Roel forced himself to stay calm and consider the current situation.

  “Grace.”


  “Yes, Lord Roel.”


  Grace hurriedly wiped off her tears before stepping forward to answer Roel’s call.

  “Is the report from the medical team out yet?”


  “They need more time to generate the report for the most recent checkup, but the results don’t look optimistic…”


  “What about the ancient ruin?”


  “We have already dispatched all available manpower to comb the area, but there hasn’t been any progress.”


  “… I see.”


  Roel turned his eyes back to the woman in his arms. He appeared to be much calmer now, but it was hard to tell what he was thinking beneath his glowing golden eyes.

  As a matter of fact, the upper echelon of the Rosa Merchant Confederacy had committed all available resources to save the highly talented successor who was known to be the sole inheritor of the Sorofyas’ Primordial High Elf Bloodline.

  Their intelligence departments spanning the entire Sia Continent were pulling their connections to gather every last bit of information that could be of help. Tens of thousands of guards were combing the vicinity of the ancient ruin in search of clues. This was the largest peacetime operation Rosa had carried out since its independence.

  Roel couldn’t blame them for reaping no results when they had already gone to such an extent.

  In fact, Bruce was already anxiously rushing back to Rosa, and the Rosaian military was offering help wherever it could.

  It was just that numbers didn’t matter when it came to the Six Calamities.

  Roel rubbed his temples as he reviewed his observations over the past month. He deduced that the monster that had cursed Charlotte was a smart one even amongst the Six Calamities.

  Occasionally, in the middle of the night, his instincts would ring warning bells in him like it did the night Shrouding Fog devoured Tark Stronghold, almost as if something ominous was eyeing him from the shadows. He realized that he had experienced similar sensations to it when he was spenidng time with Charlotte in the past, albeit it being much weaker.

  This meant that the enemy had been lurking around them for a long period of time.

  This member of the Six Calamities appeared to be terrified of him, likely to an even further degree than the trepidation expressed by Shrouding Fog during their confrontation on the eastern border. The evidence lay in Charlotte’s temporary recovery during their journey back to Rosa. Chances were that it was reluctant to make a reckless move in his presence.

  Going down this road of deduction, does it mean to say that this member of the Six Calamities hasn’t fully matured yet?

  Roel’s eyes narrowed at that thought. He was starting to get some ideas as to what he could do should the worst truly happen. Just like that, with Charlotte in his arms, he continued interpreting the pieces of information he had gathered and devising countermeasures.

  It was an hour later before the auburn-haired woman in his hair finally regained consciousness.

  Despite her enfeebled state, she panicked the moment she realized that she had slept past their allotted dinnertime.

  “Darling, I didn’t intentionally fall asleep. It shouldn’t count this time around, right?”


  “…”


  Charlotte looked at Roel with worried eyes, fearing that he would go hungry once more.

  Roel had just barely calmed down from the earlier shock, but her words made his eyes heat up. After a moment of silence, he gently rubbed her face and replied with a hoarse voice.

  “Don’t worry, I’ve already told Grace to prepare another portion. There won’t be any time limit today. Let’s eat together.”


  “Really?” Charlotte asked in delight.

  “Mmhm. Let’s take it slow tonight. We’re pretty much done with the logistical preparations for the united army anyway,” Roel replied with a smile.

  The two of them sat down and enjoyed the delicacies prepared by the Sorofyas’ top chefs. Charlotte was exceptionally obedient throughout the meal, almost as if she was trying to reassure him after her earlier fainting spell.

  The two of them tacitly pulled the rug over the accident that had happened earlier, veiling it with this moment of happiness.

  Time passed, and Charlotte’s health report was finally out.

  …


  Only the most competent doctors of the Sia Continent were qualified to become members of the Sorofyas’ medical team. While they were helpless against the curse from the Six Calamities, their assessment and projections on Charlotte’s health condition were still credible.

  The following evening, Roel sat alone in the study room, browsing through Charlotte’s health report. The sky darkened as shadows slowly swallowed the setting sun; it was almost as if the world was mirroring his mood.

  His earlier conjecture was on the mark.

  The results showed that Charlotte’s health was already nearing a tipping point. Her constant narcolepsy was her body’s self-defense mechanism against her deteriorating health. Should her condition worsen any further, there was a chance that she might go into a coma, turning her into a true sleeping beauty.

  The curse wouldn’t let her off with just that. It would continue gnawing away at her body during her sleep until she finally withered away.

  Words couldn’t describe Roel’s feelings when he read the report, but he knew that he couldn’t succumb to his sorrow. He had to hold the fort when the others were already breaking down.

  “Lord Roel, are we… really going to let our young miss see that?” Grace asked between weeps.

  After forcing herself to remain strong all this while, Grace finally had an emotional breakdown upon seeing the despairing health report. She was afraid to let Charlotte see it, fearing the latter’s response.

  However, Roel knew that it was meaningless to hide it from her. As a high transcendent herself, Charlotte knew deep down how her body was faring, just that she consciously chose not to talk about it. He spent a few moments calming Grace down before personally heading over to Charlotte’s bedroom to inform her about the results of her health report.

  Just as he had expected, Charlotte wasn’t surprised at all.

  “I see. I’ll be in danger if my condition deteriorates any further?” Charlotte replied with a helpless smile, hardly looking as agitated as Grace was.

  Her response further affirmed Roel’s determination to resort to his final measure, but before he could reveal his intention, Charlotte suddenly raised a request.

  “Darling, may I ask for a favor?”


  “What is it?” asked Roel.

  Charlotte’s emerald eyes glistened as her eyes curled fondly in reminiscence.

  “I want to visit that rose-colored forest again.”