Getting spoiled in a woman dominating world-Chapter 85: Cigarette?

With a sigh, Brandon stood up from his seat and looked up at the women in front of him "Even though I am the Herald, don’t expect me to stay here all the time."

"I have my own life and I am also attending the Academy... I will be out of here most of the time."

"I will try to fulfill whatever responsibilities this title demands. I’ll study what I have to, learn what I need, and I’ll show up when the time comes."

Matilda bowed her head slightly. "I will make sure your schedule remains unburdened. Only matters of true urgency will be brought before you."

With a nod, Callista replied "Yes, My Lord... I will also help you."

Brandon turned to leave and Charlotte stepped beside him as they made their way to the great door.

She glanced sideways at him as they walked.

As the towering doors opened once more, the bright light of the outer corridor spilled into the chamber, casting long shadows behind him.

And without another word, Brandon stepped forward... leaving behind the silence.

The doors closed behind him and Brandon took a deep breath "Haa.. that was exhausting, acting like that."

Charlotte just stayed silent, and Brandon closed his eyes for a moment as he relaxed a bit.

She glanced at him and murmured "Are you going to marry one of them?"

Hearing this, Brandon just shrugged "I don’t know..."

Charlotte’s eyes darkened and she gritted her jaw for a second before speaking "As for the woman Callista, she is a dog... a divine dog."

Hm? Brandon’s gaze squinted slightly and she continued "She is a crazy fanatic and worships the Goddess as if her life relies on it."

"So, use the divine dog for your purpose."

Correcting her cloak, she spoke "The reason why she was fond of you was because you are the Herald, chosen by the Goddess."

"She’s infatuated with your title. Not you. Not your personality, not your face, not your charm. You’re the Herald... the walking embodiment of her divine obsession."

"The literal chosen one of her faith. That makes you her god’s living word. Her idol."

"You could act like you’re fond of her. Smile a little; compliment her once in a while. Pretend you care more than you do, and she will be your divine dog."

"Just manipulate her a bit, and you will get a lifelong servant under you."

"Even though she is not on the same level as me, as an Empyrean she has some power.. so she can also act like your bodyguard sometimes."

Her gaze narrowed slightly "Give her validation and she’ll follow you into fire. Ask her for blood and she’ll spill it. Tell her to kneel and she’ll thank you for the privilege."

"Even if you ask her to strip naked and get in your bed, she would do that without a second thought; she is that kind of crazy fanatic."

-_- Brandon was dumbfounded to hear this. What the fuck?

With a deep sigh, he clutched his forehead "... I will look into it."

Charlotte gave a short nod and reached into the inner lining of her cloak with a casual, almost lazy motion as her fingers pulled out a white cigarette.

With a practiced flick, she brought a sleek matte-black lighter to her fingertips, snapped it open, and let the flame flare briefly.

Brandon raised an eyebrow as she lit the cigarette, watching the orange tip glow against the dim corridor lighting.

She inhaled, a slow drag that briefly made her sharp features look even more distant, cast in that gentle haze of smoke.

Then she looked at him.

He gave a small nod. "Go on."

Charlotte brought the cigarette back to her lips, and leaned against one of the stone columns, exhaling a long stream of smoke toward the vaulted ceiling.

The air filled with the faint scent of cloves and something slightly floral... clearly not a standard cigarette.

Probably some rare, expensive blend.

Brandon watched her for a few seconds, then without thinking too hard about it, reached out and plucked the cigarette from her lips.

"Huh?"

Charlotte was genuinely caught off guard and blinked as the filter disappeared from her mouth and appeared between his fingers.

He looked at it for a moment, then slowly brought it to his lips.

The bitter tang hit his tongue immediately, and he tried to draw in a puff like he’d seen her do.

A second later—

Cough.

Cough-cough.

He turned his head away and coughed "Ugh—what the hell—!?"

Charlotte snapped out of her shock and a slow smile curled her lips.

"Kids like you shouldn’t smoke..." she murmured, plucking the cigarette gently from his mouth with two fingers.

Then she looked down at the tip of the cigarette... where his lips had touched just moments ago.

Her expression changed subtly and she brought the cigarette to her own mouth again, this time slower.

A small pause and she closed her eyes as she took in the drag... right from the same spot.

Smoke curled from her lips in a lazy spiral, fading into the dim light as she exhaled.

Looking at her face, Brandon blinked because till now... he didn’t like that she smokes.

But when she does it now, she just looks so hot and cool.

He looked away before she could see the sudden warmth in his gaze, pretending to inspect the old stone wall beside him ’Maybe I can get used to the smell...’

A small smile appeared on his lips ’And maybe she doesn’t dislike as much as I thought after all...’

---

Brandon was lying on the couch, scrolling through his mobile and at this time, he heard a knock on the door.

He raised his gaze from the mobile "The door is open."

The door creaked open, and Valiene entered with a lot of old scriptures and some old parchments and papers.

"Lord Herald, these are the records and translations you requested—the full collection pertaining to the Prophecy, along with annotations by past Pontiffs and theologians."

Brandon gently rose to sit on the couch and pointed at the table, "Place it there."

With a nod, she placed them in front of him and bowed her head "Then, I shall-"

Shaking his head, he replied "Don’t leave... I need someone knowledgeable to help me go through this."

She bowed her head slightly "As you say."

He patted the space beside him "Come and sit here."

She hesitated for a moment before sighing and sitting beside him on the couch.

Brandon reached for one of the parchment scrolls.

It was yellowed at the edges and sealed with a symbol he had seen before—one of the Triarch seals, if he remembered correctly.

As he unrolled it carefully, an array of looping script and dense annotations revealed themselves in shimmering ink.

"Have you read all of this before?" Brandon asked and his eyes narrowed slightly as he skimmed through the page.

"Yes," she replied.

"These texts are kept in the restricted archives beneath the Basilica of St. Elona. I’ve studied them since I was a child, alongside the Canon Laws and the Twelve Radiant Sermons."

Brandon gave her a sideways glance "Since you were a kid? That’s kind of intense."

Valiene smiled faintly, her eyes not leaving the parchment "For those raised in the Sanctum, devotion begins early."

He turned the scroll slightly toward her. "What’s this part mean? Here—’the Weeping Flame shall mark the path of the Unbound Soul’—what’s that supposed to be?"

She leaned in closer to read and her shoulder brushed against his for a moment.

She didn’t pull away and her fingers hovered over the line, tracing it without touching the parchment.

"It’s one of the more cryptic verses," she said softly.

"Some theologians believe it refers to the burning of an ancient relic. Others... see it as a metaphor for sacrifice. Or even madness."

He frowned slightly "So basically, no one knows."

With a smile, she replied "Prophecies are rarely clear until they’ve already come to pass."

"Hmm..."

---

Some time passed as they continued to look through the pages.

Then, finally, Brandon stretched his arms "Alright. We’ve got a mountain of crazy doomsday scrolls and half-deciphered metaphors. You hungry?"

Valiene blinked, caught off guard. "I... beg your pardon?"

He smiled gently "I’m ordering takeout. If I have to decode these, I’m doing it with fried rice and dumplings."

She stared at him for a moment...

And then, quietly, she smiled again. "...Fried rice sounds nice."