Chapter 380

Chapter 4 Jealousy?

“He…”

Huh? Huh?

She seemed angry… Why? What was going on?!

I stared at Victoria’s somewhat pale face, my mind still reeling. My hands gestured in front of my chest, but I didn’t know what to say.

“He wasn’t planning to set off for East Continent?”

Victoria frowned slightly as I remained silent for a while.

She controlled her emotions well. The slight… dissatisfaction? Whatever it was, she quickly suppressed it. She turned away casually and sat down on the sofa, rubbing her temples with her hand, closing her eyes.

“What, you don’t know yet?”

“I don’t know…”

East Continent?

What could Carlos be doing in East Continent…

Could he have come here just to tell me this?

“He’s going to East Continent to find our teacher, Sir Knight… He’ll probably leave tomorrow or the day after.”

Tomorrow or the day after?

“What’s so urgent that he needs to go now…”

“Let him tell you himself.” Victoria replied indifferently.

Wait…

Did she just say ‘our teacher’?

I sat cross-legged beside Victoria, leaning against the soft, comfortable back of the sofa. I tilted my head, thinking for a moment, then shifted closer to her and said, “Victoria, did you just say… Sir Knight is also your teacher?”

“When I was young, he taught me swordsmanship for a few years.”

“Oh…”

So they were actually from the same school of martial arts?

“Let’s not talk about this. I came to tell you something else.”

Victoria sat elegantly, arms crossed over her chest, her back straight. Even with her eyes closed, one could see the hint of fatigue between her brows.

A cool breeze blew in through the window, stirring her hair and brushing lightly against my face, tickling me.

“This afternoon, I went to the dungeon to see Lex. He told me that the Blood Orb might be hidden in Vlerusk Castle.”

…Hmm?

Blood Orb? Why would it be there…

Her abrupt statement left me stunned for a moment, but then my mind raced and I suddenly understood.

“Does that mean…”

“Mm-hm.”

Victoria nodded slightly, her golden eyes opening slightly.

“The heretics from the Gates of Truth were led into the city by him. Their goal was to kill me and destroy the church. The Church has already confirmed this. So it makes sense that the Blood Orb would be with him.”

Ah…

But Duke Laux is cunning. He might be lying or secretly plotting something. Thinking this, I furrowed my brow and asked Victoria, “Victoria, do you believe him?”

Victoria shook her head gently.

“There’s a possibility he’s lying, but I think it’s unlikely. His mental state is unstable, he seems delusional, almost insane… You may not know this, but when the Iron Guard stormed the royal city, his son betrayed him and killed all those who were loyal to him. I think this must have been a great blow to him. He probably no longer holds any hope for that once proud castle… His purpose in telling me the location of the Blood Orb is to get me to lead troops to capture Vlerusk Castle and even provided the layout of the underground passages and waterways.”

“Oh…”

Duke Laux… has gone mad?

I felt a pang of pity.

“A few days ago, we agreed on armor and weapons. Shanter sent a reply saying that your father agreed and the envoy has already set out with the first batch of supplies, using the Church’s special entry channel. They will arrive soon… You know this, right?”

“Yeah.”

I responded vaguely, not wanting Victoria to know that I hadn’t seen the content of the letter.

Then I suddenly remembered something and felt a shock.

“Victoria, are you planning—”

“I’ve spoken with the Pope. The Church Knights will arrive in the royal city soon. They will join the newly organized city guard to attack Vlerusk Castle, eliminate the source of rebellion, and find the Blood Orb.”

She turned her head to look out the window at the night sky, lost in thought.

“I’ve realized, Pepé. Sometimes… being overly cautious isn’t always good. When the time comes to strike, you need to strike hard and fast…”

The atmosphere became as calm as a lake.

Not long after, Carlos returned.

He carried several large and small paper bags. As he entered the living room and saw the two women sitting on the sofa, his expression changed noticeably.

A moment of surprise. My eyes swept over Victoria’s composed face, and then I smiled.

“Oh, there’s a guest.”

…Huh?

This guy… He didn’t call Victoria ‘Her Majesty,’ and his tone was so casual!

I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“Guest?”

But I heard Victoria next to me casually throw out a counter-question. Despite her still cold tone, devoid of any emotion, I could faintly sense a hint of tension in the air.

“Mr. Carlos, this is the royal city.”

As she spoke, she tapped the tea table with her slender fingers, a hint of impatience in her brows, her posture reminding Carlos who the real master here was.

“Fine, fine. This is the royal city. You decide…”

Carlos seemed not to mind much. Perhaps he was just saying that on a whim. With an easy smile, he walked up to me, holding one bag up to show me. “Here, I bought everything you asked for.”

I stared at the largest brown paper bag in his hand, my gaze briefly passing over the oil stains on the corners before I gently wrinkled my nose.

Sniff…

…Such a wonderful smell!

It’s Opera almond cake! He actually got it!

Suddenly, my appetite surged, and I sucked back the saliva that was about to drip from my mouth. I jumped up from the sofa, my eyes brimming with joy, reaching out to grab the bag from Carlos’s hand. But as I did, I caught sight of Victoria’s gaze out of the corner of my eye.

My heart skipped a beat.

I couldn’t describe the peculiar look in her eyes. In those golden pupils that met mine, apart from their usual indifference, I faintly saw a trace of… something akin to a little girl’s disdain and委屈 (disappointment).

I had never seen Victoria like this before.

Was she…

jealous?

No, no, that’s absurd…

“Are you not going to eat?”

“Uh…”

Victoria turned her head away after only a brief glance at me, continuing to admire the courtyard outside the window.

“I’ll wait… Yes, I’ll eat later…”

I reluctantly lowered my hand, glancing longingly at the bag several times until Carlos dumped it all on the tea table.

He didn’t seem embarrassed at all. He shrugged nonchalantly at Victoria and sat down on the sofa beside me, shaking off the collar of his pristine shirt and crossing his legs.

“It seems Her Majesty has other plans for dinner. Would you be so kind as to allow me, a man without a place to go, the opportunity to dine with these two beautiful ladies?”

“Carlos, what brings you here?” Victoria said in a flat tone.

“Not much… Just some things I wanted to say to little Hil…” He licked his lips, uninterested. “Mind if I stay?”

“Go ahead.”

The atmosphere fell into a long silence.

The clock ticked by, second by second. On the left, Victoria gathered her hair and gazed out the window, lost in thought. On the right, Carlos leaned back on the sofa, closing his eyes to rest.

No one spoke.

Caught between them, I felt extremely awkward…

Say something…

But what?

“Oh, right, Hil. I almost forgot this…”

Suddenly, Carlos broke the silence.

He reached into his chest, rummaged around, and pulled out an envelope, handing it to me.

What…

I instinctively reached out to take it: “For me?”

The wax seal bore the image of a majestic lion… Ah, this is from the Royal Academy.

“This morning, I went to the academy to discuss some matters. They mentioned that I would see you this afternoon, and Madame Bertha asked me to give this to you.”

The academy…

“Is everything okay over there?”

I hadn’t been to the academy once these days. I didn’t know how Sarah and Daisy were doing, or Sophia…

She saw me that day.

And that was why I avoided going.

I was a bit afraid of what she might say or do to me.

But Carlos, why did he go there…

“At least, Madame Bertha is sick… It’s nothing serious.”

“Oh…”