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Chapter 63
“Then, use it well.”
Tiago stroked Charlier’s hair one last time. Charlier held the curse orb tightly in both hands and closed her eyes.
“Then…”
She couldn’t take her eyes off Tiago’s back as he walked away. A mix of fierce anger and strange excitement surged inside her, making her whole body tremble.
“……”
After standing there blankly for a long time, Charlier finally lowered her gaze. Looking at the red ruby ring and the curse orb in her hands, she grinned.
Frederic was standing behind a pillar, waiting until the sound of Tiago’s footsteps faded away.
“……”
In his hands was a box of herbal tea that he had planned to give to Charlier.
‘So that’s how it is…’
Once Tiago was completely gone, Frederic stepped out from behind the pillar.
“……”
He let out a deep sigh and tilted his head back. He kept replaying the conversation between Tiago and Charlier that he had overheard.
‘So it’s true… Charlier was the one who cursed Delphine. And Tiago… he can even use black magic.’
His heart felt tangled.
The first thought that came to him while listening to their conversation was Delphine.
‘Delphine… so the curse on her really was Charlier’s doing.’
He couldn’t hide his heavy feelings.
He had never thought Charlier would fall this far. He knew she had gone through many hardships after returning to Shyro from the imperial palace, but he never imagined she would use curse orbs.
‘So… the Charlier I once knew really doesn’t exist anymore.’
His eyes fell on the herbal tea box he had prepared for her.
In the end, he decided it was better to leave her alone and turned back toward his own bedroom.
‘Should I tell Delphine what I heard? Would that be right? Or would it only make her worry?’
Even if he didn’t talk about Charlier, he at least wanted to warn Delphine to stay away from Tiago—that dangerous man.
‘Tiago… I never thought he’d be involved in something this dangerous.’
Frederic had heard rumors about Tiago before, but he hadn’t believed he was truly connected to black magic. And now he learned Tiago was also distributing curse orbs in the imperial palace. If this became known publicly, Tiago’s life would be in danger.
‘But doesn’t this mean Delphine will be in even more danger too?’
Frederic shut his chamber door with a sharp sound and sank into thought.
He wanted to protect Delphine from any harm—do everything in his power to shield her. She had once saved him, and now he wanted to repay her.
His desire to protect her wasn’t just gratitude anymore. It was closer to something like attachment.
During his darkest times, Delphine had appeared like a shining candle. Being with her gave him strength.
And yet, now—with Charlier still here before him—he couldn’t bring himself to completely let her go either.
“……”
Frederic placed the tea box on the table and slowly undressed.
The smooth silk clothes slipped down over his strong body.
‘First… I’ll take a bath and clear my head.’
He walked into the bathroom. Inside was a tub filled with warm water, the air heavy with steam.
He added a few drops of fragrant oil made for royal guests. Even just a few drops filled the whole bath with a rich scent.
—Splash.
Sinking into the warm water, he let his back rest against the tub. The endless stream of tangled thoughts began to quiet down little by little.
‘Charlier… Tiago… and… Delphine…’
—Chirp. Chirp, chirp!
The sound of birds came from outside the window. Through the slightly open curtains, the first rays of morning sunlight spilled in.
It seemed to be early dawn.
‘So spring really is here… the sun rises so early now.’
Living in the palace with Frederic had trained me to wake up early.
‘Phew… well, since I’m awake, I might as well get up.’
I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep well last night with everything that happened, but surprisingly, I slept deeply.
‘Maybe it’s because I only drank a little wine. And this bed—wow, it feels like sleeping on a cloud. The imperial palace really is on another level.’
I almost wanted to take the bed home with me.
As they say, a good night’s sleep is the cure for everything. The heaviness in my body and the frustration in my chest from yesterday had melted away.
Stretching my arms wide, I felt fresh all over.
‘Alright, let’s get breakfast first.’
I rang the bell on the table. A moment later, my maid Paella knocked and entered.
“Did you call, my lady?”
“Yes. Please prepare breakfast.”
“Yes.”
She bowed and left. Soon after, she returned with a tray covered by a crystal dome.
“I’ll place it on the table.”
Paella set down the breakfast and quietly left again.
‘Wow…!’
The imperial breakfast looked like art.
The bread was topped with colorful ingredients, almost like jewels. The black tea gave off a luxurious aroma that filled the air even before lifting the cup.
‘Life really is worth living.’
I closed my eyes slightly, enjoying the scent.
Then, yesterday’s events flashed through my mind.
“……”
Eating delicious food and sipping tea, everything suddenly felt less serious.
‘Was I just overreacting because I was tipsy? Why did I feel so upset yesterday?’
If I thought about it carefully, neither Charlier nor Tiago had any real connection to me. Of course, my heart thought differently… but technically, I had no reason to feel so disappointed or hurt.
‘That’s right. I’ve only known Tiago for a short time anyway.’
As his face faded from my mind, another face appeared—Frederic’s.
“Hm…”
If it had been Frederic in that situation yesterday, I think I would’ve been a little disappointed.
Yes. I realized I had more expectations from Frederic than from Tiago or Charlier.
I took a big bite of salad as I thought about it.
‘Maybe it’s because I’ve known him longer… and because we’ve been tied together in many ways.’
—Knock, knock.
Just as I was finishing my meal, someone knocked on the door.
Wiping my mouth with a napkin, I went to open it.
“……!”
It wasn’t Paella or Edward. It was Frederic.
“Frederic!”
He looked exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept well.
“Have you eaten breakfast yet?” I asked.
Instead of answering, he shook his head.
“You haven’t eaten? Then why…”
“We need to talk.”
“Ah… okay. Come in.”
He stepped inside and closed the door.
‘What’s this about?’
I led him to the sofa, then sat down in the armchair beside it.
‘This feels familiar… just like when I used to visit the Frederic estate.’
The familiarity made me relax a little, but when I looked at him, he seemed tense and troubled.
That made me nervous too.
‘What’s going on?’
Finally, he took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind.
“You need to be careful.”
‘…What? Did he come here to threaten me? Why is he suddenly telling me to be careful?’
I stayed quiet, waiting for him to continue.
“You… you need to be careful of Tiago.”
“……”
Ah, so that’s what this is about. He told me the same thing before.
I wanted to brush it off, but seeing how serious he looked, I decided to listen.
“Why?”
“That man… he’s connected to curse orbs. He’s the one supplying them to the palace.”
“Ah… I see.”
I wasn’t too surprised. For someone who came from slavery to rise to this level of wealth, he would’ve had to be involved in shady things.
‘And besides, it’s not like Tiago and I are in any kind of relationship.’
“And… he knows black magic too.”
“Oh.”
That wasn’t shocking either. From the first time we met at the tavern, when he saved me and Frederic, I could tell he wasn’t ordinary. And the Mermaid’s Tear necklace he gave me wasn’t something easy to get either.
“And…”
Frederic hesitated.
‘Huh? I’ve never seen him like this before.’
Up until now, Frederic had always either acted rude, gotten excited when he received news about Charlier, or sulked when there was no news.
This side of him—struggling to speak—was completely new.
Finally, with great effort, he spoke.
“Because… you were cursed once before. So you need to be extra careful.”
“……”
Eh? That’s it? That’s what he was struggling to say all this time?
“And… take care of yourself.”
“Ah, yeah. I will.”
His words trailed off.
It felt like he was hiding something. Like there was more he wanted to tell me, but he couldn’t.
‘What could Frederic possibly want to hide from me?’
When I looked at him, he quickly turned his head away.
“……!”
Suddenly, I felt a sharp chill on my back, as if needles were poking me. Cold sweat ran down.
‘There’s only one thing. If Frederic is keeping something from me, it has to do with Charlier. It has to.’
My whole body went weak. My jaw tightened from the heavy feeling.
‘No way…!’
And at that moment, the image of Charlier and Tiago together from yesterday flashed clearly in my mind.
