🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 69
“Why are you so surprised? You said you never did anything to me. If you’re so innocent, then you’ve got nothing to worry about. Right, Michaela?”
Michaela didn’t answer. She just glared at Charlier.
“Anyway, live well. When you become Empress, you can take your revenge on me. That is—if you even manage to become Empress.”
With those final words, Charlier’s expression froze. Her face showed no emotion at all.
She turned and walked straight to the door.
—Bang!
She slammed it so hard the doorframe rattled as she left.
Michaela stood dumbfounded, trying to process what had just happened.
‘Crazy. Completely insane.’
Her legs trembling, Michaela slowly sat down in a chair and leaned on the armrest.
‘This won’t do.’
She thought about the curse orb she had used on Sophie. Edward had always weakened the curse orbs before giving them to her, and she had used those weaker orbs against Charlier.
Because Charlier was a duke’s daughter, she couldn’t be killed as easily as Sophie had been.
‘Still… it’s not enough. She has to die too.’
Michaela covered her face with both hands. Her eyes glinted dangerously through her fingers.
‘Yes. Charlier has to die.’
It is very rare, but sometimes two curse orbs clash. That only happens when two people target each other at the same time.
When that happens, the curse grows unimaginably strong—strong enough to kill both sides.
“Goodbye, Michaela.”
As soon as she returned to her bedroom after the confrontation, Charlier pulled out her curse orb and aimed it at Michaela.
At the same moment, Michaela also pulled out a curse orb—her target was Charlier.
The two orbs flew toward each other, blazing with power. Then—
—Flash!
The curses collided midair in a violent explosion of light.
“Hmm…”
Tiago rose from his chair and walked to the window. He saw the flash of light through the curtains.
He flung the window wide open.
“Ha, what a mess.”
The sky was cloudless, stars sparkling everywhere. Yet from that beautiful sky Tiago felt a violent surge of cursed energy.
‘Things are about to get complicated.’
He shut the window quickly. Time was running out. By tomorrow, everything would be different.
—Snap!
He flicked his fingers. A wardrobe door swung open, and a large leather travel bag inside popped open.
—Whoosh.
He pointed, and a huge square scarf flew out. It was large enough to cover the floor like a rug. He swung it over his shoulders. It was a protective cloth, able to shield him from curses.
He snapped his fingers again, and his body turned transparent—completely invisible.
—Creak.
Opening the door carefully, he checked the hallway, found it empty, and headed straight for Edward’s underground storeroom.
“Master Edward! Master Edward, wake up!”
Someone shook him frantically, pulling him from sleep.
“What’s going on?”
He spoke in a low, sharp voice. The panicked intruder was Michaela’s maid.
Edward had once told her: If anything happens to Michaela, come to me first.
Now the maid stood pale as a ghost, as though she’d seen something horrifying.
“M-My lord… Lady Michaela won’t wake up…!”
Edward’s eyes flew open. He leapt from bed and hurriedly dressed.
“Since when? Does anyone else know?”
“Only me! I went to attend her this morning and found her, then ran straight here.”
Edward tightened his shoelaces and strode out quickly, the maid rushing after him.
It was still before sunrise. Luckily, the corridor outside Michaela’s chambers was deserted.
“Ha!”
Edward clicked his tongue. Michaela’s bedroom door was standing wide open.
He shot a glare at the maid.
“I—I was in such a rush I forgot… I was panicking…”
She stammered an excuse.
‘Forget it. No time to scold her.’
Edward rushed inside. The maid followed and shut the door.
Standing in the center of the room, Edward asked:
“She’s been like this the whole time?”
Michaela was slumped over her desk, face buried in her arms. Her hands dangled lifelessly, while shards of a curse orb and spilled ink stained the table and floor.
“Yes… last night she told me not to enter under any circumstances… so I didn’t check. I… I should’ve—ugh!”
The maid gagged, clapped a hand over her mouth, and fled to the washroom.
The stench filled the chamber—an awful, rotting smell. Edward recognized it well. Curse orbs gave off the odor of decaying flesh when they shattered.
“Ugh.”
He covered his nose with a handkerchief and moved closer. The stench pierced through the fabric as he leaned in.
He touched his fingers lightly to Michaela’s nose. Nothing. No breath, no life. The heavy silence in the room confirmed it.
“She’s dead.”
He whispered, then stepped back quickly, pressing against the wall. The stench was overwhelming.
‘What a waste. Now she’ll never be Empress.’
Rather than sadness, his mind went straight to calculation—his loss.
‘Tch. Should’ve invested in Charlier instead.’
He shook his head, covering his mouth again.
The maid returned from the washroom, clutching a towel to her face, her eyes watery.
“My lord… what should we do? Should I call a physician?”
“Wait. I need time to think.”
He turned suddenly, glaring.
“Was there anything unusual last night? Anyone who visited? Anything she received?”
“Um… well…”
The maid hesitated, clearly not wanting to get further involved.
Edward rummaged in his pocket, pulled out a gold coin, and tossed it at her feet.
“This enough to make you talk?”
The maid swallowed hard. That coin was worth more than her yearly wages.
“Lady Charlier came… last night.”
“So, Charlier was here.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she snatched up the coin and shoved it into her apron.
“Now, go back to your quarters and pretend you overslept. Come back after sunrise, then call the physician. Understood?”
“But… what about Lady Michaela…?”
The maid glanced uneasily at Michaela’s lifeless form.
Edward flipped another gold coin at her feet.
“You understand me now?”
She nodded furiously, scooped it up, and hurried away.
Edward left Michaela’s chamber without another glance, his face calm as if nothing had happened.
Her death stirred no emotion in him. To Edward, death was just another event, nothing more.
His mind was busy calculating: would Michaela’s death help him, or harm him?
‘Charlier… I didn’t expect you to go this far. You’ve got guts. Maybe I should’ve chosen you instead.’
Originally, Edward had thought Michaela was the better bet—her family was stronger.
But Michaela’s jealousy had been endless. That’s why he had to supply her with so many curse orbs. Of course, he profited from it, but the real goal had been to secure a place at the Empress’s side.
‘Tch… this wasn’t the plan. Maybe I should bet on Charlier after all.’
There weren’t many candidates left for Crown Princess. Few duke’s daughters were unmarried, and Prince Alexander was notoriously picky.
Lost in thought, Edward soon arrived at Charlier’s chambers.
—Knock, knock.
He rapped on the door. It was early dawn; she was unlikely to be awake.
He pushed the door open slightly and stepped inside.
“As I thought.”
Just like in Michaela’s chamber, he found a body slumped in the room.
The only difference—Charlier was lying on the sofa.
Beside her was the shattered fragment of a curse orb.
‘So that’s what happened. They cursed each other at the same time.’
He understood instantly, then turned to leave—
“Uuugh…”
A weak groan stopped him.
‘She’s alive?’
Edward spun back and approached. Charlier’s brows were furrowed in pain, but her chest rose and fell faintly.
She was still breathing.
