Later that evening, after Leo reluctantly left with his royal guards, Adrian entered the private infirmary chamber. He carried a heavy leather bag filled with ancient alchemy vials and strange metallic compasses.
Chloe remained by my bedside, her hand resting on the hilt of her hidden dagger, watching Adrian's every move like a hawk.
"Leave us, Chloe," I instructed quietly. "Adrian and I have matters to discuss regarding the Arcadelt artifact."
Chloe hesitated, her lips trembling slightly as she looked down at me. "Lady Rosel... please do not trust this man. His mind is filled with dangerous curiosity."
"I know," I replied softly, offering her a faint smile. "I won't be long."
Reluctantly, Chloe bowed and stepped out into the hallway, closing the heavy wooden door behind her.
Adrian set his leather bag on the bedside table, pulling out a strange glass syringe filled with a shimmering violet liquid. His glasses reflected the magic lamps, making it impossible to read his expression.
"Your spatial mana isn't just evolving, Lady Rosel," Adrian said, his tone dropping into a low, analytical whisper. "It is rejecting this world's fundamental laws."
"What do you mean?" I asked, sitting up straight against the pillows.
"I analyzed the blood sample I collected from the vault," Adrian pulled out a glowing test tube. "Your soul signature isn't attached to your physical body's magic core. It’s floating like a tethered balloon—held together only by a strange, invisible interface."
*Ping!*
[Reading Adrian's Thoughts...]
*‘Fascinating... Her soul belongs to an entirely different realm. If I can analyze the spatial frequency of her mind, I might be able to open a permanent pathway between worlds... She is the greatest magical discovery in history!’*
"You're meddling in dangerous territory, Adrian," I warned him coldly.
"Perhaps," Adrian smiled, stepping closer and extending a hand wrapped in glowing mana runes toward my forehead. "But isn't it true? You don't belong here, Rosel. You are a ghost inhabiting a dead villainess's shell... and I am the only one who truly knows it."