Blood streamed from Seojin's eyes, nose, and ears as his scream tore through the room. Frothy red foam slid down his chin.
"M-my lord! A-are you alright?"
Iria did not cast a spell.
Healing at the wrong moment could backfire and hasten death instead of preventing it.
For the first time, her composure cracked.
"My lord…!"
Thump. Thump.
The sound of a heartbeat pounded too loud in his ears.
Seojin clutched his chest, breathing ragged as he forced himself to regulate it. Inhale. Exhale. Slow and steady. Thus the pain gradually receded.
'Black hands… black chains coiled around the wrists…'
His jaw tightened.
'So my suspicion was correct.'
Being the first failure of the Hart bloodline made no sense, and there had to be an external variable in the making. In this case, it was…
"…A curse."
The word felt heavy.
The novel had described it as a form of black magic. One that severed a person's path to ascendancy. It required a price from the caster, but the specifics were vague.
Little was known about such arts beyond rumors of hidden cults scattered across the continent.
"Pardon, my lord? C-curse…?"
"Yes. There is a curse taking root in my heart."
His vision blurred. Whether from blood loss or the red staining his lashes, he wasn't sure.
Iria remained silent for a few minutes, believing that notion as impossible.
Silence filled the room.
Every sane person had knowledge about the wrath of the Archduke of the House Hart. As the only 'apex' swordsman of the continent, even the Kingdom are cautious against him.
Except for (maybe) one of the other three houses, under the name of the only 'apex' mage of the continent.
"That is not possible, my lord. A curse? No one would dare attempt such foolish—"
"Leviathan."
"…!!"
Thwack!
Iria pushed herself away, stumbling backward until her shoulders struck the wall.
The colors were drained from her face as a thin sheen of sweat gathered at her temple.
Seojin noted the reaction but said nothing. His mind was already racing.
'Strange. In the novel, Leviathan remained dormant for almost six centuries. This doesn't make sense.'
But he had overlooked something.
"Forgive my reaction, my lord. I was unprepared for the mention of that name. I presume you are far more shaken than I am."
Iria lowered her head and regained her composure.
"...I don't mind."
"In spite of that, are you certain that the curse in your heart is tied to Envy? My lord, a curse tied to one of the cardinals is not an ordinary malediction."
"Oh."
Seojin blinked, the question catching him off-guard.
He stated something that only a 'reader' would know, because knowledge of the 7 cardinals had long been purged. Possession of such records alone warranted execution.
"I… I'm not certain. It simply came to mind."
He rubbed the back of his head and gave a small laugh.
"But there is really a curse. Black hands ripped out the ring at the last moment."
Iria did not respond, her expression remained the same.
A minute of silence passed.
Letting out a sigh, Iria attempted to break that silence.
"My lord—"
Growl!
Seojin's stomach growled.
Though he could go for two days without food, he still clutched his stomach as if in pain.
'Perfect timing.'
This was a good chance to escape this awkward situation!
"Iria. I'm hungry."
"At once, my lord. I shall prepare dinner immediately."
Iria gathered herself and walked towards the door.
Step, step.
"Warm water and a towel have been set out in the bathroom, my lord. Please cleanse yourself first."
"Aight."
Iria closed the door.
"Heh. That was close."
Seojin let out a looooong exasperated sigh.
He sat by the edge of the bed for a whole minute to calm himself down before he entered the adjoining bathroom.
A basin of warm water sat beside the faucet. He dipped his hands in and rinsed the blood from his face.
Splash! Splash!
Once finished, he then looked at his reflection in the vanity mirror.
The eyes staring back at him were slightly different— they looked like a pair that belonged to a kid hiding their phone as footsteps neared the room.
"…Get a grip."
Slap!
He slapped both his cheeks, cupping them together.
The sharp sting grounded him back to reality. He then ran a hand through his damp hair, thinking possible solutions to fight the curse.
"Damn it. I have no clue what to do next. There's no known method I can do right now to undo this curse, unless I have a drop of Leviathan's blood."
Contrary to his words, a smirk tugged at his lips.
That smirk twisted into a chuckle, and that chuckle grew into laughter, and… that laughter turned into a psychotic laugh like he was having the best moment of his life.
To put it simply, he looked like someone on the verge of losing their mind.
That continued for a while until his laughter finally subsided.
"...I must be losing it."
Then again, he could no longer blame Seven Hart for his fragility, but the one responsible for this damnable situation: the author.
Yet it didn't look like he'd be returning to Earth anytime soon, thus he decided it was about time to live with the new reality presented before him.
"Seven Hart…"
Seojin looked at his reflection once again.
"Fudge. What a lame name."