🔊 TTS Settings
CHAPTER 67
After the situation had been settled.
Lady Florence, the victim of the incident, returned home for quick stabilization and recovery, and since I had been nearby at the time, I was summoned to the Order of Knights as a witness in her place.
“Thank you for your cooperation. You’re free to go now.”
After answering a few questions, the knights readily let me leave.
As I exited the knights’ building, I spotted a familiar face leaning against the wall.
“Idris?”
The moment I saw him, all the strength drained from my body.
Only then did I realize just how tense I’d been.
And at the same time…
‘I’ve come to rely on him more than I thought.’
I also came to realize that, before I knew it, I had come to see Idris as someone firmly on my side.
In the meantime, Idris approached in long strides and asked,
“Did the investigation go well? Those guys didn’t rough you up, did they?”
“Those guys?”
I was momentarily confused about who he meant by “those guys,” but realized a beat later that he was referring to the knights.
Now that I thought about it, the knights—whom I had expected to interrogate me like the police—had strangely seemed intimidated by me.
‘So that was because they were watching Idris’s reactions?’
Of course, being a Grand Duke, Idris would naturally command some fear.
But more than that—
It was probably because he used to be their commanding officer during the war.
I realized anew the kind of advantages I was receiving as his partner and took the opportunity to ask the question that had been bothering me all throughout the inquiry.
“Thanks to you, yes. Did Lady Florence return safely? How is she doing?”
“According to the court physician, thanks to you administering the antidote right away, she didn’t suffer any major internal damage. As long as she gets proper rest, she’ll be fine.”
I finally relaxed at those words and got into the carriage.
Once Idris, who had escorted me, climbed in as well, the carriage set off.
As I settled into the plush seat and caught my breath, I noticed Idris’s expression was oddly stiff.
“Why did you do it?”
His voice was lower than usual.
I looked at him in surprise at the sudden question, and he continued,
“You knew that poison wasn’t rare, and that the antidote would be easy to obtain, didn’t you?”
His tone was closer to rebuke than genuine curiosity.
“You also knew that using the antidote would cast suspicion on you as the culprit.”
“I did.”
“Then you shouldn’t have used it.”
His refined brow furrowed, as though the very thought left a bad taste in his mouth.
“But if I hadn’t, Lady Florence would’ve lived with lasting internal damage for the rest of her life. Worse, she might’ve died before we got the antidote.”
“So… you prioritized her life over your own safety?”
“Nothing is more important than a person’s life.”
I knew it was an emotionally driven decision. But I didn’t regret it.
Just like the conviction I had when I made that choice.
“…More than your own safety?”
Idris’s gaze as he asked that was colder and more subdued than ever before.
I instinctively flinched at that chill, and perhaps noticing his own reaction, Idris let out a slow sigh.
Then, he took my hand.
Fidgeting with it as though to ease his anxiety, he finally spoke again, in a softened voice.
“If our assumptions had been wrong… if I hadn’t found the evidence in time, you could’ve ended up as the perpetrator.”
If this had been when we first met, I would’ve thought he was criticizing me for acting recklessly.
But now—I know better.
This was just the way Idris showed concern.
“But that didn’t happen.”
“Leticia…”
“Because my capable partner found the evidence just in time.”
In truth, if it hadn’t been for Idris, I wouldn’t have found the receipt showing that Élise bought the poison, let alone caught the human traffickers.
‘Maybe if I steer the topic toward Idris’s contributions, things will smooth over?’
But Idris saw right through my intentions.
“…My partner’s terrible at flattery, you know that?”
Still, the slight smile tugging at his lips told me he wasn’t actually upset.
‘It wasn’t flattery, though.’
Feeling sheepish at being found out, I offered him an awkward smile and averted my eyes.
“So, in that situation, you helped Lady Florence without hesitation?”
“Of course not. Saying I didn’t hesitate would be a lie. Naturally, the first thing that came to mind was the loss I’d suffer from taking that action.”
“And yet you went through with it?”
I nodded.
“I just don’t think that’s something you weigh. No matter what, human life comes first.”
Because I didn’t want to become someone like Élise.
“Though… I’ll admit, it was an unusually emotional decision for me.”
“No. I thought it was exactly like you.”
His unexpected comment contrasted sharply with the way he had just rebuked me. I blinked in surprise.
Idris looked at me with sincere eyes and added,
“I like that about you.”
At that moment—his single line made my heart lurch unexpectedly.
‘He probably just meant that he respects my righteous behavior…’
But the strange tingling warmth that rose at my fingertips left me speechless, staring at him blankly.
Then Idris suggested,
“Let’s go home and have a toast.”
“A toast?”
“Today’s the day your enemy was put behind bars. It deserves a toast, don’t you think?”
He mimed clinking glasses.
Somehow, he looked even happier than I was, and I couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.
“Alright.”
At that same moment.
Feidan was once again glaring at a stack of documents from his desk.
He had just cleared them a few days ago—yet here they were again.
He’d gone out yesterday for business matters, and in just one day, the paperwork had piled up again to greet him upon return.
“Ugh…”
These days, he was going out of his mind.
With Leticia gone, all the work was dumped on him. He barely had time to breathe.
He had to constantly battle for dominance with Élise, who was no help at all, while Leticia got on his nerves day in and day out.
He couldn’t do much about the rest, but if she would just agree to a divorce, at least that problem would go away.
‘If she divorces me so easily, then what—just let her go off laughing with that bastard and live happily ever after?’
Why should he do something that only benefits them?
‘No way in hell.’
There was no scenario where he’d sit by and watch his wife end up with another man.
Whether he had to win her back—or destroy her completely—
‘And if we divorce now, I’ll have to marry Élise. But honestly, marrying Élise just feels like a losing deal.’
Compared to Leticia, Élise was utterly useless.
Far from helping him with anything, she was a constant hindrance, always getting into trouble and putting him on edge.
He would be better off marrying someone quiet, obedient, and useful. He could always have another child later.
That thought stirred a flicker of guilt in him—but it didn’t last long.
‘Besides, there’s no proof that the child in her belly is even mine. She could’ve seen someone else before meeting me.’
…That kind of self-justification helped.
‘Once her belly shows, she won’t be able to hide the pregnancy, and Élise will use it to pressure me into marriage…’
He was still trying to figure out a way to get rid of Élise without making a scene, when—
SLAM!
“Y-Your Grace!”
The door to the office flew open without warning, and his aide Rockhud burst in, gasping for breath.
“Something’s happened—something big!”
Feidan, about to explode at his aide’s lack of decorum, froze at the next words.
“There was a poisoning incident at today’s imperial tea party. And…”
“What? A poisoning?”
“The suspect… is Lady Fran.”
“Élise?!”
