Chapter 12: Chapter: 12 So you were the ’eye’?

’Sigh… life has become unbearably hectic.’

In the dense forest behind the inn, a man sat perched high upon a tree branch.

His gaze lingered in the direction of the inn as he exhaled a weary breath.

The man’s figure was concealed beneath a cloak that covered him from head to toe.

’It’s still difficult to slip past the black shadows of the Zenithara house, they never let their guard down. If not for this cloak, I’d already be a corpse by now.’

This mission was given to me by ’that’ person, to follow the heir of the Zenithara house and record his every move.

The man’s thoughts lingered as he pulled a water flask from beneath his cloak and took a long gulp, the cool liquid easing his parched throat.

The heir of Zenithara… rumored to be a once-in-a-generation genius.

If not for his illness, he would have already ascended to the rank of Swordmaster.

And as if that weren’t enough, he is also rumoured to be betrothed to the sole princess of the Indrath Empire.

Though, it’s not confirmed, because of various circumstances but, many speculate that the princess likes the heir of the Zenithara house since childhood.

’No wonder ’that’ person is wary of him…’

“Truly, heaven isn’t fair.”

A bitter chuckle slipped past his lips as he tilted his head back, eyes fixed on the moon hanging high above, shining with cold indifference.

If not for this mission, he too would have been training, honing his swordsmanship, striving toward his own path. But fate had shackled him otherwise.

He clenched the flask in his hand. ’Since ’that’ person entrusted me with this task, I have no choice. Disobedience… is not an option.’

“Haa…” He exhaled heavily before leaping down from the tree.

Thud.

His boots struck the bare earth, the impact sending a dull sound through the quiet night.

It was nothing to worry about, no one would be wandering this deep into the forest at such an hour.

Slipping the flask back into his cloak, he began walking toward the inn.

The rhythmic chorus of insects filled the silence, echoing in his ears.

Strangely, he found their song refreshing, almost soothing. Perhaps that was why he had come this far into the forest, to let his restless mind settle, if only for a moment.

He moved with deliberate caution as he left the depths of the forest, suppressing his presence as best he could.

As he walked, suddenly he heard—

Step… step… step.

Footsteps.

Quiet, measured, drawing closer from his side. His heart clenched, a sharp tension gripping his chest as cold sweat trickled down his back.

His hand slid instinctively to the hilt of his sword. Whoever it was, he knew he couldn’t hope to outrun them as their presence was hidden with precision.

There was only one path left, fight, and carve out a fleeting chance to escape.

Steeling his nerves, he turned toward the sound.

What greeted him was far beyond his expectations. There wasn’t just one figure, there were two.

One stood on the ground, calm yet dangerous, while the other hovered slightly above it.

Mana swirled like a storm around her form, her glare searing into him with pure killing intent.

His breath hitched. He knew them instantly.

The man walking was none other than the very target he had been ordered to shadow, the heir of the Zenithara house.

And the one floating in the air…was the sole princess of the Indrath Empire, Charlotte von Indrath.

Her flowing purple robes shimmered beneath the pale moonlight, fluttering as though alive, radiating both majesty and menace.

“So you were the ’eye,’ huh?”

The voice was calm, yet cutting. Vivian D. Zenithara, heir of the Zenithara house, fixed his gaze upon him.

The cloaked man’s throat went dry. He gulped audibly, there was no chance of victory here, no path of escape.

If it had only been Vivian, perhaps he could have managed a desperate retreat. But with the princess present as well… it was impossible.

’There is no other way.’

He steadied himself, fingers brushing the dagger strapped to his waist.

Capture meant torture, and torture meant spilling secrets. That, he could never allow.

With a grim resolve, he pulled the dagger free and turned it toward his own throat. But—

Chick!

A cold flash swept past. In the blink of an eye, his wrist was severed. The dagger fell uselessly, and so did his hand.

For a heartbeat, there was only silence. Then the pain roared in.

“Ahhhhhhh!”

An ear-splitting scream tore from his lungs as agony swallowed him whole, his mind clouded by the searing torment.

“Don’t you dare try to die a painless death before answering my questions.”

This time, it was Princess Charlotte who spoke, landing gracefully before him.

Her presence pressed down like a suffocating weight, her eyes burning with fury that could kill with a glance.

Clutching the bleeding stump with his remaining hand, he forced himself to look up at her. Her glare was merciless, cold enough to freeze the air around him.

’Why? How? Did they notice me all along?’ The question gnawed at him. As the blinding pain dulled to a throbbing agony, the thought wouldn’t leave his mind, how had they discovered him?

To his shock, the answer came immediately.

“Is this cloak… the artifact?” Charlotte’s gaze locked onto the robe draped over his body. Her voice carried an edge of arrogant certainty, her eyes narrowing like sharpened blades.

“I knew there was an artifact at work… but I didn’t expect it to be that one. The very artifact that vanished from our royal treasury three years ago.”

“Charlotte, should we hand him over to the Black Shadows?” Vivian asked from where he stood, wiping the blood from his sword with an unnerving calm.

“They should be nearby,” he added, eyes fixed on the wounded man. “They’re good at this sort of thing.”

The cloaked man swallowed, the sound small and brittle in the night. The name landed like a stone in his gut.

Black Shadows, the Zenithara house’s hunting hounds. Trained from childhood, merciless, experts in breaking a will.

Their methods were so cruel that even a rock might confess under them.

Charlotte didn’t answer at once. Her gaze flicked between Vivian and the bound intruder, cold and considered.

The moonlight picked out the edge of her expression like a blade. Whatever verdict she passed would not be mercy.

He didn’t even know what awaited him as the princess leaned closer, her voice dropping to a whisper.

A single name left her lips.

“Uh—uhm…” He stuttered, eyes wide, disbelief flooding him. ’How… how did she know?’ The question barely formed before a sudden, unbearable agony tore through his skull, like invisible blades stabbing straight into his brain.

“Ahhhhhhh!” His scream shattered the silence—

Boom!

But this agony didn’t stay for long as in the next instant his head burst like a balloon, spraying brain matter everywhere.

Charlotte raised a shimmering shield of mana in the blink of an eye, the blood splattering harmlessly against the barrier.

Beside her, Vivian stood untouched, his expression was like someone who was shocked and disgusted at the same time.

Thud.

The headless body collapsed to the ground.

“Haa…” Charlotte exhaled, lowering the shield. A faint smile curled her lips as she muttered, almost to herself, “So… it was him all along.”

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