I Put all my Stats into Charm - Chapter 88

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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I Put All My Stats Into Charm Episode 088

I gulped down my saliva.

Behind me was the wall. In front was Calliton.

It was truly a dilemma with no way out.

The distance was so close. My vision was completely filled with Calliton’s solid chest.

‘Should I be happy about this, or should I be scared?’

He opened his mouth in a low voice.

“Don’t think about other things again.”

Calliton’s touch gently wrapped around my chin.

As my head was lifted up, I met his red eyes looking down at me crookedly.

It seemed like small sparks were flying in those eyes.

“How should I fix that bad habit of yours?”

“I, I object…!”

I raised my hand high.

“I’m really sorry for being late, but the Duke looked really unwell. He was in a state where it wouldn’t be strange if he collapsed right away…”

Whether my sincere appeal worked, Calliton responded.

“Where is the Duke?”

“At the Tower of the Moon. He’s resting in the bedroom.”

“That bed isn’t your bed, is it?”

“Uh…”

I broke out in a cold sweat.

It felt like I’d get scolded if I told the truth.

Instead of answering, I averted my gaze.

“You really…!”

Calliton opened his mouth in frustration, then closed it.

He stepped back, ran his hand through his hair, and let out a sigh.

Then he turned his steps toward the study door.

Bewildered, I asked Calliton.

“Where are you going?”

“To meet Duke Winston.”

He stormed out of the study door.

This feels somehow unsettling.

I followed Calliton closely.

Is it because his legs are long? Why is his pace so fast?

“You’re not going to fight, are you?”

“Who’s fighting?”

If that’s not it, then why does his expression look so fierce?

“Since he’s in such pain, I’m going to personally take care of the Duke.”

With a face that wouldn’t look strange beating up passersby at the slightest provocation, he was going to take care of someone?

Well, Calliton does have a secretly caring side despite his gruff exterior.

I gave him a thumbs up.

“You’re more caring than I thought.”

He stopped abruptly and turned his head toward me.

He was about to say something, then sighed again.

“Never mind. Forget it.”

Calliton started walking again.

“Your Majesty… are you angry?”

He answered curtly while keeping his gaze fixed ahead.

“Me? Why?”

“Because I was late.”

“Do you think I’d be angry over something like that?”

‘He’s angry.’

Acting like he’s not.

But even I thought it was worth being angry about. I had completely forgotten our appointment and made him wait for a long time.

I carefully spoke to Calliton.

“I’m sorry for being late, Your Majesty. I’ll absolutely never be late again!”

Even with my apology, Calliton showed no particular reaction.

He just silently strode toward the Tower of the Moon with his long legs.

“If I’m late again next time, I’ll change my surname!”

Still, Calliton didn’t even glance at me.

‘He must be more angry than I thought.’

Come to think of it, he had taken care of me a lot up until now.

He saved me from monsters, helped me when I was bitten by a venomous snake, taught me to dance, got me a dress, and comforted me when Jerome rejected me.

In contrast, I didn’t seem to have done anything particular for Calliton.

It’s not like he did those things expecting repayment—though he did say to repay him—but being late was what came back for his kindness.

On top of that, I thought Jerome’s story might have sounded like an excuse or justification.

Calliton is already a busy person. There was a high possibility he was someone who was strict about appointment times.

I had even mixed in jokes on purpose to lighten the mood. But from his perspective, it might have seemed insincere.

While I was pondering how to appease his anger, we arrived at the Tower of the Moon.

“Huh.”

The bed was empty.

The bed where Jerome had been lying had its blankets neatly folded.

“He must have left in the meantime.”

Calliton had come all this way. I thought the timing was really bad and turned my head, but Calliton wasn’t looking at me.

His gaze was fixed on the empty potion bottle placed on the nightstand.

“Did you give the potion I gave you to the Duke?”

“Yes. His physical condition looked so bad…”

“Ha.”

He let out a low, self-deprecating laugh.

Then he shifted his gaze to me.

Calliton’s eyes had sunk coldly. The air around us also felt like it had become heavy in an instant.

“…You really.”

He lowered his voice.

“Have a talent for driving people crazy.”

His voice contained neither the earlier frustration nor his usual sarcasm or composure.

The low, sunken voice seemed to hide something unrefined.

When I realized something was wrong.

“Lady?”

Lowell’s face appeared through the open door.

Lowell’s eyes widened slightly upon discovering Calliton.

“Even Your Majesty? I didn’t expect everyone to be gathered here.”

I glanced at Calliton and spoke to Lowell. …I couldn’t just not respond to Lowell when both of them were there.

“I heard about the state council meeting. I’m glad the charges were cleared.”

“It’s thanks to Your Majesty believing in me.”

Lowell’s gaze shifted to Calliton.

“What brings you to the Tower of the Moon?”

“I had something to check while I was at it.”

“Check?”

To Lowell’s puzzled expression, Calliton answered.

“It seems like a rat got into the Mage Tower.”

Lowell blinked and asked.

“A rat got in?”

“Yes. Though it seems to have left.”

“Hmm… We’ve been doing pest control regularly though.”

Calliton shifted his gaze to me.

“Pay more attention to security. I can’t have rats coming and going in my space.”

His words sounded like they were directed specifically at me.

Lowell answered.

“It’s more my space than Your Majesty’s space. I’ll tell them to set more traps.”

Lowell grabbed both my arm and Calliton’s.

“More importantly, I have business with you two. Want to follow me? There’s something I need to check.”

I moved to Lowell’s Research Lab together with Calliton.

Calliton not only avoided meeting my eyes, but didn’t speak to me either.

Thinking of that cold look from earlier, he was clearly still angry.

I don’t know what to say to him.

I thought he was angry because I was late, but judging by Calliton’s words and the feeling, it seems like it’s for a different reason.

The problem is, I don’t know why he’s angry.

Because I used the potion he gave me as a gift on Jerome? But potions are meant to be used on sick people. Jerome was clearly a patient.

My thoughts became complicated. I just… wish Calliton would accept my apology and talk to me like usual.

Instead of just walking in silence like this.

In the silence, we arrived at the research lab.

A familiar person was lying curled up in the middle of the research lab.

‘Hakin…?’

Hakin was sleeping on the research lab floor, looking exactly as he had in the cave.

If there was something different from then, it would be that his hair had returned to its original dark brown color.

“While I was away, the man’s white hair changed to black.”

Lowell continued speaking while examining the sleeping Hakin.

“And look at this.”

When Lowell lifted the back of Hakin’s collar, a mark was revealed on the nape of his neck.

“It matches the mark that was on the napes of the Troll and Harpy.”

“Hmm.”

Calliton stroked his chin.

“The mark is engraved even on humans who haven’t been turned into monsters like the Duke. What do you think this means?”

“There aren’t enough clues to speculate yet. More than that, there’s something I want to ask Lady.”

Lowell’s gaze turned to me.

“You said before that you’d seen a swordsman with this kind of tattoo?”

I hesitated.

“Yes…!”

“Can you tell me specifically when and where you saw that person, and what kind of person they were?”

It was a lie I’d casually made up to find out information about the mark. I never thought it would grow this big.

Should I honestly say that it was actually me?

But that gave me an uneasy feeling.

If I revealed the truth, I didn’t know what effect it might have on Calliton’s ending.

“Well, that is…”

When both men’s gazes fixed on me, sweat trickled down from the pressure.

If I lied more here and made things worse, it would really become difficult to handle.

So this time I decided to mix in some truth appropriately.

“It was shortly after I came to the Imperial Palace. I saw them in the city, they were in their twenties… Now that I think about it again, they might have been a woman…”

Calliton’s eyebrow rose crookedly.

“Might have been?”

“Well, since they were a swordsman, I naturally thought they were a man. I have very narrow-minded thinking when it comes to professions…”

It was while I was rambling explanations.

“Karin?”

A familiar voice came from behind.

When I turned around, I saw Hakin who had gotten up.

He was standing blankly in the spot where he had been lying like a broken person, unable to even catch his breath properly.

Hakin took a deep breath and opened his mouth again with a trembling voice.

“Karin… It is Karin, right?”

The golden eyes staring at me trembled finely.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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