Silence engulfed the forest, broken only by the soft rustle of leaves.
The spy who had been tailing them now lay lifeless on the ground, his head grotesquely shattered.
Charlotte stood over the corpse, unshaken.
Her lips curved into a satisfied smile, she had confirmed her suspicions, and the truth was exactly as she had expected.
Vivian, however, was far less composed. The gruesome sight twisted his stomach into knots.
"I… I can't—ugh…" he gagged, doubling over as bile surged up his throat. He vomited right there, unable to hold it back any longer.
He had tried so desperately to endure, to maintain his dignity as a man in front of Charlotte, but his body betrayed him.
His instincts overpowered his pride, and the urge he had fought against since first seeing the corpse finally won.
Charlotte, who had been staring at the corpse with a satisfied smirk, snapped back to reality when she noticed Vivian retching. Her brows furrowed with concern as she stepped closer.
"Are you alright?" she asked gently, offering him a napkin.
'This one can't even look at a corpse without falling apart,' she thought, eyes softening for the briefest moment.
"Um… yeah, I'm fine," Vivian muttered once he had finished vomiting. He accepted the napkin and wiped his mouth, trying to regain some dignity.
"So… what did you say to that guy to make his head just—boom?" he asked, gesturing awkwardly toward the body.
Charlotte's lips curled into a smirk. "Call out a Black Shadow."
"Why? We don't need them, do we? You already handled him, and you said something that made his head explode." His face was a mix of confusion and unease.
Her expression hardened, her tone sharp and commanding. "Just call a Black Shadow. I have something to tell your father."
He stared at her for brief moment as he hesitated but eventually he agreed,
"…Fine." Raising his hand, he called out, "Black Shadows, come forward."
At Vivian's command, five figures descended soundlessly from the darkness above, their movements swift and unnatural.
Cloaked from head to toe in heavy black robes, they knelt in perfect unison before him.
"You called for us, Young Lord," the leader who was kneeling at the front said, his voice low and steady as he bowed deeply.
"Yes," Vivian replied, glancing at Charlotte. "She has something to send to the family."
'What did she discover? She looks almost… pleased,' Vivian thought, watching her with growing curiosity.
Charlotte calmly drew out a slip of paper and began writing with precise strokes.
Not a word was spoken as she folded the message and handed it to the leader.
"See that this reaches the Duke directly," she instructed, her tone firm and unquestionable.
"Yes, Princess." The leader accepted the note with both hands, bowing first to Charlotte, then to Vivian.
Without another word, he vanished into thin air. The remaining four followed instantly, dissolving back into the shadows as if they had never existed.
The forest was silent once again.
"Alright, so what did you find out?" Vivian demanded once the shadows had gone, impatience sharpening his tone as he furrowed his brows.
"We'll talk tomorrow. Let's go." Charlotte didn't bother to look at him; she turned and started walking towards the inn.
"Why not now?" he whined, trailing after her. "Don't you trust me? I know this is important to the royal family, but you can tell me, can't you?"
"I can't tell you right now. Have patience." Her refusal was curt, final.
Uhg… With an exaggerated groan Vivian fell silent for a beat, then began spinning possibilities in his head. 'It's probably about that artifact,' he reasoned.
'That man was watching us because of the princes of the royal family, keeping an eye on Charlotte so she can't move against the throne.' He nodded to himself. 'And she must know who the perpetrator is, that's why the man died the moment he heard the name. A curse, maybe. Yes, that fits. Hehe, my Wisdom path deductions are really accurate'
A proud smile spread across his face. "All thanks to great love," he murmured to the empty air. "If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be so smart. Thank you, master." With exaggerated reverence he bowed toward nothingness, utterly pleased with his own deductions.
"What are you mumbling about? Hurry up, we have to leave in the morning." Charlotte's voice cut through the silence as she strode ahead without looking back.
"Ah, yes, I'm coming," Vivian replied quickly, though his mind was far from the present.
In his head, he was already soaring in seventh heaven. 'That's right…now that I have been transmigrated into my own novel I will manipulate everyone at the academy with my knowledge as the author just like those protagonists I had read about. I'll gain benefits, influence… and of course, the girls with big—' he paused, then sighed inwardly.
'But I already have Charlotte. Still… her chest isn't as big. Heaven really is fair, I suppose. No one can be perfect in every way.' He hypothised in his head.
'Charlotte may have brains and beauty, but compared to her…no Charlotte is still prettier I guess,
cause I described her as less prettier than Charlotte.' He guessed.
His thoughts wandered shamelessly. 'Ah, to finally see her in real life… I wonder what she'll look like.' A dreamy smile spread across his face as he trailed behind.
Charlotte, walking just ahead, was lost in her own thoughts too, but unlike Vivian's ridiculous musings, hers were cold, calculated, and entirely focused on what lay ahead.
'So that's what you were after…' Charlotte's eyes narrowed as the pieces fell into place.
'You wanted to use that curse to erase any obstacles to your scheme, so no one could stand in the way of your family.'
'Duke Tramplin'
She thought of the name in her mind as she clenched her hands.
She was suspicious of him the moment she heard the possibility that Vivian's illness might be a curse.
He was one of the three great dukes of the Indrath Empire. In secret, he backed the First Prince's claim to the throne.
And the one obstructing his plans was none other than Vivian D. Zenithara.
Despite being shackled by illness, Vivian had still clawed his way to the Fourth Star, an achievement that even Tramplin's genius son had only managed later, and with far greater ease.
That kind of talent, that kind of potential, was dangerous in the wrong eyes.
And to top it off, Vivian's mother had been the only daughter of Duke Kamesh Sant, the head of the powerful Sant family.
That alone meant Vivian carried the bloodline of two great houses. If he were to marry Charlotte, she would stand with not one but two dukedoms at her back.
Not that Charlotte herself cared for such power, but to others, it was enough to brand Vivian as a dangerous obstacle.
His very existence upset the balance of power, and so they had sought to erase him before he could grow any further.
Charlotte clenched her hands until her knuckles went white, rage flaring hot and bright inside her. "You will pay," she vowed under her breath, teeth bared.
'I'll make you regret letting Vivian suffer. I'll erase your family from the map, just you wait.'
They stepped out of the forest beneath a high, indifferent moon.
The night air felt thin and electric; in the quiet that followed, Charlotte's promise hung between the trees like a blade.
Whatever she was planning next would, in time, shake the empire to its very core.