Chapter 10
“Why is Charlotte, who used to look away saying this place is filthy, coming here?”
Adrian, clearly aware that she had come for a request, feigned ignorance and mocked her.
It was a familiar sight, having seen it in a dream last night, yet it felt unfamiliar compared to the Adrian from the other world that Charlotte knew.
Charlotte quietly looked at Adrian, then took a seat opposite him and began speaking.
“I have a request.”
“Charlotte Daphsine, making a request?”
Despite the mocking tone, Adrian’s face was filled with amusement.
Was it really that funny that she had come here herself to make a request?
Charlotte nodded with a slightly displeased expression, and Adrian leaned his upper body toward her.
“I’m curious, what kind of request is it?”
Adrian’s eyes, lazily lowered, met Charlotte’s gaze directly.
Despite the strange, tingling feeling from his eyes, Charlotte’s voice remained dry.
“I want you to find a certain merchant guild.”
“Hmm?”
Adrian frowned slightly at Charlotte’s words, which were completely unexpected compared to what he had anticipated since yesterday.
His body, which had leaned toward Charlotte, returned to its original position.
Adrian slowly scratched his chin, looking at Charlotte’s dry face, which was so parched it looked almost brittle.
‘I thought she’d come here asking to kill Lina Goldstein or a duke, but instead…’
Adrian already knew everything that had happened to Charlotte from last night to the morning.
Even if he didn’t know exactly, just by looking at the obvious wounds, he could easily guess what had happened.
Yet, after enduring such humiliation, she came here to ask about a merchant guild.
‘Either she’s completely gone mad, or she’s trying to make herself look human now.’
Of course, since Charlotte Daphsine could never live like a normal person, the first guess was more likely.
Adrian suppressed a chuckle, forcing his lips closed. His face froze, creating an optical illusion that made it look even stiffer.
Charlotte, looking at Adrian, placed a large bag on the table.
Thud! The heavy sound echoed as the bag hit the table.
“I’ve brought enough for the fee.”
“Hmm. It looks like it.”
Even just a glance made it clear that the amount was quite large. Adrian tapped the table rhythmically with his fingers.
The precise rhythm filled the office. Charlotte didn’t waste any time and spoke.
“All I know is the name. I don’t know exactly what kind of goods they deal with or which country they’re affiliated with.”
“So, what’s the name?”
“Huryll Guild. I want you to find out what they do and where they are located.”
When Charlotte spoke, Adrian’s hand, which had been tapping the table, briefly twitched, but then he resumed the rhythm as if nothing had happened.
It had happened too quickly for Charlotte to notice.
“Huryll Guild… I’ve never heard of it. Are you sure about the name?”
“Yes, I’m sure.”
“Really? Hm, nothing comes to mind after hearing it. I’ll have to investigate myself.”
“Take your time. As long as I find out what they do later, it’s fine.”
Charlotte’s voice trailed off, and Adrian, with his sharp senses, couldn’t miss the hint of urgency in it.
However, once again, Adrian quickly stiffened his face before returning to his usual smile.
“Alright. I’ll look into it. But you came all this way just for that?”
What could this guild be? Adrian teased, continuing his speech.
Charlotte sighed softly and placed another bag on the table.
Thud!
This one was also heavy, as if it contained a lot of items.
Charlotte pushed the bag toward Adrian and spoke.
“Change half of this into magic stones and the other half into cash. You can take your commission.”
“That’s not difficult, but magic stones? What do you need them for?”
Adrian narrowed his eyes at Charlotte’s unusual request.
From the guild to the magic stones, how had she become someone so unpredictable in just one day?
But Charlotte didn’t seem willing to answer his curiosity.
Even when Adrian asked again, she remained silent.
No, there was nothing more to say.
‘How can I tell him that I can do magic now?’
The old villain, Charlotte Daphsine, couldn’t even perform basic magic, let alone dark magic.
Her natural magic power was small, and she had no talent, so it was a natural result.
‘But the current me isn’t the same as before.’
After the death of Norktem three years ago, Charlotte took on the responsibilities of the Grand Duke’s household while studying the magical theory books left behind by Norktem.
Moreover, she found a way to use magic with her body, which was otherwise incapable of using it.
As a result, Charlotte could not freely use magic like others, but she could accumulate the latent magic in the stones and use it.
Of course, the price was her body aching painfully, but it was worth it.
“Are you really using dark magic?”
“Just make sure to prepare well.”
Soon, Charlotte stood up, ignoring Adrian’s nonsense. There were mountains of questions left to ask, but Adrian did not try to stop her.
Rather than the reason Charlotte needed the magic stone, he was focused on something else.
‘Huryll Trading Company.’
He had to review the confidential documents related to that company. Adrian glanced toward the place where the secret vault containing the information was located.
‘…This is giving me the chills.’
Just by taking that one action, it felt like a long line was being drawn across his neck.
Meanwhile, Charlotte received Adrian’s greeting and calmly left the trading company. Unlike when she had entered, she exited through the hidden backdoor of the gambling house and quickly made her way to the busy street.
However, even though it was broad daylight, this area was tucked away in a deep alley, and Charlotte appeared to be a very fragile woman.
There was no one around who would just quietly watch such a person.
Wasn’t this basically asking for trouble?
One of the thugs loitering in the alley deliberately bumped into her shoulder.
“Hey? What’s this? Did you just bump into me?”
“…”
“Hey, miss. Did you bump into me? Not even an apology?”
The man blocked Charlotte’s way, mocking her.
Not wanting to cause a scene, Charlotte sighed and spoke quietly.
“How much do you want?”
“Oh, you can actually pay if I tell you?”
“As long as it’s within reason.”
The thug found something amusing about her words and called over his group, laughing. Charlotte was surrounded by hooligans in the blink of an eye.
“Miss. But this isn’t a situation where we’re only going to settle with money.”
“So?”
“Why can’t you understand? You’re in a place like this, and you don’t get it?”
The thug pulled at Charlotte’s robe and hat. It seemed he intended to tear them off.
Charlotte closed her eyes tightly for a moment, clearly tired from the chaotic situation she had found herself in over the past couple of days.
Despite her furrowed brows, she assessed the number of people around her.
It was more than she expected, but she felt she could still handle this.
‘The martial arts I learned just in case last time might come in handy now.’
Charlotte swiftly raised her hand as one of the thugs approached, but it was ineffective.
“Ugh!”
The thug in front of her suddenly collapsed with a pained groan, and in the blink of an eye, those surrounding her were also taken care of.
The thugs who had been watching the scene hastily fled.
Charlotte stood there, stunned by the sudden turn of events. Then, she was pulled by the arm and slammed against a wall.
“Ugh…”
“What the hell is going on, young lady?!”
The voice that came through her pained groan was urgent, and it sounded familiar.
Charlotte froze for a moment, her breath caught in her throat. She looked up and saw the man’s face clearly, despite the dim lighting.
It was Noctem.
“No, it must be because you’re a noble, that you can come and go in such a crazy place.”
He muttered, frowning when their eyes met.
At this moment, Charlotte never imagined she would run into Noctem.
Her heart pounded loudly in her chest.
He was dressed the same as the previous day, and it was unmistakably him, though something about him felt off.
But still, despite the differences…
‘He really does look like him.’
He resembled her husband too much.
Trying to hold back the tears that suddenly welled up, Charlotte twisted her wrist to pull it free from his grip. She couldn’t bring herself to look at him properly.
“…Can I leave now?”
Charlotte asked, keeping her eyes lowered. Noctem raised an eyebrow, a little surprised.
“You didn’t even thank the person who saved you, young lady.”
“Thank you.”
“That’s too formal.”
Despite the polite response, Noctem blocked her way, looking displeased.
“Ah. So it wasn’t necessary for me to step in, but I ended up meddling, didn’t I?”
He seemed to tease her. Charlotte was taken aback by his sarcasm.
She never imagined such a tone could come from his elegant and dignified voice.
She immediately corrected her previous thoughts.
‘He’s different…’
This wasn’t the Noctem she knew, the one who never acted like this.
Unconsciously, Charlotte lifted her head. The robe shifted slightly, and Noctem’s gaze met her face.
In that moment, his face twisted in a scowl.
His gaze shifted to the house behind her, then quickly returned to her face.
He sighed softly, as if something about this situation displeased him.
Then, with a twist of his body, he cleared the way.
It was an unexpected reaction. Charlotte stood there, staring at the now-empty space in front of her, then quickly bowed her head to him.
“Thank you, then.”
Charlotte hurried past him, fearing that he might mock her again. But then, she suddenly stopped and turned her gaze toward him. Noctem remained standing right where he was.
