The Full Story of an Incomplete Divorce - Chapter 35

“I guarantee the information is well worth it. Especially for you, ma’am, the mistress of the Valentin family.”
“…….”
“I plan to leave this place for good soon, so please decide by tomorrow morning. Well then, I’ll be waiting.”

***

Returning to her reserved lodgings, Charlotte remained lost in thought, pacing around the room without even changing out of her outdoor clothes.

She had known from the start that Ben’s goal was money, so paying the amount he demanded wasn’t particularly difficult, but she suddenly wondered if this was really the right thing to do. Should she have been honest and told Lucius before she left?

However, judging by his reactions so far, it was obvious he would have opposed it.
“Sigh…”

Yes, she had already made up her mind. She couldn’t come all this way and return empty-handed. Having firmly steeled her resolve, Charlotte looked down out the window.

The night was deep, and in contrast to the empty, deserted streets, the bright lights still streamed from the gambling den visible in the distance. Staring at the flickering lights, Charlotte glanced at her wristwatch and then left the room.

When Charlotte arrived at the gambling den, Ben was nowhere to be seen.
“Ah, if you mean that guest, he’s staying in room 304.”

The moment she heard his room number from the innkeeper, she headed straight upstairs. Perhaps she was in too much of a hurry. Charlotte misstepped, staggered, and grabbed the railing. Something felt off, as if something was holding her ankle, but she pushed the sense of foreboding aside and climbed the stairs.

Perhaps it wasn’t properly closed; the door swung open from a breeze from inside before she could even knock. Creeeak. A sound like nails on a chalkboard made every nerve in her body stand on end. Charlotte cautiously stepped over the threshold.

A gloomy atmosphere hung in the unlit room. Holding her breath as she moved, Charlotte spotted the shape of a person lying on the floor and froze on the spot. The sight was so shocking, not even a scream escaped her.

An empty liquor bottle rolled across the floor and bumped against her foot. The area was a mess of broken liquor bottles and glass shards.
“Ben?”

Ben’s eyes were rolled back towards the ceiling, and he had collapsed with foam around his mouth. His appearance was so grotesque that she couldn’t even harbor the faint hope he might still be alive. The stain of red wine seeping into the floor looked eerily like blood.

Just a short while ago, she had been speaking with him, perfectly fine. She never could have anticipated that she would encounter that same person as a corpse just a few hours later.

She had never seen someone’s death this close up before, nor had she ever seen a death like this. Her vision swam, and a roaring tinnitus rang in her ears.

What should I do? Should I go outside and call for help? Who should I ask for help? I need to take some kind of action…

Just as Charlotte, engulfed in confusion, was about to check Ben’s condition—
“Don’t look.”

A large hand appeared from behind her and covered her field of vision.

A low, calm voice. A subtle woody scent transmitted through the chill of the palm. The familiar sensations felt within the blocked vision numbed her mind, leaving it dazed. Thump-thump. Her heart pounded as if it were sprinting at full speed, yet her body was frozen stiff, unable to move.

Charlotte managed to move her trembling lips and called out his name.
The name of the man who was so deeply familiar, yet who absolutely should not be here.
“…Lucius.”