Chapter 269 [Illustration]

Chapter 269 [Illustration]

—Your Highness, I’ve heard about that child as well... If there’s even a slight chance that finding the child can improve Your Highness’s condition, you must meet him at least once. I promise you, even if the child knows nothing, I will protect him with my honor. Where is the child?

—I don’t know. I said I don’t know. The sealing sorcerer and the child are both missing, so it’s all meaningless.

Charlotte had said that only she and I knew the clues about Baalier, and she hadn’t told her retainers about my whereabouts for some reason.

Was it related to what Charlotte was going through? And did Charlotte stop contacting Baalier because she feared I might be in danger?

The picture was becoming clearer.

Charlotte’s power was likely not a supernatural power.

If it were just a dangerous supernatural power, there would be no reason to suggest finding me.

—I’m prepared, Dame Tana. If I get blood on my hands again, please kill me.

There it was. The person who had died in the Spring Palace had indeed been killed by Charlotte.

Her power had gone out of control, and she had killed someone. And she didn’t even remember it.

—Your Highness...

—Promise me.

A pause.

—I cannot promise that.

—Promise me. Please.

Sabioleen Tana did not respond to Charlotte, who was begging for death.

The conversation ended.

I quickly hid in the instrument storage room that was connected to the music hall at the end of the right-side corridor. The door was open, and there were no instruments inside. I knew it was an instrument storage room because of all the empty music stands. The musicians had probably taken all the instruments away.

I considered closing the door but decided against it, fearing the sound might be detected. Instead, I hid within the darkness of the room.

Neither Charlotte, Dyrus nor Sabioleen Tana would ever enter this room. They had no business being in the music room, let alone this storage room.

The storage room was dark, but darkness was perfect for me. All I needed was sound.

‘This situation might actually be advantageous.’

Click.

The door to Charlotte’s bedroom opened, and I could hear Dyrus’s and Tana’s footsteps.

—Wouldn’t it be better to watch over her while she sleeps?

—It was useless. She even tried tying herself up while she slept. But it was all meaningless.

A short pause.

—I see. But she hasn’t left the palace yet, has she?

—For now, yes... but it might only be a matter of time.

—Do you mean she might appear in the Tetra Palace, or the Winter Palace?

—It’s just a guess. I can only hope that’s not possible...

They were clearly discussing a past incident that had already occurred, but without knowing what the incident was, I couldn’t make sense of their conversation.

Charlotte’s movements could not be restricted or restrained.

All I could figure out was that it was related to Charlotte’s ability somehow.

—By the way, is your shoulder alright?

Pause.

—It’s fine. It’s not a serious injury. And it happened because I was careless. I’ll manage.

—Aren’t you going to see a priest?

Another pause.

—It’ll be dangerous just leaving a record of me receiving treatment from a priest. The fact that Her Highness can injure me... You understand the implications of that.

—Yes.

—Her Highness might hear us. Let’s refrain from discussing this further.

—Understood... I was careless.

Charlotte’s ability had gone out of control, and Sabioleen Tana had been injured.

For her to suffer such an injury... ‘Is Charlotte’s power strong enough to harm the leader of Shanapell?’

They seemed to be keeping the fact that Charlotte had attacked Sabioleen Tana a secret.

Would Charlotte’s ability go out of control, causing her to lose her sanity, and would Sabioleen Tana, after doing all she can to defend herself, end up having to kill Charlotte?

—Hmm...

As they approached the palace stairs leading to the first floor, Sabioleen Tana’s steps halted.

—Is something the matter?

I could feel it.

She was on alert.

—Something...

I held my breath and erased my presence.

Sabioleen Tana sensed nothing. How much time had passed?

—It’s nothing. It must be because I haven’t been sleeping well.

—How many days has it been?

—Now... Even this...

I heard Sabioleen Tana’s quiet mutter. Her voice was filled with shock and a hint of genuine fear.

It had to be Charlotte turning off the lights.

‘Why is this happening? Why is she doing this?’

I couldn’t understand.

Sabioleen Tana got up and started moving. She was heading towards Charlotte’s bedroom.

I held my breath and tensed my entire body to avoid detection.

I could not let her find me.

The Revise function would take into account countless coincidences and possibilities to ensure that I wouldn’t be discovered. This had to include the condition that I was doing everything in my power to hide my presence.

Not being discovered was the future I was aiming for, but if I suddenly made a noise, she would undoubtedly notice.

I had no intention of testing whether the predetermined future could be changed.

I couldn’t make this life-threatening gamble any more dangerous.

—Your Highness! If you are awake, please respond!

Sabioleen Tana called out as she walked down the corridor.

—Your Highness!

She called Charlotte as she headed towards her bedroom.

The Spring Palace was in complete darkness.

Flash!

Rumble...

It was even darker because of the rain, and without the occasional flashes of lightning, it would be hard to distinguish anything.

The flashes of lightning actually hindered my eyes from adjusting to the darkness.

—Your Highness!

I heard Sabioleen Tana’s voice, close to desperation.

Click.

I heard the sound of Charlotte’s bedroom door opening.

Silence.

Sabioleen Tana said nothing. There had not been any other sound of a door opening before this.

‘So, Charlotte is missing again.’

—Once again... She’s disappeared...

I heard that despondent, despairing mutter.

At that moment,

Flash!

I almost screamed in surprise.

In the instant the lightning flashed, I saw something.

Something was in front of me.

Rumble...

A split second later, a boom of thunder rattled the windows.

‘What was that? What was that in front of me just now?’

I stared ahead, opening my eyes wide, but I couldn’t see the figure that had been watching me from the darkness.

It wasn’t a hallucination. Something had definitely been watching me.

Something that hadn’t been there before had suddenly appeared.

Flash!

Once again, the lightning momentarily banished the darkness.

A shape appeared in front of me, only to vanish in an instant.

I definitely saw it.

A figure... It was watching me and smiling, and it resembled Charlotte.

But it was definitely not Charlotte.

Something was watching me from the pitch-black darkness.

I couldn’t see anything, but I could feel the presence of that something in front of me.

—Heh.

—Heh heh.

—Heh heh heh heh....

—Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh heh....

The creature’s eerie laughter sent chills down my spine.

Flash!

The next flash of lightning illuminated it clearly: jet-black hair like the deepest abyss, deep black eyes like the void, and vertical, slit-like red pupils.

It was closer in appearance to a demon.