The carriage ride back from the Underground District was suffocatingly quiet.
Rain started pouring heavily over the paved streets of the capital, the heavy drops clattering against the glass windows like tiny stones. Inside the dark, velvet-lined carriage, I sat on one side, while Chloe sat opposite me, her head bowed in silence.
The blood on her hands had been cleaned, but the lingering smell of copper and dark mana still hung faintly in the air.
"Lady Rosel..." Chloe murmured softly, her fingers tightly clutching her skirt. "Are you... angry with me?"
I opened my eyes, looking at her pale face in the dim amber light of the magic lantern.
"I am not angry," I answered, keeping Rosel's tone quiet yet firm. "I am concerned. You acted recklessly tonight, Chloe. If Prince Leo's knights had arrived a few seconds earlier, they would have seen you using dark wind magic."
"I don't care about the Prince or the knights," Chloe whispered, her eyes shining with a sudden, intense flicker of dark emerald. "My only purpose in this world is to ensure that no one ever lays a finger on you again. If I must become a monster to keep you safe... then I will willingly embrace it."
*Ping!*
[Reading Chloe's Thoughts...]
*‘Lady Rosel's eyes are staring so deeply into mine... My heart feels like it's going to burst. I want to lock her away in a place where only I can see her... somewhere safe from princes, assassins, and the rest of the world...’*
*PLEASE DO NOT BUILD A BUNKER TO IMPRISON ME, CHLOE!*
I let out a weary breath, massaging the bridge of my nose. "Just... don't act without my command again. Understand?"
"Yes, Lady Rosel," Chloe replied instantly, her terrifying expression vanishing as a soft, obedient smile replaced it.
When the carriage finally pulled up at the gates of the Arcadelt Estate, it was already past midnight. Instead of heading to my bedroom to rest, I led Chloe down a spiral staircase deep beneath the main manor, leading to the family's restricted archives—the Arcadelt Vault.
The massive steel doors were sealed with ancient runes that responded only to the bloodline of the Duke. I pressed my thumb against the center crest, letting a drop of blood fall onto the cold stone.
*Click. Heavy gears turned, and the vault doors slowly creaked open.*
Inside was a vast underground library filled with glowing crystals, ancient scrolls, and dangerous magic artifacts. In the center of the room rested a pedestal holding a glowing black stone inscribed with the same snake emblem as the letter.
"This is..." I muttered, stepping closer to the pedestal.
*Ting!*
[System Notification!]
[Main Quest Progression: 'The Secret of Transmigration'!]
[Artifact Discovered: 'The Core of Spatial Distortion'!]
As my fingers touched the black stone, a surge of raw information flooded my mind. Images of ancient portals, soul transfers, and the origin of the System flashed before my eyes.
The Arcadelt family wasn't just a powerful noble house—they were the original creators of the magic that allowed souls from other worlds to cross dimensions!
"So... Rosel's ancestors were the ones who brought my soul here?" I gasped, clutching my head as the system screen flickered wildly.
"Lady Rosel!" Chloe caught me as my knees buckled, wrapping her arms securely around my waist. "Are you alright?!"
Before I could answer, a cold, mocking voice echoed from the dark entrance of the vault.
"How fascinating. To think the noble Villainess of Arcadelt was keeping such a dangerous secret from the High Council."
I turned my head sharply. Standing at the open doorway, leaning against the stone frame with a smirk on his face, was Adrian—the Academy's top magician.