifted again.

It was supposed to be sparring with the second years. But when Alex stood across from Alicia von Crestvale—one of the strongest, not a second-year but a third-year in the academy and Charlotte’s cousin—people expected a show, not a bloodbath.

At first, Alex was beaten badly. But after some taunting from Alicia, the atmosphere changed.

He didn’t just hold his own. He injured Alicia. Injured her.

The entire arena had gone silent. Even Charlotte’s breath caught in her throat.

Even Ethan couldn’t have done that. Not now.

’No one could among the first years.’

And at that moment, a realization struck her like a lightning bolt—

’I underestimated him... He’s far from normal.’

It wasn’t just his strength. It was how he used it. When to strike. When to manipulate. When to pull back. Like he was playing chess while everyone else was busy tossing dice.

Her instincts screamed.

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