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Chapter 49
Lianel did not bother to deny Norman’s words.
Trying to say “no” to someone who had already drawn a conclusion with strong conviction would only have the effect of reinforcing their denial.
Moreover,
“Norman did not rely on me.”
The princess missed the late empress, to whom she had been emotionally attached, and Asil longed for the teacher who had been her mental anchor.
In contrast, the feelings Norman held toward Lianel were those of reverence. Even if Lianel were to disappear again, he would feel sorrow but would not collapse.
In that sense, the burden of revealing her identity was lighter.
“Did you say you recognized me?”
She was curious, nonetheless.
Asil had taken months just to show the slightest suspicion of Lianel, yet Norman claimed he recognized her within minutes.
“Yes.”
“How…?”
“How could anyone fail to recognize someone who possesses the presence of a sun, bestowing mercy upon all things in the world? Even a blind person can feel the warmth of sunlight. Anyone with eyes would recognize the Empress’s benevolence.”
Lianel found it absurd.
“Your words and actions do not match. You left the Special Taxation District the moment I died, did you not?”
“I am long past sixty. At my age, it is easy to lose my way without a guide at night. When the sun that illuminates the earth and shows the way departs, how could I remain in its place? At best, I could follow the traces of starlight.”
He pulled a gold coin from his pocket and carefully kissed it.
“Look. Isn’t it truly beautiful?”
“…Gold coins carry a lot of germs. That’s inappropriate behavior.”
“Love, by its nature, requires endurance.”
Lianel’s gaze grew cold.
At the same time, she recalled a fact she had forgotten.
‘Right… he was always like this.’
Norman’s personality was far from ordinary. To be precise, he was obsessed with money and gold.
‘It was precisely this obsession that allowed him to save a failing bank.’
“Why, after nearly three years, did you abandon the gold you loved so dearly and go into seclusion? Were you imprisoned by the Vice President?”
“No. I was brainwashed.”
Norman answered with astonishing calmness.
“At first, I didn’t realize it. My consciousness would disappear intermittently, and I couldn’t remember actions I had just performed—I thought perhaps I had finally gone senile. But gradually, the symptoms worsened, and eventually, my judgment itself became clouded.”
The cause was a drug mixed into the tea.
“It was served with every meal. Lucy called it medicine. What could either my steward or I know? We are blind to medical arts.”
It would have been ideal if someone had directly witnessed the crime, but Norman was in a brainwashed state, and Lucy and Dooban took turns controlling the situation.
Now that both were deceased, there was no way to confirm exactly how the brainwashing had been carried out.
“So, how did you break free from the brainwashing?”
“I do not know exactly, but surely, it was because the Sun arrived and cleared the night.”
“I do not favor illogical flattery.”
He laughed awkwardly and changed the subject.
“Indeed. Well… my guess is that the brainwashing itself was unstable.”
Norman presented a plausible rationale.
“Lucy never left my side for even a moment. She blocked my son and the servants from approaching. Seeing that, I suspect it was a structure that would break easily when exposed to external stimuli or mental shock.”
Indeed. If that were the case, the excessive control over the surroundings made sense.
Norman placed a peculiar glass bottle on the table, and Lianel picked it up to inspect it.
“Is this the bottle containing the drug in question?”
“Yes. Lucy added a drop to the tea each time.”
The bottle’s carefully cut surface reflected light smoothly.
It was half-filled with a transparent liquid that sloshed gently whenever Lianel tilted her wrist.
At first glance, it resembled a perfume bottle. But the angel engraved on the cap was astonishingly familiar.
‘The same bottle was in Vanessa’s room.’
Technically, it had been Lianel’s room, which Vanessa had taken over.
Curious, Lianel opened the bottle.
The moment the fragrance pressed inside the bottle wafted out,
“Ugh.”
Lianel staggered, feeling nauseous. Her vision blurred, and a familiar headache struck.
“Your Majesty?”
She hastily put the bottle down and examined her hand. Red rashes were spreading across her fingers that had touched the bottle’s mouth.
‘As expected.’
The reaction was all too familiar.
Norman, however, seemed taken aback and hurried to support her.
“What… what could have been in that bottle to cause this?”
“It must be sanctified extract.”
Given the quick reaction, it seemed to be a concentrated solution.
Meanwhile, the rash spread along her hands and up her arms.
“Why does the same allergy appear in a new body? No—that’s not the important thing! We need a doctor! No, there isn’t one. At least a steward—!”
Norman flustered and opened the door.
Then, the noisy sounds from outside flooded in.
“I mean, why send everyone out except for the two of us?”
It was Til.
“What could the two of us possibly need to discuss…?”
When the door swung wide, the taxation district staff simultaneously turned to look.
Seeing Lianel supported by Norman,
Wilbrin screamed,
“What did you feed the Team Leader?!”
“It’s a misunderstanding.”
Lianel realized something anew.
‘These people really haven’t visited Torban.’
“Reacting to sanctified extract… that’s incredibly devilish.”
“Ersen!”
“The main component of the drug used to brainwash your father is sanctified extract.”
“…Of course, I meant that sanctified extract is a misnomer. It doesn’t deserve the name.”
Ersen adjusted his stance slightly slower than light.
Norman bowed in alarm.
“I apologize. Being the precious son I obtained late in life, he is poorly disciplined.”
But no one present took issue with Ersen’s rudeness. His personality had already been well established during their last encounter.
‘And he’s young.’
The Duke of Vinsenheim, who had rushed here upon hearing the news, prioritized checking Lianel’s condition over reprimanding Norman’s son.
“Are you all right?”
Asil was also present.
Nearly all members from the last visit to Norman’s mansion were here.
This had its benefits.
While Norman and the taxation staff panicked, the Duke promptly summoned a doctor to calm Lianel’s allergic reaction.
“Yes.”
“But Team Leader, you had an allergy? Amazing. With your body, I would expect your immune system to override irrational triggers in special situations.”
“Allergies occur when antibodies react to specific substances. It has nothing to do with intelligence.”
Wilbrin was impressed.
She seemed incredibly rational, especially considering she had nearly collapsed from fever just moments ago.
“By the way, how did you come into contact with sanctified extract?”
“There was a concentrated solution inside the bottle.”
“Ah, Team Leader, careful. You’re reaching for it again while talking.”
“I am not a child. I am not so reckless as to touch a poison knowingly.”
“Then who, may I ask, was it who immediately opened the bottle to check its contents?”
“….”
Lianel fell silent. Wilbrin took the bottle and inspected it.
She noticed liquid on the rim, rubbed it with her fingertip, and even sniffed it.
“For someone without the allergy, it seems harmless. Just touching or smelling it seems fine.”
“Eating it brainwashes you?”
Til asked.
“Probably, yes?”
Wilbrin shrugged. It was only speculation.
Then Mel muttered,
“Don’t people sometimes call this ‘Wish Grass’?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Those wishing for something would donate to the temple and receive sanctified extract.
“Just wondering, but could the way it fulfills wishes possibly be…”
“Ah, no way.”
“I just got goosebumps!”
Til recoiled; Wilbrin rubbed her own arms where goosebumps had appeared.
Asil, who had been silent until now, intervened.
“But why are you still looking at this bottle?”
He maintained close proximity to be able to snatch the bottle if necessary.
“I was thinking.”
“About…?”
“About Rupert Vinsenheim, the prince.”
Why him, all of a sudden?
Everyone was puzzled by the unexpected name, and the sharp-eyed Wilbrin muttered, “Team Leader, you don’t mean—”
“Prince Rupert appears to have been brainwashed as well.”
A direct bombshell was dropped.
“I object.”
Mel said.
“Next time, could you at least give a warning before making statements like that?”
It was genuinely bad for the heart.
