ISGJV 05

Chapter 05

Moretti was under confinement.

And the fact that this had happened by my order had already spread throughout the villa.
So had the news that Patrick had come to see me.

These facts alone were enough to make the maids noticeably more obedient toward me.

“Bring the young duke’s meal to this room.”

The maids did as ordered and brought the trolley with Edmund’s meal.
I personally pushed it myself and headed straight to Edmund.

After sending the maids out of the room, I shamelessly lifted my chin and went inside.
I rolled the trolley up in front of Edmund, lifted the lid, and said,

“Go on. Eat. Right in front of me.”

Edmund’s expression looked like he genuinely wanted to kill me.

His pale, trembling lips.
Eyes shaking with hatred and fury.

I knew very well why the boy was reacting like this.

Of course you don’t want to eat. There’s poison in the food.

It wasn’t a fast-acting lethal poison.
If it were, it would be like publicly announcing that the duke had poisoned his young nephew to seize his title.

Besides, the duke still had reasons why Edmund couldn’t die yet.

Instead, he’d been adding small amounts of poison to every meal Edmund ate, letting him die slowly.

Edmund had no choice but to eat even knowing there was poison in it.

There were no poison-free meals provided, and if he refused, he’d simply starve to death.
The duke was forcing a cruel choice on his young nephew.

Eat poison little by little and die slowly, or refuse to eat and starve to death.

Truly cruel.

But don’t worry, Edmund!

—was something I couldn’t say out loud.

If anyone heard, it would reach the duke’s ears immediately.
And Edmund wouldn’t believe me anyway.

Instead, I shouted loudly so the maids listening outside could hear.

“I said eat quickly! Don’t leave a single bite! If you do, I’ll report everything to the duke!”

Bang! Bang!

I even slammed the trolley threateningly.

Edmund glared at me fiercely, then, as if he had no choice, picked up his spoon.
He scooped up a little soup and put it into his mouth.

His red eyes widened.

“…?”

Clear confusion spread across his face.

I smiled in satisfaction.

Yeah. Strange, right? There’s no poison in it.

Edmund had long known the taste of poison in his meals.
So he must have realized immediately that there was none in this one.

Those wide, rabbit-like eyes were proof.

I shouted again so it could be heard outside.

“Don’t just pick at it—eat properly! Eat the meat too! And the bread!”

Since only poisoned food had ever been given, he must have always eaten the bare minimum.

No wonder he’s so skinny—like a stick.

Edmund hesitated, then tasted the other dishes as instructed.
After confirming that none of them were poisoned, he looked up at me in shock.

A small voice escaped him.

“How…?”

I raised my index finger to my lips.

Shh.

The duke’s maids were outside.
Catching my signal, Edmund obediently closed his mouth.

Then he began to eat slowly.

He must have been very hungry.
He was only given two meals a day, and every one of them had been poisoned—he could never eat properly.

Soon, the boy began stuffing food into his mouth ravenously.

I cheered him on loudly.

“That’s it! Eat like that!”

The maids standing guard outside Edmund’s bedroom kept shrinking at the scolding they heard from inside.

“Don’t leave a single bite! If you do, you’ll starve for three days!”

Even Moretti, the former tyrant of the villa, had never dared to force poison down Edmund’s throat so openly.

The maids whispered among themselves.

“That’s just too cruel. How can she be like that…?”
“She’s worse than Lady Moretti.”
“No wonder Lady Moretti was confined and docked pay in just one day.”
“They say Patrick visited her, didn’t he?”
“Is she doing all this herself to earn favor with the duke? Disgusting.”

While they whispered—

The door flew open.

The maids hurriedly lowered their heads.

The girl who had become the new power of the villa in just one day—Cassia—emerged, pushing the trolley.

On it were only perfectly empty dishes.

Oh my goodness!

He really ate everything!

Usually he doesn’t even finish half—no, not even a third!

Because the food had always been poisoned, Edmund only ate enough to avoid starving.
Even after meals, the plates were usually piled with leftovers.

This was the first time they’d ever seen them so clean.

We might not even need to wash these…

Before the stunned maids, Cassia proudly puffed out her chest.

“Take this away.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And from now on, bring all of the young duke’s meals to me first. You don’t seem capable of attending him properly.”

“Yes, my lady.”

The maids bowed obediently and disappeared, pulling the trolley along.

Watching their retreating backs, Cassia smiled in satisfaction.

Good! That’s another problem solved!

The maids would report that I’d forced Edmund to eat large amounts of poisoned food.

And Edmund now knows that the meals I bring have no poison.

He’d have no choice but to confirm that every day from now on.

With this, I’d gained Edmund’s trust—and the duke’s as well!

Two birds with one stone!

Except for one small downside.

Grrrkk…

My empty stomach let out a pitiful sound.

I’m… hungry…

I’d only eaten one bite—there was no way I’d be full.

That’s right.
The safe food I gave Edmund had been my portion.

Of course, I’d hidden all the poisoned food. I planned to dispose of it secretly.

Carrying both pride and an empty stomach, I trudged back to my bedroom.

Only after my nanny helped me change into pajamas and left was I finally alone.

What a long day.

Before going to bed, I opened a blank diary and began writing out my plans for the future.

I’d already formed them in my head, but I felt the need to record them concretely.

• Possession Day 4

• Action Day 1

In Korean—so only I could read it—I wrote down the original story’s plot and a future plan that would save both Edmund’s life and mine.

As detailed as possible.

I even prepared Plans A, B, and C to account for variables.

All while deliberately ignoring my stomach growling again and again.

Ever since I started bringing Edmund poison-free meals, his attitude had subtly softened.

“You’re here again.”

Today too, seeing me arrive with the dinner trolley, Edmund spoke gruffly.

But his expression gave him away—his face was lit with anticipation.

His words aren’t honest, but his face is.

I suppressed a smile and shouted in a manner befitting my role as a villainess.

“Eat everything! Leave even one bite and I won’t forgive you! You don’t want me telling the duke, do you?”

“…Don’t. I’ll eat.”

Oh?

He’d gotten used to it now—he even played along with my shouting so the maids outside could hear.

Then, clearly hungry, he began devouring the sandwich enthusiastically.

Watching him, I smiled softly and asked in a low voice only he could hear,

“You’re not checking for poison before eating anymore?”

“…!”

Indeed, for the first few days, Edmund had sampled each dish bit by bit to test for poison.

But now, he skipped that step and focused on eating.

He trusts what I bring him.

It was a very satisfying change.

All the goodwill points I’d built by sharing my meals with him were paying off.

Edmund’s face reddened, and he replied in a low voice before refocusing on his food.

“…I do check. I just check quickly, so it only looks like I don’t.”

“Sure, sure.”

Smiling contentedly, I watched Edmund eat until his plate was clean.

He stared at the empty plate with a slightly disappointed look.

It didn’t seem like enough food.

Well, of course. I’ve been giving him my portion. He’s at an age where he should be eating a lot.

I’d need to increase the amount.

Then something caught my eye.

A smear of sauce on the kid’s cheek—he must have gotten it while eating hurriedly.

It looked so age-appropriate that I couldn’t help smiling, my guard dropping.

Without realizing it, my body moved before my mind.

I reached out and wiped the sauce from Edmund’s cheek.

“W-what are you doing?!”

The boy jumped back in shock.

Smack!

He swatted my hand away in panic.

His pale face flushed bright red—he was clearly startled and angry.

“No, it’s just… I got used to wiping food off my younger siblings’ faces when they ate…”

That wasn’t an excuse—it was the truth.

I didn’t have biological siblings, but at the orphanage there were many younger kids I had to take care of.

Then Edmund, still avoiding my gaze, muttered sulkily,

“Don’t lie.”

“Hm?”

“I know you don’t have any siblings.”

Right… of course.
Cassia Florence had no siblings.

She did have a half-sister she didn’t get along with, though.

This is bad. I can’t have him thinking I lie even about small things.

So I came up with an explanation.

“There were kids I took care of like siblings. I won’t see them anymore, though.”

“……”

“So it wasn’t anything improper. Whether you believe me or not… well, I don’t know.”

After saying that, I took the empty plate from the dazed Edmund and left the room.

Even as the door closed, Edmund’s face was still flushed red.

I couldn’t help but think—

Was that really something to get that angry about?

I felt a little—no, very—wronged.