HPL 12

chapter 12

When lunch ended, Tom and Jack, patting their now-full bellies, headed over to the next room. Exactly five hours later, they returned.

They sure keep to meal times like clockwork.

I headed back to the kitchen to pick up meals for four people.

Unlike lunchtime, the kitchen was empty. Instead, a tray piled with food sat alone on the table.

In front of the tray lay a small note.

Please eat.

I fiddled with the note and muttered,

“Hm, guess they’re too scared to hand it over in person now.”

{Does it really matter?}

When Tommy shrugged, I nodded. As long as we got the food, nothing else mattered.

I tossed the note into the hearth and picked up the tray. When I quickly inspected the food, one thing stood out.

Oh ho, that piece of meat is bigger than the others, and the sauce is spread evenly too. Better eat that first so I don’t end up like at lunch.

When I carried the heavy tray back to the room, Tom and Jack were wandering around, inspecting everything.

Even though Roy was glaring sharply from a short distance away, they didn’t care. And the moment they noticed me coming in, they scurried over like baby birds waiting for their mother to bring food.

“You two sure have some nerve,” I said in admiration.

Both scratched the backs of their heads at the same time.

“To survive in the back alleys, you either need strength, brains, or guts.”

“If you’re living under Wayne, average guts won’t cut it.”

As soon as the two sat down, Roy also moved closer. I reached for the meat I’d been eyeing as I sat in the last empty seat. But just as my fork was about to touch it, Roy’s hand shot out and gripped my wrist.

His eyes gleamed sharper than when he was watching Tom and Jack.

You wanted that piece too? You’re quick. You saved meat for me at lunch, so I’ll yield this time.

I loosened my grip and said generously,

“If you want it that badly, Roy, you take it.”

“I’m not saying that because I want it. There’s something wrong with it.”

Roy squinted at the meat.

Something wrong?

I stared hard at the suspicious meat but nothing looked off on the surface.

Tom gave Jack a signal, and Jack leaned in to sniff it. After a moment of sniffing with closed eyes, he gave a slight nod, as if confirming something.

“It does have a strange smell. We’d better not eat food that smells like this.”

“Strange smell?” I asked back.

Tom explained for him,

“Jack’s had a good nose since he was a kid. He can tell spoiled food or food someone’s tampered with.”

Tampered with, huh.

I quickly used divine power to inspect the meat. As light seeped into it, Tom’s eyes sparkled like he was watching something entertaining.

Jack, too, looked curious.

“Are you a mage, miss?”

“No. More like a priestess.”

While answering Jack, I identified the problem. Oh, look at this.

I furrowed my brow and dispelled the light.

“It’s laced with rat poison.”

At my words, all three glared at the meat.

No one knows these three are here. That means this poison was meant for Dyna.

I’d been on guard for an attack, but didn’t think they’d tamper with the food. Who could have done it?

The first suspects were the kitchen staff. But someone else could have slipped the poison in when they weren’t around.

“It’s rare for poison to be put in a young noble lady’s food.”

“Now that you mention it, you’re the only one staying in this annex, miss,” Tom said carefully.

I replied lightly,

“I’m a floating presence in this house.”

Maybe because they’d seen plenty of rough stuff, Tom and Jack didn’t pry further. As they fell silent, Roy spoke sharply,

“Shouldn’t we catch whoever did this?”

Wayne had said a woman targeting Dyna’s life would attend the upcoming tea party. Whoever laced this meat must be connected to her somehow. If we catch the culprit now, she might catch the scent and hide.

“If we nab the person who slipped in the poison, the one who ordered it might disappear. Better to act like we don’t know for now.”

Roy’s brow furrowed slightly.

“But it’s too dangerous to just leave it.”

“Of course I’m not leaving it. We still need to find out who it is.”

“How do you plan to do that?”

Roy narrowed his eyes. I quickly explained the idea I’d just come up with.

Roy and I were crouched in the bushes near the main building’s entrance, watching the front. Tom and Jack were also hunkered down behind bushes nearby.

Through the leaves, I could see the grand entrance to the building.

On the middle step—the one everyone had to pass to get inside—sat a single piece of meat, looking out of place.

From our hiding spot, we watched the people coming and going. Roy, Tom, and Jack all kept an eye on the main entrance too.

Before long, Ariel appeared. She started up the steps but frowned when she saw the meat.

“What are they doing, not even cleaning properly?”

She swept inside, skirts swishing, probably to scold a maid.

Next came a middle-aged maid I’d often seen in the kitchen.

She tilted her head at the meat but soon kicked it toward the bushes and walked off indifferently.

She’d kicked so hard the meat shot through the bushes toward Roy, who dodged it nimbly.

I used divine power, and the meat reappeared on the steps again.

Good. Now we wait for the next one.

Many people came and went after that. Some glanced at the meat and passed by, others came with a broom to sweep it away.

But only one reacted differently. A maid with orange hair tied in two bunches looked startled at the meat and glanced around nervously.

Seeing no one nearby, Judy chewed her thumbnail and muttered,

“Why’s this here? Did that idiot girl drop it while carrying it?”

As Judy hurried away, looking anxious, my eyes lit up.

“The only person who looks nervous at seeing poisoned meat is the one who poisoned it.”

“We’ll need to watch her from now on,” Roy said coldly, eyes following the direction Judy disappeared.

While Roy and I focused on Judy, Tom and Jack marveled at our baiting trick.

“Miss, you’re good at fishing for people. As good as Wayne.”

“Come to the back alleys later. You’ll make a living easily.”

Is that so? Maybe I will if it ever comes to that.

My eyes snapped open. Until now, once I fell asleep, I couldn’t wake up till morning. Why was I awake now?

Pausing in confusion, I sensed a murky, dark energy and froze. It slithered in from the balcony like invisible barbs mixed into the air—sharp and aggressive.

Was the one targeting Dyna up to something again? How diligent.

I rose quietly from the bed and crept toward the balcony.

Pressing myself to the glass door between the room and the balcony, I saw a night sky thick with clouds. In the darkness, someone was crouched in the corner of the balcony.

That dark aura I felt swirled around them.

Someone come for Dyna? If they’re here to attack, why just sit there?

Just then, the wind rustled the leaves of trees outside, and the clouds shifted slightly, letting the hidden moon peek through. Pale moonlight fell on the crouched figure.

Their head was bowed, so I couldn’t see the face, but the familiar purple hair and sharp jawline were visible.

Roy. What’s he doing out here at this hour?

Realizing it was him, I slid open the glass door and stepped out.

Roy was usually sensitive to presence. But even as the door opened, he didn’t lift his head. It was as if he hadn’t noticed me at all.

As I came closer, I heard a faint groan.

“Ugh.”

A bit nearer, and I could see through the purple strands—his lips were tightly bitten. Roy still hadn’t noticed me, gripping the floor hard with his right hand as if to endure pain.

Suddenly, the image of a slave-binding magical device came to mind. The owner of such a device could inflict excruciating pain on the slave anywhere, anytime.

Was that it? Was the aura I sensed magic or a curse from such a device?

I hurried closer. Only then did Roy lift his head. Though he’d just been writhing in pain, he looked up at me calmly, as usual.

“Why aren’t you sleeping?” His voice sounded normal too.

If I hadn’t seen him moments ago, I’d have noticed nothing. But now that I had, the subtle signs were clear—cold sweat beading his forehead, slightly rough breathing.

Why come out here alone to endure this?

Before I could ask, Roy spoke quickly, as if to cover for himself.

“I came out to look at the stars.”

Star-gazing on a cloudy night? You’re making excuses because you don’t want to show weakness.

I didn’t know the details of Roy’s past. But for him to hide his pain this much, he must have been trampled mercilessly at the slightest opening.

I’d only ever dealt with evil spirits, never gotten close to humans. Never felt tenderness for one either. Helping Roy had only been out of professional ethics as a servant of the gods.

But seeing him like this stirred something in me. Like a stone thrown into a calm lake, ripples spread in my heart.

I sat silently beside Roy, lowering my hand to the floor. Casually, I let my fingertips brush his.

Roy stiffened and glanced at me. But I pretended not to notice and channeled divine power into him. The dark energy writhing around him dispersed at once.

He opened his mouth in surprise, but before he could speak, the murky aura returned. As the curse struck, Roy bit his lip again.

I sent divine power through my fingers again. The dark energy dispersed, and finally his expression eased.

As the pain left him, he stared at me. Maybe it was the moonlight, but his eyes seemed softer than usual.

His expression was complicated, so I decided to keep pretending not to notice.

“I came out to see the stars too. They’re beautiful,” I said.

Roy’s eyes widened slightly at my words, but then his lips curved faintly.

“…Yeah. They’re beautiful,” he murmured.

I gave a wry smile.

If you’re going to say the stars are beautiful, you should look at the stars when you say it. Ah, come to think of it, I was looking at Roy when I said it too.

Time felt strange sitting there, sending divine power each time the slave device’s curse struck. It felt like we’d been there forever, yet also like only seconds had passed—none of it tiring.

After a long silence, Roy broke it.

“I want to ask you something.”

“Go ahead.”

“What did you mean by saying you died and came back to life?”

His low voice strangely echoed in my mind.

When I turned my head, he wore the same look he’d had during the meal when he’d drifted into thought.

So that’s what he’d been thinking about then too.

Roy kept staring, waiting for my answer. Feeling his gaze, I adjusted the story a bit.

“An intruder tried to strangle me, and I almost died, but the gods saved me. That’s when I gained divine power. Sounds ridiculous, right?”

Though absurd, Roy’s eyes dimmed as if he believed it.

“Strangled you? Why?”

For someone so full of suspicion and caution to believe such an outlandish story…

I was so surprised my reply was late.

“…I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

“You’ve really been through a lot,” he murmured.

As the mood grew heavy, I shrugged and said,

“You’ve had a lot happen these past few days too. Think of it like we’re alike.”

“Is it okay for someone like me to be alike to you?”

Roy’s words often hid blades. Blades aimed not only at others but sometimes at himself.

As he spoke self-deprecatingly, I moved my finger slightly to stroke his hand. A small gesture of encouragement, though I didn’t know how he’d take it.

“What’s so strange about humans being alike?”

To me, all humans are equal. Old or young, king or slave, handsome or ugly—it’s all the same.

Maybe he felt the sincerity in my words, because Roy stared at me. In his eyes, emotions rippled like waves on a calm lake disturbed.

But Roy, you came out here to see the stars. Shouldn’t you at least pretend to look at them instead of staring at my face?

As the sky grew pale, the aura of the slave device faded. Seems even the woman who bought Roy couldn’t keep fiddling with it all night.

With no more need to stay alert, drowsiness overtook me.

“I… I’m going to die,” I muttered as I flopped onto the bed.

Tommy, who’d appeared after resting all night, said,

{Humans don’t die from this much.}

Ugh, humans really have it hard. Having to sleep every time…