Chapter 133
The curiosity within the maid could no longer be contained, but she still managed to convey her message with respect.
Aivina and Adele naturally heard this. Adele, however, paid it no mind and began quietly asking the maid beside her if there were any snacks available.
As for Aivina, after locking eyes with Charles, she subtly turned her face away and followed Adele, seemingly uninterested in Charles's affairs.
"Alright, take me upstairs," Charles said to the maid.
She understood that Amy must have summoned her for some reason.
The fact that Amy had returned home safely indicated that the summoned Saintly Order's spirit had done its job, protecting her.
Charles had no doubt about Amy's safe return; she was merely concerned that contact with otherworldly beings might leave Amy with some lingering effects.
This was one of the reasons Charles had decided to call Aivina and Adele over as well.
Following the maid, they ascended to the second floor, their footsteps echoing dully on the wooden floor. Finally, the maid stopped outside a door adorned with floral clusters, raised her hand to knock, and announced, "Miss Charles has arrived."
After speaking, the maid gave a slight nod to Charles and then left the second floor, returning downstairs.
After three or four seconds, a voice came from the other side of the door, "Is that you, Charles...?"
"It's me."
Charles didn't rush to open the door; she simply stood at the threshold.
Click—
The door swung open, and Charles stepped inside.
It was a very feminine room, with pink and white lace embellishing everything from the mattress to the curtains. As soon as she entered, a faint floral fragrance wafted through the air, refreshing and delightful.
After entering, Charles turned her profile toward Amy, who had changed into a different light blue dress from the one she had seen before. Her golden, slightly tousled hair framed her face.
"Charles," Amy, who had been behind the door, quickly shut it after Charles entered. Panic filled her face, and tears nearly spilled from her eyes as she looked at Charles. "Charles..."
"What's wrong, Amy?" Charles asked, her concern evident.
Amy was the most normal friend Charles had ever encountered—innocent, with a youthful heart, living a peaceful and prosperous life, a life Charles had once envied.
That was why she didn't want this incident to disrupt Amy's life too much.
"I just went to a mountain villa, and not long after I arrived, there was an earthquake... I... I don't know how, but I ran out with my dad," Amy stammered, "I saw... a ghost! I was cursed by it!"
It was clear that Amy's nerves had frayed her ability to articulate, but Charles grasped the gist of it.
But... a ghost?
Was it that spiritual being's extraordinary ability? A white shadow similar to the "Bitter Ascetic"?
But why could Amy see it? And why had she not been harmed?
"Take your time, Amy. It's okay," Charles said, raising her hands to rest gently on Amy's shoulders, her tone soothing, trying to help her relax.
"Charles... do you believe what I'm saying?" Amy looked up at Charles with red-rimmed eyes.
"I believe you," Charles nodded.
"I can't tell anyone else... I thought and thought, and I felt only you wouldn't be scared of this," Amy said, her face contorted in distress, "If the maids saw, they would definitely tell my dad."
"What do you mean?" Charles withdrew her hands and asked, "The curse of the 'ghost'?"
A curse... could spiritual beings leave such things behind?
"I found it while changing clothes..." Amy said, extending her hand to unbutton her collar, then slowly lifting her skirt, turning her back to Charles as she removed the entire dress.
Underneath the dress, she wore a thin, white silk slip, and through the semi-transparent fabric, her fair skin was visible.
Charles's gaze instantly locked onto the strange markings on Amy's back.
As Amy gradually peeled off the last layer of the slip, the delicate silk fell to the floor, revealing her back completely to Charles.
This was...
"I didn't even know this appeared on my back at first... When I felt the earthquake, I thought of my father still inside, so I went back to look for him..."
With her back to Charles, Amy crossed her arms over her chest, trembling as she spoke, "When I saw my father, he noticed the chandelier above me was about to fall, so he rushed over to save me... He pushed me down to protect me, and I saw the chandelier stop in mid-air..."
"It was a ghost... a white ghost holding up the chandelier!"
"I can't remember what it looked like anymore, but I'm sure it was a ghost..."
Amy sniffled and continued, "In the end, my father and I inexplicably ended up by the cornfield at the foot of the mountain. My father fainted, but he was too heavy for me to move. Just as I was about to find someone to help, I encountered two robbers..."
"They came at me with knives, and then... then in an instant... they just... shattered..."
At this point, Amy's voice trembled even more, as if the scene was still vivid in her mind.
"After that, I flagged down a cart that had just finished unloading, gave the worker some money, and had him take me and my dad back to the city... Then... when I was changing clothes, I saw the ghost's curse on my back."
Amy finished recounting the events in one breath, then slightly turned her head to look at the serious-faced Charles, saying, "I... I swear everything I said is true, but I didn't kill anyone, Charles..."
Charles, however, remained silent as she gazed at the strange white markings on Amy's back.
Ten translucent white wing-like imprints were clearly etched onto her skin.
Charles had indeed given that spiritual being a command to protect Amy.
But why had this spiritual being gone and performed a ritualistic array?
It looked strikingly like a seal.
It seemed that this ritual array still contained a significant amount of the spiritual being's power... even as Charles stared at the markings, they flickered slightly, as if responding to her, as if seeking praise.
I told you to protect her, not to act as her bodyguard...
Great, another person's peaceful life shattered by me.
However, from Amy's account, it was clear she had seen that spiritual being and had not been harmed... why?
Spiritual beings possess a certain level of intelligence, albeit not high, but enough to distinguish the commands given by Charles.
What had led it to act outside of its orders, sealing itself onto Amy's back?
If the members of the Saintly Order saw this, they would undoubtedly think it was a holy mark left by a goddess, and they would surely elevate Amy to the status of a saintess.
No... this was merely Charles's speculation.
Perhaps that spiritual being was just a bit dim-witted and acted unintentionally?
"Aside from this mark, is there anything else strange?" Charles asked calmly.
Earlier, Amy had felt as if the sky was falling, but now, with Charles's tone, it seemed as if this was not such a big deal after all.
Perhaps it was Charles's steady demeanor and lack of emotional upheaval that had calmed Amy's previously frantic heart.
"There's one more thing... just a moment."
Amy bent down to pull up the slip that had fallen at her feet and put it back on.
Charles turned to look in another direction, waiting until the rustling sounds of Amy changing clothes ceased. When Amy's voice rang out again, Charles turned back to face her.
"This bag... I didn't dare throw it away, fearing it might contain the ghost and harm others, and I didn't dare open it..."
Amy handed a delicate black velvet bag to Charles. Once Charles took the bag, she noticed Amy's demeanor and realized how unladylike her previous actions had been.
With her head lowered, Amy's face flushed to her ears, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of her dress.
Charles, after receiving the bag, gently squeezed it.
What is this...?
A bottle?
A potion bottle?
After carefully checking and confirming it was just an ordinary bag, Charles slowly opened it to find three potion vials lying inside, along with a piece of parchment.
Charles took out the parchment, flipped up a corner, and confirmed that the writing inside was merely ordinary Ansu script. She then gradually unfurled the rolled parchment.
On the parchment, there were crooked Ansu characters written in blood, resembling the scrawl of a child.
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