“You’ve killed so many people, and yet you can still feel fear? I thought you were like me by now, seeing life and death as nothing much,”
Charlotte said, gazing with interest at Bella, who was now utterly incapable of resisting.
He had to admit, he was somewhat intrigued by Bella’s proposal.
After all, he also wanted to investigate whether his constitution was truly as Aifel had described—able to enhance Magic Power and Elemental Affinity through contact with a pure maiden.
And Bella seemed like the perfect subject for such an experiment.
In truth, Charlotte hadn’t been angry at all when Bella tried to assassinate him.
What worried him more was whether he had somehow exposed any clues to the Holy Church, but for now, it seemed that was not the case.
And yet, Bella had delivered exactly what he desperately needed—a Divine Artifact, and one that was part of the Mist God’s Legacy at that.
With it, he could provide even greater divine power support to Aifel and the First Mist, bringing the day he became a Tier Four Mage ever closer.
It was truly a timely gift.
With that thought, Charlotte genuinely found himself reluctant to kill Bella.
Bella, meanwhile, stared at the pensive Charlotte. Those dozen seconds felt like a lifetime to her—far, far too long.
All her attention was fixed on his face, but she simply couldn’t read his emotions.
“I’m interested in your proposal, so, for now, I’m inclined to let you go,” Charlotte said, suppressing his killing intent.
His tone was as calm as water, and as he finished speaking, the chains restraining Bella loosened slightly.
At last, Bella felt the weight in her heart lift.
The instant the pressure was relieved, her tense body lost all strength.
Fortunately, the chains still held her aloft, or she would have collapsed to the floor, unable to get up.
Bella gathered herself, but the sight of Charlotte filled her with lingering dread.
The sensation of his hand gripping her throat was still vivid in her memory.
“I knew Charlotte was a clever man… Our cooperation will…”
“Cooperation?”
Charlotte’s hand closed around Bella’s throat again. Caught off guard, Bella began to moan, her limbs trembling, her delicate features twisting in pain.
“Ah… uh, I was wrong… so… rry… I was wrong…”
Throughout, Charlotte adjusted his grip, savoring Bella’s reactions.
The slightest change in his touch brought forth a different response—rather amusing, really.
“Mind your words. I never said anything about cooperating with you. Do you think your current position qualifies you to speak of cooperation with me? Right now, at best, you’re a prisoner. A mere Chess Piece, and you think you’re fit to discuss cooperation with me?”
Bella hadn’t expected Charlotte to be such a controlling person.
Proud to the extreme herself, Bella had never been treated like this by anyone.
If anything, she treated her subordinates even worse than Charlotte did now.
She could hardly accept Charlotte speaking to her in this way, but was utterly powerless to resist.
It was more unbearable than death.
Normally, as the Duke’s Miss, she was the one trampling on the dignity of others.
Now, it was her dignity being crushed by a man’s hand and words.
Bella’s face flushed crimson. She forced herself to look at Charlotte, and those eyes, cold as ice, kindled a peculiar feeling deep within her.
Seeing Bella nearing her limit, Charlotte released his grip.
This time, she was in an even sorrier state than before, coughing uncontrollably, saliva, tears, and snot streaming from her face.
“Miss Bella, so that I can better control you, this Chess Piece, I think we need a more in-depth exchange.”
Charlotte undid the chains, letting the dazed Bella fall limply to the floor.
Bella had completely lost the will to resist. Whatever awaited her next, she was powerless before this man, who had won completely.
Charlotte hauled up the limp Bella and slowly walked her into the mansion…
A few minutes later, Bella regained consciousness—only to find herself suspended once again by chains now reinforced with magic. She looked around.
The dim room was filled with a Rune Binding Rack, a Saintlight Shackle, a Crystal Magic Cage, and the surrounding walls were studded with crystal stones.
There were also whips, candles, a Dog-head Guillotine, a Triangle Horse, and a bed.
She recognized these things. An assassin’s training had taught her well—these were all instruments of torture. Wasn’t he supposed to spare her?!
What was this place?!
The evening wind blew in, making her shiver.
Only then did she realize she was down to her undergarments and a pair of white stockings, now torn from when she’d brushed against the grass in the front yard.
“Awake?” Charlotte sat beside a dim light, a magic book in his hand. Hearing the clinking of chains, he knew Bella was struggling.
Suddenly, Bella remembered—Charlotte had never actually said he wouldn’t kill her…
Her face paled. She tried to summon her Fighting Aura, but for some reason, her power wouldn’t respond at all.
She had no idea what Charlotte planned to do to her. The fear of the unknown nearly brought her to tears.
“Don’t bother. I just made you drink a poison. You’ll be unable to use your Fighting Aura or Magic Power for five hours. If you don’t get the antidote within those five hours, you’ll die.”
Charlotte closed his book and walked to Bella’s side, reaching out to caress her arm and sliding his hand down to her supple waist.
“!”
Bella’s body trembled, and a cute little “Eek!” escaped her lips.
“Are you ticklish?” Charlotte asked.
But Bella didn’t dare answer. Her mind was a blank, and she was too afraid to speak.
If she said the wrong thing, Charlotte might choke her again.
That feeling was… while a little thrilling, it was still far too much. She didn’t want to experience it again.
“I’m asking you a question!”
Charlotte pinched her thigh, hard.
She endured the pain, not daring to cry out. Biting her lip, she managed to reply, “Mm…”
“If you want the antidote, it’s simple.”
Charlotte pulled a colorless vial from his robe and set it on the nearby table, casting a spell to form a misty hourglass.
“I was planning to kill you. But I changed my mind. If you can hold out for four hours tonight, it proves you’re useful. Aren’t you fond of interesting plays? I’ll give you a chance to perform—show me your skills.”
Charlotte’s tone remained as cold as ever. What shocked Bella was how the man could say such things with a straight face.
Charlotte released Bella from the chains. The red marks where they’d bound her wrists stood out on her smooth, pale skin.
Covering her chest with one hand, she knelt on the ground, pitiful and vulnerable.
Charlotte’s gaze slid over her delicate body. Compared to Floleen, she really was rather flat.
If Floleen was a great mountain, Bella was a small hill, not much different from Aifel. “Your figure is rather average. Let’s see how you perform, Miss Bella.”
Bella was about to glare at Charlotte—her only remaining form of resistance—but an instinctive terror seized her heart.
Fear rooted her in place, and she shivered, abandoning any act that might anger Charlotte.
When she realized this, despair overwhelmed her—her body refused to rebel against Charlotte any longer.
“What are you still spacing out for?” Charlotte glanced at the hourglass on the table. “Time waits for no one.”
Bella let go of the hand shielding her chest, stood, and slipped off her last undergarments.
Pitifully, she used the piece of white lace to tie up her hair, then knelt once more.
The scene made Charlotte chuckle. “You can use it like that? Bella, you really are interesting…”