Damian stared at her without moving. This time, Vanessa understood-her guess was right, but he could not admit it himself.
Vanessa looked astonished. She truly had never expected such a strange curse to exist, one that could spread merely by being mentioned-wait!
"Then why am I all right?"
Damian's expression grew exceedingly complicated. "Miss Flora, the Elegy Funeral Rite," he said quietly, "her full name is Flora Belenga Lancaster."
Vanessa froze. "-The Cosmog Dynasty?"
Now it was Damian's turn to be surprised. He looked at Vanessa in wonder, as though he were truly getting to know this girl for the first time.
His gaze made Vanessa a little self-conscious, and she explained softly, "I-I have degrees in both history and archaeology."
Lancaster had once been the surname of the Cosmog Dynasty's imperial family. Emperor Trist, who had brought an end to the age of turmoil, had been a Lancaster.
But that was all history buried centuries ago. The family bearing that name had long since dwindled.
Damian's expression was complicated. Whatever had crossed his mind, in the end he only sighed softly. "Miss Vanessa, your surname is not Lancaster, so you are safe."
Vanessa, however, asked in some confusion, "I remember your surname being Graves?"
"Now-it is." Damian placed particular emphasis on the word "now."
The girl understood at once. "So-the curse spreads through this bloodline! You changed your surname of your own accord to break the chain of transmission?! Does that work?"
It sounded rather like self-deception.
"With certain Rituals, it can fool the curse," Damian said succinctly.
"Then you and Flora-are actually blood relatives?!"
When Damian tacitly confirmed it, Vanessa could not help drawing a sharp breath.
She had actually managed to deduce the workings of this bizarre curse!
Then Vanessa suddenly froze. Her eyes widened as she