"I'm sorry. I should have done a better job at protecting Marcello!" Giovanni sobbed through the communication orb, informing her of her brother's plight.
Charlotte had enough of this, she started, "Giovanni, stop crying and answer me. Marcello's body...Where is it?"
Giovanni went silent for a couple of seconds. He then said "I don't know. We couldn't find it. A large explosion was set off and everything on the premises was blasted off. It was a spell of calamity level."
Charlotte stops for a second.
"An explosion of calamity level?", she questioned him.
"I think Marcello...I think he took something. Something that belongs to the 'Shadow dwellers'." Giovanni pauses before speaking. He continued, "They must've tried to take him out with the mages of such calibre. There doesn't seem to be any other explanation."
Charlotte let out an exasperated groan. She mumbled, "You have to be kidding me." After a little pause, she focused her attention on the sphere. "Listen, Giovanni. By sunset, I need you at the Stellar Veil main exit."
"What? Why?" Giovanni was surprised by the sudden request and exclaimed, "Wait, you can't be serious."
Charlotte remarked quietly, "You claimed you never retrieved the body. Well, I'll find it."
Giovanni said, "But the Stellar Veil is only for the Royals. I don't think-"
Before he could finish, Charlotte cut him off, "I have permission to use it. Pick me up by dusk. End of discussion"
She cut off the call of the transmission orb.
"I'm going to find you, Marcello. Please be alive till then..." She says as she steps into the main gates of the Stellar Veil.
A whirl of magic surrounded her, and within seconds, she found herself transported to Castello d'Oro.
As she looked upon the streets of Castello d'Oro, Charlotte was in awe. Contrary to the rumours of corruption and danger that surrounded this place, it was breathtaking.
But there was one thing that was bothering her.
"So hot..." she was using a cooling spell and yet the heat was getting to her.
Despite being a lady of a Noble House, Charlotte spent most of her life on the battlefield or among the commoners.
It reminded her so much of her days of delivering help in many countries, and this situation brought back those memories.
With her unique black hair identifying her as a foreigner in these strange countries, Charlotte studied the area. She used a disguise spell to make herself seem like the locals to fit right in.
Charlotte was surveying the market when a vendor of rare gemstones noticed her. His concentrated stare betrayed the satisfaction of having at last found what he was looking for.
Though she chose to ignore it, Charlotte caught his lingering stare. Still, the merchant came resolutely toward her.
"Wait up! "Hey!" he said, running after her. His crimson eyes met hers. "Please accept this." Placing a pendant in her hand, he remarked, "It might help you."
With a grimace, Charlotte gently declined, saying, "I'm sorry, but I'm not buying."
With a loving smile, the merchant said, "I'm giving it to you, Milady."
"No, I-" Before Charlotte could finish, she noticed an odd energy coming from the pendant that seemed both familiar and unfamiliar to her.
The merchant chuckled softly as he watched Charlotte's look. "The mana inside the pendant has chosen you, Milady. Now it's yours."
Charlotte did not say anything, keeping her eyes on the merchant. She finally jolted out of her trance and said, "I'm not interested. Take it back with you."
Charlotte turned and walked away. The tenacious merchant, however, showed no indications of giving up. Quickly thinking, she used a mirage spell to divert his attention.
With her gaze back on her surroundings, Charlotte went back to surveying the scene.
In the meantime, the merchant appeared amused by Charlotte's deceptive behaviour, as seen by the look on his face.
One of the men at his store walked in smiling broadly and inquired, "What's the matter, Henrik?"
"Oh, Cedric... I've found her," Henrik declared, leaving his words dangling like a significant discovery. Everyone in the room looked at him gravely, and the room became silent instantly.
"Henrik, don't make jokes right now. With a hint of irritation in his voice, Cedric shot back, "I'm only putting up with you because of our past together and because you saved my life."
"Her eyes were the same as her father's, but she looked more like her mother. Those eyes are unmistakable," Henrik declared emphatically.
"Perhaps you are misguided," Cedric shrewdly shot back.
"I also wouldn't mistake that mana," Henrik firmly retorted.
Everyone in the room listened closely, and silence descended.
With a confident smile, Henrik gave the order, "Send out a message. 'The young dragon has survived.'"
"Received, General Ravencrest," with a solid response from Cedric.
Henrik remarked, "I haven't heard that name in a long time," with a somewhat pleased expression.
Inform Whitewood, Stormborne, and Starkwell straight. With a serious and stern expression, Henrik stated, "It's time to put things right."
"Should I assign guards or someone to watch over the lady?" Cedric enquired.
Henrik shook his head. "Stop being such a worry wart. I think no one has noticed her. He assured her, saying, "She's talented with mana.
With firmness, Henrik said, "And the Ravencrest shadows will keep a watchful eye on her from a distance."
Henrik looked up at the sky and said, "May the heavens shield the young dragon."
Standing in front of the Stellar Veil, Charlotte impatiently waited for Giovanni to come.
Her frustration was evident in the wrinkle on her forehead as she muttered to herself, "He should have been back by now."
Giovanni called out to her out of the blue. He exclaimed, clearly panting for air, "Lotte!"
Charlotte turned to face him, relief tinged with disapproval. "Have you gone somewhere? I've been waiting," she said firmly.
Giovanni took a deep breath and answered. "This way, Lotte." He pointed to a nearby street and said, "I managed to secure us a carriage."
Charlotte gave him a doubtful glance. She asked, "Where's your usual carriage?"
Giovanni said, "I didn't bring it," after he paused. "Lotte, this is my day off, and your visit isn't official."
Charlotte's scowl got bigger. "Don't refer to me as Lotte. And why were you in your office on a day off?" Her voice laced with distrust, she demanded.
Giovanni, obviously embarrassed, averted her sight. "Let's move on from that for now. Come on, we have to get moving," he sidestepped her and hurried to the waiting carriage.
Charlotte's intuition told her something was amiss, but she followed Giovanni nonetheless, her mind racing with unanswered questions.